Our Spiritual Antennae

There are a lot of confusing things in this world. There is a lot of tragedy and there is a lot of suffering. There are also way too many powerless Christians roaming the earth. Let's dig a little deeper into how we hear and connect with God and how He empowers us to do His will. I was blessed to hear some very good foundational teaching on how we were created and a very clear understanding about what actually takes place when we are reborn in the Spirit. I learned that we are born a natural man or woman with a soul and a body and that the Bible also clearly describes a third part of our being called the spirit. We are tri-part beings just like the God-Head.

I Thessalonians 5:23

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The soul is often described as the mind, emotions, and intellect of man and also where our active will resides. The soul is also often described as the "flesh" or the carnal and or natural man. God is not a soul or a body. He is Spirit. It is critical to understand what happens to us when we have spiritual rebirth. I did not understand the things of God at all before my rebirth. I only saw things and understood things with my natural man. I could not understand the Bible. I could not sense God's presence. I may have wanted to from time to time but I just couldn't connect.

Lets' take another look at Jesus' famous conversation with Nicodemus

John 3:4,5

How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

When we experience this rebirth the Spirit gives birth to spirit. We get a "Spiritual Antennae" that can now connect with the living God. He is a Spirit and the part of us that is most like God is our own spirit. The spirit we are born with does not make this connection. We are dead in sin, blinded and on dis-connect with God. The new spirit makes the connection. Believe me, it is like watching television and seeing everything in high definition. Without the new spirit it is like looking at a blank screen. That is what religion is like. Boring and blank. No wonder we hate the religious life. Jesus didn't care for it much either.

The new spirit is also a lightning rod for God's power. A powerless christian is trying to live the christian life with his natural man. We like to live with our own moral agenda and receive the praise of men but that's all we get. There is none of God's power unleashed until we are humbled, broken, and renewed deep within by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I believe the church in America is powerless because the leadership is operating in the natural. The good news is that there is an awakening taking place. The numbers are growing. There is an increasing number of people who no longer want the old menu. Going to Church wasn't the great commission. The Holy Spirit was promised to us by Jesus. Let's raise our spritual antennaes and recieve what the Spirit has to say.