November 19, 2023
Greetings and blessings to all of you. In I Thess. 5:19 the Word says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” You may ask how do we do that? Quench means to ‘put out’ or to ‘put a damper on’. It coincides with the Holy Spirit being like a fire as said in Acts 2:3 “and divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” When we quench the Spirit, we put the fire out or we lessen the flames; which is the love and power of the Spirit as He seeks to carry out His divine purpose through us. For example, at our campsite we make a fire…we attempt to control it by managing the source (the kindle or paper) so we don’t catch ourselves on fire nor the forest. When we as believers fuel the fire (HS): we pray, fellowship with other believers, attend church/Bible Study, witness or read the Word of God. These are the resources or discipleship tools through which God gives us. The Holy Spirit wants to use those disciplines to control or maintain the fire in us once we are saved and willing to go on our journey in Christ. Will you let Him? Or will you dim the fire of the Holy Spirit… to live in your own power or the flesh…living less than what you are called to be in Christ? Do you want that total devotion to Him? We can also put the campfire out once we go home, that is a safety issue. However, we do not want to put the fire of the Holy Spirit out. Or do we? Absolutely not! Willful sin quenches the Spirit. When we act in an un- Christlike manner such as criticizing, belittling others, or just being unkind; we smother the fire and the fire goes out. Another example that happens in a church setting. Sometimes when a new believer wants to try something new a traditionalist will put their fire (excitement) out because of their cynical attitude wanting to stick with old traditional methods in proclaiming the gospel or servicing the community/church. We can also sometimes unintentionally “grieve” the Holy Spirit. The word “grieve” means to hurt- to be made sorrowful. Do you hurt the heart of the Spirit? We do when we sin. A Christian does not have to sin. What do the Word say? In Gal. 5:16 “Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Or in Col. 3:5-10 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires and covetousness which is idolatry.” In First Peter 2:11 “Beloved I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC