So you’re sitting in a really boring church service and all of a sudden the pastor totally changes gears and prays, “Holy Spirit come!” Instantly the whole atmosphere of the meeting changes and there is excitement and many “outward”demonstrations and manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s “presence.”
So here are my questions…
· Where was the Holy Spirit before the pastor prayed, “Holy Spirit come?” What was He doing and why didn’t He respond earlier?
· Is the God of the Bible a deity that needs to be reached out to before He reaches out or responds to us?
· Does God just show up randomly when He feels like it? Is God aloof or capricious?
· Is God separate from us, and “out there” (pointing upward or outward) somewhere?
· Is God so transcendent that He is difficult to reach?
But now the real kicker—how do our answers to these questions correspond and harmonize with the clear teachings of the New Covenant/Testament?
· God loves us passionately.
· The Holy Spirit (the whole Godhead for that matter) is an indwelling presence.
· Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I (not there I might be if you pray hard enough) in the midst.
· God is for us (not against us or even neutral or impartial).
· Nothing can separate us from Him or His love.
· He does not leave us or forsake us.
Which leads me to my final question:
· Do significant numbers of Christians and significant portions of so-called mainstream Christianity actually live within an Old Covenant paradigm camouflaged in New Covenant terminology and labels?
The End of Religion 