God Blog
God Blog

Approaching God One Thought At A Time

It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually.
- M. Scott Peck

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Spiritual Sensitivity

With innumerable varieties of religious expression often in disagreement, clearly humanity's spiritual sensitivity could benefit from honest target practice. The sooner the better, since as fearfully and wonderfully made mortals with extremely limited lifespans and freedom, growing in sensitivity to our Creator and Savior is mankind’s greatest challenge and responsibility.

A difficult task for modern Christians given dozens of sects preaching various Gospels spanning a myriad of beliefs. Even so, the honest and diligent Bible student can find the necessary guidance to practice righteousness and discernment. Thus learning to more fluently understand and speak the language of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

- Ephesians 4:30 MSG


Transcendence is a must for Deity. In fact only God can truly appreciate the depths of any, much less all, of the five attributes of Omnity (Self Existence, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, Immutability). Thankfully, Scripture explains that for a myriad of reason involving the history of heaven and earth, God has revealed Himself to humanity. Through a variety of means, culminating in Christ’s costly atonement and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God has and continues to make His love and faithfulness, mercy and forgiveness available to all mankind.

The Creator of the cosmos has chosen to endow mankind with sentience, the ability to subjectively think about our thoughts and feelings. Doing so affords both the privileged and duty of growing in understanding of ourselves and surroundings. This includes asking and answering, to the best of our ability, such ultimate questions as how we came to be and were we are going.

Those genuinely endeavoring to do so soon find logical faith not only reasonable but indispensable. With ten excellent reasons to believe in the God of the Bible, we are tasked with the challenge and adventure of discovering how best to seek and serve the Almighty. Such a journey is undertaken in the hope of maturing in spiritual discernment and obedience to the end that we might more fully please and experience God.

Enjoying a renewed popularity, the 1800’s hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise captures several quantum truths:


Immortal, invisible, God only wise
In light, inaccessible, hid from our eyes
Most blessed, most glorious, ancient of days
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise

Unresting, unhasting, silent as light
No wanting nor wasting, Thou rulest in might
Thy justice, like mountains, soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of Your goodness and love

Lord this is none like You, my Jesus, my Jesus
nothing compares to You, my Jesus, my Jesus

To all, life thou givest, both great and small
in all life thou livest, true life of all
great Father of glory, pure Father of light
thine angels adore Thee, availing their sight

Immortal, invisible, God only wise
In light and accessible, hid from our eyes
Most blessed, most glorious, ancient of days
Almighty, victorious, Thy name we praise


In the first two lines of this hymn, as in life, we see God’s transcendent glory as both the solution and problem to mankind’s greatest hopes and fears:

1. “Immortal, invisible God only wise” commemorates and celebrates Omnity’s transcendence from time immemorial.

2. “In light, inaccessible, hid from our eyes” extols God’s resplendence and explains the apparent silence and distance of God so often seeming to hinder our approach.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments the Bible is filled with passages of God revealing Himself to man. Equally prominent are stories of men failing to avail themselves of such a gracious offer. So the question before us is how best are believers to develop increased sensitivity to such a holy and radiant being as God? Certainly mastery of a few basics would be helpful. These include correctly understanding most if not all of the following:








  • What are some of the more important steps in seeking God?





































While the above partial list may seem daunting, it’s important to remember that growing in sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is no easy task. As with all aspects of life, success or failure will come down to two fundamental issues:

1. Level of concern: Human interest tend towards issues associated with the most immediate and/or greatest pleasure or pain, first in regards to ourselves and then others. Levels of Christian concern largely depend on our willingness to read and recall Scripture as it is written rather than choosing to omit hundreds if not thousands of verses challenging Churchianity's status quo. Equally important is the development and continual exercise of imaginative empathy. The ability to immerse oneself in the past, present and future human suffering or exaltation described in the Bible is a crucial component in allowing the reader to mentally and emotionally comprehend the passage. Honesty in "Scripturally rendering" a scene allows a fuller understanding of risk/benefit associated with various levels of rebellion verse obedience.

2. Appropriate response: Filtering through tens of thousands of thoughts a day, we select those upon which dwell. A percentage of theses will be discussed. Some of these will merit research and further evaluation... A fraction of thoughts will translate into actions. Depending on a variety of factors, our actions or lack thereof, will either fit or fail the test of appropriateness. In regards to Biblical Christianity issues of appropriate response include but hardly limited to the above list.

Our level of concern and degree of appropriate response also hinges on two habits foundation for authentic Christianity. These are:

1. Diligently seeking God: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)

2. Judging with righteous judgment: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24 NKJV)

The crucial role of these two directives cannot be overstated. In fact, without the implementing of both these principals, millions if not billions of Bible readers do so unprepared to grasp the full and enormous context of Scripture.


Listening Heart

A glance of some of the areas essential to understanding Scripture, and hence it’s Author, goes a long way in explaining the reluctance of most to try. Add to this sifting through the divisions among clergy and laity alike and cslearly developing genuine spiritual sensitivity is an uphill battle. Even so, if science and technology have shown us anything it’s that the difficult need not be impossible. And what could be more important than pleasing and pursuing a relationship with God!

For those interested, GodBlog acts as a Quantum Christianity quick start guide, providing modern society with hundreds of articles and books, modern psalms and proverbs all designed to promote Spiritual discernment and sensitivity. You’ll find tools to help work through everything from the reasonableness of faith to issues with God. Articles cover the fundamental and intermediate, advance and in-depth aspects of Christian faith.

While no one agrees on everything, honest and studious study should lead to a unifying consensus on non-negotiables and liberty elsewhere. To this end GB embraces a quantum hope that the journey towards spiritual sensitivity, while clearly the road less traveled, yet beckons.

Recognizing the challenges before him, the young king Solomon asked and received from God spiritual sensitivity for the task ahead:

  • “The king went to Gibeon, the most prestigious of the local shrines, to worship. He sacrificed a thousand Whole-Burnt-Offerings on that altar. That night, there in Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a dream: God said, “What can I give you? Ask.” Solomon said, “You were extravagantly generous in love with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence, his relationships were just and his heart right. And you have persisted in this great and generous love by giving him—and this very day!—a son to sit on his throne. And now here I am: God, my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of this job. And here I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen, a great people—far too many to ever count. Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” 1 Kings 3:4-9 The Message
It may be argued that as heir to David’s dynasty, Solomon already had all he might ever want. Yet God seemed impressed by the nature of the young man’s request:

  • “God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon’s response. And God said to him, “Because you have asked for this and haven’t grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well, I’ll give you what you’ve asked for—I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There’s never been one like you before; and there’ll be no one after. As a bonus, I’m giving you both the wealth and glory you didn’t ask for—there’s not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I’ll also give you a long life.” 1 Kings 3:10-14 The Message
Without question the life of Solomon is a cautionary tale. Nevertheless, recognizing the need for receiving a sensitive heart is a wise start. Interestingly, most modern believers pray and sing, preach and teach as if they already have. Sadly, even a cursory study of Churchianity’s worldly schism and lifestyles as reveals an invading preference for the wisdom from below rather than above.

Sadly most modern believers would rather simply embrace the concept of “peace, peace” even “when there is no peace” than diligently discern the differences between the story we tell ourselves and the hard truth of Scripture. This long standing tradition among the people of God is warned against by such notables as Ezekiel and Jeremiah:

  • “Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash…” Ezekiel 13:10 NIV


  • “Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken—shattered!—and they put on Band-Aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’! Do you suppose they are embarrassed over this outrage? No, they have no shame. They don’t even know how to blush. There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom and there’s no getting up. As far as I’m concerned,  they’re finished. God has spoken.” Jeremiah 6:13-15 MSG
In the case of “good old church goin’ folk” the reason for the disconnect from both Scripture and reality is an often well meant yet foundational mistake regarding to whom, how and why the “exceedingly great and precious promises of God” belong. By and large believers today are taught to view Biblical warnings and conditions through the rose colored lens of presuposing they possess the promises of God. Unfortunately, as is too often the case, Scripture teaches the exact opposite. The promises of God are received and kept not by presumption but by heeding the Bible’s warnings and conditions.

The current permissive mindset is the result of Churchianity being caught in the dangerous riptide of the original sin of entitlement popularized by various forms of Me-ism. Billions have and continue to reason, “surely modern Christians enjoy favor and forgiveness through the love and mercy of God, not to mention the costly atonement of Christ.” While having a ring of truth, such a vast over simplification of Scripture omits the clear and concise instruction of at least half the Old and New Testaments, including such unpopular topics as conditional salvation and additions to faith, presumption and the fear of God to name just a few.

Those wishing to grow in spiritual sensitivity must be willing to at least begin paying the additional price to do so. The sensitivity-insensitivity principal is repeatedly addressed throughout Scripture, including Peter’s additions to faith:

  • “To: All of you who have our kind of faith. The faith I speak of is the kind that Jesus Christ our God and Savior gives to us. How precious it is, and how just and good he is to give this same faith to each of us. Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better and better. For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us! And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character. But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ. But anyone who fails to go after these additions to faith is blind indeed, or at least very shortsighted and has forgotten that God delivered him from the old life of sin so that now he can live a strong, good life for the Lord. So, dear brothers, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen, and then you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:1-11 NLB
Here the Holy Spirit explains that the believers to whom Peter writes, by extension including all Christians throughout time, can be sensitive enough to embrace the Gospel while insensitive to necessity of developing such crucial additions to faith.

Peter’s 1st and 2nd great confessions also afford a couple of personal examples of this principal. The first was occasioned by Jesus asking the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”

  • “Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of Jonah, you are happy because you did not learn this from man. My Father in heaven has shown you this. And I tell you that you are Peter. On this rock I will build My church. The powers of hell will not be able to have power over My church.  I will give you the keys of the holy nation of heaven. Whatever you do not allow on earth will not have been allowed in heaven. Whatever you allow on earth will have been allowed in heaven.” Matthew 16:16-19 NIV
Displaying a genuine “God-listening heart” within less than five verses Peter goes from earning Christ’s greatest compliment to engendering the greatest condemnation as Jesus calls his dualistic disciple the Satan:

  • “From that time on Jesus began to tell His followers that He had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things. These hard things would come from the leaders and from the head religious leaders of the Jews and from the teachers of the Law. He told them He would be killed and three days later He would be raised from the dead. Peter took Jesus away from the others and spoke sharp words to Him. He said, “Never, Lord! This must not happen to You!” Then Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are standing in My way. You are not thinking how God thinks. You are thinking how man thinks.” Matthew 16:21-23 NIV
Peter’s 2nd great confession was of quite another nature, yet displayed an astonishing degree of honest sensitivity. In fact given the persons and circumstances of this conversation it may well qualify as the greatest interview in human history. Fishing with six other disciples, Peter who is just of the heels of having denying Christ three times in the hours prior to His crucifixion, recognizes the resurrected Jesus standing on the shore:

  • “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” John 21:15-19 NKJV
To fully appreciate the magnitude of this conversation imagine yourself as Peter. Of approximately 250,000,000 people on Earth, including a few million Jews, you have been chosen by God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to be one of the twelve! What's more, Jesus has distinguished you as one of the three inner circle apostles, and you are arguably first among them!

After years of following and serving Christ day and night, you publicly declare your love for Him is so great you'll even die for Him. Instead, betraying Jesus three times in a single night your unworthiness to be a disciple, much less an apostle, is publicly revealed. Tormented, you watch helplessly as His Passion unfolds and God the Son dies hanging on a cross for the sin of all mankind, including yours.

Resurrected, the Lord you betrayed appears to you twice. All seems forgiven as joy swallows despair. Then, appearing a third time, Jesus knowing you're now strong enough, asks the all important eternal question. "Do you love Me?"

Examining the interview yields the following:

  1. Jesus' uses the word for the greatest form of love, (Greek Agapao).
  2. Peter responds with a word denoting a weaker form of love, meaning
    brotherly affection or friendship, (Greek Phileo).
  3. Face to face and eye to eye with God the Son, as described above, Peter for all
    practical purposes answers "No. I obviously don't love you more than all these as I previously boasted."
  4. Jesus probes again, repeating his first question.
  5. Peter replies in kind.
  6. Here, for the first and only time in Scripture, Jesus "lowers the bar" in light of
    the broken hearted, humble confession from His fractured disciple. He does so by restating His previous questions. This time Jesus uses the lessor word for brotherly love when asking if Peter loves Him.
  7. Peter, having failed the test of Agapao-love humbly stands his ground in declaring his Phileo-love for Jesus.
  8. Jesus, satisfied with the honesty of Peter's confession encourages him that he will indeed one day love Him so much as to be His faithful martyr.
In Peter's first great confession, “You are the Christ" he declares who Jesus is. In his second, "I don't love you but I like you life a friend" he declares something of equal value, who Peter is.

Jesus had previously warned His followers only those picking up their cross and following Him would be worthy of being a disciple. Peter's denials and confession made it clear he was ineligible to even be a disciple, much less an Apostle. The meanings of this conversation are exhaustive. For our purposes the vital concept is that while Jesus always raised the bar (see Sermon on the Mount) upon Peter's broken hearted honesty Jesus lowers the bar and shows all would be disciples the way out of our quantum dilemma.

Our good intentions to follow Christ often fail for various reasons. Yet in the end, the decision and responsibility to obey always falls to us. When we sin, we reveal our lack of agapao-love for God. In this case, Jesus had been unimpressed with Peter's previous presumption and declaration of love (given our modern worship themes we do well to keep this in mind). However, when Peter not only confesses his sin, but his lack of perfected love for God, Jesus acting as High Priest forgave the sin and promised strength. When Peter exalted his love for Christ he was humbled. When humble he was exalted. Here, as elsewhere, Scripture declares the way up is down.

In another example, Scripture tells us that "at the time when kings go off to war" the warrior and prophet, psalmist and great king David sent the army of Israel off into battle while remaining at home in his palace. Satan, exploiting a lack of diligence of a man after God’s own heart, seduced David by enflaming his lust for Bathsheba. What few realize is the full extent of his horrifying betrayal. Though he already had multiple wives and could have married any and as many Israelite virgins he chose, instead he was moved to pick a woman who was far more than just the wife of some unknown soldier. According to 1 Chronicles 11, this same "Uriah the Hittite" was one of David's mighty men and elite personal guard. Furthermore, we are told Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam, another decorated soldier. Worse, she was also the granddaughter of Ahithophel, perhaps David's wisest counselor, of whom scripture says his advice was like listening to "the oracle of God." In fact, the reason David could see Bathsheba bathing from his rooftop was because of the honored positions held by her faithful and loyal husband, father and grandfather!

David insensitivity to the Spirit would also be instrumental in the deaths of 70,000 Israelites:

  • “Now Satan entered the scene and seduced David into taking a census of Israel. David gave orders to Joab and the army officers under him, 'Canvass all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and get a count of the population. I want to know the number.' Joab resisted: 'May God multiply his people by hundreds! Don't they all belong to my master the king? But why on earth would you do a thing like this—why risk getting Israel into trouble with God?' But David wouldn't take no for an answer, so Joab went off and did it... And God, offended by the whole thing, punished Israel….seventy thousand Israelites died." 1 Chronicles 21:1-3,15 The Message

All this from the same David who killed lions and bears, felled Goliath and routed enemy armies, prophesied and composed the Scripture’s greatest psalms of worship.


Sensitivity Lessons

Having laid a foundation in regards to requirement and pitfalls in cultivating genuine sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, QC is acutely aware that embracing and espousing narrow and exacting standards seems arrogant, if not totalitarian. Ironically, discerning and pin pointing examples of insensitively seems itself insensitive. Yet the Bible repeatedly reinforces the need for learning to become fluent in the language of the Spirit by rightly interpret Scripture as well as growing in the ability to correctly evaluate the quality of teaching and behavior inside and outside of the established church. The same Jesus who warned about misjudging to the point of condemnation also warned against failing to discern truth, a directive repeatedly reinforced by Paul and all New Testament authors.

Scripture is equally clear in regards to the importance of learning to be “led by the Spirit.” The difficulty arises from the fact that given the manner and nature of human existence, spiritual truth while itself objective is primarily subjectively discerned. Even the objective teaching of Scripture must be subjectively interpreted and applied. Still, as previously mentioned, while there may be “many Christs” there can only be “one True” thus it greatly behooves us to do our due diligence in formulating and living out a Christian world view as close to that of the Bible’s as possible.

Those having done so are ready to practice spirituality as directed by Spirit through the author of the Book of Hebrews:

  • “Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even [f]slothful in achieving spiritual insight]. For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food. For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]! But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.” Hebrews 5:11-14 Amplified Bible
Through such passages as this, God not only invites but commands Christians to grow in discernment and sensitivity to the Spirit. Much like physicians are licensed to “practice” rather than perform medicine, so too believers are directed to train “by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil.” Of course, as in learning anything, mistakes are bound to be made. God does not require perfection but rather honesty in its pursuit. And, of course, that we avoid “malpractice.”

Paul encourages more of the same:

  • “Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 The Message
Paul also directs believers who’s goal is to be the church, rather than simply attend, to pursue both the fruit and gifts of the Spirit. In fact, signs and wonders were so plentiful and central to the early church that it’s record is called “The Book of Acts of the Apostles.” Abounding in miraculous healing, called by Christ “the children’s bread” the presence or lack thereof is one way in determining levels of sensitivity to the Spirit.

A leading cause for the lack of serious and concentrated effort in pursuing the sensitivity to the Spirit needed to demonstrate the veracity of Scripture through signs and wonders are official and unofficial denominational positions on the subject.  Oddly, the two leading view points on miracles are opposite in nature, yet both have the same negative effect of dampening their pursuit. 

A majority of denominations and/or churches choose, purposefully or by default, the cessationalist or dispensationalist theology.   This suggests that miraculous gifts were meant to attest to the authority of the new revelation preached by Christ and His apostles.  When Christianity was canonized in Scripture, the astonishing miracles ceased, having timed out as a new dispensation focusing on the Bible began.  Thus Biblical authority is said to have replaced the need for the extraordinary healing of the sick, tongues and their interpretation, prophecy, etc... While a convenient excuse, this doctrine is not taught anywhere in the New Testament.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Charismatic movement, the modern history of which can be traced to the Holiness Movement and/or Pentecostalism.  This current "dispensation" began in earnest with the Welsh Revival of 1904, the fire of which was spread round the world by it's American counterpart, the Azusa St. Revival of 1906 (named after it's 312 Azusa Street Los Angeles, California). 

Hundreds of millions of Christians can trace the roots of their charismatic experience back to these moves of the Spirit, particularly Azusa St.. Given the practice, popularity and tenants of this theology it might be hoped that with over a century of history a new Pentecostal outpouring might have been anticipated. Unfortunately such is far from the case.

Reasons for this are many, but the simplest is the most significant.  While, generally speaking, Cessationism asserts miracles have ceased, Charismatic's assert they occur in the lives of true believers everyday and twice on Sunday. I know, I am one.  And I can honestly and sadly attest that more than 30 years of participation in and study of this movement has given me a unique appreciation of and disdain for we "crazy charismatics."

Rather than seeding an unprecedented move of the Spirit through deep and abiding pre-revival repentance, Charismatic's are renowned for Holy Ghost shenanigans and outlandish claims more often than not based on little fact or research.  Inordinate dress, outrageous lifestyles and excessive bank accounts bring into question the authenticity of many leaders.  As does our continually over inflated "evangelistic" handling of the truth concerning the miraculous. 
 
There are two compelling reasons to ignore miracles.  Their failure to exist or it their already being in hand.  Ironically, both leading doctrines are detrimental in regards to seeking the kind of Book of Acts spiritual sensitivity conducive to the proliferation of signs and wonders. For opposite reasons, they each have the practical effect of rendering serious and strategic pursuit of the Holy Spirit moot. Tragically, cessationalists reduce Scripture to match reality while charismatics exaggerate reality to match Scripture. What is needed is a paradigm that doesn't "throw the baby out with the bath water" while admitting the bath water desperately needs changing. 

QC uses the term “Prophetic Christians” to denote those who through the development of sensitivity to the Spirit appreciate many if not most the afore mentioned principals . Understanding both "the love and terror of the Lord.” Repentive and broken hearted over ubiquitous levels of me-ism and worse, such endeavor to "persuade men" to choose eternal life rather than death. Knowing they too are sinners, they treat others as they would be treated: firm, fair, factual and friendly.  They compel the lost, including apathetic and disobedient Christians within Churchianity, to come into the Kingdom by first speaking the truth in love. Should compassion fail, they spend themselves and their lives trying to pull lost believers and secular humanity from "the fire."

Prophetic Christians recognize the challenge and opportunity inherit in answering the Holy Spirit’s call to move beyond the split allegiances of double-mindedness into radical discipleship. Sensing the importance of personal and corporate sanctification, they embark on the decent into deeper levels of righteousness. Wrestling against subtle sins and doubtful habits, by study or intuition they acknowledge the importance of following in the footsteps of those exhibiting extreme spiritual sensitivity.

While many of Christendom's greats have weighed in on the subject, perhaps none has done so as skillfully and succinctly as Evan Roberts, recognized leader of the 1904 Welsh Revival. During a revival that would see 100,000 converts in a matter of months, Evan Roberts codified the following simple yet insightful directives:

  1. You must confess any known sin to God and put any wrong done to others right.
  2. Second, you must put away any doubtful habit.
  3. Third, you must obey the Spirit promptly.
  4. Finally, you must confess your faith in Christ publicly.
Those interested in drawing near to God understand the principal of personally decreasing so that Jesus might increase. They daily confess any lack of discipline in regards to besetting sins and/or doubtful habits short-circuiting their efforts and prayers to more fully experience the power of God.

Each of the various faith traditions have extraordinary examples of men and women developing lifestyles of extreme sensitivity to the Spirit. Another such charismatic was Smith Wigglesworth. A 19th-20th century evangelist known for overwhelming miracles, his commitment not to grieve the Spirit was legendary. Rarely praying more than 30 minutes at a time, he rarely went 30 minutes without praying. This meant often, while in the middle of a conversation with friends or converts, stopping to confess his forgetfulness and entering into a brief prayer. Back in a time when newspapers printed sermons rather than sexual wants adds, Wigglesworth refused to have even this small secular influence in his home. One can only wonder what he would have thought of modern TV and movies, videos and music?

Far greater in outreach was Charles Finney. Arguably the most spiritually powerful and insightful man to walk the earth since the apostles. Finney played a key role in America’s 2nd Great Awakening. What Wigglesworth accomplished with individuals Finney did with whole communities. See “Power From on High” and the extensive library collection of Finney’s sermons and books. Such believers are possessed by a passionate decision to attract rather than repel the Holy Spirit. They share what is perhaps the most prevalent common denominator among the spiritually sensitive, a full and unwavering commitment to Christ.

It’s been noted “We are all telling ourselves a story.” The following graphic emphasizes that knowingly or not, having heard the story and claims of Jesus, each of us is forced to choose if and how to incorporate the Gospel into our internal narrative. A choice reflected on the following continuum from devilish insensitivity to maximum sensitivity to the Spirit:


Mere Men or New Creations

As reinforced in Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians, willingness to cultivate and rightly express the fruit and gifts of the Spirit is an important indicator of spiritual sensitivity. Sadly both areas are rapidly deteriorating in light of ubiquitous levels of temptation and deception both without and within modern Christianity. Nevertheless, continually correcting and exhorting, Paul’s letters to the church are filled with encouragement to be transformed from “mere men” to something more:

  • “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NIV
God’s frustration regarding the lack of spiritual responsiveness among 1st century believers raises important questions in regards to 21st century Churchianity:

  1. To what degree are modern believers “mere infants” unable to digest the “solid food” of Scripture?
  2. To what degree is genuine Biblical Christianity hampered or even possible given the obvious and all but culturally invisible challenges of modern life?
  3. To what degree is our pursuit of happiness destroying or developing spiritual sensitivity?
  4. To what degree have we perceived and/or entered the Kingdom of God?
  5. To what degree have we been partially or fully transformed by the Spirit into radical disciples?
  6. To what degree have we processing and/or assimilating the fullness of the Kingdom?
  7. To what degree are we experiencing God’s glory, tasting “the power of the age to come?”
  8. To what degree do we truly believe Paul’s encouragement that “all things are yours…”
  9. To what degree is real time light of day Kingdom Christianity paramount and active within our lives and all those we know and love?
It’s fair to say that most modern Christians have more in common with “mere men” than the new creation that Scripture directs us to become. An all too common condition Paul discussed in his second letter to the Corinthians:

  • “So from now on we don’t look at anyone the way the world does. At one time we looked at Christ in that way. But we don’t anymore. When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here! All this is from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ. God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people’s sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him. So we are Christ’s official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God! Christ didn’t have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NIRV
The above passage first declares that “When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here!” Then Paul attributes this work to God. Next he pleads on God’s behalf with the Corinthian church to “Come back to God!” This suggests that either the believers in Corinth had left the faith or more likely they were holding back from completing their transformation into the new creation God had envisioned.

While the latter interpretation softens the blow that we have a long way to go before our full metamorphosis into genuine “Christ-ians” it also raises a handful of crucial questions:

  • What is hindering or even stopping us?
  • How willing are we to admit the full extent of the problem?
  • What might serious sensitivity to the Holy Spirit look like?
  • How interested are we in assuming the rights and responsibilities of Christian maturity?
  • How hard are we trying?
  • How hard are we willing to try?
  • What do we need to persuade ourselves to pursue if not complete spiritual transformation?
  • What stumbling blocks and/or waypoints might we expect along the way?
With hell to loose and heaven to gain for over 7.5 billion it seems clear that more of the same is not the answer. Rather than monkey’s who see, hear and speak no evil when it comes to the status quo, perhaps this discussion should be moved to the front burner. In fact, given our growing and regrettable addiction to grey areas of worldliness and worse, we may do well to “buddy up” and embark on an epic 12 Step Revival - Holy Spirit Sensitivity Journey!



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