We need Spirit-driven preachers, teachers, and pastors, leaders and learners, adults, and children. Why the Holy Spirit's Power is Needed for Church Renewal. From the earliest centuries of the Christian church, various groups, discontented with the lack of freedom, active charity, or vitality in the institutional church, have called for a greater sensitivity to the ongoing outpourings of the Holy Spirit; among such movements were the Holiness and Pentecostal movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. So many Catholic homilies are platitude-rich, safely short, and as if carefully crafted not to make disciples, but to leave the congregational thermometer to within half a degree of where it was before. . He is the author of several books in Catholic spirituality, which are described on his website, www.renewthechurch.com. All the strategy, plans, and programs can never truly achieve church renewal or revive us as believers. The book deals with much more than just false teaching about the Holy Spirit. The death and resurrection of Christ brought the Holy Spirit, the indweller of the church, and its members. Sign up with your email address to be the first to know about new products, VIP offers, blog features & more. The measure of Christian ministry is not consumer satisfaction, but obedience to the One who sent us into his vineyard, for the work of in-gathering. All Rights Reserved. To preach and teach our need for real, authentic holiness, is not easy—it often does not garner the praise and approval of men. No, the secular world evangelizes the Church, and she adapts and embraces the loves and ambitions of the world. All rights reserved. After all, “every” Catholic family already has the Holy Spirit—indeed, the whole Holy Trinity—by definition from Baptism. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray, and to discover, their vocation as children of God. We have a choice. The Holy Spirit is a gift, it’s God here and now. Dan, I am hoping to follow this post up with a couple more about the Holy Spirit, so stay tuned! Great post! Standing before God on Judgment Day, we will not be able to think of one decent excuse for our disobedience, because there are none to be found. The Spirit was God s gift for the New Testament church that, when claimed by faith, would bring "all other blessings in its train" (The Desire of Ages, p. 672). Why We Need the Holy Spirit Are there solutions to the many problems that are rife all around the earth today? The inevitable result of generations after generations of such poor formation is a Church that is ripe and easy pickings, for the thief of souls the evil one. Don’t get me wrong we knew he was there but we did not want to appear like our charismatic friends who often mistook great music and powerful emotions as the moving of the Holy Spirit. When we talk about the Holy Spirit, we turn it into … Does the world need a washing of heart-felt repentance today? He has the keys to your house the keys to your car and everything else in your life! The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4) The knowledge of God is one of the most important aspects of the Christian life. Privacy. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. The Magis Center for Catholic Spirituality. (2) And what do these sacraments accomplish? The knowledge of God is one of the most important aspects of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is the One who puts love in our hearts: love for Christ, love for Christ’s kingdom, love for the lost. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we act sinfully, whether it is in thought only or in both thought and deed. So what is the problem? Merry Christmas! God, through the power of the Holy Spirit He has put into His children (after their repentance and baptism), is forming in His people His holy, righteous character. First, we must turn from the old, then we can turn to the new. (All the people who listened, including the tax collectors, and who were baptized with the baptism of John, acknowledged the righteousness of God; but the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were not baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves) (Lk 7:27-30). November 10, 2014. They might be a prophet, a judge or an apostolic team. He has served as religious formation director for parishes, director of lay ministry and deacon formation at the diocesan level, and retreat director. The Church needs to be convinced—convicted—that the world is very much with her, and in her, and she is very much in and with the world. The Holy Spirit is also the one who gives spiritual gifts to all followers … This Church, with the world abiding in her, must be convinced—convicted: Church, look within your heart! In Acts Chapter 4, Peter and John were entering the temple to pray when they passed by the crippled beggar. I suppose it might have something in it, as well. I grew up in a Baptist Church and like most Baptist churches we didn’t talk much about the Holy Spirit. The Counterfeit Revival by Hank Hanegraaff is a classic book the covers some of the false teaching that is often taught in the charismatic movement. will remain, even to the end of the world, after all but a symbol of those heavenly facts which fill eternity." Sin is death. Playing down the role and the person of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches is not a good idea. We need the Holy Spirit because we live in darkness; we need the Holy Spirit because we are called to be the light of the world. 3. "In the Church there is a broad ignorance, a lack of knowledge about what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit or the importance of the Holy Spirit," McKnight said when asked to comment on the joke some make when they refer to their church as being a "Father, Son, and Holy … St. Peter Preaching to the Crowd on Pentecost. A false understanding of the Holy Spirit can be harmful to your spiritual growth, although you can’t ignore the Holy Spirit and expect to grow spiritually either. That person tries to do whatever things will make him happy. I am by no means speaking of what is happening in the hyper Charismatic churches. We become overly dependent upon human wisdom and planning, to such a point that we no longer rely upon the Lord who can deliver us. We need revival, renewal, restoration, and return. I taught an 8 week long Bible study at a charismatic church a year or two ago and it was a wonderful experience. The first is seen when a person becomes born-again. Do we not all have the Holy Spirit already? When a society entered into spiritual decline and a moral free fall, God sent a man or a woman mighty in the Holy Spirit. We are being "created in Christ Jesus for good works." Concerning sin: there is a paucity of vibrant, life-transforming faith in her. So, why does the Church need the Holy Spirit so much in our time? So he does things that are against God’s rules. R. Thomas Richard, PhD, together with his wife, currently offers parish presentations and adult formation opportunities. The purpose and point of a homily is not politeness, it is truth—saving truth. 2 Now, Christ Himself would dwell within, through the Spirit (John 14:20). The Holy Spirit and the Local Church Jesus is the Lord of his church, and the Spirit of God can work vibrantly among his people. Suppose first, a normative, well-formed Catholic marriage, bringing forth children as the fruit of their love. The Holy Spirit will call you to faith in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 5 Tests to Find Out, 9 Things Christians Shouldn’t Do During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Praying for the Destruction of Your Enemies, What the Bible Says About Kissing Might Surprise You, How to Make Your Wife Submit to Your Authority -6 Tips, Why Ukraine Celebrates Christmas on January 7th. St. Peter, newly filled with the Holy Spirit in power and truth, demonstrated the model very well in his post-Pentecost sermon to the people of Jerusalem. So many homilies are safely distant from any uniquely Catholic beliefs, or challenging, or threatening Catholic moral teachings. We all are, after all, baptized and sacramentalized, are we not? When someone writes a bestseller everyone wants to know who the author is. The Holy Spirit also has the unique role of animating the Church in our day and age. Adults, and she takes it lightly already has the keys to your house the keys to car! 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