Temple of the Holy Spirit

Since coming back for Year 2 of the Discipleship Program my understanding of serving the Lord as an individual has been changed or shall I say gone out the door for me. I have the awesome privilege to serve at GFA Canada while seeing firsthand what it is like to be part of the body of Christ. Serving in the office and living with five young ladies has helped me to appreciate community living. I can observe the staff that are committed to living their lives fully for the Lord and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The book Guiding Principles of Believers Church by Dr. K.P. Yohannan, which we finished reading, has been a helpful tool in learning how to live in community. I’ve come to a new appreciation for the body of Christ. In my individualistic mindset I have missed out on many wonderful blessings that come from being a part of one body, which is the Church.

In reading this book the Lord started to point out some areas that need to be more fully surrendered to His control and motives that need to be honouring to Him. There was a quote from Brother K.P. that caused me to search my heart for areas that are not fully surrendered and serving in the Lord’s strength rather than my own. “It is impossible to serve God as He wants us to without being anointed but the Holy Spirit and receiving His supernatural gifts.” In order for the Lord to use my life to help fulfill the Great Commission I must be surrendered to the Lord and filled with the Holy Spirit.

There are many things we as Christians can try to do in our flesh that non-Christians can do just as well bringing change, but not lasting change that will glorify God. Take for instance working in an office, both can work with numbers and data and helping people; but one is probably very concerned about getting ahead on the corporate ladder and making big money where as in a ministry like GFA the desire is to see big numbers so that many will hear the Gospel and be added to the greatest corporation ladder which reaches to the Kingdom of heaven.

In Zechariah 4:6 it says “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the LORD of Host.” If all I do for the Lord is done in my own strength and with selfish motives, God is not glorified.

Having come back for GFA Discipleship Program Year 2, I have been able to build on the foundation that was laid last year where it was about surrendering and dying to self. This year is a continuation of building our character more into Christ’s character, which doesn’t happen overnight.

I am a work in progress and there are many opportunities to practice what the Lord has been teaching me and with the help of a community and the power of the Holy Spirit growth is happening. Daily I get to choose to die to my selfishness and bad habits, which are being replaced with the character of Christ like love, joy, peace and humility as the Holy Spirit is given more liberty to rule and govern my life. He enables me to obey the commandments of God, which is to love as Jesus loved and to give my life for others not holding anything back. My life is not my own to live as I please, it is the temple of the Holy Spirit as it says in 1 Co 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Also in Rom 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

While I am going through the Discipleship Program, I want to remember that as a Christian fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit the Lord’s work is not a burden or overwhelming, rather there is peace in being right where God wants me to be. This allows for overflowing joy in being part of helping to reach those that are half way across the world and an ever growing love for the LORD and the lost. I have a greater desire to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit not just “trying harder” to obey God, but rather to ask the Lord to fill and refill me on a daily basis. I like what Brother K.P. says in this book “The first step toward receiving the Holy Spirit is to acknowledge my need of Him.”

Written by a Discipleship Program Student