I want to share a word that has stayed with me. Dr. R.T. Kendall, longtime minister of Westminster Chapel in London, preached on the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit from Acts 3. He said it was one of the most life-changing insights of his lifetime. After searching the teaching of the church through the centuries with his friend Dr. Michael Eaton, he found that many speak about our sensitivity to the Spirit, but almost no one had written on the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit Himself. That is the person of the Holy Spirit. He can get His feelings hurt. And when we learn what grieves Him, it can change everything.
Five Things We Will Learn
- The Holy Spirit is sovereign, and we cannot make God do what we want.
- The Holy Spirit is deeply sensitive, and bitterness easily grieves Him.
- Knowing God's Word and God's ways keeps us close to the ungrieved Spirit.
- When the Spirit moves, His surprise becomes a platform for the gospel.
- Soulwinning is still the strategy of the Spirit for the church today.
The Man at the Beautiful Gate
Dr. Kendall opened Acts 3:1-16. Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at three in the afternoon. A man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Acts 3:6). Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.
The crowds were astonished. Peter did not exploit the miracle. He used the moment to preach Jesus. Before he taught from this passage, Dr. Kendall asked a piercing question: why didn't Jesus heal this man earlier? Jesus had walked that way before. The answer opens four truths about the Holy Spirit.
The Sovereignty of the Spirit
The first point is the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Kendall said this is a missing note in the church today. You cannot make God do things. You cannot twist His arm.
God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Exodus 33:19). Paul quotes the same truth in Romans 9:15: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
Jesus walked by this crippled man and did not heal him that day. Later, in the timing of God, Peter and John stopped. Jesus was not His own man. He said, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does" (John 5:19).
The Holy Spirit is the same way. Jesus said of Him, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come" (John 16:13). There is no rivalry in the Trinity. The Spirit does what the Father says to do. So when Peter and John healed the man, it was God's timing, not man's pressure.
The Sensitivity of the Spirit
This is the heart of the message. How did Peter and John know to stop? Dr. Kendall said they were enjoying the ungrieved Holy Spirit.
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:30-32).
The Greek idea behind "grieve," as Dr. Kendall taught it, means to get your feelings hurt. Yes, you can hurt the feelings of the Holy Spirit. He is easily grieved. And here is the scary part: when you grieve Him, you often do not feel a thing. You find out later that the Dove has flown.
John the Baptist knew Jesus was the Messiah because he saw the Spirit come down and remain. "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit'" (John 1:32-33).
The Dove came down on Jesus and stayed, because Jesus never grieved the Holy Spirit. On us, the Spirit may come in sweetness, and then life happens. A sharp word with a spouse. Anger in traffic. Impatience in a checkout line. And the Dove flies away.
Dr. Kendall told of a British missionary couple in Israel who found a dove nesting in the eaves of their house. Every time they slammed a door or shouted at each other, the dove flew away. One day the husband said, "Either the dove adjusts to us, or we adjust to the dove." They changed their behavior just to keep a natural dove. The Holy Spirit, Dr. Kendall said, is a thousand times more sensitive than that. He will not bend the rules for us. We adjust to Him.
He also used a picture many of us need. Pigeons and doves look similar, but a dove is shy and gentle. You can train a pigeon. You cannot train a dove. Some of what people call "Holy Ghost fire" may only be pigeon religion: noise without the gentle, authentic work of the Spirit. Before the fire fell at Pentecost, they were all with one accord. The ungrieved Spirit came, then the fire.
What chiefly grieves Him? Bitterness. Wrath. Anger. Evil speaking. Unforgiveness. If you are holding a grudge, do not wonder why you do not feel the presence of God. The Dove stays at bay.
Knowing His Word and His Ways
God wants us to know His Word and His ways. The Holy Spirit wrote the Scriptures. "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). If you want to be on good terms with the Holy Spirit, get to know the Bible He wrote.
Dr. Kendall said that when he began preaching seventy years ago, ordinary believers knew their Bibles. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones introduced him to the Robert Murray M'Cheyne Bible reading plan. He urged a plan that takes you through the Bible in a year. He testified that he had read through the Bible forty-five times and the New Testament ninety times. That is how you get to know His Word.
His ways are known by spending time with Him. God said of Israel, "Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways" (Hebrews 3:10). How much time do you have alone with God in prayer? Dr. Kendall said Martin Luther prayed two hours a day. John Wesley prayed two hours a day. Then he cited a poll he had read of thousands of pastors: the average pastor in America prays four minutes a day. And we wonder why there is so little power and so little fear of God.
He will use people who know His Word and know His ways. Jesus said the Counselor will remind us of what we have been taught: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26). If we have not been learning, there is nothing for Him to remind us of.
The Surprise of the Spirit
When the man was healed, crowds ran from every direction. He had been a fixture in Jerusalem for forty years. Peter asked them, "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you?" (Acts 3:12).
Dr. Kendall said God can still surprise a church. The way forward is simple and costly: find out what grieves the Holy Spirit and do not do that. Many believers have the Holy Spirit, yet He may be grieved. When He is grieved, there is no intimacy, no clear witness, no hearing His voice. Restoration comes when we swallow our pride and start with ourselves: it is not my brother or my sister, but me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
Fasting and falling under the power do not fix a bitter heart. If you are angry when you fall, you will be angry when you get up. He comes to those who know God's ways.
The Strategy of the Spirit
Why didn't Jesus heal the man earlier? Dr. Kendall believed there was a divine strategy. God was saving that moment for Peter and John. The church in Jerusalem needed a platform. After Pentecost many converts returned home. The remaining believers were persecuted and few. When this well-known man was healed, thousands gathered. Peter did not take offerings or promote himself. He preached the gospel, and many more were converted.
That is still the need of the hour: soulwinning. Not trading people from one church to another, but seeing people saved. Bring your neighbor to hear the gospel. Do not be ashamed of Jesus.
When the Dove Came Back
Dr. Kendall closed with a personal story from Westminster Chapel. He prepared early each week because he preached four times a week for twenty-five years. Once, after a busy week of preaching across Britain, Saturday morning came and he had no sermon. He asked the Lord for an uninterrupted day.
Then he and his wife Louise got into an argument. He slammed the door, sat at his desk with a blank sheet of paper, and asked God to help him. Ten o'clock: blank paper. Noon: blank paper. Two o'clock: blank paper. At four he closed the Bible, walked into the kitchen, and found Louise crying by the refrigerator. He said, "Honey, it was all my fault. I'm sorry." They hugged and kissed. He went back to the same desk, the same Bible, the same blank sheet. In forty-five minutes he had everything he needed. The Dove came down. He could not write the thoughts fast enough.
What was the difference? The Holy Spirit, ungrieved.
He will do it for you. But He will not bend the rules for you. He is not going to adjust to you. You adjust to Him.
A Prayer for an Ungrieved Spirit
Lord Jesus, I need You. I want You. I am sorry for my sins, for my bitterness, and for my unforgiveness. Come, Holy Spirit. Come, ungrieved Holy Spirit. Do not leave. Stay. As best as I know how, I give You my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
If God has been dealing with you about anger, a grudge, or a cold distance from His presence, do business with Him now. Find out what grieves the Holy Spirit, and do not do that. Adjust to the Dove. Then watch what God will do.
Get the Book: Total Forgiveness
"Release them, and you will be set free." These were not exactly the words R.T. Kendall had hoped to hear during a painful situation when he had been terribly wronged! However, these words cut into his heart. He knew he couldn't ignore them and also be healed. True inner peace awaits you! You can avoid spiritual quicksand and experience the incredible freedom found in total forgiveness. Is total forgiveness easy? Of course not, but this book will give you a game plan and the encouragement to cast out areas of unforgiveness that have kept you from enjoying the best God has to offer you. Learn what forgiveness is and what it is not. Uncover the physical, emotional and spiritual consequences of unforgiveness, and see why God adamantly encourages you to forgive others. Make the choice to forgive and step into a new dimension of freedom and inner peace.
Related
- Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit – Part 1
- Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit – Part 2
- Ruach
- Will We Sacrifice the Gifts of God's Spirit for the Size?
- Forgiveness: The Freedom That Heals the Heart and Closes the Door to the Enemy
- Embracing the Power of God: The Promised Holy Spirit
- An Open Heaven: The Power of Repentance, Baptism, and Obedience in Matthew 3
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