YTH.NYC

This week we hear from a panel of leaders about the concept of "Hearing God". There are so many ways that God speaks through the scriptures, and he is the same in how he speaks today. Keithen gives us some theological framing about "continuationism" vs "cessationism", as we believe that God continues to speak and lead his people today. Raegan then hit us with some guiding principles of discernment to make sure that what you are sensing from God actually is from him.

Are the "Gifts of the Spirit" meant for some people, but not all people? Often we hear the list of the Spiritual Gifts listed off like Super Powers that either you have or you don't. But the text of 1 Corinthians 12 is much more about willingness to be used by God, than it is about specific powers that some have and some don't. Keithen suggests that the power of God is looking for a humble and open spirit to flow through to the world, and that we can be have that spirit.

The natural byproduct of a life lived in connection to God's Spirit are the Fruit of the Spirit. Jonathan Girma explains that the "Fruit reveals the Root" and that our life in God is revealed through the outcomes of our life. Rather than a striving toward virtuous living in the flesh, a life saturated in the spirit will naturally overflow his attributes in our lives.

In our next conversation, we ask the question "What is the role of the Holy Spirit?" Raegan leads us in a conversation about our inability to love God and love others as we were created to without the empowering of the Spirit. His power empowers us to do what we an not do in our own power. The very same presence of God that empowered the ministry of Jesus lives within those who follow after him.

We are kicking off our Holy Spirit Series with a simple question, "Who is the Holy Spirit?" Through the library of scripture and in the life of Jesus, we find that the Holy Spirit is not an abstract force, but a person to know. Keithen guides us in this opening teaching to a definition of the Holy Spirit as "The Empowering Presence of God".