Christ can be explained to the mind, but to daily experience Him requires a surrendered and obedient heart. A closed heart has little perception of God’s glorious light. It is a deception to believe that you can’t be deceived.

Scholasticism has greatly quenched the Holy Spirit in Western Christianity. We want to figure God out, not to summit in humble obedience to Him. Religious analytics have often replaced Spirit-prompted interaction with the risen Jesus.

The Bible proclaims that we can be directly taught by the Holy Spirit. It also says that we are to “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit” which are supernatural manifestations of Christ’s presence. However, Christian doctrine without Christian experience is like learning facts about Tokyo, Japan, but never spending any time there.

Christ-followers need more than information, ritual, and techniques. We need surrender and obedience to the risen Jesus. Christianity is about spiritual life. Without spiritual life it becomes a powerless “form of godliness.” Daily experiencing the risen Jesus is far more powerful than any amount of religious explanations can ever be.

When you show kindness and compassion to others in the name of Jesus, spiritual gifts will manifest without your effort. Then the joy of the Lord will flow from within you. For more about the gifts of the Spirit and how to experience them in your daily life, search Amazon for my book: The Joy Of Early Christianity.

As humans we can choose to be carried by the waves of the Holy Spirit or get caught in the undertow of our feelings. Self and God often lead us in different directions, so it’s important to choose which one we follow. When you lose faith in yourself, you can begin to fully trust in God. It’s hard to accept truth that insults your ego, but Jesus said, “Deny yourself.”

When members of the body of Christ begin to act together, under the direct leadership of the Spirit, God’s presence is revealed. I saw a sermon advertised as, “The Day Jesus Came To Church.” Shouldn’t that be every meeting?