Everything that you do not understand; all that you need to know for your future; it is in the hands of the Spirit.
But what does it mean to be a spiritual man or woman?
Paul gives the answer in these next verses.
“these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-16
The Spirit reveals things from God. How would we ever have understanding of the Bible without the Spirit? How would the Church ever know how to operate without the Spirit who fills us continually?
The Spirit searches all things. How would we ever know what God is like and how would we ever know His plans for our life without the Spirit who can discover all these things that are hidden?
The Spirit knows the thoughts of God. It can be difficult to know what someone is thinking. So how would we ever know what God is thinking without the Spirit who knows the mind of God?
The Spirit brings understanding of what God has given to us. Some in the Church sadly think they are wiser than most. It leads to division. It did in Paul’s day and it does today. But it is pointless. For the Spirit brings understanding to all believers of the things of God not for some elite group. The purpose is to bring anyone who asks the Spirit into a deeper relationship with God.
The Spirit teaches us spiritual realities with Spirit words. So without the Spirit you are taught nothing.
All of what the Spirit does looks foolish to the one without the Spirit. Those whose world-view is money and power and other forces that drive then they have no interest in anything that is spiritual.
But we who have the Spirit in our lives are above unspiritual critics for we know what God is doing. We need never feel inferior to anyone, even if a group in the church seem super-spiritual or whether we meet some new-age spirituality on the street, for we carry the presence of the Spirit in our lives and that is more than enough.
So what?
- Talk to the Spirit more about everything.
- Be open to the Spirit guiding you.
- Be ready that the Spirit often challenges the world’s wisdom.
Missions Paul 