The Greatest Heresy of the American Institutional Church

"You can't hear from the Holy Spirit."

The sermon was rocking. It was on point. Something about living from wisdom and walking that out in community, in love. The text was from James. The idea of making plans or rather holding them loosely before God by surrendering was permeating well.

Then, suddenly, the idea of listening, personally, on an individual level about whether one should or shouldn't meet someone for lunch...was ruled out and struck down.

Probably because a seemingly whimsical decision regarding whether to make plans to or not to go to lunch, well, seems really whimsical, and perhaps even beneath the nudge of the Holy Spirit. And probably because there may be a tendency to "abuse" the declarative notion, that "The Holy Spirit told me not to go to lunch with you tomorrow."

Whatever the reasoning...it is insidious and heretical to state that one can't hear the Holy Spirit about even the most silly decisions, simply because of the effect of ones belief and their interpretation of what they heard.

Who are we to judge what a man or woman says they have heard from the Holy Spirit. Paul tells is to test the spirits, as to whether they fall in line with the fruit of the Spirit, ie. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. But if I hear from the Holy Spirit that He doesn't want me to meet a chap for lunch, there is no violation of the spirits. And what happens if I don't obey?

In anticipation of few objections, lets get a few assumptions straightened out. First, just because someone has said they heard such and such from the Holy Spirit, does not preclude you from also hearing from the Holy Spirit on the same topic or decision. Second, if, while you are hearing someone declare they have heard from the Spirit on such and such, and you have heard the opposite, then keep listening and then walk by faith.

The point is to not "throw the baby out with the bath water." The larger issue is why I find this thread of slithering deceit that you can't hear from the Holy Spirit absolutely heretical.

That is, we have, in all practical applications of our lives relied more heavily on the letters and writings of the Bible than on the Spirit of Jesus, who in fact is the very Word of God.

We have abdicated the Spirit of God from our lives and relied almost completely and alone on the Bible.

• Paul had the Torah. But he had the Spirit. That's how he wrote his letters and lived as an apostle. He didn't even meet with James or Peter until three years after his conversion and never once referenced any of the parables or stories about Jesus. Everything he learned and preached and wrote about came from the Spirit.

• The Old Testament, as we know it, was mastered and memorized and integrated into the Jewish paradigm at the time of Jesus and despite everything they knew, they rejected Him and ultimately crucified Him. But those that walked with God, knew Him, like Moses, Abraham, David and Isaiah.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." He said, that I will send my Spirit, who will lead you into all truth and give you the words to say when you need them.

You have access to the very throne of the Father. You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. He has put His Spirit within you. You live and move and have your being in Christ. If you believe this, how cruel would it be for your Father to then give you His Spirit, and yet never speak to you.

I love the word of God. It is the bread of life that we live by. I'm not in love with the Bible. I love Jesus who speaks to me. I love the Holy Spirit who reveals the heart and plans of Jesus, AND helps me understand what His apostles and friends have written about Him. Without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing except wander around in the darkness.

May God have mercy on those who perpetuate the lie that you can't hear from the Holy Spirit, even about whether you should go to lunch or not. The point is that you should be so intimately in love with Him that you want every breath, every whisper, every neuron of your mind and fiber of your being so locked in step with Him, that there is no separation.