I remember the first time a friend let me try out his e-bike. We were sitting in a parking lot, preparing for a ride together, near the base of a monstrous hill. It takes a ton of effort to get up this hill, it’s so steep and long and straight. But that day he said to me, “hey try out this new e-bike I just got.” It’s a pedal assist bike, meaning, the electric motor kicks in to help only while you are peddling, but with three settings, you can really crank up how much assist it offers. I started out on the lowest setting, and right away it felt like I was being pulled up this normally soul-crushing hill. Before long, I jumped to the highest assist setting. It felt like I was barely trying and yet I was still going two or three times faster than normal. It was so fun!
Later that year I had an opportunity to rent an e-bike. I was riding trails with a group of friends who all had e-bikes. At one point we had taken a lunch break. When we started again, I felt so sluggish. I was trying to keep up with the guys but they were all leaving me behind. Yes I had a lot of pizza, but I shouldn’t have been struggling this much. No matter how hard I peddled, I couldn’t keep up. And then it hit me, I hadn’t turned the battery back on!
Sunday we studied about the Holy Spirit: Who He is and what He does. This week we will look at part two of the Holy Spirit: how to live a Spirit-filled life. I think many Christians live their lives without taking advantage of the full assistance the Holy Spirit offers. Just like an e-bike battery, He is in their lives, but they don’t always remember to lean on His assistance, instead choosing to try to peddle along without His help.
The Puritan writer John Owen, in his book on the Holy Spirit, observed that “many souls are eternally ruined because they simply will not let God speak to them and teach them from His Word.” He’s speaking primarily to those who have never received Christ, yet all Christians face seasons where they do not have ‘ears to hear’ what the Holy Spirit is trying to say to them. I asked some of the church staff what they thought about that quote, specifically, “when are we most likely to be open to hearing from the Holy Spirit?”. One person said it was in times of crisis that they most want to hear from God. Another said it was in times of desperation that they realized there’s nowhere else to turn. Multiple people mentioned that the more regular and consistent they are in approaching God for prayer and Bible study, the more attuned their hearts tend to be to hearing from God.
My prayer as we study the Holy Spirit and the Spirit-filled life is that we all become more in tune with the Spirit, more open to hearing from Him. The more we learn to walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, the more we will see God at work in our church and in our community.
I’m excited about the coming weeks leading into summer. Only SEVEN more weeks till Vacation Bible School! Hard to believe it’s almost here. Please be praying for our leaders and for the kids that will join us, that they will hear from the Holy Spirit this summer. Thank you for your prayers for Valley View and for the South End of Louisville!