I’ve been pondering, about the Holy Spirit,…and GA. Or, for that matter, any meeting of a “governing body” , whether a Session meeting, a Presbytery meeting, a Synod gathering…
When we go in to such a meeting, or in the midst of it, we often pray for and affirm our belief/hope that the proceedings will be guided by the Holy Spirit. And afterwards, we give thank for that Presence…unless, sometimes, we happen to disagree with the proceeding of the proceedings.
So, how do we/can we know that a given action or decision of the body has been guided or inspired by the Holy Spirit? Well, of course our standard reference in such matters is Scripture,
But what if the Holy Spirit is moving me to consider Scripture, or a particular passage of scripture, in a new light?! How could I know that for sure? How would I “discern” that to be a new enlightenment, and not merely a wrong-headed idea of human origin?
That’s a theme that I recycle in my prayers for our GA Commissioners, given that so many of the really difficult issues that they will be dealing with tend to point back to an understanding and interpretation of scripture.
One Comment
First of all, I can read this new post on the blog (obviously). Secondly, our Sunday School class at First Presbyterian in Dunn have placed all the commissioners on our prayer list for this week. Just as your post about the Holy Spirit infers, we will pray that the commissioners will discern the prompting of the Holy Spirit and–most importantly–act upon that prompting! May each commissioner know the true prompting of the Holy Spirit during the discussions that will occur this week. Please know that everyone here continues to pray for each of you as you do the work God has equipped and called you to do!
Michele Simmons