Ten ways to be inspired by the Holy Spirit

The service was attended by nearly 500 ministers and their wives and took place in Pointe Noire (Republic of the Congo) on Friday, 29 April. The Chief Apostle based the service on 2 Peter 1: 20––21: “… knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Knowledge from the Holy Spirit

This word is very important for us, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider said. “We have to be careful that we use the Bible and its contents appropriately, namely in the direction desired by Jesus.” He gave three guidelines.

• In order to be able to understand Scripture properly, and to explain it correctly, we need the Holy Spirit. The Bible was written by imperfect human beings, but we believe that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
• “Jesus Christ is the centre of the Bible.” We have to read the Old Testament in the light of this knowledge. We retain only what is consistent with the gospel.
• “In order to understand the Bible properly, we have to see the passages in their context.”

Preaching under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is not only required to be able to interpret the word of God, but the Holy Spirit also has to guide its proclamation, the Chief Apostle said with reference to the Bible text. The Chief Apostle developed seven points from this for the conduct of ministers of the Church.

• The Holy Spirit never talks about Himself, but gives testimony of Jesus Christ.
• The Holy Spirit reveals the will of God. His revelations always apply to eternal life, never to earthly matters.
• The Holy Spirit teaches us to pray in a way that our prayers can be heard and granted: “Ask God that which Jesus asks of Him on our behalf.”
• The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of love: “All thoughts that come from Him, aim towards the unity of the church.”
• The Holy Spirit is the Counsellor and Advocate. Those who are inspired by Him defend the weak and intercede for the guilty.
• The Holy Spirit helps us to discern the spirits so that we can test everything and retain what is good.
• The Holy Spirit serves God and His work: “Let us never use the Holy Spirit for our own profit.”

Not only ministers, but also the members of the Church have been equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Chief Apostle said. We must not restrain the Holy Spirit. The point is not to make decisions for the members, but to enable them so that they can make their own decisions.

And the Chief Apostle had one last piece of advice for the ministers. “I am delighted that the sisters are also present in order to hear the very same thing! That way they can sound the alarm if we ever go off the rails.”