IN THE SPIRIT
29th Nov 2017
Every time I read Revelation chapter one, I am fascinated by the account of John, who was living on the Isle of Patmos, and verse 10, which says, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice....”
What does it means to be “in the Spirit”? I believe that John set apart that particular Sunday to be in God’s presence, to be in an attitude of worship, and to have deliberately withdrawn from the other concerns of life. With a heart open to God, he was ready to receive the Revelation which contains such drama and insight.
I find this challenging because our world is so full of demands from everyday life, the media, internet, telephone, etc., we are bombarded on all sides every day, so when are we able to give time to be “in the Spirit” whether it be Sunday, or any other day?
Unless we are determined to close the door on all the clamour around us and take time to be “in the Spirit”, we will be held captive to all that life throws at us and live without the conscious presence of Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with open faces beholding the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Living like this is not just for special days or for rare occasions, this is the way we need to live every day. Being “in the Spirit” is to be sensitive to God’s voice, to be listening to and being obedient to his Word, and to be available to do the “works of the Father” as Jesus did.
It’s a great way to live - let’s do it!
by Charles Sibthorpe
