Pushing the Spirit, part 1

Monday, May 22, 2023

This week I’d like us to consider something I call, “Pushing the Spirit.” 

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” 

For us to understand this better, I think we need to look at the life of Paul just a little bit closer. Typically, we treat Paul like we do most Bible characters: with a halo over their heads, - and in Paul’s case that would, probably, be mostly true. Paul was an excellent man of God. God chose Paul for a particular ministry. He was used as the one to initially bring the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles (and aren’t we Gentiles grateful for that?!). The other apostles focused their ministries primarily to the Jews (though not exclusively).

That brings us to the first issue concerning the thorn is Paul’s life. Why didn’t God use one of the original twelve apostles to take the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles? I would imagine that after living for three years with Jesus, any one of them could have brought the message to the Gentiles. But for some reason, God went outside of that inner circle of the original apostles, possibly to get a man of different training, to accomplish this task.

This becomes a great challenge to the established church. We like those of our own. We are comfortable with those of our inner circles, yet God went outside that circle. He literally knocked Paul off his donkey, introduced Himself to him, saved him, trained him, and then used him in a greater way than He used any of the others. Paul, through the help of the Holy Spirit, wrote more of the New Testament than any other man. That’s a significant accomplishment!

Paul was cradled and schooled in a Jewish atmosphere. He never lost the Jewish standpoint yet, he had considerable contact with the Greek culture also. His natural, mental, perspective fitted him perfectly for the appointed task. Paul had keen reasoning powers, a vivid imagination, a steel-like will, a burning devotion, an unmovable purpose, and yet a very tender attachment to the Lord Himself. This was quite a man. No wonder God could use him the way He did. 

However, Paul had a tremendous will. In that, he was a giant. Many of his tireless journeys, with their tremendous experiences, all spell out the word “WILL” in large black letters. God had a hard time holding Paul to His plans. Paul had some of his own plans. That’s easy to understand. Gifted people often push the Spirit due to their own natural abilities. People of talent often make the mistake of thinking that their own abilities equal the Will of God. Not so. In fact, sometimes, natural ability can get in the way of the Will of God. 



Continued tomorrow