Suffering Releases the Holy Spirit (1)

The Kingdom of God is brought in by service and suffering. We really need to get this fact. The reason is that the Holy Spirit loves service. When Christians serve others, he is there in the midst of them, touching the hearts of those they are serving. The Holy Spirit loves really goes to work when Christian suffer while they are serving. In a passage on suffering, Peter gives this promise.

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you (1 Peter 4:14).

Peter is referring back to the Shekiniah Glory of God. When we suffer in Jesus, name the Holy Spirit rests on us, not just to make us glow, but he flows out to touch those who are persecuting us. When Christians demonstrate agape love towards those who intend to harm them, the Holy Spirit authority has freedom to go to work in their lives. When people watch a Christian suffering, they open up to the Holy Spirit. He is sometimes able to convict them of sin and reveal Jesus to them.

A good example is the centurion who crucified Jesus.

When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man!” (Luke 23:47).

This centurion would have crucified hundreds of people doing his career. He was a battle-hardened killing machine. Yet after watching Jesus die, this man glorified God and declared that Jesus was a righteous man.

When Christians use political power or coercion, the opposite happens. The Holy Spirit flees. When we resist force with force, he scampers. This creates a vacuum that allows evil in. When Christians use force, anger and hatred always follow. If the spirits of anger and hatred that are drawn to the situation cannot get influence with the Christians, they will have a field day with the people they are resisting.