I had used the phrase 'Spirit-led' in my post titled 'Guilt Vs Love' and I feel I should clarify a point.
This phrase has become a cliché among some circles. People are waiting to be "led" always. We do not have to wait for the glory cloud to envelope us or for a booming voice from the Heaven, when a situation that needs Jesus' touch presents itself. Jesus said, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matt 10:8 NKJV). "Go into all the world and preach the gospel...And these signs will follow those who believe..." (see Mark 16:15-20 NKJV). The directives are straightforward and it is for the believer, not just a select few.
The person who has His power, which He freely gives, is equipped for the task. The authority is His; we are merely yielding ourselves so that He can flow through us. This does not necessarily have anything to do with our senses. Sometimes we may have to step out in faith and when we do that, the Holy Spirit will give us specific words of knowledge or a vision regarding the situation at hand. This is what I meant by 'Spirit-led' in this context. But often times, we like to wait for that 'great anointed minister' to pass through our city, while forgetting that the believer has The Anointing (Jesus) in him. 'Heal the sick' does not have a different or a deeper meaning in Greek. Gospel is powerful. But I can sound "spiritual" and mask the timidity that I have (which is simply a product of unbelief/unrenewed mind) with a statement like, "I do not feel led to go and empty a hospital".
Suppose a person who is gifted with the spiritual gift of prophesy stumbles upon a sick person. Should he say, "well, I'm a prophet and therefore I do not heal the sick"? No, Jesus wants to see the manifestation of the stripes that He bore for everyone. "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven". Jesus healed and delivered those who were oppressed by the devil. Now that He is Spirit, He flows through us to touch others. Although we would have the urge to call it "our ministry", the ministry is really His.
However, each one of us have distinct* assignments (Eph 2:10) in Him. Not everyone is called to occupy the office of a pastor, evangelist, teacher etc. If my calling is to clean the bathroom at church (if you think that it does not need a calling, volunteer to clean your church bathroom for 8 weeks, and see if you can do that cheerfully), I should not try to become a teacher. This "trying" only leads to a flesh-driven activity, which will bear no fruit from Him. But when we are connected with and gently guided by the Holy Spirit, we will have great joy in whatever task that we are involved with and above all, He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.
*Lest it be misread, distinct does not mean that one person is "better" because he or she has a "flashy" assignment than the other. They are not. They are not lesser either. As a matter of fact, 'I' or 'They' no longer exists. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal 2:20 NKJV).
I could be 5 seconds or 50 years in Christ Jesus - the resurrection power (Rom 8:11) that houses me is the same in either cases. Jesus Christ or His Power is not the variable here. What changes is my understanding of Who I am carrying, as I renew my mind to the knowledge of my new-creation reality.
This phrase has become a cliché among some circles. People are waiting to be "led" always. We do not have to wait for the glory cloud to envelope us or for a booming voice from the Heaven, when a situation that needs Jesus' touch presents itself. Jesus said, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matt 10:8 NKJV). "Go into all the world and preach the gospel...And these signs will follow those who believe..." (see Mark 16:15-20 NKJV). The directives are straightforward and it is for the believer, not just a select few.
The person who has His power, which He freely gives, is equipped for the task. The authority is His; we are merely yielding ourselves so that He can flow through us. This does not necessarily have anything to do with our senses. Sometimes we may have to step out in faith and when we do that, the Holy Spirit will give us specific words of knowledge or a vision regarding the situation at hand. This is what I meant by 'Spirit-led' in this context. But often times, we like to wait for that 'great anointed minister' to pass through our city, while forgetting that the believer has The Anointing (Jesus) in him. 'Heal the sick' does not have a different or a deeper meaning in Greek. Gospel is powerful. But I can sound "spiritual" and mask the timidity that I have (which is simply a product of unbelief/unrenewed mind) with a statement like, "I do not feel led to go and empty a hospital".
Suppose a person who is gifted with the spiritual gift of prophesy stumbles upon a sick person. Should he say, "well, I'm a prophet and therefore I do not heal the sick"? No, Jesus wants to see the manifestation of the stripes that He bore for everyone. "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven". Jesus healed and delivered those who were oppressed by the devil. Now that He is Spirit, He flows through us to touch others. Although we would have the urge to call it "our ministry", the ministry is really His.
However, each one of us have distinct* assignments (Eph 2:10) in Him. Not everyone is called to occupy the office of a pastor, evangelist, teacher etc. If my calling is to clean the bathroom at church (if you think that it does not need a calling, volunteer to clean your church bathroom for 8 weeks, and see if you can do that cheerfully), I should not try to become a teacher. This "trying" only leads to a flesh-driven activity, which will bear no fruit from Him. But when we are connected with and gently guided by the Holy Spirit, we will have great joy in whatever task that we are involved with and above all, He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.
*Lest it be misread, distinct does not mean that one person is "better" because he or she has a "flashy" assignment than the other. They are not. They are not lesser either. As a matter of fact, 'I' or 'They' no longer exists. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal 2:20 NKJV).
I could be 5 seconds or 50 years in Christ Jesus - the resurrection power (Rom 8:11) that houses me is the same in either cases. Jesus Christ or His Power is not the variable here. What changes is my understanding of Who I am carrying, as I renew my mind to the knowledge of my new-creation reality.
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