6/17/07 - Pentecost 3 - Gal. 1:11-24

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE HOLY SPIRIT
- He can convert the hardest of hearts
- He calls people to faith to preach the faith

Before the apostle Paul became the apostle Paul, he, of course, was an unbeliever. But he was not only an unbeliever, Paul himself says “intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.” Paul was an enemy of the Church. He wasn’t just indifferent. He didn’t just ignore religion or brush it aside as if it were of little consequence. No, he hated Christianity and he loathed Christians. He made it his job to hunt them down, weed them out, and wipe them off of the face of the earth. But even that wasn’t all. Paul was not only anti-Christian, he was an up-and-coming leader of an anti-Christian church. Again Paul says, “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” He was climbing up the ranks in a group called the Pharisees and he was important enough to even work closely with the high priest himself to carry out his work of persecution. Paul was not an average unbeliever on the street. He was powerful, motivated, and he dedicated his early life to be an outspoken enemy of those who bore the name of Christ.
This is whom the Holy Spirit converted in an instant. This is the one whom the Holy Spirit called to faith so that he could then preach the faith. This is the one whom the Holy Spirit inspired to write more books of the Bible than any other author of Scripture. And I think if we lived during the time of Paul, we would never have imagined the Holy Spirit doing what he did. We would have given up on Paul. We would have determined in our own minds that there is no way he would be converted to faith in Christ as his Savior. And by doing so, we would have seriously underestimated the Holy Spirit.
We do that now, don’t we? There are people in this world that we have already determined: there is no way they will ever become Christians. We think of people like Stephen Hawking, an outspoken evolutionist and a leading detractor of Scripture. Hugh Hephner, a man who publicly flaunts his adulterous lifestyle in the Playboy mansion. Kim Jong-il, the South Korean dictator who sets himself up as a god to be worshiped and praised. We see people like this and we immediately dismiss them as hardened unbelievers that will never be brought to faith. But why would we think that? How are they any different than the murderer, the persecutor, the heretic Paul - before he set foot on that road to Damascus? We must be careful not to underestimate the Holy Spirit. Because there is no one in this life he is not powerful enough to convert to faith.
That goes for those you personally know as well. Some of you have relatives and some of you have friends who have ignored your invitations, who have failed to see Jesus as their Savior. People you are tempted to give up on because they have been stubbornly refusing to listen to the Word for years. You also have neighbors and co-workers whom you have decided it is pointless to talk to about Christ because they would never come to church, they would never go to Bible class, they would never believe in Jesus.
But “Surely,” the prophet Isaiah says, “the arm of the LORD is not too short to save” (59:1). And we insult the Lord every time we start to think that it is. We insult the Holy Spirit by belittling his power and his love and his ability. After all, who are you to say, “It’s over” or “there’s no way” or “that’s not even worth trying.” That’s not worth trying? That’s not your call! The Holy Spirit is in charge and he is perfectly capable of bringing that person to faith who you never in your wildest dreams thought would believe in the Savior. The Lord’s arm is not too short to save! He created every soul of every human being on this earth and so he can easily turn any one of those stubborn souls back to his glory again. Nothing is impossible with God and you are living proof.
I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but it was no easier for the Holy Spirit to convert you to faith than it would be for him to convert your pig-headed relative. You were not somehow more susceptible to the gospel. You were not more willing to listen in any way. It was a miracle that the Holy Spirit converted you through the Word of God, just as it was a miracle that he converted me, just as it was a miracle that he converted the apostle Paul. Paul describes that miracle in this way: “[God] set me apart from birth and called me by his grace.” Isn’t that the theme of any Christian’s heart? The Holy Spirit called Paul, the Holy Spirit called me, and the Holy Spirit called you because of his grace. Because of his undying love for you. There was no other reason. And there is no other reason the Holy Spirit will bring anyone else to faith in their Savior. Only because of grace, only by his power, only through the Word.
Praise the Lord that he is powerful beyond compare and has decided to demonstrate that power through you. You are a Christian! And what a miracle that is! To take you from the depths of sin, the darkness of unbelief, and the road leading to hell, and then to lift you up in his hands, make you his child through baptism, wash away your sins through the gospel, and promise you the glories of heaven to come - and all for free! That is a miracle! The Holy Spirit brought you to faith while you were kicking and screaming. He keeps you in the faith as you are fighting and biting. And he will hold on to you through the sword of the Spirit - the Word of God - that strengthens your faith every day of your sinful life. You are a Christian. You are a Christian. There is no more loving display of the Lord’s power than you and who he has called you to be.
And he has called you to be the same thing he called Paul. Because the amazing thing is: the Holy Spirit doesn’t just make unbeliever into believers, he makes enemies of God into his ambassadors - into people who speak to other’s on the Lord’s behalf. The apostle Paul is a perfect example of this power. “[God] was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.” The Holy Spirit took one of the worst persecutors of the faith and turned him into one of its most ardent defenders. And this is not exclusively a miracle that began and ended with Paul. This miracle is a natural effect of faith on the heart of any Christian. You who were once nowhere near Christ are now his ambassadors. You who were once enemies of the faith are now its defenders. “We believe and therefore we speak,” (2 Cor. 4:13). Words spoken by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians. But words that are true of every Christian who has ever walked this earth. “We believer and therefore we speak.”
I’m reminding you and encouraging you that you should spread the faith as a Christian, but in reality it should be natural. The Holy Spirit does not bring people to faith without motivating them to spread it to others. It doesn’t have to be taught. It doesn’t have to be learned. A Christian naturally and simply repeats the Good News that he has heard! It’s that simple! You don’t have to be a biblical scholar. You don’t have to know the ins and outs of Scripture before you speak to others. Did the Holy Spirit bring you to faith only after you could comprehend and explain every teaching in Scripture? Of course not! He brought you to faith with simple words and a clear testimony about what Jesus has done for you. What makes you think you need to know any more than that before you start talking even to the “hardest” of hearts?
Please allow me to give you an example of a Christian naturally spreading the Word to others, without knowing a great deal, without being encouraged to do so, but simply because that’s what a Christian is motivated to do. And it’s not an example from Paul’s life, nor from any biblical character. It’s an example of a man recently brought to faith in his Savior while in prison. I’ve been involved with the WELS Prison Ministries for quite a few years. And over that time I have written dozens of letters to a man named Jeff. He’s been in prison for a while and was brought into contact with the WELS through the Bible studies they send to prisons all over the country. Last year in one of his letters he shared a story with me that he gave permission to share with others. And remember: he was brought to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word while in prison. And so he is relatively new to the faith and lacking a lot of the basic knowledge that most of you have. And yet his enthusiasm to spread the Word is glorious and heart warming - and Christian. Here is a portion of that letter:
“About a year ago I met this gentleman in the RJC Jail where I had spent 2 years fighting my case. He had just arrived and was looking very distraught. Part of his charge was one of those charges that people get a lot of grief for in prison. I told him that I had already spent 2 year in the RJC fighting my case and I also told him about what I was doing to get me though.
“I told him about all the different Bible studies that I had done and was currently doing. I asked him if it would be all right if I signed him up for some Bible studies and he agreed. The next day I saw him taken to the hole. I was told that he was put on phone and mail restriction which means he could not receive any mail at all. But I prayed for him that night and told God that I was going to sign him up for the Bible studies anyway and that if it was in his will they would be delivered.
“Well, I happened to run into him 10 months later. He came up to me and said, “Hey, I just wanted to thank you because when I got here I was going to commit suicide. But all these Bible studies just kept coming to me in the mail and if it wasn’t for Jesus and all those Bible studies I would have killed myself.” It turned out that the Judge had made a mistake when he had written up the mail restriction warrant so he was allowed to have all those Bible studies. Hallelujah!
“God is all knowing and all powerful and gives us what we need when we need it. And he has answered my prayers to use me to lead others to Christ. I felt so happy that he had spent his time in the hole preaching to and signing up other inmates to the Bible study courses.”
Throughout the years Jeff has given me at least a dozen names to which he wanted Bible studies sent to. He has written to be about the joy he had when he finally heard his son was going to church. He rejoiced in the work the Lord accomplished through him while he was in a prison in Arizona for none months - because while he was there he was able to start a congregation of believers made up of prison inmates.
Don’t underestimate the Holy Spirit. Because I have more letters just like this. Stories about spreading the Word. Instances where he shared his faith. Victory upon victory upon victory for the Lord’s kingdom through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit through the Word. Jeff is just a Christian. In prison as a criminal for wicked things he has done. A long-time cynic of God’s will. But converted by the Holy Spirit. Called to faith to preach the faith. You share this exact same faith with him. You have the privilege of sharing it with others so that the Holy Spirit can work on them as well. Do not underestimate the Holy Spirit. And give him the opportunity to use that glorious power to work on the hearts of those around for the good of their souls and to the glory of his name.
Amen.

“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - Hebrews 13:20-21