Douglas Mead

More on the Holy Spirit

We all know that the Holy Spirit was present and working throughout the Old Testament era.

The Old Testament has a rich record of the work of the Spirit, but He was not poured out on all flesh under the Old Covenant. Instead, certain men were filled with the Spirit at certain times and only for certain duties. The Holy Spirit would come upon people, like the judges, like Samson or Gideon, to do some great act, some great feat. But then He would leave them. It was rather selective.

1. Joseph was filled with the Spirit of God (Genesis 41:38).
2. The craftsmen who built the tabernacle were filled with the Spirit of God (Exodus 31:3).
3. Joshua was filled with the Spirit of God (Numbers 27:18).
4. The judge Othniel was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 3:10).
5. The judge Gideon was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 6:34).
6. The judge Jephthah was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 11:29).
7. The judge Samson was filled with the Spirit of God (Judges 13:5, 14:6, 14:19, 15:14).
8. Saul was filled with the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 10:9-10).
9. David was filled with the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 16:13).

But in the Old Testament era, there are several significant prophesies of a future age that would be marked by a new and special presence of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 44:3 says:

“For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants.”

We read in Ezekiel 36:27:

“I will put my Spirit within you.”

Joel 2:29-29

It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind…

All of the prophesies and promises were pointing ahead to something that will be new and different compared to the way the Holy Spirit was working in the Old Covenant. The blessing of the Spirit to come would be something truly grand and wonderful. We all know that the Old Testament prophecies began their fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in the second chapter of Acts.

You can find a copy of my book at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or other online resources: https://amzn.to/3FMjcJp, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-deeper-with-god-douglas-l-mead-mssw/1139414030?ean=9781098087210

Find my second book at https://www.amazon.com/Going-Deeper-Fruit-Spirit-Cultivating/dp/1662855583/.

How We Understand Suffering Overall

From the very beginning of the Bible, we see the Scriptures speaking to how sin entered the world.

When Adam and Eve disregarded God’s command and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “the eyes of both of them were opened” (Genesis 3:7), and death, along with all the suffering the reality of death implies, came into the world (Genesis 2:16–17). The results of sin are explained in Genesis 3:14–19. Sin affected humanity’s relationship with God, with each other, and with the animals. Even the ground was cursed (see also Romans 8:20–21). Sin would specifically result in increased pain in childbearing, laborious toil in work, and contentiousness in human relationships. Ultimately, sin would result in physical death. In broader terms, sin opened the door for all kinds of suffering throughout all of creation.16

We know there can be many reasons for suffering and evil in the world. It comes because we live in a fallen world (Galatians 4:1, John 7:7, Romans 8:5-8, Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 8:22), because of Satan’s power and influence (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 12:31), because of the sinful choices we make (1 John 2:16) and because of the poor choices of others who do terrible and evil things outside of God’s will. These explanations are likely the most accurate even though they may not provide much comfort.

The following are similar thoughts taken from an article “Does God Cause Suffering” from the website Got Questions.org.

God is good, and everything He does is good (1 John 1:5). God can never be the author of evil (James 1:13–17). Suffering is a direct result of sin running rampant. Humanity’s sin opened the door to Satan’s limited rule as god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4). We suffer due to our own sins, the sins of other people, and the general fact of living in a fallen world. Often, God allows the natural consequences of sin to play out.17

We also read in Romans chapter one passages about God’s wrath against mankind beginning in verse 18. Because of the terrible things people were doing, including rejecting God, we read how God decided to give them over to their sinful desires. In verse 28, we read, “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done.” This included things that could hurt people and cause great harm and suffering. For specifics, read Romans 1:18-32.

To be continued…

You can find a copy of my book at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or other online resources: https://amzn.to/3FMjcJp, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-deeper-with-god-douglas-l-mead-mssw/1139414030?ean=9781098087210

Find my second book at https://www.amazon.com/Going-Deeper-Fruit-Spirit-Cultivating/dp/1662855583/.

A Broad Purpose of Suffering

The apostle Paul speaks to this purpose in Romans 5:3-5. He states,

“We also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

This Scriptural insight is for us. Now we know it’s counterintuitive to think of rejoicing in our sufferings. Our natural inclination is not to say, “Hey, let’s rejoice and boast about the trauma and heartache in our lives.” No, I don’t believe Paul is referring to having a pleasant time as we experience our pain and suffering. He wants us to see beyond our pain to a greater purpose.

In rejoicing, I believe Paul wants us to find a sense of contentment about our sufferings based on a deep personal relationship with Christ and the hope we have for eternal life. Not from a sense of contentment based upon our circumstances. He wants us to see how suffering can relate to our goal in life, the hope we have of a home in heaven and all that entails. It’s like what Jesus said in John 16:33, take heart, he has overcome the world.

Also, I think it’s worth noting that we are not given a basis here to expect an explanation for our suffering. We are given an encouragement to accept our suffering and see beyond our pain.

We know that trials and troubles in life can either make us or break us, so to speak. Either way, we will not remain the same. We are all tested and changed by our trials. What’s important, though, is not why we have difficulties, but how we respond to our difficulties. The apostle Paul is telling us that our trials can work for us and not against us. However, only we can determine this course by the choices we make.

To be continued…

You can find a copy of my book at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or other online resources: https://amzn.to/3FMjcJp, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-deeper-with-god-douglas-l-mead-mssw/1139414030?ean=9781098087210

Find my second book at https://www.amazon.com/Going-Deeper-Fruit-Spirit-Cultivating/dp/1662855583/.

Why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?

This is a continuation of a two month long series on this topic.

The Bible Speaks to Suffering

We need to realize that one thing is for certain. The Bible does speak a great deal about suffering. In fact, suffering is one of the major themes of the Scriptures. It is referred to and spoken about often throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

We know that one of the great men of God, the apostle Paul, was someone who was well acquainted with suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, he talks about his sufferings and why he even boasts about his suffering.

2 Corinthians 11:23-27:

“I have been imprisoned more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”

How many of us would like to exchange life experiences with the apostle Paul?

Paul refers to his suffering in other passages also. And so, we know that he’s been through some very difficult, painful, life threatening and undeserved hardships. If anyone has the authority to speak on suffering, it is the apostle Paul. And yet, it is interesting to note that Paul does not complain about his suffering nor struggle with his faith because of his suffering. We should ask ourselves, “Why?” How can that be? I believe it is because he understood the broader purpose and value of suffering.

To be continued…

You can find a copy of my book at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or other online resources: https://amzn.to/3FMjcJp, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-deeper-with-god-douglas-l-mead-mssw/1139414030?ean=9781098087210

Find my second book at https://www.amazon.com/Going-Deeper-Fruit-Spirit-Cultivating/dp/1662855583/.