Holy Spirit Helps Our Infirmities Dr. Lalith Mendis
Page 2 Rom 8:26-28 Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) And He searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (28) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Here is my opening thesis for the New Year. It is in receiving help for our weaknesses that we best get to know the Holy Spirit & our brother or sister. If we hide our weakness or do not acknowledge we loose fellowship with the Holy Spirit and our brother. It is human nature that we partner together in our strengths but carefully avoid our weakness. It is common that we share joys but not sorrows. This breeds artificial & superficial friendship. Our testimonies are of strength and not of error helped. More helped we are the stronger we become. Since we feel ashamed of our weakness, we keep it away even from the Holy Spirit and pray “strong” prayers. What about praying some “weak” prayers in a broken voice as many psalms do? Pentecostal understanding of prayer demands “strong anointed” prayers. Can't soft prayers in brokenness be anointed also? This is the myrrh in the anointing oil and the sweet incense. Rom 8:26 Helpeth our infirmity ( sunantilambanetai te¯i astheneia¯i he¯mo¯n ). Present middle indicative of sunantilambanomai , late and striking double compound - to lend a hand together with, at the same time with one. Only twice in N.T., here and Luk_10:40 in Martha's plea for Mary's help. Here beautifully Paul pictures the Holy Spirit taking hold at our side at the very time of our weakness (associative instrumental case) and before too late. We do not know what we should pray – so we pray long for earthly needs neglecting character weakness. But when we take time and allow the Spirit to lead, He acts on our behalf in us thru Him praying in us. Maketh intercession ( huperentugchanei ). Present active indicative of late double compound, found only here and in later ecclesiastical writers, but entugchano¯ occurs in Rom_8:27 (a common verb). It is a picturesque word of rescue by one who “happens on” ( entugchanei ) one who is in trouble and “in his behalf” ( huper ) pleads “with unuttered groanings” (instrumental case) or with “sighs that baffle words” (Denney). This is work of our Helper, the Spirit himself. The very things that weakened us become our strength as the Holy Spirit acts on them on our behalf. Many believers try to work with their strength thinking that would be ministry. For years weakness not addressed can drop us down after many years of apparent success. Watching tele-evangelists & performance of many mega churches, one gets the impression that they have done hard work and arrived at success with the Holy Spirit now having
By Dr. Lalith Mendis
Apostolic-Sceptre.org
Page 3 nothing much to do. We in our humbler corner can also do strong without the help of the Holy Spirit. We are tempted to fill the oil into cracked vessels. Crack is the weakness that lays hidden in the wall of the vessel covered by layers of oil sludge. Waiting to be exposed and widened under pressure of success or temptation. Oil of the Spirit & anointing come & go like for Samson in the OT whereas we should be NT Christians who continually live & walk in the Spirit. Samsonian errors also begin to show up. Then we disown the star while nobody helped the man's weakness when he was in his meteoric rise and only used him. (27) And He searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, Help of the Spirit comes when He is allowed to search our heart. In this search He makes known to us the hindrances present in our heart and removes the high places and fills the low places in our heart structure that obstruct His work and flow of grace. “He makes the way of the Lord & the way for the Lord” to work on our behalf. When we allow the way of the Lord to be made in us, His power, goodness & His Highness come to our aid. When we allow the way of the Lord to be made in us, thru us he can make the way in others as we pray. If not we can correctly pray mind prayers which have no beneficial effect. In fact some prayers condemn. Filling our valley, flattening our mound (of obstinacy), straightening our crooked place and smoothening our rough place are all the roadworks of the Holy Sprit inviting the grace & glory of God to work in us, thru us, for us. Holy Spirit hovered (brood) over the primordial creation like a hatching hen over her chicks. Gen 1:2. But it was in process of formation, for the Spirit of God moved upon the waters, ????? (breath) denotes wind and spirit, like p?e???a from p?e´? . Ruach Elohim is not a breath of wind caused by God ( Theodoret , etc.), for the verb does not suit this meaning, but the creative Spirit of God, the principle of all life ( Psa_33:6 ; Psa_104:30 ), which worked upon the formless, lifeless mass, separating, quickening, and preparing the living forms, which were called into being by the creative words that followed. ??? in the Piel is applied to the hovering and brooding of a bird over its young, to warm them, and develop their vital powers ( Deu_32:11 ). In such a way as this the Spirit of God moved upon the deep, which had received at its creation the germs of all life, to fill them with vital energy by His breath of life. This Holy Spirit returns in the NT as the Dove. Matt 3:16. When Adam fell into sin, they took cover from the Spirit of the Lord God & hid. This hiding veil thickened with time with sin & excuses, pride & prejudice, sense & nonsense of knowledge puffing man up to resist God. Yet the decree of judgement was not pronounced. God came as usual as a gentle breeze with light of the day. This symbolism will change to fire after God pronounced judgement. Rebellion was already on. Adam did not confess but excused himself and accused woman. Woman accused serpent. By Gen 3:24 the presence of
By Dr. Lalith Mendis
Apostolic-Sceptre.org
Page 4 God became a flaming sword of fire barring access & fellowship. Fire said Ia m am there. Take guard. Thus far & no further. I am there yet providing but at a distance. Much of the OT symbolism of the Holy Spirit was fire. Cloud over Israelites said mercy, fire over them by night said, beware . This would change when the Messiah came and the Holy Spirit was reintroduced as the brooding, hovering cooing Dove Luk 13:34 Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! the one killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her; how often I desired to gather your children in the way a hen gathers her brood under the wings, and you did not desire it . How Do We Fill Our Valley? Valley is the low place in our life that prevents the grace of God flowing beyond it. As much as a high place unsubmitted to grace may stop the flow of grace, so does the low places in our life. We may call such a place a Marah. Massa Meribah was the high place of Moses that cost him entry to the promised land after many years of faithful ministry. At that time he acted like God and said, “You Moreh, must I give you water”. It was not Moses who gave water. God gave the water. Anyone in leadership must take care of this attitude. Our gift belongs to those who need help by it. Benefactors in any realm are given endowment & beneficence by the Highest One that we may benefit others. Our gift belongs to those who are served by it. We can serve in sacred or secular service only by what God gave us. Low place or valley is where everybody's dirty water fills up in our land. It's a place of depression that attracts anybody's turbulence. We are hurt often and do not know how to avoid slight. Take care - we may fill our low place with affection we receive from others. We may in fact give love in order to get love. We may fill our low place with the achievements of our children. We may fill our low place by human love we crave and get by doing kind things by our own goodness and their response is consumed by our love deficit. Our Love Deficit can be permanently filled only by Christ. He alone can heal the broken heart. What is filling your love deficit right now? Take stock, you are filling your valley with wood, hay stubble. Again we shall be disappointed – valley will remain depressed. Pressure will expose the depression. Let's do it right this season . Let the Holy Spirit fellowship with us in our infirmity. When we disciple people we draw them to Christ. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us, for us & thru us. Joh 16:13-15 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come. (14) He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. (15) All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you.
By Dr. Lalith Mendis
Apostolic-Sceptre.org
Page 5 If we are unhealed and have a love deficit we will draw people to ourselves. For a season we feel loved & filled. We have not pointed the person to Christ. They depend on us. We like it so to be. Very soon both parties get disappointed. Let Christ fill the low place in our life. It is necessary that we appreciate each other, however Christ alone have to give us our worth & significance. Strangely, when we have a valley, we may even say, “no one can be trusted. Jesus alone can help me”. We are asked to trust Jesus and fellowship, give & receive from our “life laid down” relationships. This si why we are in relational groups. Sunday service provides for God celebration. Groups provide for life celebration with true friends. If not we have to regularly change our friends, because the “last best friend” failed our expectation. Remember there is always a gap between expectation & experience. Only Christ is all sufficient. It is His wisdom that He sets the lonely in a family that we may receive, learn & give agape. When we see our friend lacking, let's help him fill that area. We all have lack that needs help. This is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in us for ourselves & thru us for others. We are getting there. I am agape in process . Do not give up. Gift & Beneficence I expect my gift in life (talent, ability) to earn for me much & to take me to great heights. The experience of the man who expects my gift to help him or serve him is not that good. The would be beneficiary may be my child, my spouse, patient, client, student, customer, colleague or junior. Should be benefactor lives for himself and for his advancement and not to satiate the need or discomfort of the man at the need end. There is a wide breach between the gift expectation & experience. Conflicts arise in this gap. Even regarding spiritual gifts & ministry we may use the gift for our satisfaction when God gave the gift that we may serve others. Of course we have legitimate God given joy & fulfillment when we use our gift for Him to serve others. We need to take care that we do not lavish the gift on ourselves for our glory or our desire.
By Dr. Lalith Mendis
Apostolic-Sceptre.org