Holy Spirit misconceptions: language that cannot contain God
A host reads the Christian Post article on megachurch pastor Benny Tate's book 'Unlimited: Experiencing the Fullness of God's Power in Your Life' and its common misconceptions about the Holy Spirit. The room opens with a joke that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' was blamed on the listener, not the Spirit; debates 'Holy Ghost' versus 'Holy Spirit'; and argues human language fails for spiritual realities, comparing it to John describing Revelation's throne room in jewels he cannot literally picture. The article's claim that Tate came to know the Spirit intimately in his forties sparks a longer look at what an 'intimate relationship' with an unseen being even means.
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'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
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Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
- Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
A host asks whether following Jesus should feel more comfortable as time goes on — noting the low-level tension many feel around am-I-doing-enough and the stigma that contentment equals laziness.
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Do accountability partners actually work?
- Do accountability partners actually do anything?
Mike raises his accountability-partners question: the standard dude-circle advice to get a buddy to hold you accountable for Bible reading, porn, church attendance, and drinking.
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Mike frames the question: are more people hearing from God?
- Does it seem like more and more people are hearing from God — and is that real or a lie and a huge distraction?
Ben asks Mike for a two-sentence framing; Mike says listening to the book of Job while mowing made him furious when Bildad 'received a word from the Lord,' turning a bad human argument into an unarguable divine claim.
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God