"Fall like rain": does inviting the Spirit imply he is absent?
- Does asking the Holy Spirit to "come" into an event misunderstand our relationship to the Spirit?
Ben raises his second question: prayers and worship songs that ask the Holy Spirit to "fall like rain" and "come into this place" sound like an invitation to someone not yet there, when the Spirit is indwelt the moment you acknowledge Jesus as king. Dan adds that these moments often chase a display or a feeling; Mike reframes it as people submitting their will — "increase my faith" — wanting God to force their brick wall down. Ben's caution: it is fine as art, but it risks teaching his six-year-old son the Spirit only shows up when we sing on Sunday morning.
More on Holy Spirit
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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.
From No. 603 · Found Out
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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