What is the marker of spiritual knowledge? Is it academics? A seminary degree? Is it intelligence? Is it memorized scripture? Is it the ability to deliver a great sermon or a worship song? Simply …it’s obedience to the Holy Spirit. Obedience to His Word. (Both logos and rhema) Without the Holy Spirit the true understanding of the scriptures is impossible. It’s begins with obedience in the small things, the intimate things. It begins in relationships and humility. It begins in submission to the little things He is asking you to do.
Luke 16:10
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Often times the Holy Spirit comes to us to ask us to give up our own personal preferences and submit to someone’s else wishes. Jesus taught this through His sermon on the mount. (Matthew 5:38-42) And often I’ve found the Spirit asks me to do this with my family the most, for if we can’t love them in this way — then if we do it for others — is it really real or just a performance?
Markers of real spiritual knowledge, is a life led by the Spirit into obedience in the smallest of things. It is the aroma and evidence of the fruit of the Spirit being manifested in their lives. It is a life of humility, gratefulness, and repentance to His leading and conviction. It is a life lived in contentment and peace, because of the real connection with Jesus via the Holy Spirit in their lives.
I think we need to seriously look at who we place as spiritual leaders over our lives. Do their lives, spouses, families, exhibit years of their tender and intimate obedience to the Holy Spirit? Are they spiritually mature and beyond youthful temptations of status, money, and fleshly passions? I’d rather have a humble mature spiritual leader than one with great oratory / preaching / teaching talent and zero connection with the Holy Spirit. Wise spiritual leaders will always take the individual back to the Holy Spirit for counsel and guidance. We have placed academics and natural talent over obedience to the Holy Spirit for the qualifications of our current modern “pastors” and spiritual leaders / elders. We have set people on our ‘Church councils’ and elder boards because of their pocketbooks and community influence … rather than their real spiritual maturity.
Real spiritual knowledge comes by daily (sometimes minute by minute), weekly, monthly, yearly, obedience to the Holy Spirit in carrying out His wishes for Him. Why do we choose spiritual leaders to be over us who we know so little about? Who we’ve never walked even a mile with them personally in our life? Or sat at their dinner table? Or worked alongside them in the trenches? Or seen them in how they deal with crisis, large and small? Why do we choose ‘outsiders’ to fill those roles in our lives?