It is difficult to do ministry in this paraclectic approach (here part 1 explains what this means) because the primary thing you have to do is give up control to the Holy Spirit, to embrace not only the changing situations but the changing of where, how, and when the wind of the Spirit blows. Jesus said the Spirit blows where the Spirit wills and this is outside our ability to predict or control. This can feel insecure to us, like we don’t know what’s going on. What the Spirit is doing sometimes goes against what we have known to be true. But what we cling to for security, even our understanding of “rightly divided” Scriptures, often become blockages to the move of the Spirit (and entrenched failures to understand Scripture). The Spirit is the Paraclete on Whom all our ministry depends, after Whom all our efforts must be modeled. And here’s where it gets tricky. The Spirit does not control. The Spirit empowers, enables, encourages. The Spirit comes alongside and advises, advocates, and comforts. That’s the only way we can lead and minister to others and still be true to the mission of the Spirit, the good news of Jesus, and the heart of the Father. Any step toward control is a step away from the Gospel. We have to yield control to the Spirit who refuses to control and then learn from the Spirit how to work without control. 

Do you find yourself having a hard time with what you regard as the unrepentant sins of others? (If you think “gay Christian” is an oxymoron, then you have to answer yes.) Do you say things like, “We have to be mindful of what people do. We can’t overlook their sins?” Have you asked the Spirit to lead you on when to be mindful and when not to be mindful? Jesus was often not fussed about people’s sinfulness. He made a point of it (or the Pharisees made it a point for him). What seemed like deal-breaker sins to the religious leaders didn’t to Jesus. Jesus didn’t accuse. Quite the opposite. John highlighted this by calling Jesus a “Paraclete” and recorded Jesus calling the Spirit “another Paraclete” who was going to keep doing what Jesus did.

The word “Paraclete” meant a person who would show up in court and be on your side. They would serve as a character witness, ask the judge to go easy on you, give you friendly counsel (the way lawyers in our day whisper in the ear of their clients testifying before the Senate). There was a separate word in Greek for “prosecutor” – someone who accuses and focuses on what you did wrong. The Paraclete did not serve that function.

So in John 16.8-11, Jesus says the Spirit will come and try to convince the world to trust Jesus, the Spirit will try to convince followers of Jesus to keep following his example even though they don’t see him anymore, and the Spirit will try to convince people (especially those in authority) that the worldly ways of using power over other people have been condemned, that servant leadership is the only leadership that works.

Now, where in all that do you see that you being diligent about someone else’s sinfulness is something the Paraclete would empower you to do?

(Check out part 2 of this post here)