Holy Spirit and the Church
Estimate the importance of this statement: A Christian view of the progress of theology in history is only
explainable as the continued reflection of the Body of Christ as the Holy Spirit directed, maintained, and
enabled orthodox thought.
Charles Williams, in his classic The Descent of the Dove, argues that the history of the Church is actually
the incarnation of the Spirit of Jesus that continues after the ascent of the Son. The Church and its
theological progress must recognize the unfailing presence of the Spirit of God. Our Bible we love so
much was not put in canonical form and accepted as 66 books in an ecumenical fashion until 367 AD.
The Trinity was �explained� in 325 AD and the two natures of Christ in 451 AD. Orthodoxy in the Body
of Christ is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
Write a 2 page final reflective journal. In this final reflection journal, let your creative juices flow and list as
many turning points as you can remember in which you discern that without the Holy Spirit�s presence
and guidance that decision or occurrence would never have transpired.
? Summarize what elements came together in order for the will of the Spirit to be agreed upon by the
Church.
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? Choose one illustration of this phenomenon that is the most reflective of the Spirit�s hand upon the
thinking of the Church that has struck you in this course.
? Conclude with the place that you feel needs the whole Body of Christ to come to a theological
agreement in our present day.
? Dream of what that theological agreement would require of the worldwide Body of Christ. What would
the Holy Spirit say to you to either communicate or do in that context?
Introduction
The perspective of Christians on the theology and progress of the church through history
can be explained as the progressive reflection of the manifestation of Christ and the Holy Spirit
as maintained directed and enabled through orthodox thought (Williams, 2016). In this reflective
journal, I will illustrate the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Discussion
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According to the orthodox teachings of the church on the role of the Holy Spirit, it is an
agreed view that He is involved in all aspects of our lives. This is because He was the promised
helper that Jesus in John 14:15-31 said He would leave us. It is therefore prudent to state that the
Holy Spirit presence and guidance is felt in everyday lives of the believers and many turning
points can be attributed to his help. One such event that I can trace is during the 9/11 attacks in
America on the World Trade Center. According to Sturken (2015), approximately 3000 people
tragically lost their lives. However, survivors have been telling their stories since then. At that
particular time, I was working at Euro Broker’s office on the 84 th floor of the south tower
building. When the first plane hit the North tower, panic and confusion engulfed us since we did
not know what was happening. Then a good friend of mine suddenly telephoned me and told me
to evacuate. I heeded the advice and just as I accessed the elevator, the second plane hit my
building. I was however lucky enough to escape the impact and the subsequent flames. I believe
that the Holy Spirit intervened and His guidance helped me receive the phone call from my
friend in time and make the right decision of heading towards the lifts.
Another turning point where I witnessed the Holy Spirits presence and guidance is during
a long period of my grandfather’s chronic illness. Goodman, Posner, Huang, Parekh & Koh
(2013) describes a chronic disease as one that is persistent or long-lasting, and this was the case
of the unknown condition my grandfather was in. However, continued medical interventions and
the power of the Holy Spirit led to a healing miracle, and he was healed in the circumstance that
even doctors could not explain. Other incidents I can remember are from the news where every
day the Middle-East crisis leads thousands of refugees to attempt the perilous journey of crossing
the Mediterranean Sea into Europe to escape the violence. Most of them end up drowning in the
sea. However, tales of survivors are common and the horrors that they witnessed along the
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journey and the fact that they survive point to the fact that the Holy Spirit intervened and guided
them. They may be Muslims, but from my perspective, it is the work of our guide and helper.
The main elements that came together for the will of the Spirit to be agreed upon by the
church include scripture and interpretation, faith and revelation and preaching and teaching.
Scripture and interpretation entail reading the Bible and interpreting its messages to the masses.
Christianity is a religion of the book, and the text is, therefore, an instrument of divine authority.
On the other hand, faith and revelation involve the penetration of the sophistication of thought
and expressing the Christian teaching. Preaching and teaching are for the practical guidance of
the guidelines and principals that establish the framework upon which Christianity is based upon.
Other elements that could be incorporated into the above include; the Trinity, the Bible and the
emphasis on Jesus. One phenomenon most reflective of the Holy Spirits influence upon the
thinking of the Church that has struck me are the gifts that it bestows upon the believers. These
gifts of the Holy Spirit are crucial to any believer willing to continue the work of Christ.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the contemporary world of politics and science needs the whole body of
Christ to come to a theoretical agreement to ensure that adverse impacts that these two areas
have on the future of humanity are mitigated. In this regard, the Holy Spirit would say to me that
there is need to bring humanity to science and principal into politics.
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Reference
Charles Williams (2016): Essential Writings in Spirituality and Theology. Meridian books.
Goodman, R. A., Posner, S. F., Huang, E. S., Parekh, A. K., & Koh, H. K. (2013). Peer
Reviewed: Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research,
Policy, Program, and Practise. Preventing Chronic Disease, 10.
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Sturken, M. (2015). The 9/11 Memorial Museum and the Remaking of Ground Zero. American
Quarterly, 67(2), 471-490.
