Guided by the Holy Spirit?

[CLearthinking04]

I am hoping someone can help me gain a better understanding of how the Holy Spirit guides into truth.

Years ago as a Catholic, I decided to learn about other Christian Demonimations and attended Protestant Churches, Pentacostal Churches, Methodist Churches and even Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall to name a few.

What I learned is that they all seem to have their strengths and weaknesses, some more than others. My confusion is that many non-Catholic Christians are really dedicated to their faith even though some of the teachings are downright blasphemous. For example the Jehovah Witnesses deny that Jesus is God and yet I find many Jehovah Witnesses who really want to dedicate their lives to God.

It was then that I encountered the most destructive teaching to my own faith from an assistant Pastor of a Pentacostal church. What was taught is a negative and even vindictive image of God. It is not taught directly but over time this view of God almost destroyed my own faith. Any problems that I encountered in the Catholic Church pales besides this problem because it distorts your very relationship with God. I had to dissassociate my self with this influence for a while to heal my own faith.

My question and confusion is this; The Pastor was teaching what I consider poison and yet I truly believe that he loves God. Just like the Jehovah Witness teaching that Jesus is not God. Why does the Holy Spirit not lead them into the truth? Why do their organizations flourish based on these destructive false teachings?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank You
Byron
Clearthinking04@Yahoo.Com

 

[water]

Welcome to the forums, Byron!

In the Bible, there is a verse saying that it is the Father who would reveal to whomever He wishes.

However, when He reveals to any of us, it also depends on how we are opened up to receive what He wants to tell us.

Sometimes, the Truth is right in front of us, but we want to seek something else. This too causes the problem.

Do you mind share with us what the Pastor said that bothered you?

Thanks!
PS: you have email address on your sig. Aren’t you afraid of being spammed?

 

[YinYangMom]

Why does the Holy Spirit not lead them into the truth? Why do their organizations flourish based on these destructive false teachings?

Consider your own journey…
the Holy Spirit has been guiding you to Jesus since before you were born, but have you been aware of it 24/7 ever since? No.

The intellect gets in the way of our journey, plain and simple. It’s designed to help us come to know Him, but because of the Fall it is distorted and so tends to provide more resistance to Him than assistance. Pride is the other major roadblock between the Holy Spirit’s guidance and whether or not we follow Him.

Yes, these men, even our priests, love and follow Jesus…but being human, and being men preaching wholesome moral lessons are under attack by Satan and his minions most…thus pride, arrogance, and other such vices get fed in their egos so that they truly believe that which they’ve come to convince themselves is truth…even when it isn’t.

Being guided is one thing.
Allowing oneself to be guided is entirely a different thing.

 

[AlegreFe]

Why does the Holy Spirit not lead them into the truth? Why do their organizations flourish based on these destructive false teachings?

I really believe that the Holy Spirit wants to lead many into the Truth. I also believe that God has chosen who He wants to be lead into the Truth.

My protestant brother had the Truth when he was younger but he never realized it. It is many years later and he thinks he is in the Truth but he’s not. He is in his own anger, pride, ego and pain. It saddens me so. But not so much that it keeps me down or not so much that it tears me away from my own faith but it does sadden me that my brother is in such pain and agony but he does not realize it.

 

[AlegreFe]

The intellect gets in the way of our journey, plain and simple. It’s designed to help us come to know Him, but because of the Fall it is distorted and so tends to provide more resistance to Him than assistance. Pride is the other major roadblock between the Holy Spirit’s guidance and whether or not we follow Him.

I absolutely agree with you here.

YinYangMom:

Yes, these men, even our priests, love and follow Jesus…but being human, and being men preaching wholesome moral lessons are under attack by Satan and his minions most…thus pride, arrogance, and other such vices get fed in their egos so that they truly believe that which they’ve come to convince themselves is truth…even when it isn’t.

I agree. Have you ever read C. S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters?” The devil sure has his plans for us. But we can defeat the devil. We have our Lady, our Virgin Mother on our side! We have the Holy Spirit on our side! We have Jesus Christ and His passion on our side!

YinYangMom:

Being guided is one thing.
Allowing oneself to be guided is entirely a different thing.

That’s for sure.

 

[YinYangMom]

I agree. Have you ever read C. S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters?” The devil sure has his plans for us. But we can defeat the devil. We have our Lady, our Virgin Mother on our side! We have the Holy Spirit on our side! We have Jesus Christ and His passion on our side!

I’m 3/4 of the way through that book…every time I get into it another teen seems to need it more than I. My two children (16 and 18) read it about freshman year of high school and have since been lending the book out to friends of theirs who are struggling and are frustrated with what appears to be a lot of negative things happening to them. My teens believe kids are more under attack as they begin to understand and develop a longing to know God.

It seems these kids (public school kids, mind you, whose parents don’t go to church) will mention in passing to my kids little questions about God’s existence. My kids are so comfortable and strong in their belief that they respond to the questions quite openly and cheerfully, almost ‘matter-of-factly’. The other kids, once they see they aren’t going to be laughed at, teased, or treated as an idiot, then tend to come back on occasion with another question or two, with each encounter lasting a little longer before the subject gets changed to ‘normal’ conversation. And this is where my kids feel the others become more vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.

They can see, in the way the other kids talk about what is happening in their lives and how it makes them question whether God exists and if so why these things are happening, that these ‘things’ are intended to raise doubt about God and God’s love just as they are longing to connect with Him. And so, my kids almost always recommend “Screwtape” to these kids. Some read it, others do not. Those who do always talk about what a great book it is.

 

[TOP]

I am hoping someone can help me gain a better understanding of how the Holy Spirit guides into truth.

Years ago as a Catholic, I decided to learn about other Christian Demonimations and attended Protestant Churches, Pentacostal Churches, Methodist Churches and even Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall to name a few.

What I learned is that they all seem to have their strengths and weaknesses, some more than others. My confusion is that many non-Catholic Christians are really dedicated to their faith even though some of the teachings are downright blasphemous. For example the Jehovah Witnesses deny that Jesus is God and yet I find many Jehovah Witnesses who really want to dedicate their lives to God.

It was then that I encountered the most destructive teaching to my own faith from an assistant Pastor of a Pentacostal church. What was taught is a negative and even vindictive image of God. It is not taught directly but over time this view of God almost destroyed my own faith. Any problems that I encountered in the Catholic Church pales besides this problem because it distorts your very relationship with God. I had to dissassociate my self with this influence for a while to heal my own faith.

My question and confusion is this; The Pastor was teaching what I consider poison and yet I truly believe that he loves God. Just like the Jehovah Witness teaching that Jesus is not God. Why does the Holy Spirit not lead them into the truth? Why do their organizations flourish based on these destructive false teachings?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank You
Byron
Clearthinking04@Yahoo.Com

Lack of humility, maybe? Some see the Holy Spirit working in their lives and think that that is the complete picture. Maybe their pride takes it from there and blocks further guidance. Tim

 

[sterryfamily]

While each of us are temples of the Holy Spirit when we are in a state of grace, the promise to guide “into all truth” was made to Christ’s Church.

Remember, some of what we read in the Bible of Jesus’ instructions was directed to the masses, and some was directed to the first leaders of His Church. He was instructing them on how to set up and govern His Church.

The Promise He made to send His Spirit to guide the Church “into all truth” is essentially the charism of infallibility that the magisterium posseses for the benefit of all of us.

Clearly the Spirit is not leading every Tom, Dick and Harry into all truth. When you ask three people what a certain passage of Scripture means and they give you three different answers and yet, all claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit, you can be certain that it is not the Holy Spirit who is the author of such confusion.

 

[AlegreFe]

Lack of humility, maybe? Some see the Holy Spirit working in their lives and think that that is the complete picture. Maybe their pride takes it from there and blocks further guidance. Tim

(emphasis added)

There is no “maybe” about it. People’s pride certainly blocks the Holy Spirit, they just don’t think it’s pride and they really believe it’s the Holy Spirit guiding them. That’s pretty sad. And that’s why we should pray for all those that think the Holy Spirit is guiding them, including those in our own Catholic Church.

 

[AlegreFe]

While each of us are temples of the Holy Spirit when we are in a state of grace, the promise to guide “into all truth” was made to Christ’s Church.

That’s for sure.

We also have to remember that we are temples of the Holy Spirit only when we are in the State of Grace. When we are in a State of Grace we are “in the Truth” and it is harder for us to be tempted. But we are sinners and we can all still be tempted. So Confession and Jesus Christ in the Eucharist for Holy Communion will certainly keep us stronger because we have the Holy Spirit in us.

sterryfamily:

Remember, some of what we read in the Bible of Jesus’ instructions was directed to the masses, and some was directed to the first leaders of His Church. He was instructing them on how to set up and govern His Church.

That’s right. And I guess people just don’t see that in the Bible.

sterryfamily:

The Promise He made to send His Spirit to guide the Church “into all truth” is essentially the charism of infallibility that the magisterium posseses for the benefit of all of us.

You are so right! Jesus had to leave someone here as an earthly leader and someone who would be infallible so that we can know the full TRUTH about Jesus Christ.

sterryfamily:

Clearly the Spirit is not leading every Tom, Dick and Harry into all truth. When you ask three people what a certain passage of Scripture means and they give you three different answers and yet, all claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit, you can be certain that it is not the Holy Spirit who is the author of such confusion.

The Holy Spirit is certainly not confused and that is what I ask many Protestants here, if they think the Holy Spirit is confused because there are so many different protestant denominations.

Your comment here also reminds me of the “first gallop poll” in Scripture.
Jesus asked the Apostles what people were saying as far as who Jesus is. There were a few answers that were wrong. That represents the wrong answers in all those Protestant churches, that’s not to say that those church don’t have any truth at all, they do. But then PETER the Rock came up with the ONE TRUE answer. That answer was INFALLIBLE by the Holy Spirit. Peter was our first Pope that was infallible in matters of Faith and Morals. Our current Pope Benedict XVI is infallible in matters of Faith and Morals because He and all Bishops in union with the Pope, are lead by the Holy Spirit just as Peter was when Jesus asked the Apostles who He was. The Holy Spirit is certainly leading the Catholic Church so that many can hear the full Truth and can come Home to the Catholic Church.

 

[CLearthinking04]

Welcome to the forums, Byron!
Do you mind share with us what the Pastor said that bothered you?

Sorry I didn’t get back sooner. This was in reference to the most dangerous teaching I have ever encountered.

At first it wasn’t that noticable. Things like God punishes sinners and we must fear God. The context wasn’t fear in the sense of reference but real fear. Then it progressed that "God will get you if you step out of line. Then it became more out in the open, things like; I’m not saved unless I talk in tongues. I told him that I did not understand this teaching and asked if he could explain it better. He said that I don’t understand it because I am evil. Finally at a Bible study I was told by some of his followers that I was possessed by the devil because I said that I thought there was some merit to evolutionary theory, all at the same time they were shouting halleluiah.

It was then that I decided to avoid this particular group of Pentecostals as I realized that my contact with this particular church had weakened my faith over time.

I am better for it however because it made me appreciate my Catholic Faith more. In the Catholic Church I have freedom in Christ. It allows me to see the love of God and not place myself in a position of constant judgement and fear.

Byron