Warning Sounds

ROB O’NEAL, DIRECTOR OF CHURCH MULTIPLICATION

“We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by Whose indwelling power and fullness the Christian is enabled to live a godly life in this present evil world.”

In 1997, my wife and I moved into a small house in an older neighborhood in Columbia, South Carolina. The giant gas heater in the central hallway heated our home through transom windows during the winter. We appreciated the house’s charm, but worried about the old appliance poisoning us, so we installed a carbon monoxide detector.

One night, the alarm sounded, and we called the fire department. When they arrived, we pointed them to the antique monstrosity we were convinced was trying to kill us. It turned out that the heater was innocent. Instead, the six bottles of spray glue we had used on craft projects earlier that evening were the source of the trouble. Still, we had to sleep with the windows open that night despite the freezing temperatures outside or risk poisoning.

Warning alarms serve us well. They alert us to dangers all around us. The Holy Spirit functions as a sort of warning alarm for us as well. Sometimes the Holy Spirit alerts us to dangers outside of us, prompting us to stay away from trouble.
On occasion, the warning signal we get from the Holy Spirit points us to dangers inside. We may get a very real sense from God that we have become disobedient or that we need to change. Those signals can correct serious problems, and we ignore them at our own peril.
Beyond warning of danger, the Holy Spirit’s alarm can prompt us to take action. We may hear a call to reach out, start a conversation, serve a person, or take a chance. The Holy Spirit is not just guiding us away from danger but pointing us toward the fullness of life as followers of Jesus.

Alarms and calls to action from the Holy Spirit all point us toward being disciples, making more disciples, and multiplying churches.