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  WHAT SPIRIT ARE YE OF?
  by G.W. North
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Summary: The Lord's Spirit is one of love, forgiveness, and salvation,
and we must be careful not to act out of a different spirit, driven by a
desire for destruction or unloving actions.

Topics: "Discipleship", "Spirit Of Christ"
Scripture References: Luke 9:51

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DESCRIPTION
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G.W. North reflects on an incident from Luke 9:51-56, where the
apostles, frustrated by the Samaritans' rejection of Jesus, ask if they
should call down fire from heaven like Elijah. Jesus rebukes them,
stating, 'ye know not what spirit ye are of,' highlighting that their
desire for vengeance was not aligned with His spirit of love, grace, and
forgiveness. North emphasizes that while the apostles had gifts of faith
or miracles, they lacked the true Spirit of Christ, as they had not yet
been baptized into Him. This incident illustrates the distinction
between being part of Jesus' company and embodying His Spirit, which is
essential for true discipleship. The sermon calls for believers to
reflect on the spirit they operate in and to align themselves with the
spirit of Christ.

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CONTENT
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Recalling an incident from the history of the earthly life of the Lord
Jesus as recorded in Luke 9.51-56, will suffice us for an illustration
of this great truth. It occurred during the course of the Lord's final
journey up to Jerusalem and His ultimate victory there. The apostles,
incensed by the attitude of some Samaritans towards the Lord, said to
Him, 'shall we call down fire from heaven and consume them as Elijah
did?' To this the Lord answered, 'ye know not what spirit ye are of
...', which shows that although greatly privileged at that time, the
apostles did not have nor could they function in the same Spirit as the
Lord.

His Spirit is the spirit of salvation, preservation, grace, love,
forgiveness, but theirs was not, so He restrained and reproved them.

What they wanted to do was quite foreign to His Spirit, but then they
were not members of His body at that time. Therefore they were not of
Him, nor could they be, for they had not as yet been baptised into Him
and it. They were of His company, but not of His Spirit. We may safely
assume that they had either the gift of faith or of miracles, perhaps
even both, for they were quite certain that they could actually call
down fire, and perform the destructive miracle. Seemingly they had the
gift which enabled them to do so, but the Spirit of the Body, and
therefore of Christ, would not have been manifested by such an act. And
no wonder either, for these men were seeking to model themselves upon
Elijah, it was he who had performed the miracle which the apostles
wanted to emulate.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/gw-north/what-spirit-are-ye-of/
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