Every well-equipped kitchen has one—a strainer known as a colander. After boiling the potatoes, pasta, broccoli—you name it—it’s a helpful tool to retrieve cooked food from scalding water. Pour the contents of the pan into the colander and the water comes streaming out of dozens of holes, leaving the food inside.
Those steaming water spouts are a great picture of the Holy Spirit at work, which we will think about more in a moment. But first, an observation. Have you ever noticed that Jesus never mentioned any gifts of the Spirit? We read that He exercised most of them, but He named none.[1] He never told His followers to ask for certain gifts or fruit of the Spirit; He simply “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22). And Jesus promised that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). It was Paul who, for good reasons, mentioned various manifestations of the Spirit.[2] Jesus appeared as a man filled with the Spirit spouting whatever gifts or fruit were appropriate for each situation He faced. Jesus seemed to have no blocked holes.
Have we stuck tape over parts of our individual and corporate colanders so that the Spirit can only flow in certain ways?
- Persistent sin can certainly clog our holes. None of us is perfect, and God uses sinners, for sure. But knowingly repeating the same sins and ignoring the Spirit’s conviction grieves Him.
- Jesus did most of His miracles in everyday situations. Sometimes it made people uncomfortable. If we don’t expect, or want, spiritual things to happen outside of religious meetings, they won’t. Let’s watch for the Spirit at work around us.
- When we focus on our natural giftings and personalities and allow them to dictate how the Spirit can work through us, thinking He somehow supercharges what we already are, we ignore the nature of the Spirit. By definition, He will empower us beyond our natural selves if we let Him.
- Our theology can inhibit Him too. If we believe some or all of the gifts are not for today, it’s unlikely that the Holy Spirit will override us.
- On the other hand, if we promote or prefer particular gifts over others, we’re treating the Spirit like a snack dispenser. Insert coins—choose product—press button—grab candy from the drawer.
- Peer pressure or the expectations of leaders might drive us to produce results or perform according to local models of spirituality. The Spirit has no interest in fads or fans; He meets needs and manifests the glory of God.
The Holy Spirit is God. Like water in a pan, He cannot be divided; He is one.[3] The same Spirit brings conviction, guidance, courage, gifts, and fruit. The larger the quantity of water tipped into the colander, the more holes it will spurt through, with greater force, to spread farther. Our job is to be an unblocked colander, focused not on ourselves, but on maximizing the Spirit’s outpouring to our surroundings. God has poured out His Spirit. Let’s not limit Him.
[1] We have no record of Him speaking in tongues or interpreting tongues.
[2] Paul wrote four passages that are often taken as lists of spiritual gifts, ministries, and fruit. However, numerous New Testament verses mention being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5; 19:2, 6; Rom. 5:5; 8:9, 11, 15; 1 Cor. 2:12; 3:16; 2 Cor. 3:1–18; Gal. 3:2, 5; 4:6; Eph. 1:13; 5:18; 1 Thess. 4:8; Heb. 6:4; 1 John 3:24; 4:13).
[3] 1 Cor. 12:4–13.