CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL St.

peter’s parish
bambui
Life in the spirit seminar: February - April 2023
Talk: Introduction to the life in the sprit seminar
Date: Monday 13 February 2023
1. What is the Life in the Spirit Seminar?
The life in the Spirit Seminar in the context of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a series
of 7-8 talks given to old and new members especially the newcomers to introduce into
what the CCR is all about.

These talks are meant to deepen and broaden our relationship with God. That is why what
is important is not attending the talks but more, letting the talks help us re-examine our
steps with God and make a decision for a better and intimate relation with God. (Matthew
4:17-23).

A point to note from the very title of our Talk today is “Life in the Spirit.” In Galatians
5:16-20, St. Paul differentiates between the life lived according to the Spirit and that lived
according to the flesh. The two cannot co-exist with each other. The life in the spirit is full
of the fruit of love and its other accompanying fruits such as patience, gentleness, peace,
humility, self-control, ect., (Gal 5:22-23) as compared to those of the flesh such as
backbiting, “jumba” palava, fornication, lies, stealing, impure discussions, drunkenness, etc.
(Gal 5:17-21).

From the above difference between the life in the spirit and life in the flesh, we can already
start seeing the necessity for newcomers in the CCR to follow this Life in the Spirit
Seminar. The Seminar aims in helping us let go of the life in the flesh and embrace the new
life in the spirit. (Rom 6:22-24). It will not be easy but as a community of believers
strengthening each other, we can with the help of God, become new creatures in Christ. (2
Cor 5:17).

There are some key words in our heading under discussion worth looking at slowly.
Life

Life is at the core of our journey with God. God is life and life is His gift to us. We can only
exist and reach out to God because we are alive. Three words for life exist in Greek: bios,
psyche, zoe. Bios is life in general like in living plants and animals; psyche is life in a higher
degree with the presence of the soul. In humans, this is the presence of the soul which
makes us alive. The last dimension of life is zoe, the very life of God Himself, life without
end. Thus, in John 10:10, the Greek word used for the life Jesus promised to give us
abundantly is ZOE. Hence, this Seminar is aimed at helping us gain and live in the ZOE, the
very life of God, instead of that of the world.

In the Spirit

Already we talked about the two types of life as brought by St. Paul in his letter to Galatians
(5:16-23). What is important here to note is the use of the preposition “in.” The dictionary
explains that it could be used to show a state or condition; also, it could mean being at a
point within an area or a space. Looking at the phrase Life in the Spirit, one may quickly
raise the question: What kind of life? And get the response: in the Spirit. Hence, it is a life
within a particular area, the Spirit realm.

Conscious of the fact that the life we are called to live is that in the Spirit, what is expected
from us to fully live out this new kind of “Life?”

2. EXPECTATIONS FROM THE PARTICIPANTS OF THIS SEMINAR

From the dictionary definition for seminar, we noticed that a seminar could be a meeting
for discussing a particular topic or training in a particular field. This means what has
brought us here is the desire to be trained to live according to the Spirit; a discussion on
how we can pattern our lives after that of Christ, who is our example. (Phil 2:4-5). Since we
yearn to be like Jesus, what does this 8 weeks training demand of us so that we attain this
objective?

First, we need to be build a committed Christian life. This seminar deepens our awareness
of the riches of our baptismal graces and help us be faithful to God. In this seminar, we
pledge with our regular attendance a desire to take God and His Word more seriously in
our daily life.

Second, we yield ourselves more to the promptings of the Spirit. We develop in this
seminar a certain communion with God’s Spirit, so much so that we can listen and talk to
him as good friends do with each other. It is our aim to do God’s will, a wish fulfilled by our
attentiveness to the voice of God.

Third, we need to let go of our former lives of sin and embrace a new life of holiness and
purity. Romans 6:11-14 tells us that we must give up evil and embrace godliness. This
seminar helps us scan our lives so as to filter out the chaffs and take on a new look. Donnie
McCluckin, an American musician in his song Caribbean Medley, said: Goodbye world,
goodbye sin and pleasure, stay no longer with you; for I have made up my mind to
follow God’s ways the rest of my life. This comes out with the type of friends we keep;
the places we go; the discussion we engage in amongst other things. In short, our tastes and
choices in life must reflect our new life in Christ.

Fourth, it is an opportunity to deepen our encounter with Scriptures. We use this time to go
deeper into what God’s word is saying and make it a duty to live it out. Still, we take
seriously the sacraments. Our sacramental life should not instead suffer but increase the
more since we now value them more. The sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist
should be frequented often by us.

Fifth, the Christian life cannot be live in isolation. We always live in communities. This
seminar helps us build up community living as we assist each other be better Christians.
There are two talks in this seminar handling this aspect of community living: Your are the
Body of Christ and Growth and Transformation.

Sixth, this seminar offers us above all an opportunity for growth not only spiritually but in
all aspect of life. We can pray well and still abuse people or fornicate or steal. Our prayers
must change our lives; a change the world will see in our choices. Acts of the Apostles 2:33-
46 described he=ow the apostles and disciples’ lifestyle frightened the Jews who envied
them and wanted to be like them. Let our lives serve as a mirror for society to judge its
ways and repent not the opposite.
Now, let us take a look at what will be needed in the course of the seminar.

3. Requirements for the Life in the Spirit Seminar

Participants will need a book to jot down the various talks and group sharing. Also, a
different to write down one’s spiritual experience during the seminar such as dreams or
revelations will be needed. Still, everyone must make sure that he/she attends all the talks.
In case of absence, let us meet the leaders and follow up with what we lack. These books
will be checked before Effusion. A personal Bible for study and prayers is needed.
Moreover, everyone is expected to have time specified for private prayers. Choosing a time
for private prayer and a convenient place will help us benefit from the fruits of the seminar.

Very important is the need to take seriously the prayer program giving for each week
during the Seminar. These prayers and scriptures will help us better live out the talks
given.

4. Summary of the Talks of the Life in the Spirit Seminar

The first talk is about God loving us personally. God does not love us as a group only, He
even goes further to love us intimately. Knowledge of this fact changes how we relate with
God.

Flowing from this knowledge, we come to understand that Jesus saves and sets us free.
Only a God who loves us personally can save and set us free from evil. (Isaiah 43:1-4).

If God saves and sets us free, it is because He wants to be the Lord of our lives. In Exodus
20:5-20, where God gives the ten commandments, God says we should have no god except
Him. Thus, enthroning God as our Lord means rejecting other gods, idols, such as money,
sex, fame, riches, position/status, etc.

To truly and really make God the Lord of our lives, we need to thoroughly examine our lives
and root out whatever is competing to replace God in us. This can be done properly in the
context of Counselling and Penitential Service, a service we confess our sins and
renounce every idol so that we faithfully serve God as our MASTER.
There is a Desert Experience involving Deliverance Prayer which aims at helping
members pray out of every and any difficulty still resisting us serving God. It is a privileged
moment when believers our liberated from the dominion of darkness and translated into
the kingdom of Christ. (Col 2:12-14).

Freed from the clutches from the evil, we cannot allow the house of souls empty (Luke
11:24-26). We must fill it with the Holy Spirit; thus, a need for a Baptism of the Holy
Spirit.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, we become one with Christ, who is the Head of the Body the
Church. Then as one Body, we must live out this unity in the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts
given to each of us. Lumen Gentium 4 and 12 tell us that the gifts we have received from the
Holy Spirit is for the growth of the community and not for our personal pride. Hence,
service is the guide to all we do with the Spirit’s gifts.

As a Body, we are called in the unity of the Spirit to Grow and be transformed as we
struggle daily to put on the person of Christ. Our character, choices, tastes and behaviour
must be shaped by a new law, that of Christ, for we have become new people. (Rom 12:1-2).

Matured in the faith, we are invited as transformed people in the love of Christ to share this
new found love and experience with the world, beginning with our families, relations,
society and the world at large.

Thus, the Life in the Spirit Seminar has as main objective, making us better witnesses of
Christ, transformed from a life of sin to that of holiness and purity.

5. The Seminar after the Seminar?

Attending the Life in the Spirit Seminar is one thing but living a life modelled after the
teachings of the Seminar when the seminar is over is a different ball game. Many people ay
conceive the seminar as a time to be holy but after it, we relax, we rest from the rigor of the
seminar. No! We must see this seminar as a foundation on which we need to build our
spiritual life on. Instead of reducing our efforts, we need to double them and strive for
consistency.
Hence, the real seminar is how we live after the Life in the Spirit seminar. May God help us
to be better Christians!

God bless our endeavours.

Yours in Christ,

Afongang Eric N. (STAMS Bambui, Theology Three)