02/06/2021
As post ascension Christians we have received a gift from God that the world can never have. Jesus told his disciples that He would ask God to give us a helper, and God responded. Our gift is the Holy Spirit, and He resides in us us from the moment we first believe, and will abide in us forever. So abiding within us we have God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit... but do we open ourselves up equally to their presence each day? Do we invite each of them to come to the forefront in power, love, help, and comfort? Have we accepted the Holy Spirit within us just as we have accepted God, and Jesus Christ, or have we relegated Him to some minor role in our faith?
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
John 14:16-17 ESV
We know from what Jesus said to us earlier in His ministry, and repeats here in this scripture from the book of John, that He and God abide in us, and every Christian accepts that fact without much debate because it is written, and God’s Word is truth, but many have issues when it comes to understanding the Holy Spirit. We read these words regarding the indwelling of the Father and Son, and believe...
“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”
John 14:20 ESV
We understand this to be true, but when Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would reside in us also, then things became a bit crowded for some theologians. Certain scholars, and denominations began looking for evidence of this Holy Spirit, some said that unless tongues were spoken the Holy Spirit had not arrived in a believer, others thought He might come and go, while many simply chose to remove themselves from the controversy by calling Him an extension of God... and there were, and are, other interpretations as well including the belief that He only existed in the past.
I am scripture fed, and use a biblically based understanding of the Holy Spirit... that he is for each of us, and that we should allow the Holy Spirit to move freely within in us, just as we do God and Jesus, opening our spirits to this incredible gift requested by Jesus, breathed onto us by God, and who resides in us forever... even to the point of allowing Him to pray for us when we are lost for words. I like the writing of Andrew Murray, and in my devotional reading this morning I read a statement he wrote on this subject.
Andrew Murray (b.1828 d.1931) was a pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, a prolific writer, and one not prone to fringe theology. He wrote these words regarding the Holy Spirit:
“Christ in us becomes a reality only when we perceive and open up to the Holy Spirit’s presence within us. As the Comforter encouraged the disciples after Christ’s ascension into heaven, He now desires to encourage us each hour of the day. It is through the Holy Spirit that we have Christ in our hearts — a mighty living force stirring, enlightening, and filling us.” - Andrew Murray
So, in whatever way we chose to look for signs of the Holy Spirit today, whether it is in the speaking of tongues, evidenced by the gifts of the spirit like healing, or a quickening in our very being that comes upon us in a rush at our conversion, and during other profound moments of faith, there are three undeniable facts... the Holy Spirit has been given us by God, He is our helper and comforter, and He resides within us forever. This is our promise through God’s Word.
“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.””
Acts 2:38-39 ESV
We can’t believe in the Word of God as truth without believing in the existence of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. If we determine that the Spirit doesn’t exist, or wasn’t given to reside in us, then what is our basis for believing that Jesus abides in us as the Son of God, or even more to the point, that the God of Abraham and Moses is God at all?
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
So contemplate the Holy Spirit with me today, and let’s not get wrapped up in the various theologies, and man’s opinions regarding how we verify the Spirit’s existence, or His role outside of what scripture specifically tells us. Then, in the process of our contemplation, let’s open ourselves up to His presence, and receive His help, comfort, snd understanding.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus Christ, and thank you for breathing your Holy Spirit on us as He asked of you. Thank you for the comfort and help we receive from The Spirit, and help us to feel His presence within us in the same powerful way that we feel the abiding presence of you and Jesus. Thank you Holy Father for this amazing gift; a gift that the world can not receive because it has not received you, and Jesus Christ. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who sent us a helper who brings your Word to our remembrance, and comforts us as we work mightily to do your will. Praised be your name for every gift we receive from you through your Spirit, as we use them to spread your Word, the gospel of Jesus, and to bring you glory. You are merciful Father, and don’t desire for us to be alone, by abiding within us we are shielded for spiritual loneliness, just as by marriage, and family we are separated from physical solitude. Great are you in all wisdom, and perfect is your will that we be redeemed, and perfected, through Jesus, then helped by the Holy Spirit as we strive to adhere to both His, and your, commandments forever thereafter. We pray that you find us to be pleasing in your sight, and judge us worthy by the cleansing blood of Jesus to abide with you forevermore. We call out for your grace, the living water of Christ, and the guidance of the Spirit as we travel our road through this lost world, and seek you with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Be with us now and always Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””
Acts 1:4-5, 8 ESV
Rich Forbes