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Christian Life, , , ,

THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALED

Except for the few times Jesus mentioned the source of His power, His disciples did not know this Spirit whom He said was coming. He spent the final precious hours before He would be torn from them to fill them in on the Person who would take His place, both with them and in them. He told the disciples, in what we call the “Upper Room Discourse”, everything they needed to know about the Holy Spirit so that they would learn to walk with Him as they had walked with Jesus for three years.

  1. Jesus’s “other” self

So close and one were Jesus and the Holy Spirit that He could call Him His “other self”. He could say with confidence.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14: 18)

But how could He come to them since He had told them that He was going away? After His resurrection, He was only around for forty days before He left them for good. Ah, but He had another “self”, the Holy Spirit who would take up residence within them forever. He would not come and go as Jesus had done. He would not be confined to a geographical location as Jesus was. He was spirit, not flesh and blood, and would soon come upon them to be fused with their spirits in an unbreakable union. They would be His temple, individually and together. He would make real the name that was given to Jesus prophetically in the Tanakh – Emmanuel – God with us.

The Holy Spirit withdrew from fallen man in the beginning because He could not dwell with sin. Jesus atoned for and removed sin forever, and promised that He would send the Holy Spirit from the Father to be in them permanently once again. Everything that Jesus was to them, He would be.

  1. The “Paracletos”

Jesus promised that “another Parakletos” was coming – one who would do the same things He had done while He was with them. The word parakletos comes from two Greek words – para, meaning “alongside” as in the word “parallel” – and kaleo, meaning “to call”. “Parakletos” is in the passive voice – “one who is called alongside”.

Who was this Parakletos and what would He do? Firstly, He was “another Parakletos”, implying that Jesus was the first Parakletos. Therefore He would take Jesus’s place and do everything Jesus did. To His disciples Jesus was their rabbi and their model. He was their protector and provider. He was their teacher and mentor.

This “another Parakletos” was called alongside them to support them in their human weakness. He would help them when they tottered under the weight of their burdens by carrying the burdens with them. He would be there to enable them to walk “upright” on their journey to the Father.

  1. The Spirit of Truth

Jesus described the Parakletos as the Spirit of truth. He was not just any spirit. He was the Spirit of truth. Jesus identified Himself as the “truth”. Pilate asked rather cynically. “What is truth?” and did not even stay long enough to hear His answer. What would Jesus have said to Pilate? Would He have defined truth in abstract terms? No. As a true Hebrew, Jesus would have simply said, “Look at me. I am the truth.” In other words, everything He was, everything He said and everything He did was the truth.

Now He said to His disciples, “Just as you watched me and saw truth in action, the Holy Spirit will be in you to teach you how to be truth in action.” If they listened to Him as they had listened to Jesus, they would be in no doubt at all about who and what the truth was.

  1. The Spirit of Jesus

But how would they be able to differentiate between the voice of the Holy Spirit in them and every other voice that clamoured to be heard? Jesus gave them a simple test.

All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14: 25-26)

I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear now. But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. (John 16: 12-14)

What the Holy Spirit says and does is always in perfect harmony with what Jesus said and did. The test is simple and backed up by a powerful witness:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14: 27)

How would they know they were on the right track? Jesus promised that He would replace their insecurity with the same confirmation that powered Him – peace. Peace in the heart always follows truth in the mind. Emotional disturbance is God’s warning sign that there are lies in the mind that contradict what God has said. Jesus assured His disciples that, as long as they followed the Holy Spirit who would lead them into the truth embodied in Him and His word, His supernatural peace would confirm that they were in the truth.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

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My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, will also soon be available.

Never Forgotten!

Bible Study, , ,

NEVER FORGOTTEN!

‘Leave her alone,’ said Jesus. ‘Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly. I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’ (Mark 14: 6-9).

What a contrast between the generous and scandalously wasteful gift this woman poured on the head of Jesus and the cruel criticism of the skinflints who had no intention of giving to the poor anyway. And just as lavish as her gift, so also was the praise Jesus heaped on her for her devotion. He read into her action far more than she even intended.

When she awoke that morning, did she have one thought in her mind? “Today I will give to Jesus the very best I have to show Him how much I love Him”; or was it a spontaneous gesture when she heard that He was in Bethany? Was she one of those who had received His forgiveness for the way she had lived? Was the alabaster jar of precious perfume the result of her soliciting to make ends meet? Had she invested some of her earnings in the one thing that had great value, or was it a gift from her beloved father to ensure that his child would be cared for by a loving husband?

Perhaps things had not worked out for her as she had hoped. No man would have her now. She was soiled beyond hope, according to Luke’s story, a woman of the street whom people despised. As for the religious leaders – they were out front in their contempt for this woman of the night, albeit some of them were also her customers, but incognito because never let it be told that they went to her house for their pleasure.

But she saw something in Jesus that she had never seen in any other man. He did not look at her lustfully or undress her with His eyes. There was genuine compassion and acceptance in His glance. Never a word of condemnation did He speak or look at her with the contempt she knew she deserved. He treated her with courtesy and dignity as a daughter of God, created in His image with the potential to reflect Him in her life. All she needed was to be set free from her shackles of shame and guilt, and be reinstated in His family as a beloved daughter.

She felt special and loved when she was near Him. When she heard that He was in the home of Lazarus and his sisters, she searched her house for a gift worthy of the man who had set her free. Her eyes fell on her alabaster jar on the shelf. There was nothing more valuable in her home than that. She didn’t care that it was irreplaceable. Never again would she do what she did to purchase her prize if that was the way she had acquired it.

Snatching it from the shelf, she hid it under her cloak and hurried off to the place where the feast was being held. Slipping in unobtrusively among the guests, she fell at His feet, broke open the fragile jar and deluged His head with the costly perfume. Its delicate fragrance began to waft through the room, overtaking the odours of cooking and food until everyone was aware of the perfume.

The nasty ones, of course, were immediately hit by the enormity of this wasteful act. “She’s crazy!” they muttered. “What was she thinking? Why didn’t she sell it, if she was really feeling that generous, and give the money to the poor?” Since when did the poor matter to them so much? If they really cared, why hadn’t they been as lavishly generous to the poor out of their abundance as they wanted her to be?

Jesus turned on them indignantly. He knew what they were muttering. He was always aware of thoughts and attitudes that hit Him in the solar plexus. He faced their mean-spirited criticism full on. “One thing is for sure,” He exploded, “This woman’s action, her devotion for me, which you so despise, is not only preparation for my burial, but also a memorial to her. You will be remembered for your mean and ugly hearts – exposed by your words; but her love and sacrifice for me will never be forgotten. Every person who reads my story, throughout the generations until the end of time, will know what she did for me.”

How would you like to hear words of praise like that from the lips of Jesus?

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

Glimpses Of The Great God; Day Ten

Devotion, , ,

DAY TEN

 But now, this is what the Lord says —

He who created you, O Jacob,

He who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name;

you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour…

Do not be afraid, for I am with you…

Isaiah 43:1-3a; 5a

What a wonderful description of our Redeemer!  He is the God who is always with us.  He does not always shield us from the troubles of life, but He does promise to be with us and to hold us steady through the flood and fire.  Whatever trouble comes your way, God assures you that He is there.  His very presence is all you need because calamity cannot overwhelm Him and as long as He holds your hand, you will stand steady and secure until the trouble is over.  Why does God care so much for you?  Simply because He bought you and you belong to Him.  He will never allow you to be overcome by anything in this life.  He will strengthen you to overcome every test for His glory.