Good morning and good Saturday! Doesn’t Saturday have a great, fun feel to it? It’s funny how all the days of the week have a different feel, Saturday feels so different than Monday right? Anyway, I had a full day yesterday, starting out with a great breakfast time of fellowship with my good friend John and then a full walking tour of Southwestern Seminary. What a gorgeous campus! This is a real jewel we have here in Fort Worth, if you haven’t ever taken time to check it out you should! Hopefully I’ll be spending some more time there as I’m considering going back for my masters. (did I just say that?)
Last night we had dinner with our long-time special friends Michael & Jennifer and their beautiful family of 4 delightful kids. (thanks for the tacos & homemade ice cream!....the perfect meal??) We’ve known Michael & Jennifer since our days at Travis Avenue many moons ago and God has always kept us close in spirit no matter where our feet have taken us. Good friends are a true gift from God.
This morning in my 5 Minute Challenge I continue on in the gospel of John chapter 14. By the way if you don’t know what the 5MC is check out this link:
In chapter 14 Jesus and the disciples are still in the upper room and Jesus has just washed their feet, announced Judas’ betrayal, foretold Peter’s denial and is now continuing on with His discourse. In 14:15-31 He is promising the Holy Spirit and that’s where God has directed me this morning.
Jesus’ time before his arrest & crucifixion is very short now & He is preparing the disciples for His departure from the Earth and back into Heaven. They are receiving it with different levels of apprehension, fear and anxiety. 2 verses in this chapter tell them “do not let your hearts be troubled” (14:1, 14:27) He is soothing their fears and it is here that He promises us the Holy Spirit.
Verse 14:16 says, “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever.” Some versions use the word Comforter instead of Helper which is worth noting. The root of the word comforter is 'com' meeting ‘along side of’ and 'fortis' meaning ‘strong.’ The Holy Spirit is “the strong one that comes along side of us.” How true indeed!
I wrote about the Holy Trinity a while back but some of you might still have questions about the Holy Spirit and exactly where He fits in. If you have questions I encourage you to read John 14:15-31, it sets it all up perfectly. At this point Jesus is fully aware that He will go to the Cross, die, be resurrected and then ascend into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. So who will be here on Earth to guide, help, strengthen and teach believers now that Jesus will be gone? The Holy Spirit.
When Jesus came to this planet in a human body He was limited by the flesh, i.e. He could not be in 2 places at one time. The need for the Holy Spirit is essential in that the Spirit of God can be everywhere at the same time (omnipresent) If you admit you’re a sinner, repent and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life you are a Christian and you will at the moment you accept Christ, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit living WITHIN you. 14:17b “for He dwells with you and will be in you.” 14:20b “you in me and I in you” 14:23 “Jesus answered him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my Word and my Father will love him, and we will come and make our home with him”
So now we’ve looked at ‘who’ the Spirit is and ‘why’ He is but what does He do? The Holy Spirit is critical to the Christ follower and to Christianity itself. It is literally having the Spirit of God living within you. The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and opens it up to the believer. The Holy Spirit is the teacher that can lead and guide us into truth. Without Him the bible is a book of history, but with him he opens our eyes, ears and hearts to the absolute truth, knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit helps us to discern what steps God wants us to take in this life. The Holy Spirit is our counselor, helping us to speak His Words when the time arises. The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. The Holy Spirit comforts us when we’re hurting. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin in our lives. The Holy Spirit guides us to peace and joy. I guess the real question is what does the Holy Spirit NOT do for the believer? You have the God of all creation living within you. You have the power of God at your disposal. God has equipped you to do His work, you are prepared.
What a gracious, loving God we have that equips us with such a gift as His Spirit. I trust that as a Christian you are in a loving relationship with the Holy Spirit, calling on Him throughout your day today for your needs, so that you can be obedient to His call and complete the work He has for you.
Have a blessed Saturday, beloved!
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