THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them… . Peter… addressed the crowd… ‘This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says,   I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”’”  (Excerpts from Acts 2:1-21 NIV)

The permanent, personal presence of the Holy Spirit with us is the unique blessing of the new covenant. The Israelites had seen the Spirit work amongst them from time to time, but even the most famous Israelites had not experienced the Spirit’s presence the same way as we do. Like everything else we must start from the gospel in order to understand the gift of the Spirit. Jesus has given the Spirit equally and fully to all His children….

Pentecost marked the creation of the new people of God. It confirmed the new covenant. From this perspective we gain fresh insight into the ministry of the Spirit. He directs the people’s attention to their covenant Lord. He makes the people into a new tabernacle/temple, God’s dwelling place. Through the Spirit the people are drawn together in unity and they receive gifts necessary for their life together and their role in the world.   

-- Mark Strom in “The Symphony of the Scriptures: Making Sense of the Bible’s Many Themes”

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BOUGHT WITH A PRICE

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20)

"Do you not know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body."  (1 Corinthians 6:19,20)

My life has been paid for by Jesus Christ. My life belongs to Him. Therefore, I can't do what "I" want to do, I must do what "He" wants me to do. 

-- Ron Brown, Assistant Coach, University of Nebraska, in Sports Spectrum

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THE PLACE GOD LIVES

“You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”  (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV)

If you are in Christ, then you are a part of that building. You have been fitted together with me and with the rest of the church. We are a building, and not just a building, but a temple.

You know what a temple is? It is a place where you go to meet God. It is a place where God abides.

We are the place God lives and moves in the world. He doesn’t want us to confine Him to one place like this church building and just worship and serve Him here. He wants us to keep Him on the move in the community, serving and meeting needs.

The gospel breaks down walls, unites people, and builds up a house where God dwells. 

-- Judith Hand in a sermon entitled “You Are God's House, God's Building”

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THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

The Christian should honor and care for his/her body as the very sanctuary of God.  We no longer belong to ourselves, but to God, who purchased us as a prized possession through the gracious giving of His Son.

-- from “Believer's Study Bible”


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