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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PRAYER THAT CARES FOR OTHERS

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.”  (1 Timothy 2:1 NLT) 

Many people tend to associate prayer with separation from others, but real prayer brings us closer to our fellow human beings. Prayer is the first and indispensable discipline of compassion precisely because prayer is also the first expression of human solidarity. Why is this so? Because the Spirit who prays in us is the Spirit by whom all human beings are brought together in unity and community. 

-- Henri J.M. Nouwen, as quoted in “Stories of Prayer for a Healthy Soul”

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IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT

Each of us is told in the Scriptures to walk in step with the Holy Spirit. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) The command is to be in step with the Spirit. It does not tell us to be in step with one another.

Because the Lord leads His children by the same Word and by the same Spirit, much of the time our individual paths will converge. At other times our paths will only be parallel. Sometimes, as the Lord takes each of us through our different lives with different sets of experiences, our paths will differ greatly. Yet, through all of it, His motive is the same. It is not to conform each of us to each other but to conform each of us to Christ. We do not become more like Christ by becoming like each other. Just as a hand and a foot are not the same and cannot best complete the body by becoming alike. Each part in its difference is equally important in form and function and each best serves the well-being and wholeness of the body because of those differences.

When believers in Christ hold in common conviction the same core foundational beliefs, conduct their individual lives by the same Scriptures, and walk in step with the same Spirit, they are part of the Body. They are part then, too, of one another whether or not they attend the same church fellowship. 

-- Susan Kemenyas

#5427

A COMMUNAL AFFAIR

“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”  (Romans 12:4-5)

Paul not only proclaimed the message about Christ and brought people into an intimate relationship with God, but drew the consequences of that message for the life of his converts and led them into a personal relationship with one another. For Paul the gospel bound believers to one another as well as to God. Acceptance by Christ necessitated acceptance of those He had already welcomed (Romans 15:7); reconciliation with God entailed reconciliation with others that exhibited the character of the gospel preaching (Philippians 4:2-3); union in the Spirit involved union with one another, for the Spirit was primarily a shared, not an individual experience (2 Corinthians 13:14). The gospel is not a purely personal matter. It has a social dimension. It is a communal affair. 

-- Robert Banks in “Paul’s Idea of Community: The Early House Churches”

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THE ONENESS OF THE BODY

The apostle makes a bold affirmation of the unity of the church by calling us to bear with one another in love by making every effort “to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Paul declares this common mission of the body of Christ by lifting a piece of liturgy out of the worship life of the early church. It may be an affirmation of faith or a part of the baptismal liturgy: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

It would be impossible to miss his use of the word “one.” It appears seven times in that single sentence, and it is reinforced by his repetition of the word “all” in the final phrase.

Paul wants there to be no doubt that there are no solo performers in the orchestra of God’s grace, no starring actors in the drama of God’s love. We are bound together in the oneness of the body of Christ. 

-- James A. Harnish in “A Disciple’s Path: Deepening Your Relationship with Christ and the Church” 

#5315

THE TRINITY

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  (Matthew 18:19-20 NIV)

Our motivation for living the Christian life is the love of the Father. Our model in life is the example of the Son. The means by which we live this life is the power of the Holy Spirit.

-- The Alpha Course


#4612

TOSSED TO AND FRO

“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.”  (Ephesians 4:13-15 NLT)

To be tossed and blown about, [or “to and fro” as another version reads,] means to fluctuate or roll up and down with the waves. Following a prevailing current will take you places you never want to go -- from bell-bottoms to bad behavior. Children get caught in the undertow of peer pressure. Maturity equips us to go against the flow!

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God’s Treasure"


#4211

THE TRANSFORMING TRUTH OF JESUS CHRIST

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”  (1 Timothy 6:18-19 NRSV)

God cares about whether the transforming truth of Jesus Christ changes people -- and changes the world through them… In the lessons Jesus taught, the people He touched, the suffering He relieved, the forgiveness He offered, the justice He proclaimed, the life He lived, the sacrifice He made, the death He died, and the new life He revealed is "the life that really is life." …The Holy Spirit knits people into communities that continue the life and witness of Christ. 

-- Robert Schnase in “The Future of The United Methodist Church: 7 Vision Pathways”  


#4528

A KNEE IS NOT A NOSE

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body… and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many... God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body…. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”  (Excerpts from 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27 NIV)

Just as important as knowing what gift God has given you is knowing which gifts God hasn’t given you. Many Christians try for years to function with gifts they never had in the first place, and this doesn’t do the Lord’s work much good. It’s like trying to hear something with your knee or throw a ball with your nose. Knees and noses are [designed for] doing other things. 

-- C. Peter Wagner

#4425

STANDING ARM IN ARM

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”  (Ephesians 4:3)

When we come together as a Church body we should rejoice in our common heritage. We must learn to put aside petty problems and refuse to give [divisiveness] any foothold. We simply must stay focused on our source of strength and hope: The Lord Jesus Christ! It is He who gives us the supernatural ability to stand arm in arm and become one. If we search too hard for common ground in other areas we form destructive cliques and we divide instead of unify.

-- Rev. Gary Stone

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