The Gift

As I sit here and type this week I can’t help but wonder what happened to the church.  As I read in the context of Jesus’ words to his followers, I see no promise of glorious acceptance in a fallen world.  I feel the church over the centuries have made many compromises with the gospel message and the gift of holy spirit to be more palatable to the world.  Today, we seem to have almost a complete rejection of the teachings of Jesus and what this precious gift can bring to the believer.

In our modern society the truth is so far gone that one can hardly recognize it.  Religion did a dumb down the gospel message so far, no wonder a so called Christian would not know who God is or even how He works.  Today, when the fastest growing religion is not Christianity, we as believers should recognize we have a problem.    

Yes, we have great big churches and ministries, but if we take a close look at what is going on we should all be concerned.  The numbers that are being given as converts are mostly recycled church goers. They have quit the church and came back or they switched their doctrines.  Yet, the truth is being hidden in small groups of whom many have separated themselves completely from the main stream.  Because of all this we are not seeing a true growth of new believers in or modern world.  So, false religions, preachers, movements are having their way among those who are looking for answers to life’s problems.  They prey on the unlearned and spiritually weak.  Those who have been conditioned by religion to look to men for answers and spiritual leadership fall victim to the devices of men who do not have the truth.

One should read John chapters 14-17 carefully and see what Jesus had to say to his followers and for those who would came after.  Jesus lays out for us what to expect from the gift of holy spirit and why.

In John 14:26 ( NIV  But the Counselor, 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.) Jesus is telling us that the spirit would teach us and remind us of his teachings.  I may have not been there when Jesus was giving all his teachings about the kingdom and living a life of obedience to God, but I do have the scriptures and holy spirit to help me find truth.

Notice right away he is associating this with peace.  (John 14:27 NIV)  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. There is no comfort or peace in this fallen world.  Even religion has tried to find peace by the way of the world and history proves that has not worked.  The vast majority of our wars in history have been religious of some sort. Peace is given by the spirit which is a gift from the Father, which transcends the way of man and our understanding. (Phil 4:7 NIV)  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If we remove the chapter markers this conversation continues. That Jesus is telling us one condition of Christianity is abiding.  One may ask how that is possible.  Through the spirit and where we let our minds dwell. Like a branch of a vine there has to be a complete attachment to the trunk.  The words here for fruit is completion or maturity.  One does not go to a fruit tree desiring fruit that is immature or not ripe to eat.  You should notice two other stories in Mark 11.13 and Luke 13.6, about seeking for fruit and not finding any.  In each of the stories we find that the trees did not have fruit because they were not capable, but there were issues in each story.  The point is, God is looking for maturity and that comes from obeying and living connected to Jesus through holy spirit. 

You should also notice Jesus is making it very clear that love is an attribute of God’s spirit in us and the ability to fully obey.  How can one say they have the gift and not be able to show love, or obey the teachings of Jesus? Are these people really abiding in Jesus or are they connected to another religious vine? 

Then there is that part that seems to baffle me, that is how the church is trying to be accepted in this world. Jesus makes it very clear that the world will reject us and persecute us as much as it did him.  It was even more so by the religious system of His time.  It was when the church in the fourth century was given a status of freedom and prominent position that compromises were made to hold on to that position and power.  The work of the holy spirit and the true message of the gospel was almost completely lost.  Teachings of men now take the place of the teaching of Jesus given to us through holy spirit.

  (John 15:26 NIV)  "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

Jesus, then makes a promise that as sure as he was to go to the Father, he was going to return. Until then we would have his gift of the spirit given to us, to be a testimony for him in this world.  Every believer is to be living examples of him, as he was of his Father.  We are to be the bright shinning lights in a darkened world.  Do others know you are from God, or are you just another religious person to them?

(John 16:7-15 NIV)  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. {8} When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: {9} in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; {10} in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; {11} and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. {12} "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. {13} 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. {14} He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. {15} All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

Jesus is laying out the work of the spirit for us and telling us that this is given until he returns.  He is not talking about his return back to life, but the return when he comes as a conquering king. Paul referred to this as the deposit laid down for something that is greater to come.

(2 Cor 1:22 NIV)  set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

(2 Cor 5:5 NIV)  Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

(Eph 1:13-14 NIV)  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, {14} who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

A couple of things I want to point out here is; one, we should see that the work of the spirit is to bring power to our message.  When we share the message of Jesus, the gift of spirit is there to convict, reveal righteousness, and make judgment on the works of Satan.  How was this done in Jesus?  If you would read the gospels with an open heart and mind you would see it was not only with words, but demonstration of God’s power.  Devils trembled, sinners sought him out, and many miracles were done by him. Why, one should ask. Because he obeyed his Father completely and stayed true to the message of the kingdom.  This may be a good reason why we don’t see many demonstrations of God’s power today; we are not truly obeying the Father, and staying true to the message. (Just saying)

I know there will be those who will try to point out; it was for just the Apostles.  You should ask yourself a couple of questions.  One, has Jesus already come back to rule?  Has the truth been fully preached? Then there are those who always point out scriptures or times where somebody did not get healed.  Didn’t Jesus have such times too?  Then I have those who say they can see it coming to a close in the scriptures, yet they hold onto many regulations and rules that scriptures clearly say they are not needed. 

This brings me to my second point, that there were many things Jesus could not tell them yet and it would be the spirit that would teach them.  This is how we have received what we call the New Testament.  Notice Jesus said “Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”  The spirit is given to us to guide us to truth.  The truth of what, you may ask.  I feel the truth of who God is and his son Jesus.  The spirit would reveal the truth of the gospel message of God’s kingdom and his intentions for redeemed man. Jesus said in John 8.32 that the truth would set us free.  Another part of the truth I believe would be about the working of the spirit in the believer and the church. 

Jesus then prayed for his followers, not just those there with him, but those who would later come to believe. (John 17:17-21 NIV)  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. {18} As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. {19} For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. {20} "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, {21} that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

This gift of holy spirit is for every believer, so we may know truth and truly demonstrate to the world that Jesus is the Christ, from God.  Now, as Jesus said, the message of those Apostles would have a great role in this, and we have much we can learn about the gift from them.  There are many more attributes of this gift and much more we can learn about what God has given.

In my own journey, it has been a willingness to stop checking my brain at the door of the church.  I had to stop depending on man to provide truth, stop reading the Bible with religious glasses, and dare to ask questions of what was held sacred.  If we are all truly lead by the spirit, and truly allowing the attributes of His spirit work in us, should we not be coming to the same conclusions or at lest willing to talk about them?  I will not say I know it all yet, but I do have the spirit of the one who does.  Everyone does not have to express the spirit, or worship just like me, but we need to get the gospel message right and learn to love each other.  Otherwise the true message of Jesus will be forever lost and the question in Luke 18.8 may become reality “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”