Messiah: Earth Filled with the Knowledge of His Glory

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters that cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 3:14. NKJV). “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.” (Revelation 21:22-26. NKJV).

It is fitting that these devotionals on Messianic prophecies and New Testament fulfillments end with the vision that the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge and the glory of the Lord. We speak of the new Jerusalem, a time in the future when “As I live, says the Lord, ‘Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’ “ (Romans 14:11. NKJV. Quoting Isaiah 45:23). Since the time is coming when all will acknowledge the Truth of Messiah, that He is, indeed, as He claimed, “The Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), it is better to trust Him before the day of judgment than to find that all will, whether willingly and of their own volition or not, bow before Him and acknowledge Who He is, the Everlasting Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Savior of all who come to Him in faith.

I don’t understand why God would love me so much He would send His son to die for me. But in simple childlike faith, I accept that infinite truth. I have based my life and work on the knowledge that I belong to Him and I am someone whom He loved enough to die for. I, therefore, should love Him enough to live for Him. He has given me a partnership of teaching. Even through these devotionals of a year’s duration now I hope some of the truths revealed to me have been an inspiration to readers. I am grateful that I was able to keep my January 1, 2010 resolution to write and share devotionals based on His remarkable Word throughout the year. These have helped me to grow in grace and have come at a time when I needed the discipline and inspiration of intensive Bible study to help me through my dear husband’s worsening physical condition. He lies now at the threshold of death, transition into glory. God has strengthened Him and me through this long journey of illness, and we will see God’s hand and purpose even in these last days. Share where you can and with every person you can the knowledge of the glory of the Son of God, our Savior. We who believe in Him are His chosen vessels for this purpose. We have the privilege of spreading abroad the knowledge of His glory to the ends of the earth. The gospel came to you and me on its way to someone else. May we consider what a privilege is ours to be bearers of the Good News! To God be the glory, and bless you everyone in the new year. Solo Christos! One Lord and Savior! Praise!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, December 31, 2010

Messiah: Nature of His Kingdom and Return

“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will. Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul.” (Psalm 103:19-22. NIV).

“You heard Me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.” (John 14:28-29. NIV).

Our finite minds are limited to earthly dimensions, time and space. But as Jesus promised, He is ruling even now from His throne in heaven where the heavenly hosts do His bidding and all is beauty, reverence and harmony. Then consider another promise Jesus made before His death. He told His disciples: “I am going away, and I am coming back to you.” We see this promise as referring to His resurrection and appearances He made to his disciples and others who recognized Him and rejoiced that He was indeed alive. Yet here is another promise, which He is fulfilling day by day as He calls His disciples home to Heaven: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:2-4. NIV).

A further promise deals with Jesus’ second coming. We look for it and anticipate that it cannot be long now, for many of the signs Jesus spoke about in what we call His eschatological (end times) teachings we are seeing fulfilled daily and yearly. Jesus taught us: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31, NIV). Although people throughout time since Jesus ascended to heaven have tried to set a time for His second coming, Jesus Himself taught us: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36, NIV). It is well that we follow Jesus’ instructions concerning being ready: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:13. NIV).

Whether we are translated through death to go to the reward Jesus has prepared for those who love and serve him, or whether we remain until His second coming, our stance is to be ready and to welcome Him. He knows best and has everything prepared! Amen!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, December 30, 2010

Messiah: His Kingdom Established

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.'... They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Isaiah 2:-5, NIV). [Read also Micah 2:1-8 and Zechariah 2:10-13]. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33, NIV).

“His kingdom will never end!” These words of the angel to Mary when he announced that she would bear the Messiah were reechoing the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. The angel assured Mary of the hope the Jews had held for centuries; Messiah will come! His kingdom will be established! His rule will be forever! The kingdom has three definite characteristics different from all the kingdoms known to that time: a kingdom of peace, a kingdom of power, and a kingdom of permanence. We know the story of Jesus. He came, lived, taught, healed, died, was buried, arose from the dead, was seen of many in His resurrected body, ascended in a cloud as several watched, gave His gathered disciples the Great Commission, and at Pentecost the promise of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, was fulfilled. Where was the kingdom of peace, power and permanence the prophets predicted and the angel declared? How, then and now, is this kingdom being established?

Listen to what the King Himself said: “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.” (John 14:27). Heart by heart, person by person this peace is given, and it is not the peace that the world gives. What about the power promised to Kingdom subjects? “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14, NIV). How is this possible? Jesus lives in believers everywhere, and evangelistic, healing, and compassionate ministries in His name are blessed of God and empowered by God so that the works Jesus began when He was on earth are multiplied and expanded. Jesus promised power for the assignments He gave us, and that promise is fulfilled daily in the lives of disciples. And what about the permanence of the Kingdom? We’ve not seen it in the way the prophets pictured: not everyone with unparalleled allegiance to the King coming together in “His holy mountain”—Mt. Zion. Neither have all weapons of war yet been turned into instruments of peace. But all who know the Lord in their hearts are a part already of the permanent kingdom. To God be the glory!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, December 17, 2010

Cloud by Day, Fire by Night

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.” (Exodus 40:34-38, ESV).

Moses followed God’s instructions in erecting the Tent of Meeting, the tabernacle covering it, and the furnishings. It went wherever the Israelites traveled in the desert toward the Promised Land. A miraculous cloud representing the very presence of God led the people. It appeared first as they left Egypt (Exodus 13:21). It came between them and the Egyptian army that pursued them at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:20). And after the tabernacle was completed the building was filled with the cloud. God’s glory and protection were demonstrated in a visible way. Not only did Moses and Aaron see these manifestations, but “all the house of Israel” had the cloud by day and the fire by night in their sight. Day and night, these visible signs of God’s presence were with the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. Try to picture the sojourners—we’re told in Exodus 12:37-38 that there were about 600,000 men plus women and children and “other people” who went with them out of Egypt—well over a million people, seeing a cloud by day and a fire by night, ever present, ever leading, God with them, the hope of deliverance and victory! The magnitude and majesty of it all boggles the imagination! God was working in history to accomplish His purpose! What is our present “cloud by day” and “fire by night”? In the New Testament God gave believers a promise of His presence with them. Jesus made this promise: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18, NIV). And that promise fulfilled is recorded in Acts 2:2-4: “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…” Just as the cloud by day and the fire by night was indicative to the Israelites that God was with them, so the Holy Spirit who comes to each believer represents God’s covenant relationship to be with, to guide and to empower. Praise be to God!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, November 7, 2010

Suffering Servant Song IV-Part 3-Vicarious Death

"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our trangressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5. ESV) [Read Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12]

Continuing thoughts on the Suffering Servant Song IV from Isaiah, we concentrate today on the Messiah's vicarious death on the cross. Vicarious means "in the place of another." Isaiah begins with a strong adverb, "surely"-introducting a new thought. His death is to bear our griefs, to carry our sorrows. What does this mean? That we ourselves suffer, and He bears our suffering? In the context of sacrifice for sin, this refers back to the curse that came to all mankind in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam ate of the forbidden fruit and the fall of man occurred. "I will greatly multiply your sorrow, " (Genesis 3:16) and "Cursed is the ground for your sake..." (Genesis 3:17). Yes, griefs and sorrows have been the lot of mankind, rebellion and rejection of God the sum of man's transgressions. And our peace and forgiveness are justified only by His chastisement and His stripes. Vicariously-for us- Jesus, the Perfect Son of God-suffered. His vicarious death was the bridge that crossed the chasm between man and God.

Important emphases in these verses hinge on the pronouns "He" and "our". He bour our griefs; He carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions and He was punished for our guilt. Our peace and restoration result from the sacrifice He made. We owe our reconciliation to God completely to Jesus. He is the only way to God. Despite the "New Age" doctrines that multiple paths lead to God, the truth is that His vicarious death is the only way. "Jesus said to him [to Thomas, known as the 'doubting' disciple], I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

In witnessing to persons, I like to ask, "Is there a time in your life when you asked Jesus to come into your heart?" If the person can answer yes, I ask him/her to share his salvation experience. If the answer is no, I seek to gently lead the person to see Jesus as the only way to forgiveness, restoration and salvation through faith.

Recently, I had the happy privilege of sharing this wonderful news of Jesus' sacrifice with an elderly man who is very ill and facing death. He did not seem to have the assurance of his salvation. It was my joy to lead him through the steps of confession and assurance. His response was, "No one has ever explained it to me like this before!" God, grant us opportunities to present Jesus in a positive way to others!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Mystery Shared by Paul the Apostle

“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 3:6, NIV) [Read Ephesians 3:1-13].

Paul, in prison at Rome when he wrote the epistle to the Ephesians, gave a personal testimony in chapter 3 about his having been entrusted with the “mystery” which he was commissioned by God to share with the Gentiles, those who, at one time were “far off” (not of the chosen nation, Israel, excluded from citizenship, foreigners to the covenant of promise, Eph. 2:12), but are now, through Jesus Christ, heirs to the blessed promise. When we think about it, we, too, are these outsiders, these Gentiles. And the gospel came to us on its way to someone else! Therefore, we are partakers of the wonderful mystery of grace.

Imagine how happy it made Paul, a Jew himself, to be chosen as the “vessel” to the Gentiles, the “apostle” to the Gentiles, to bear the wonderful “mystery” (message of salvation) to those who were not understood as heirs of the promise made centuries before to Abraham when God said to him, “I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7, NIV). But all along, God intended that His favor would fall to all people, those of all nations, Jews and Gentiles alike. The “mystery” is that redemption is for all people. God is calling out anyone who will hear and respond to the good news in Jesus Christ. This was seen as a “mystery” because neither Jews nor Gentiles knew before Christ came what God had in mind for all of humankind. The mystery is now revealed: All can come to Christ. The way is made clear and plain; the price has been paid. What was formerly hidden is now revealed. The mystery is uncovered. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” Jesus declared in John 14:6. And herein is the heart of the mystery, now revealed to all who have ears to hear!

Just today I received “good news” from a missionary friend who is working to assist in recovery from the recent Haitian calamity. A person called “Y” has offered his house and yard for a meeting place to teach the gospel and set up a medical clinic to help those in great need. Volunteers are providing medical care and teaching the Word. People are being saved daily. From Peru, another volunteer team is seeking out “men of peace” to have church gatherings in their homes. God is blessing these efforts and others like them around the world. People are turning to Christ daily. The “mystery” is being revealed because people are faithfully sharing the good news that Jesus saves! Praise be to God that we can have a part, as did the great Apostle Paul, in spreading the word of Truth to a seeking, hungering, hurting world. With whom will you share your faith today?

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Lord Is My Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” -Psalm 23:1 (KJV. Read Psalm 23).

The 23rd psalm, one classified as a “Confidence Psalm,” is the most-memorized of all the psalms. Children learn it in Sunday School. Ministers read it at funerals of Christians. People quote it in the night to bring comfort and at trying times to bring strength. Its beauty is unparalleled, its truths deep and meaningful, its poetic expression balanced and flowing. King David, known as Israel’s “Shepherd King,” himself a shepherd, wrote it. The psalm’s familiarity to us may cause us to overlook the extent of its meaning and its application to our Christian life. I will spend several days exploring this magnificent psalm. My thoughts will be guided by what I know about the psalm and what it means to me but also by what W. Phillip Keller, himself a shepherd, wrote about the Psalm in his wonderful book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (c1970).

“The Lord is my shepherd.” Who is the Lord whom David calls Shepherd? To David, he was Jehovah God, the Lord God of Israel, the one true God. Centuries after David’s time when God became flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus Christ, Savior, said of himself, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep” (John 10:14-15). Furthermore, the Good Shepherd promised, and it came to pass: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17a). This Lord, the Shepherd is “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father—the author, the originator of all that exists. It was in His mind, first, that all took shape. God the Son, our Saviour, is God the artisan—the artist, the Creator of all that exists. He brought into being all that had been originally formulated in the Father’s mind. God the Holy Spirit is God the agent who presents these facts to both my mind and my spiritual understanding so that they become both real and relative to me as an individual.” (-Keller, p. 16).

This Holy Trinity, the Three-in-One, Originator, Saviour, Teacher is my Good Shepherd, my manager, my owner. And I have the distinct privilege and relationship of being His sheep! He bought me with His very life blood. I can trust Him with His ownership of my life, my soul, my very being. I can follow Him as a sheep follows and depends upon the shepherd, for the best interest of the sheep is paramount. I sense a purpose and deep contentment because I am under His direction. “The Lord is my Shepherd!” How utterly awesome and thrilling! Selah!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, June 2, 2010

With Mighty Power God’s Work Progressed

“Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.” -Acts 11:26-27 NKJV).

To read the Acts of the Apostles is to read a Spirit-filled account of the work and growth of the early church. The people and events blend together in a rich and always awe-inspiring record of the mighty power of God at work as His church and kingdom progressed. Jesus’ prophecy spoken to His disciples before His death was coming true as events unfolded: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12).

Let’s review some of these mighty works. As the disciples and followers prayed in one accord, the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost and three thousand believed. As they continued “in one accord,” then “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

Healings took place in the name of the Lord. Before persecution came to scatter the believers abroad, the disciples preached boldly on the portico of the temple, in the streets, and from house to house. Seven deacons were chosen to “wait on tables,” that is, to serve the poor and needy, so the disciples could give themselves to study and preaching. The stoning of Stephen, tragedy though it was, became a springboard for greater revelation and spread of the gospel. Philip, one of the twelve, went down to Samaria preaching the word, and many believed, including multitudes, a sorcerer, and the Ethiopian eunuch, a man who was important in the court of Queen Candace. Saul of Tarsus, a devout Jew, out to persecute Christians, was converted on the road to Damascus, taken in and instructed by Ananias, befriended and championed by Barnabas before the saints in Jerusalem. Peter had a vision that no one or nothing is unclean and preached boldly to the household of Cornelius, seeing that the Gentiles, too, were included in God’s plan for redemption. The Holy Spirit came upon Gentile believers, as He had come upon the disciples and other followers after the Ascension.

And then Barnabas preached at Antioch, found Paul the newly converted, newly anointed apostle, and together they spent a year preaching and doing the work of Christ in Antioch of Syria. Antioch was the third largest city of that era, after Rome in Italy and Alexandria in Egypt. It was there the believers were first called Christians. Because their speech, actions and nature were like that of Christ, they were called “Christians”—“like Christ” or “little Christs”. The name, then and now, denotes a personal relationship to Christ, and intention to follow Him, regardless of circumstances. As a Christian, each bears the name of Christ and has a holy and binding commitment to live by His teachings and follow His leadership. Through Christians and their witness today, God’s work still progresses with mighty power. May we each be found faithful and radiate the Truth of the Lord Christ, be “like Christ.”

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Early Church and Evangelistic Success

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” –Acts 2:46-47 (NIV)..

Peter was greatly empowered by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and preached openly to those gathered in Jerusalem. We are told in Acts 2:41 that those who heard and accepted the dynamic message of Peter added about three thousand to their number that day.

We don’t know the logistics of the situation. How did Peter make himself heard to so many without benefit of electronics and amplification? Surely all the disciples must have been actively witnessing and counseling, and afterwards helping Peter perform baptism for the numbers of believers added to the church. The “how” is left to our imagination. But the summary as given in the Acts of the Apostles allows us to see Peter and the others fulfilling God’s mission and the results of faith and obedience. They were found faithful. They were seeing Jesus’ prediction come true: “And greater things will he do because I go to my Father” (John 14:12).

The disciples were now apostles—those sent out with a message. This was and has continued to be the method of evangelistic success. From Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost to the faithful through the ages since the days of the early church, those sent out with a message have, through the power of the Holy Spirit, seen the results of hearing the Word. The principle of Vine and Branches as given by Jesus in John 15 bears fruit in repentance and faith. “How beautiful…the feet of them that bring glad tidings..who proclaim salvation” (Isaiah 52:7).

In the days of the early church and even to this twenty-first century it has been thus. Maybe not 3,000 in one day, as with Peter; and maybe again, yes. Do we not hear of the thousands who responded in Billy Graham evangelistic crusades? And now with radio, television, internet and e-mail as methods of spreading the Word, we cannot begin to estimate how many hear and respond to the Word. But we can never lose sight that belief and faith come to each person meeting Jesus Christ at the point of realized need for salvation, conviction, repentance, belief and obedience to follow Him. Believer meets Christ, One-to-one: this is always the way to faith.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, April 12, 2010

The Holy Spirit Comes: A Promise Fulfilled

“Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”-Acts 2:1-4.

“And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”—John 14: 16-18 (NKJV).

Perhaps one of the hardest doctrines for Christians to understand (and explain to unbelievers) is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—Three-in-One, the Trinity. The word trinity is not used in scripture. It is a theological term used to describe God in His unified three-fold nature. The Trinity is a divine mystery. The term expresses the dynamic character and unity of God, and the demonstrated work of God. We are not to think of the Trinity in terms of tritheism (three Gods), but as God manifested in Three Persons, all with unified and distinctive purposes.

Jesus, God in the flesh, the Son of God among men, promised that His followers would not be left as “orphans,” little children without parental love, guidance and protection. Jesus promised the coming of a Helper, the Spirit of Truth, the Paraclete, one who would walk beside, be an advocate, a comforter. This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost when the disciples were “in one accord.” They were ready to receive the Helper. He came as a mighty rushing wind, a felt, physical demonstration of power, with “tongues as of fire.” He came with gifts. One was the ability to speak in other tongues. Much supposition has surrounded this gift of the Holy Spirit. Was it ecstatic utterance? Was it the ability to speak in what we call a “foreign language” without benefit of having studied that language? We know that those gathered from many countries to celebrate Pentecost were able to hear and understand the disciples, and especially Peter, in his great sermon giving highlights in God’s work with mankind, including His sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the people. About three thousand believed and were baptized on that day (Acts 2:41). The acts were manifestations of the Spirit’s presence and power.

The Holy Spirit is God with the believer, present as comforter, teacher, motivator, and advocate, to name some of the works of the One whom Jesus promised and Who physically and dynamically made His presence and power known to the disciples on that Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. We may not experience the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire, but can we not feel and acknowledge Him as we pray, as we study the Bible, as we teach and witness in His name? Paul described the work of the Spirit in the Christian’s life as “helping in our weakness,” in “groanings that cannot be uttered,” in ‘searching the mind’ and in intercession (Romans 8:26, 27). The Holy Spirit was also present in our salvation experience, convicting us of our personal sin and separation from God, and assuring us of salvation. Paul had much to teach about the Spirit in Romans 8. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God,” he declared in Romans 8:14. Likewise, if we feel that the Spirit is not working in and through us, we should examine our own spiritual condition. The Spirit is always available. If He is not with us, it is our own sin and indifference to His presence that prevent us from knowing His power in our life.

The Trinity is indeed a great mystery. But there was a time in history when God was manifested in power and in tongues of fire. And since that hallowed day, followers have depended upon the promised presence of the Holy Spirit to teach, lead, convict, comfort, prepare and propel them forward in Kingdom relationships and work. He has never left the believer comfortless or without help. Let us rejoice that He is here ever-present with us!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, April 11, 2010

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever—The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” –John 14: 16-18. (NIV)

As Jesus neared the time of His death on the cross, He taught the disciples some important truths. A very important one was about the coming of the Holy Spirit to them, one who would be Counselor, Teacher, Reminder of Truth, Indweller in the Christians life.

After the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit did manifest Himself to the gathered, praying disciples in a remarkable and visible way. We read this account in Acts 2:1-4. Following the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were able to witness to all the people gathered in Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost. Peter, who had denied Jesus three times during the awful period of the Lord’s trial, now, restored and motivated and filled with the Holy Spirit, preached in a powerful manner. About three thousand were converted and baptized (see Acts 2;38-41). Jesus had promised the disciples they would do greater things if He went away from them. The Day of Pentecost is but one proof of the “greater work” the disciples would be able to do. This principle is still continuing today as the Holy Spirit works through believers to accomplish God’s work and will.

Jesus knew we would be weak and filled with doubt at times. He knew we would become discouraged and need lifting up. He knew we would puzzle over His teachings and need an Interpreter. He knew our determination would waver and we would need bolstering in our purpose to serve Him. He knew we could sometimes not even pray because we could not express the deepest yearnings of our heart.

The Holy Sprit is the Person of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—who is present with and available to the Christian. He is the “Paraclete,” (Greek word for Holy Spirit) the one who goes alongside the Christian to guide, uplift, pray “in groanings that cannot be uttered. He teaches, leads us to Truth. This Divine Counselor, the Holy Spirit, lives within each believer. When the Christian commits himself to Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters his life and is there at work. We are not left as “orphans” or helpless ones. The Holy Spirit, the Counselor, is present to guide. Thanks be to God for the Spirit who indwells us!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, March 18, 2010