The Descent of the Holy Spirit

 

The Descent of the Holy Spirit is the birthday of the Church!

Jesus promised to his Disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit. Until the Holy Spirit’s arrival the Disciples of Jesus Christ were all gathered up in Jerusalem waiting upon the Word God and trusting in promise of Jesus. And when the Holy Spirit descended upon them on the day of Pentecost, they were emboldened to preach the Gospel to all. The Holy Spirit gave them the gift of tongues so that people of all nations hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, so that they repent and believe in the Gospel and be saved. Today we the Church owe all it to the Holy Spirit that the grace of God dwells in us as we trust in the Word of God!

Romans 2 :1-22

2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹ both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” ¹² And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Is God only love?

There are many who say that God is love but very less who also say God is holy. And because God is holy, those who say that that they are children or servants of the Lord God must also be holy and full of the love of God!

Now the Holy Scripture mentions God is love and gives the context as well, which is to love another because God is love. Many a times, people take this the wrong way and run away from other Christians but love the world instead, but here’s the Scripture which you can read below for the right perspective:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)

Here are the verses which mention that God is holy:

“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)

“You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” (Leviticus 20:26)

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8)

 

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. (Deuteronomy 8:5)

For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:12)

But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32)

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. (Hebrews 12:6)

About Self Deception

Some people blame the devil. Some people blame their family. Some people blame their friends. Some people blame their leaders. But at the end of the rope each person has a choice to either accept the deception into sin or reject it. While people love to put the blame about the way, they live their lives all wrong but nothing keeps them more far from living the right way than self deception.

For a while I’d like to turn your attention to the Dictionary definition of Self Deception from Merriam-Webster.com

Self-deception : the act or an instance of deceiving oneself or the state of being deceived by oneself especially concerning one’s true nature, feelings, etc.

There are those who believe so much in themselves that they even defy the truth of the Gospel and become a law unto themselves. They may hear preaching or even read the Bible for themselves but they have willfully kept themselves in deception about their sinful acts or habits because they continue to avoid confessing their sins to the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; ⁷ but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10)

Do not deceive yourself by any means. Do not think that you will be right in saying in your heart that you can live in sin but still claim to walk with the Lord God. Jesus Christ by his grace has not given anyone the permission to sin.

Do not add sin to sin, presuming that God is going to be merciful for ever.  For as great is his mercy, so as great is God’s power to judge. Don’t presume by sending Jesus Christ on earth that God has somehow decided to never judge the people who insult him. Do not mock the Holy Name of God in your thoughts and actions, lest your behavior grieve the Holy Spirit and then the Lord God speaks against you in judgement both in this life and the afterlife.

Do not presume Jesus Christ is your advocate so that you continue to live in ways that are rebellious to the Lord God and expect to be saved at the end. Take away all such false beliefs and presumptions that lead to damnation. Crucify your flesh and get rid of all self deception, so that your life is holy and pleasing to the Lord God!

Verses for reflection:

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but a faithful man who can find? Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
whether what he does is pure and right. (Proverbs 20:6,11)

Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of guiltless poor; you did not find them breaking in. Yet in spite of all these things  you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.’ Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’ (Jeremiah 2:34-35)

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. (Matthew 3:8-9)

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”  and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” (1 Corinthians 3:18-20)

When Thomas stopped doubting – Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:24-29)

You might be familiar with the idiom ‘doubting Thomas’. However though its taken from the instance where Saint Thomas the Apostle doubted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must take note that he actually stopped doubting, when he saw Jesus again.
Jesus Christ the Risen Lord then went to say to Thomas “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
O how many times do people doubt in God and where does it lead them? To the land of disbelief at times and sometimes sadly to the land of damnation! Do not doubt in God but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!
I once read a quote which mentioned ‘Many Christian’s are functional atheists. They believe the stories of the Bible, but if anything like those stories happens today, they’ll be the first ones to call it false.’ This should be a warning to all who claim to be Christian but then go on to deny both the existence of God and also deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ. O, how disappointed they will be. (I’ve covered this in a prior article ; Can a person not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and still be saved? (click here to view) so do take time to refresh your understanding on this)

Happy Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

Holy Saturday

Good Friday – Blessed be the name of Jesus

On Good Friday we bless the name of Jesus because he died on the cross for the sins of the world. Jesus fulfilled the will of God for all mankind by taking upon himself the sins of the world. He became man and fulfilled the Law since no man nor woman could do it all by themselves. Jesus Christ was obedient unto death, his death upon the cross. This was to save those who believe in the Him from theirs sins as per the plan of God.

Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundations of the world. Happy are those who receive him into their hearts and renounce the ways of the world.

It’s because of the goodness of the Christ Jesus that we even call Good Friday as good. It’s the goodness and mercy of God that He sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to earth to die for the sins of the world, that whosoever believes in Jesus Christ  will not perish but have everlasting life.

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

 

¹⁴ Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

⁷ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. ⁸ Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹ And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:7-9)

The true goodness of Good Friday is Jesus Christ himself.  Bless the name of Jesus Christ and never take His Holy Name in vain. Reflect on God’s great love for you, when He sent Jesus for all us all, so that it goes well with your soul in this life and also in the life everlasting with Jesus Christ.

Christ be with you!

Holy Thursday – Jesus washes the feet of his disciples

Just before the time had arrived for Jesus Christ the Son of God to be betrayed by the vile Judas Iscariot, Jesus wanted to let his disciples know of what he wanted them to be doing both in words and action. This was a very important lesson in humility to the disciples and so should be to us especially around Holy Thursday.

Jesus Christ had so humbled Himself as to do the work of a servant for the disciples by washing their feet, to set an example of how they should love and serve each other. And this is relevant to us even today. Many a times in many Christian circles, there is a huge emphasis on helping people of other religions, especially the poor and needy. O how good to serve the poor. O how good to feed the hungry because you love the Lord your God. But does this charity also extend to our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ? Especially when Jesus told us to wash each others feet!

While its not wrong to help people of other religions, to cope up with their poverty and illness ,its not right to utterly neglect the people of our Christian community. I was horrified to learn once of a preacher who gave free food grains to the needy of other religions. But when a poor Christian woman asked this same preacher for some food, he mocked her, saying that since she is a Christian, she should be strong enough to fend for herself and sent her away empty handed. I found it hard to believe that the Gospel he was preaching and the Gospel he was putting into action was the same Gospel!

If you know of any Christian who is in need but is genuinely not able to find work, don’t presumptuously class them as lazy. I know there are people who misinterpret 2 Thessalonians 3:10, which says: Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” And then will not help any jobless Christian with food nor financial help at all.

Now note that the key word in the above verse is the word “unwilling.” Here, we have Christians who are willing but not able to get jobs. So if those who claim to be part body of Christ start but judging our fellow Christians of being incompetent just because they are out of jobs, then we are not giving glory to God but in fact are doing disservice to the Holy Name of God.

Sometimes it’s not food but prayers which are needed. Pray for those in prison or being persecuted for loving the Lord Jesus. A simple prayer can make a difference when said with a humble heart.

Do not say in your heart, so and so person is a Christian, and it’s his or her wisdom to figure it all out. No, that would be a foolish way of thinking, for Jesus wants us to wash each other’s feet.

So pray for those Christians who are in need of healing. Pray for those Christians who are suffering. If some poor Christian is out of job then try to find a job for that brother or sister in Christ. Pray for those Christians whose relatives and friends have died.

Don’t just limit yourself to giving food, jobs and saying prayers for fellow Christians. Kind words and kind actions towards our fellow brother and sisters will go a long way in giving glory to God when done out of love for Jesus Christ.

Verses for reflection:

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.  During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (John 13:1-15)

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'” (Matthew 25:34-40)

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil! These are the words which are of God which have power. And they are relevant today even as they were relevant in the past and will continue to be relevant in the future. While each may claim to that they are entitled to their opinion, that does give any assurance that their opinion is wise. Any human logic that tries to defy the knowledge of the Living God is not fitting to part of those who claim to believe in Jesus Christ.

Do not let anyone deceive you by their crafty words. For humankind to worship mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles or anything which is not the Living God, is always going to be a foolish act, not matter how many people claim it to be wise. The Word of God stands a testament to their vile words when they try to beguile the unwitting into thinking that anything and everything is to be worshipped.

And in the same manner there are people who in the name of liberty are encouraging various sins to be passed as just another way of life to which no one must add condemnation. The Word of God condemns them and all such sinners who persistently reject the natural order of things in which the Lord God created things to be. Blaming the Church or blaming Christians won’t in anyways justify the things of this fallen world. The world is moving more and more into darkness but falsely calling this the light of freedom. However this is darkness which will eventually lead them to damnation for those who reject the truth especially the truth which comes from God.la

God has not given anyone the permission to sin. Don’t bring up exceptions to this in the name of anyone who did wrong to anyone in the past or present. God will never authorize such exceptions to the Word of God. A fault finder will never be able to prevail with the Lord God who gives us the wisdom of the Bible to live a life that is holy.

Verses for reference:

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; ²¹ for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. ²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. ²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, ²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. (Romans 1:18-27)

Why did the crowd choose Barabbas?