“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – 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. (See also Acts 1:4-5)
On the day of Pentecost, 10 days after Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples received the greatest and most significant gift from the Father; a gift with an unfathomable value. The Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who was present when the foundations of the earth were laid, the Spirit by whom our Savior was conceived, the Spirit that was with Him every day of His life on earth, that same Spirit came and made His dwelling place with the sons of men. (Acts 2:1-4) In that rush of wind, in those tongues of flame, as the Holy Spirit came and filled the disciples, the church of the living God was born. (1 Timothy 3:15) In that moment Christianity became more than Jesus’ life alone: it became life in everyone who receives the Holy Spirit and walks in Him, not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16) The difference that the Holy Spirit makes in the lives of those He fills is immeasurable. He fills them with a power that is inconceivable to the human mind. The same weak Peter, who only weeks earlier had denied Jesus three times out of cowardice and fear of the consequences, now stood and spoke so powerfully about the life and resurrection of Jesus to the masses of Jews who filled Jerusalem, that 3000 people became believers that day. (Acts 2) The Holy Spirit gave Peter the boldness, the authority, the truth that he had never possessed until then. If that is what the Spirit can do in a person in a day, imagine the results in the life of a person who lives every day, week to week, month to month, year to year being obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. How could they not be transformed into vessels for God’s honor? (2 Timothy 2:21) As per the example of Peter, personality types mean nothing. The Holy Spirit gives power beyond human capabilities. Anyone can ask for and receive the Holy Spirit into their heart as their Helper and guide to the truth. God willingly gives to all who obey Him, who seek to be disciples of Jesus and follow Him on the way He opened through the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5:32; Hebrews 10:20) But it is what you do through the Spirit once He dwells in you that changes your life. If you are not faithful to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your heart, the Spirit can be quenched. (Romans 6:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:19) The role of the Holy Spirit is to show you the truth – the sin in your flesh that needs to be eradicated – and to give you the power you need to overcome that sin, which you cannot do in your own strength, no matter how hard you try. “Therefore brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:12-13 All those who receive the Holy Spirit and live in obedience to Him are a part of the same church that was started on the day of Pentecost when the disciples stood and testified about Jesus. This obedience transforms your life. It is written “Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16. It is not written that the Holy Spirit will do it for you. It is written that you are to do it. (Romans 8:12) It is not something magical that happens when you receive the Holy Spirit, but it is through sweat and tears and prayer and sufferings in the flesh that we battle the lusts and desires of the flesh. That is the way Jesus did it. (Luke 22:44; Hebrews 5:7; 1 Peter 4:1) But what we find now is that which was impossible before – to keep from sinning, for example when it comes to lustful thoughts – is now possible because we have the help of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit our own spirit has connection with God. Through the Holy Spirit we find out what God’s will for our lives is, and through the Holy Spirit we see how to accomplish that will. Nothing would be possible without the Father first putting a desire for the good into our hearts and turning our hearts to Him, without Jesus having first come down to earth and opening up the way back to the Father, which had been closed since the first people sinned and were expelled from the garden of Eden. Nothing would be possible without the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to guide us on the way. (Romans 8:26-27) But because all of this is a reality, even the sky is not the limit to what we can accomplish. The Holy Spirit leads us to freedom from sin, to divine nature, incorruptibility, power in our spirits, to becoming established in Christ and becoming brothers of and inheritors with Christ for eternity and beyond anything that we could possibly imagine. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 Living in the Spirit, Fr. Bill+
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What will Remind You?
Awhile back, I had a sudden craving for a Big Mac and headed over to McDonalds for one of these delicious, nutritious treats! As I stood in line a man tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to take the money he held in his hand and give it to the cashier. Confused, I thought he was asking me to buy him something, but I was dead wrong. The man quickly explained that he had already eaten his food and was leaving when he saw me. He continued, “When I paid, the cashier gave me too much money in change, but I kept it. When I saw you knew I needed to return it, I am sorry.” I love the phrase, God works in mysterious ways because when we think about it, this means we are actively looking for the unexpected and wonderful manifestation of God. The not so mysterious ways of God are around us all the time and we live them every day. Last Sunday we sang “All Creatures of our God and King”, a praise hymn extolling God’s gifts to us and recognizing them as such. This hymn is based on “The Canticle of the Sun,” composed by St. Francis just before his death in 1225; Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessings. To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your name. Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures; especially Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, and bears a likeness to You, Most High One. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night; and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned. Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no living man can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm. Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks, and serve Him with great humility. Amen. Francis prayed to open the eyes of our minds, hearts and spirits to see the wonderous works of God all around us all the time. God sprinkled creation with beauty and wonder to show his love for us and so that we, being ever reminded of this, would give God our love and devotion. To live in a state of godly recognition is to strive to live godly lives. Still, even with all this constantly around us, we forget to look, or looking we forget to see. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the day we who are to live as a reflection of God’s love—even as nature is—are underwhelmed by God as we are overwhelmed by the self. J.C. Ryle, an evangelical Anglican Priest and the first Bishop of Liverpool, (1816-1900) spent much of his time preaching and writing about “practical tools” through which we all could draw closer to God. Accordingly, he offered this list of behaviors and habits through which the individual can practice spiritual-centeredness: Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God’s judgment – hating what God hates – loving what God loves – and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word… A holy person will endeavor to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment. They will have a decided bent of mind toward God, a hearty desire to do His will. A holy person will follow after meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, patience. A holy person will follow after temperance and self-denial. A holy person will follow after charity and brotherly kindness. A holy person will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence towards others. A holy person will follow after purity of heart. A holy person will follow after meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, government of the tongue. The fear of God, a holy person will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations in life. Last, but not least, a holy person will follow after spiritual mindedness. They will endeavor to set their affections entirely on things above, and to hold things on earth with a very loose hand. Holiness, pg. 34 This simple list (much more explained in his book) is a direct reflection of what Jesus taught during His three years of ministry. Bishop +Ryle was hoping that each Christian would exercise a presence of mind that would save them falling into habits or neglects which would lead to a sense of distancing from Christ. The “holy person” in short, is a person amidst the hustle and bustle of the day who is looking for the ways of God in all things, general and mysterious. Why did that man ask me to return the money? I was simply a Priest ordering a burger, but that man had the presence of mind to discern the presence of Christ--not in me, but in his self—and he had the humility to act, to practice Practical Holiness. I was simply a reminder of who he knew he was and to whom he belonged. Be reminded, and then act! It is NEVER too late to receive forgiveness and the blessing of a loving God. What will remind you? Constantly looking for God, Fr. Bill+ |
AuthorFather Bill Burk† Archives
May 2024
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