Many Christians are afraid to speak of the trinity. It seems overwhelming and confusing. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity holds that God is one God, but with three co-eternal, consubstantial persons—The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-as “one God in three Divine Persons.” Here, “persons” are distinct, yet are one “substance, essence or nature.” In the Gospel of Matthew we read that God eternally exists in three persons that are co-equal, co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and are worthy of precisely the same worship, obedience and confidence.
The Father – initiates the light
Jesus-is the light
The Holy Spirit-executes the light.
Unfortunately, the Holy Spirit is the forgotten member of the Trinity. The Church prays in the name of all three, yet often doesn’t live with an awareness of the Spirit. As Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised to send the Holy Spirit, the Helper, so we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today’s Church admires the gift but neglects to open it. In John 16:12-13, it says, “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into ALL truth.” The Sprit will tell you whatever he receives from the Father.
It’s like we are in the airport. We have all this luggage and kids in toe. There is the walk way that will get us to the gate faster, more efficiently, and we won’t have to labor and strain to get to the gate. But instead of taking the walkway and enjoying the walk, we do it the hard way. We strain, we labor, we complain that life is so hard! Do we think we are going to receive a bigger crown in heaven if we labor and strain through life?
Maybe we are afraid of the Holy Spirit because we have seen someone say they are “charismatic, spirit led” and they appear to be “flakey, kind of a lunatic, holy spirit gone bad” just “plain weird.”
We need not be afraid of the Holy Spirit. God is a God of order, although there is no guarantee that you will not feel a whole lot of love flow through you. If you invite the Spirit in, he will heal you of your wounding memories. These painful memories may be in the corners of forgetfulness. What is forgotten is unavailable and what is unavailable cannot be healed. By allowing the Spirit to go into our egocentric, private sphere Jesus heals our pain with his Spirit. He connects them with himself and transforms us. He also connects them with the pain of all humanity. To heal does not primarily mean to take all pain away but to reveal that our pains are part of a greater plan, that are sorrows are part of a greater sorrow, a greater experience. It is He who said “But was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into the Glory of God” (Luke 24:26). For God, for others and a greater healing of your pain, he executes love.
There is no segregation with the Holy Spirit. Only love. Acts 2 speaks of signs and wonders that happen with the release of the Holy Spirit—speaking in a spiritual language. Those rendered by the Holy Spirit appeared drunk. Acts 2: 17-18 says, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants-men and women alike-and they will prophesy…vs. 21 “But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be “saved.”
Warning – if you receive the Spirit into all rooms of your house, he will penetrate every bit of your human nature. The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a guest in merely one room of the house. He invades all of it. He takes charge of everything. God puts the holiness of His Son into you, and you will belong to a new spiritual order.
As the energy and the power which was so very evident in Jesus will be exhibited in you by an act of the absolute sovereign grace of God. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8). Jesus came to give you an endless supply of life and love that you may be filled with the fullness of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to execute the power…your life will be changed. God will change your dreams to dreams of glorious beauty, he will execute more love with you that you just don’t know what to do with it—so you pour it out into a hurting world. You will dream visions, all diversity will be gone. You will begin to witness with courage and unrestrained love. At the foot of the cross the gates of heaven will be open to all-through you! You begin to let go of self-focus. Look up! The curtain was torn by Jesus! Be on fire with his love!
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