Calvin Synod Herald, 2012 (113. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2012-05-01 / 5-6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 Pentecost and the Holy Spirit Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that 1 go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if l go I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me, about righteousness, because 1 am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the rider of this world has been condemned. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. John 16:7-11,13 Pentecost stands out among the other church holidays. Jesus Christ is the focal point of Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and Ascension Day. On Pentecost, the promise of Jesus was fulfilled. The Holy Spirit appears and the disciples experience the power from above in the influence of their preaching, during their prayerful fellowship and the breaking of the bread exactly as Jesus had promised; "I will be with you to the end of the ages." The Holy Spirit glorifies and magnifies the life and ministry of Jesus and gives a continuation of the blessings in the ministry of the disciples. According to the teachings of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is like the wind and we can experience His power and influence in the dynamics in us and around us. We cannot have power over the Spirit as it cannot be found in the elements of the world. We can be grasped by the Holy Spirit, as individuals, families, churches, and nations whenever it touches us or is received. The wind blows wherever it goes through continents and oceans as it transforms, touches, unites, and sanctifies. According to Jesus, the work of the Spirit persuades the world. The Spirit does not conquer the world, but convinces it about sin and righteousness and judgment. Human history has had negative experiences with conquering. People lose their dignity, freedom, moral values, and become enslaved and dependent upon the will of others. The work of the Holy Spirit is different. The Scripture says that wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom. The Spirit liberates us to the joy of being children of God and bestows upon us spiritual gifts that may bear spiritual fruits in our lives. At Pentecost, God's saving and sanctifying power appears anew as it did in Jesus at Christmas. God gives proof that the way to heaven cannot come from below, but He ascended to us. The disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit and become witnesses of Jesus in this world. The Apostle John doesn't speak about sin in a traditional sense, but speaks about the human condition or more correctly, about human sickness and misery, in which we are unable to comprehend and receive the signs and revelation of God's saving love. This human condition is determined by sin and the Holy Spirit reveals this sin. Jesus says that the "sin is that the world does not believe in me." We, ourselves, were not bom into this world with faith. It is not natural to trust and believe in God. Our ways and thoughts are different from God's. All this is revealed at Pentecost. The faithful Jews in Jerusalem needed to be convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. The Christian Church needs to be convinced by the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Savior and we need to follow Him. Where the Spirit is working, there is repentance, the forgiveness of sins, and a new joyful and sanctified life. Without the Spirit, we can know about the stories about the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus. The Holy Spirit empowers us to confess Him as Thomas did: "My Lord, My God." A Blessed Pentecost to All! Bishop Poznan Passaic, NJ - Remembering 1848 Easter celebration Celebrating Elizabeth Tar's 100th Birthday
