Day One Clueless

In eighth grade I somehow did very well in math and was therefore placed in an honors Algebra class for my ninth grade year. This was a mistake; I was clueless most of the year. I can do (or could then) concrete types of math such as Geometry which makes (or made) sense but more conceptual and theoretical types of math stop me cold in my tracks. That year in honors algebra was not a highpoint of my academic career. I didn’t learn my lesson though and continued to sign up for more difficult types of math in High School. I, for some goofy reason, signed up for an advanced math class my last semester of my senior year. This class consisted primarily of juniors who actually belonged in the class. They thankfully took mercy on me and would whisper the answers to me whenever Mrs. Maddox would call on me. Mrs. Maddox also took mercy on me by pretending not to notice all the class help I was receiving. Mrs. Maddox would also stand over me during exams and politely suggest that I may want to try a different approach at solving a particular problem (lets be honest she made suggestions on all of the problems). Although she insisted to her death that there was no connection, Mrs. Maddox retired after having me in her class that year.

Sometimes, we are clueless in certain areas of knowledge. For most Christians the topic of the Holy Spirit is probably one of those areas. The Holy Spirit is a mystery on the same level as the whole concept of the Triune God (the Trinity). How do you attempt to explain the Holy Spirit?

Look back at your explanation….who did you refer to the Holy Spirit? Did you call the Spirit “Him” or did you refer to the Spirit as “It”? Look at how Christ referred to the Holy Spirit in John 14:16-17, how does He define the Spirit?

B.H. Carroll referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Other Jesus” and Marcus Dods called Him “Jesus’ alter ego”. Both of these, while being somewhat inadequate, take the Holy Spirit from the idea of being an unimportant third wheel, an “it”, to an essential element of the Trinity.

Day Two Cluing In

I recently saw our neighbor boy that mows our lawn. I knew that our lawn was in need of mowing and that there was some other work that Andrea and I had recently spoken of so I went over to talk with him. As I begin to explain what we needed he very respectfully smiled and said, “Your wife has already spoken with me.” I continued, knowing that for sure that Andrea failed to give him some of the great insight that I could offer, and with each point he would smile and say, “Yes, that is what she asked me to do also.” But, at one point as I spoke he said, “That isn’t what she said.” We were now at an impasse. I, of course, knew that I could not be incorrect but also was aware that neither could Andrea. This teenager, being much wiser than I, seemed to understand that we would go with what Andrea had said even though he pretended to listen to me. The truth was that this young man was getting instruction from the Anthonys. It came from two different persons that make up the Anthonys but it was the Anthonys all the same.

With the exception of the contradiction of information (that I said something that was different from what Andrea had said) this is much the same as the Holy Spirit. That which is done by the Holy Spirit is still being done by the Triune God for the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The same is true of Jesus Christ, that which is done by the Holy Spirit is still done by Jesus Christ. Just as Andrea or I speak for “The Anthony Family,” the Holy Spirit, God, and Christ all speak and act for the “Triune God.”

Read I Corinthians 2:6-16 and make a list of the role played by the Holy Spirit in the Trinity.

How does the Holy Spirit work in your life?

Day Three The Administrator

Andrea and I have a restaurant we love to go to a couple of times a year. This restaurant is owned by a married couple who are friends of ours. He owned the restaurant prior to their marriage and she is now the pastry chef at the restaurant and wows us with her tasty creations. She also is responsible for the decorating of the restaurant. We speak with them often and know that they are very busy with the work of the restaurant and catering special functions. What we have especially noticed, however, is how seldom we see them when we actually go to the restaurant. There is another gentleman that manages and operates the day to day functions of the restaurant. Even though he is not the owner, I have a feeling that they would possibly find themselves unable to operate if it were not for this man. All the wait and kitchen staff obviously take their lead from him, he sets the tone for the restaurant, and the clients seem to readily accept him as the boss. Although he is not the person that receives the credit for the restaurant, he is without a doubt an essential element to the success of the eatery.

In a similar way that is the role played by the Holy Spirit. We often neglect the importance of the Holy Spirit because He is not God the creator or Christ who hung on the cross but His role is just as essential nonetheless. Scripture makes it clear that the Holy Spirit was and is God from the beginning and will be to eternity. The truth is that the Holy Spirit holds a type of administrator/manager role in the Trinity.

Look at some or all of the following passages and list the different roles played by the Holy Spirit:

Acts 10:38

Matthew 4:1

Luke 4:14 and John 14:10

John 14:12-17

John 14:20-21

Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8

Acts 2:4 and 5:25-32

Matthew 10:19-20 and Acts 6:10; 15:7

Acts 7:55

Acts 15:28

Acts 8:15

Acts 10

Acts 19:1

This is just a few of the examples of how the Holy Spirit led and directed. How does He lead and direct you?

Day Four The Only Hope

We recently had to have some phone work done at the church building to repair a faulty phone line. After the technician fixed the problem he began sharing with me his own story. He told me that about five years ago his wife had shocked him by suddenly leaving and divorcing him after five years of marriage. He said that following the divorce he was so depressed that the doctors had him heavily medicated. He was hopeless. One day he was assigned to fix a phone problem at a church. “The phone service man usually does not like to work on churches,” he told me, “because their wiring is usually a huge mess.” But this job at this church was different. Although their wiring was a mess, while he was there something sparked his interest about the church. He began inquiring of an office worker at the church about the ministries of the church and the next Sunday he decided to get out of bed and attend. It was there that he heard and understood the message of Christ and saw hope and a way out of his despair.

The Holy Spirit offered this man hope by leading him to the place and message of hope. That is one of the things the Holy Spirit does, it provides hope by leading people to the message of the hope of the work of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit does this basically through a three step approach.

First, the Holy Spirit reveals to a person his own sinfulness and hopelessness. Look at John 16:8-9 to see how this step is described by Jesus.

Second, the Holy Spirit reveals the righteousness of God. See Romans 1:16-17.

Third, the Holy Spirit points the person to the source of hope, Jesus. See John1:12.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the unbeliever?

How have you seen this played out in your own life or in the life of another?

Day Five Everything Included!

My daughter Lily loves anything that is science related. If it is not a snake or a spider she loves it. We have buckets of rocks collected from everywhere that we have ever been. Any walk that I go on with Lily usually means that I come home with pockets of rocks and other valuable finds. So, she was thrilled a couple of years ago when, for a birthday present, her aunt gave her an aunt farm. She excitedly opened up to find everything except the ants. We had to send off for them and since it was the wrong season to mail ants we had to wait a couple of months. When the ants finally came she was overjoyed to watch them begin digging their tunnels. But the wait was tough and the ant farm proved useless without the ants.

Our Christian life is basically the same; it is useless without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what leads and directs us. It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to persevere through trials and focus on God when things seem to be going great. The Holy Spirit is essential to the life of the believer. The great thing is that for the believer there is no wait for the Holy Spirit. Since the Spirit, God, and Jesus are one, when we receive Christ we also receive the Holy Spirit.

Look at the following passages to see some of the work of the Spirit in the life of a believer:

Comforter John 14:16 and 26

Advocate I John 2:1

Power Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8; 2:2-3

Fulfillment Ephesians 5:18

Boldness Acts 4:31

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the characteristic (or fruits) that become evident in our lives when we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. What are these fruits?

As you have spent the week reading and thinking about the Holy Spirit, now take a moment to pray for your own openness to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.