+ Today we continue our preparation for the Ascension / Pentecost events. On Thursday we will celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, and ten days after that Pentecost: the great coming of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth who will teach us all things and make them clear for generations to come. What things?
1) That the world is wrong about sin. The world says that sin is about
breaking rules. But the Spirit will say that it is about unbelief – refusing to believe in Jesus – refusing to believe that
Jesus is the Son of God – come into the world for our salvation.
2) The second thing the world is wrong about is righteousness.
The world says righteousness is about our
trying to get back to God. But the Holy Spirit says that righteousness is about
Jesus going to the Father – and then him taking us with him, when it is our
time and everything is prepared for us.
3) Lastly, the world is wrong about judgment. The
world says that judgment spells doom for
us. But the Holy Spirit says that judgment spells doom for evil.
Therefore, these references to
sin, righteousness and judgment have to do with us only in a passive sense;
they actually have everything to do with the Messianic activity of Jesus
Christ, Son of God in the primary sense – on
our behalf, for us and for our salvation. We become winners as a gracious
gift and not by our own merits by any stretch of the imagination.
The story of how all this
works is the “good news,” the gospel that Paul and Silas could not be silenced
from preaching at Phillippi. And when a miraculous occurrence happened when
they were imprisoned, God used it as a means of conversion for the jailer and
his family. And after their conversion the new Christians provided a meal for
Paul and Silas. Are we not meant to provide a “meal” of sorts for people every
day of our Christian lives – with the fruit and food of good works, kind words
and an optimistic atmosphere?
It is
better for you that I go to the Father, for when I go the Spirit will come to
you: and your lives will never be the same.
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