Love

As we study the description of early Christians marshalled by Paul, sometimes called, “Fruits of the Spirit,” we find that each descriptor is only one part of the gift (not gifts) of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22ff). This gift is set in contrast to works of the flesh which some people are doing in a continuous fashion. As elements of the gift of the Holy Spirit continuously unfold in your Christian life, your walk along your own unique personal spiritual journey will perhaps astound and convict others of their need to believe in God and seek His grace for reconciliation with Him. The first element of this gift Paul spoke about is love. This is perhaps the most difficult element to grasp; Paul describes it further in 1Cor. 13:1-13. Love is like a multifaceted gem. As one moves it around, up, down, or in spiral fashion, light reflected from it changes reflections and perhaps intensities on surrounding surfaces. Diamonds are one the usual gems we think about in the sense of durability and permanence. Some people are labeled as a “diamond in the rough.” But, above the Cut, Color, and Clarity which drives Cost, there is also purity. When many diamonds are viewed under high magnification, they have some anomaly that reduces their value - they have a defect; some are redirected to manufacturing uses. This is an excellent example of people. Stated simply, people are different; all people have some defect, and must not be discarded because of this. However, they have various facets of these differences and thus different needs. Showing love to many has a facet of accepting the individual for where they are in their life, with all its baggage. (we might not agree, but we should not reject, and look to their future). There is also the facet of desiring them to follow Jesus and be guided by the Holy Spirit. The baggage may help or hinder their velocity along their path of understanding, acceptance, and sanctification. There may be some who take a break for a period of time before moving forward. These may be times when it seems your prayers are not sufficient for your desires. In these times, you must remember that love does not push a person to the point you want them to be, it walks beside them as they find their own unique individual spiritual journey. Rejoice in those who have begun this journey and let the Holy Spirit guide them according to their unique needs. This was the pathway Jesus followed.

Lack of Understanding

Pointing out our lack of understanding of our God's (or indwelling Holy Spirit's) work in our surroundings, Sarah Young wrote, "I AM TAKING CARE OF YOU. Feel the warmth and security of being enveloped in My loving Presence. Every detail of your life is under My control. Moreover, everything fits into a pattern for good, to those who love Me and are called according to My design and purpose. Because the world is in an abnormal, fallen condition, people tend to think that chance governs the universe. Events may seem to occur randomly, with little or no meaning. People who view the world this way have overlooked one basic fact: the limitations of human understanding. What you know of the world you inhabit is only the tip of the iceberg. Submerged beneath the surface of the visible world are mysteries too vast for you to comprehend. If you could only see how close I am to you and how constantly I work on your behalf, you would never again doubt that I am wonderfully caring for you. This is why you must live by faith, not by sight; trusting in My mysterious, majestic Presence. {Romans 8:28 (amp); Job 42:1–3; 1 Peter 5:7; 2 Corinthians 5:7} We must remember we are children of the King, the creator and maintainer of the universe."
There is much encouragement here, however, this presentation seems to set aside our choice for dependance on the Holy Spirit to guide us along our unique independent spiritual journey. We must realize that God is most interested in the eternal destination of His children. While He may bless us physically in ways we can realize, His primary focus for physical blessings is providing all people opportunities to move closer to Him. Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - Jn 16:33 (ESV) The Holy Spirit works in ways we cannot comprehend, but His working is in line with Scripture. Scripture is clear that humans make the final choice and thereby are responsible for their actions. The real challenge is whether of not one follows the guidance they understand.

Context of Light

Hebrew can be a very challenging language to fully understand without careful study. This very graphic and culture-based language is highly dependent on the immediate context. It greatly relies on event driven language based on word or phrase pictures. This phraseology is used in many places in which the context is focused on various spiritual and moral decisions. In the Old Testament word pictures, places near to God were dominated by light (a non-consuming, burning bush (Ex. 3:1-17); light leading God’s people, Ex. 13:21-22); the parallel is that areas or places away from God are in darkness, even chaos as was the world before God made light. This method of communication is also used in the New Testament. This visualization carries over into the New Testament and those who followed God were described by a picture of providing “light,” or godly direction to others. Jesus would say, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matt. 5:14-16 (ESV). As we travel along our unique individual spiritual journey led by the Holy Spirit, God’s people should display godly qualities to those who observe their actions. Along this journey, we must realize we still are sinful people; while we are continually cleansed, we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us more completely.

Clothing

Those who attempt to follow Jesus' teaching need to walk very carefully, because our surroundings may be physically and spiritually dangerous; some people will be affected differently. Our appearance (clothing) should reflect wisdom and concern for others. We must depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us correctly. "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:15-16 (NIV); "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Col. 3:12 (NIV) This is evidence the Holy Spirit guides us.

Many people say harsh things about the Jewish people and their practices. However, it is helpful to remember most of them admitted they were sinners; they used God’s commands and the feast of Passover to push forward these sins until the promised Messiah came. They were always responsible for the payment of them, but it was a “not just yet,” settlement. The Jews celebrated the TORAH, or teachings, that informed them of what actions were sinful. They wanted to know what God desired. When Jesus died and people believed it Him, all these “pushed forward” sins, vanished - there was no more spiritual responsibility for them. Christians now live in a continually cleansed state (1 Jn. 1:7), however, we remain sinful people, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." - 1 Jn. 1:8 (ESV). It seems nowadays people want to claim sin is not really bad and even deny personal sinfulness. One of the tasks of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to convict humans of sinful behavior. Jesus said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” – Jn. 16:8 (ESV). James would add to this and say, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” – Jas. 5:16 (ESV). Everyone has sinned and will continue to sin (Rom. 3:23), but Jesus blood continually cleanses the Christian and God, the Holy Spirit dwells within.

On to the battle

Inspired by the Holy Spirt, Paul alerts the Ephesians of a constant potential encounter with spiritual forces greater than they can imagine. They needed to understand what to look for and how to protect themselves, at a moment’s notice, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” – Eph. 3:15-18 (ESV). In addition to this armor and charge, Paul tells Timothy about an unequaled resource for this struggle, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Tim. 3:16-17 (ESV). Military personnel are instructed to protect themselves and their comrades; Christians could accurately be considered soldiers of Christ. These soldiers need to use this arsenal to protect ourselves and others. A weapon that is not used is useless for the battle. We must intentionally choose to use God’s word for a resource and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into battle. Various Christians will likely have different challenges and battles to fight, but the Holy Spirit will empower them as needed along their unique individual spiritual journey, if they ask Him to do so.

Alpha - Omega

The Holy Spirit moved over the chaos at creation and brought order, “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:2 (ESV). In the same manner, the Holy Spirit brought order to God’s earthly creation, along with Jesus (Jn. 1:2-5). These two also worked in symphony to bring a pathway to complete salvation for the entire world. Paul reveals through the Holy Spirit, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” – Rom. 8:22-24 (ESV). By depending on this hope, He can bring order to our struggling lives. When we are struggling with spiritual issues we may become spiritually dehydrated. These are the times we need to remember where to quench our spiritual thirst and strengthen our commitment. Disclosed in the last book of the bible, [God the Spirit] brought Jesus' words to [John]: “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment."  - Rev. 21:6 (ESV). As Christians, we need to trust the Holy Spirit to lead us along our unique individual spiritual journey to Jesus. As we do this, we acknowledge that we thirst for the presence of the Holy Spirit and request He refresh our lives to glorify God.

Synagogue

As we study the Bible, occasionally we encounter the word “synagogue.” Many times, we might think of it like a place the Jews went for worship or conversation, like a church or cathedral, but this would be a very limited understanding of a synagogue in the First century. A township might have several synagogues because they were really the hub for that particular culture. A culture is adequately defined as “the shared opinions of a group of people.” As such, the synagogue was essentially the axis for a town or group of people. In the First century, there were Jewish and Gentile synagogues to support the different cultures. In 18th to 20th century rural United States, the concept was represented by the town center where news related to the area was found. The actual location may have been local shops, bars, possibly the county court house where information was shared about the entire county. Perhaps larger towns had several locations where more local news was shared. Citizens considered being a part of this group was critical to their physical and social survival. During the time Jesus was living in the flesh, some people who followed Jesus were predicted to be ”cut off” or excommunicated from their surrounding culture, “they will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” – Jn. 16:2(ESV). For this incident, also consider the parents who were reserved, “(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)” – Jn. 9:22 (ESV). Few people handle rejection very well, and the larger the group which rejects one, usually the painful experience is greater. Nowadays, many of the local social activities have moved away from this approach, but the courthouse remains as a business center for the county business communication; various church sites remain as centerpieces for Bible study and activities focused on serving God. Added to this, many have become more individualistic or autonomous and do not personally depend on the larger community as in the past.

Fear

Fear of the unknown can paralyze a person. Humans have an innate sense of self-protection. There are physiological auto-response actions and emotional response actions sometimes used to protect our existence. Some people can be so fearful, they are afraid to do most anything. However, many different things in any given day are activities we have not previously done, and so have unknown requirements or unexpected results and ramifications. Some of this fear or hesitancy can be overcome by trust in whomever may be advising or guiding the person. Strong trust is usually built on a history of positive results and lack of criticism or rejection. One key to this is a person doing the things they say or promise they will do. The stronger the history of such actions, the stronger is the trust a person can be trusted or expected to do what they say. Many people can be known by their expected actions, good or bad; this expectation becomes a kind of trust. Regarding our salvation, we can trust Jesus because He did what God asked Him to do and then  sacrificed himself for us. God demonstrated His acceptance of Jesus' actions by raising Him from the dead. Some translations use the word “trust,” for “believe” in Jn. 14:1-6. [Jesus said] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” - Jn. 14:1 (ESV). To be functional in society, we must learn who to trust to what level. We must pursue this trust, depending on the Holy Spirit, for guidance toward the best decisions along our unique individual spiritual journey.

Emotions

Emotions are very powerful for motivating and convicting people. Spirit filled Jesus displayed several emotions handled in a manner honoring the Father. Jesus showed great sadness over how His people treated His messengers, symbolized by Jerusalem; in anger, He overturned the tables of money changers at Passover; He wept because of Lazarus' death; He was greatly distressed before being arrested and crucified. An encouragement for us is that all this happened while indwelled by the same Holy Spirit that indwells us. It is unlikely any of us will ever experience something like crucifixion, but the Holy Spirit was constantly there. No matter how stressful or emotional our struggles become, the Holy Spirit will not leave us, He will attempt to strengthen us as much as we will allow. We must make the choice; only we can open up ourselves to Him and His guidance or push Him away. "Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." 1Jn. 3:24. (NIV)

Clothing

Those who attempt to follow Jesus' teaching need to walk very carefully, because our surroundings may be physically and spiritually dangerous; some people will be affected differently by the situations they encounter. Our appearance (clothing) should reflect wisdom and concern for others. We must depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us correctly. "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:15-16 (NIV); "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Col. 3:12 (NIV) This is should motivate us to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Freedom to worship God

 I read a message for encouragement from Israel Bible Institute about Passover and the deliverance from Egypt after so many years of slavery. Because of His love, God promised to deliver Israel. “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm (בִּזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה) and with great judgments (Ex. 6:6).” This deliverance was not only a deliverance from harsh treatment in slavery, but also a deliverance to better serve God. Many times, we become fascinated with the account because of amazing physical benefits these slaves received, not only freedom, but great financial gain. When we do this, perhaps we overlook the greatest benefit was an exit from those who controlled their lives - by those who did not believe in God. Some believers today, follow a similar pathway. They want God to bless them physically, yet they overlook the freedom they possess to worship God because of His grace and love. We must remember that our God is the one to be worshipped and followed willingly, not forced.

Warnings

In our present lives, many of us almost scoff at warnings about possible changes. We live in a culture that takes for granted our surroundings because many have never experienced lack of those blessings. We really do take many things for granted, until we experience their removal. History is filled with examples of individuals and nations who have experienced this in both physical and spiritual arenas. When we become Christians, we are assured a place in heaven and a struggle to get there. Jesus told His disciples, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – Jn. 16:33 (ESV). Sometimes we focus too much on the struggle. Yes, there is a struggle, but we walk with the victors along our unique individual spiritual journey. We should not take the Holy Spirit’s guidance for granted. We should ask Him to help us and look for opportunities to follow His guidance. Sometimes this guidance may come from warnings or possibilities from others.

Conscience

How often do we think about our consciences? A good description of one's conscience is: "a part of our thought process which helps us make decisions based on personal understanding of our core beliefs." It may also constantly remind us of any poor choices; it may seem like a constant thought about something that 'just won't go away.' Without a God-centered base, one's conscience may consider ungodly actions as normal and expected. When one accepts God's plan and the Holy Spirit lives within them, their conscience also undergoes a cleansing transformation; actions that displease God become no longer considered as acceptable. "Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins." Heb. 9:14 (NLT). Our conscience is one way the Holy Spirit leads us along our unique individual spiritual journey of sanctification.