As we are travelling with Christ we discover how perfect He is, how merciful, how loving, how forgiving but also how strong, how attractive, and how very modern.If we follow him through the Gospels we come to learn something of His mind. What is he thinking about? What is His great preoccupation? What has He come to earth for? We cannot answer questions like these unless we think about his Father. He is preoccupied with his Father. No one knows the Father but the the Son.
He is conscience of his Father's goodness, greatness, power, love. He wants to lead men to the Father. This is his preoccupation at every moment. That is why he prays. We find him praying at his baptism, spending forty days of prayer and fasting in the desert, retiring by the Jordan before his missionary work begins, going out very early in the morning to lonely places to pray, praying all night through before choosing his Apostles and in the sermon of the mount, giving precious instruction about prayer. He prays before and during many of his miracles. He tells the father of a poor little lunatic that the devil is not cast out but by prayer and fasting. He himself prays, " I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and reveal them to babes; Thank you four your gracious will" ( Matt. 11,25). When Martha complains Mary is praying too much she is gently rebuked. During and praying after his last supper we find Jesus praying. On the Cross Jesus continues to pray. We discover how he is preoccupied with his father.
Even afterwards at Emmaus. Jesus prayer life demonstrates how much he is preoccupied with his Father's will.
As we witness his sufferings, he is prepared even to accept it and accept it with joy. He knew from the first purpose of his coming upon earth to suffer. He never forgets his suffering. With it always before him he keeps on keeping on. The thought of his suffering never
takes away his deep peace and joy. He knows, this always pleases the father.
The more we study Christ, his miracles, his example, his teaching, the more we realize his claim to be God. As we immerse ourselves in the gospels, we discover Christ claiming to be God. In the Sermon on the Mount he refers to the commands of God in the former times but he immediately claims to be as great a law giver himself: " You have heard it said to men of old,' you shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable for judgment...But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment... you have heard that it said, "you shall not commit adultery," But Jesus says to you everyone who looks at a women lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matt,5:21-28). (John 4,26). At Jacobs well we hear Christ telling the women of Samaria that he is the messiah: I who speak to you are he. Towards the end of his life we listen to his description of the last Judgment and his claim to be the judge of all men. " When the son of man comes in all his glory and all angels with him, and then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as shepherds, separate sheep from the goats (Matt.25, 31-46). We have celebrated in June Pentecost. For Christians, this is the commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit on followers of Jesus. It also marks the beginning of what we call the church... the church's birthday. The work "Pentecost means "fifty.
It was originally The Jewish "Festival of Weeks." (or " Shavuot ") which came seven weeks after the end of Passover. It commemorated the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai, and also the celebration of the "first fruits" of the harvest.. ( see Leviticus 23:16 and Exodus 23:16). So this was another time when many would have gathered in Jerusalem for the celebration. Jesus was crucified at the time of the Passover, and ascended 40 days later. Ten days after that was Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus resurrection, the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." ( Acts 2; 1-4).
The languages that were spoken by these first Christians were intelligible, so that those who had gathered for the festival from many lands could understand the message of the wonders of God. (Acts 2:11) in their own language. Then Peter explained what had happened in the light of the Prophecy of Joel, where God promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh and as a result would exercise divine power. (Joel 2:28-32) Peter talked about the death and resurrection of Jesus (always central to Apostolic preaching) and that the result of the resurrection was, quoting the Psalmist, David, "You have made known to me the paths of life: you fill me with joy in your presence. (Acts 2:28; Psalm 16:11).
There were three phenomena that marked Pentecost. First there was the sound of the roaring wind. Wind can't be seen, but we can see it's effects. In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for wind "ruach is the same as for the word for spirit. The Holy Spirit like the wind, is a mighty power, but we do not see the spirit, just the effects. Secondly, there were tongues of fire. Through out scripture, fire symbolizes God's Holy presence. God came to Moses in a burning bush., and led the people of Israel at night by a pillar of fire. John the Baptizer said Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Fire is also pictured as that which purifies. The fire on Pentecost appeared in the form of tongues to symbolize God's power through the proclamation of His word. The Apostle Paul said, the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes ( Romans 1:16).
So what does Pentecost mean to us today? Simply, it is a reminder that God pours out the Spirit upon all who put their faith in Jesus Christ and become his disciples. (If you read it, the Bible tells us much about what the Spirit can do in our lives. It is through the Holy Spirit that we confess Jesus as Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:3); we are empowered to serve God with super natural power ( 1Corinthians
12:4-11); and we are bound together as the body of Christ. ( 1Corinthians 12: 12-130. The Holy Spirit helps us to pray (Romans 8:26) and even intercedes for us with God the Father. (8:27). The Spirit guides us ( Galatians 5:25) to live with the characteristics of Jesus ( Galatians 5: 22-23).
Pentecost also reminds us of the important role the Holy Spirit plays in the Church. Not only was this the "birthday" of the Church, but the Holy Spirit was and is the power behind the church and all that the Apostles did (Acts 1:8). In the book of Acts, we see that the early followers spent a good deal of time between the ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit in prayer. "[ The disciples] all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14). If we want the Holy Spirit to fill our church we must pray! When we receive God's power through the Spirit, we are to be His witnesses , and work diligently to serve the Lord.
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