I went walking this morning. We had only walked once for the week. Too busy! No writing this morning. So I thought! Before leaving I had read the Collect for Sunday, and the Gospel. Prayed and then left to “ duh road”. But whilst walking, towards the end, almost home, this came:
The Collect
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gospel
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Jesus said to his disciples, ”When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I 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 I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you…..
……that when the Holy Spirit comes He shall convict the world of Sin. Because the world does not know Jesus. Does not believe in Jesus! And therefore if the Holy Spirit has come to convict the world of sin, this is not something that we should “ hug up”, like the Methodist Church in the USA. Thank God the local Methodist church has remained faithful to the God who sent His Son to die for Sin. We in the Anglican Church, subjected to all kind of liberal theology from “ abroad”, need to very careful about “ Greeks bearing gifts” ( Just came into my mind). Further this Holy Spirit has come now, and came then, to teach us all truth. Truth that He will not speak on His own, but that which “ he has heard”. And this truth is all about glorifying Jesus from whom this Truth has been received and declared to us. Therefore this Spirit of truth will only live in those who “ give glory to God”. Those whose lives are filled with prayer and worship and doing good to all men. Those who are faithful to the God who died for us. And not those who are disobedient – worse than divination.
A final thought! Be careful about “ Lord Jesus hurry and come back for your world”. And Yes I know we are to pray for His return. But consider carefully what Jesus said to his disciples. That if He did not go away the Holy Spirit would not come to them. There is much work to be done in this broken world. But that work can only be successfully done when the world is convicted, proven wrong, of Sin, Righteousness and judgment. And only the Holy Spirit of God can do that. And He will only live in those who love Jesus and are obedient to him. The One who died for Sin, and was raised by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, the same power which is available to the faithful, to grant us new and eternal life. For the glory of God and for the rescuing of sinners who repent. Even the vilest offender!
Praise God Hallelujah.
Lord renew thy church we beseech thee with a fresh outpouring of The Spirit of Truth and of power; Lord renew your church that the church, filled with The Spirit of Truth and Power may help to renew the nation(s) filled with individuals yet to be convicted of Sin and Righteousness and Judgement.
In obedience
Shalom
LWJ
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