Ministry of the Spirit Part 1
What if you were in charge of hiring the new evangelist for your congregation? You invite several qualified and desirable candidates to visit. Soon it is apparent that one candidate is heads and shoulders above the others. This candidate preaches the Word and explains its meaning with profound depth. It seems he understands the very mind of God. Besides being a great expositor of the Word, he is passionate about reaching out to the lost world and reconciling people with God. He has the uncanny ability to connect with people from all walks of life, even those others have dismissed or overlooked. In fact, he reminds you of Jesus. Also like Jesus, he is tenacious in dealing with sin, but not harsh. He is confident, but not prideful. Moreover, this candidate also has a reputation of always being available. No matter how many times you call, he picks up the phone. No matter how urgent or small the need is, he is always present and ready to get in there with people –weeping for them over their sin and exulting with them in their victories. He is well …perfect.
By now you are undoubtedly protesting that such a person doesn’t exist. You would be mistaken. He does exist. In fact, you didn’t need to hire him nor pay him, he was already sent! He’s the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus.
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18
As Jesus approached the end of his earthly ministry, he needed to prepare his disciples for his eventual departure. For three years as he traveled from one end of Judea to the other, they were with him. With Jesus, every interaction was a learning opportunity. When questions came up, they could, and did, defer to Jesus for answers. But soon things were about to change, and change dramatically. Jesus was sensitive to this fact and sought to reassure them that they would not be orphaned. Another Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would come from the Father. More than just being with them, the Spirit would dwell in them. So the departure of Jesus was not an end; it was a new beginning and a better way –the way of the Spirit. Rather than being hindered by his physical absence, Jesus said they would be better off with him gone.
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7
This is a profound statement. They might have liked to have Jesus around always, but this was not possible. Greater things were in store. As Jesus promised, he left and the Spirit was unleashed upon the earth, giving birth to the church. The apostles embraced their new Counselor and under his guidance, they continued the ministry of Jesus. What they saw and heard Jesus practice was exactly what they, too, preached and practiced. The modern day church is a testimony to this fact.
It is a curious thing, then, that the single greatest gift for disciples individually and the church collectively to live, function, grow, and mature is one of the least understood, preached, and experienced. Indeed it could be said that without the Holy Spirit there is no church. Unlike us, the early church saw the Holy Spirit as essential and inseparable to the life of the church. Let’s examine a few passages that might serve to demonstrate this.
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” Acts 5:1-4
When Ananias tried to leave a false impression about the generous gift he gave, Peter charged him with lying to the Holy Spirit (and by equivalence to God). Ananias through silence attempted to fool the rest of the community to think that he had given all of the proceeds –looking good on the outside is always a temptation. The Holy Spirit revealed this deception to Peter. As a result, Ananias and later his wife paid dearly. Graves were dug that day, and the church learned a healthy fear of God and His Spirit. Perhaps because the deception was public, it demanded such a “strong” response so that others would learn that the sacred fellowship was not to be trifled with.
