When the Day of Pentecost had
fully come the disciples realized why Jesus ascended
up into heaven. He left them in order that He might
be with each one of them in a more intimate
relationship.
The Holy Spirit came to fulfill
the ministry of Jesus Christ. “I am come that they
might have life and have it more abundantly,” Jesus
said (John 10:10b). He indwells so that He can
reproduce the character and likeness of Jesus Christ
within the born again believer. He continues to do
and teach all that Jesus began to do and teach when
He was here on the earth (John 14:26; 15:26;
16:13-17).
He longs for us to respond to
His love and make ourselves available to Him to live
His life in and through us (1 Cor. 3:16-17).
What does the Spirit find in
the temple of our body? Too often the temple looks
like a desecrated shrine, unkempt, unclean, and
perhaps even defiled.
We grieve Him, and quench His
fiery presence by our attitudes and behaviors. The
Holy Spirit is always ready to use us, and longs to
make us His instruments of grace and mercy to a lost
world. How tragic when we deny Him His rightful
place in our hearts?
We have each learned again and
again that our God is the God of a second chance.
How grateful we are that He “will restore the years
the locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25). “This is the
everlasting mercy,” says Fitch. “He gave us another
chance of doing what we have failed to do” (p. 125).
We abide in Him as we die daily
to self-love and reckon to be dead unto sin and
alive to God.
Jesus told His disciples, “If
anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke
9:23).
We usually treat ourselves as
if we are the only ones of significant value, the
most important person in the world. Instead of Jesus
being our most valued person, we make ourselves the
priority. Jesus said we must die to self-love and
make Him our first love.
The apostle Paul applied this
great truth to the believer when he wrote, “Even so
consider [be constantly counting upon the fact,
reckon] yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to
God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).
As we daily die to sin and self
and reckon upon Jesus we abide in Him. This is the
vital ministry of the Holy Spirit in our daily
lives. This is an important aspect of our spiritual
growth.
God is with us and in us by the
abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Our
responsibility is to make ourselves available to
Him. He will take us and cleanse us and use us to
fulfill His eternal purpose in and through us.
The Holy Spirit has come to
fulfill the ministry of Jesus Christ. He does that
in those individuals who have believed on Christ and
who make themselves available to the Spirit without
reserve. Allow the Spirit of holiness the freedom to
apply the blood of Jesus to keep on cleansing us
daily, moment by moment from all sin. Permit Him to
apply it to your conscience daily and serve the Lord
with the fullness of His Spirit. We walk in the
light with Him and abide in His presence, as we
allow the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all sin.
As a result the Holy Spirit strengthens our
conscience and deepens our faith in Christ. In doing
so we give Him the freedom to use us to His glory.
When we are cleansed and
restored daily we keep short agendas with God and
the Spirit keeps our hearts tender to the slightest
whisper of His will. The Holy Spirit gives us a
sensitivity to the disquiet when we are tempted to
sin or not walk by faith. He makes us hate sin as
God hates sin, and realize that sin breaks our
fellowship with God. As Charles Wesley wrote, “Ah
give me, Lord, the tender heart that trembles at the
approach of sin.” And may He constantly remind us
that the only way to restoration of that abiding
fellowship is the cleansing blood of Jesus.
Keep your heart tender toward
Him and He will abide in you and you in Him.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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