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Saints!

Thursday
March 28th, 2024
L&T Opinions Page

gary damronMY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

 

After last week’s article, it seemed that an explanation of the thought of “promises” should go further. Sometimes, especially in faith circles, blessing and promise are interchangeable. For those not familiar with religious terms, there are still things in which people see great promise. We’ll take a look at some of the leading candidates for “greatest promise”. 

Our earth, the environment, is a worthy contender. Last summer we did a study of all the balance in our atmosphere. Even one small deviation in the compositions of land, water and air, of temperature or distance from the sun or other planets, would make the earth uninhabitable. I see the earth as a blessing, provided by God for his people, that holds promise. 

Another candidate for promise is our children. We spent parts of the last two weeks transporting kids and young people to church camps. Next month will be Vacation Bible School. There’s great value in raising children up in the Lord, investing time and money in them, so that blessings will continue to future generations. 

In the Old Testament, Joel the prophet – which means one who speaks for God – wrote 4,000 years ago, “‘It will come about after this that I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days’” (Joel 2:28). 

Just as Jesus was leaving earth, the last words he spoke were, “‘…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth’” (Acts 1:8). 

We tend to focus on the fact that Jesus told us to be witnesses. But examining his days before the crucifixion, we see a deeper meaning of this saying. He died on the cross, pronounced, “‘It is finished’” – so why did he wait forty days before going to the Father? Some clues are in the last few conversations he had with the disciples. 

In the passage John 16:5-15, Jesus told them it was necessary, to their advantage, that he leave them. The promise, even better than having Jesus right with them, was that One was coming who would convict, guide into all truth, and glorify Christ. The new birth promised to Nicodemus in John 3 became possible because of the Holy Spirit who would come in fulness after Jesus left. 

Had Jesus not tarried forty days, we might be left like the disciples, scared and isolated in a locked room. Or we could be like those on the Mount of Olives, gazing up into heaven, waiting for the next big event. Instead, we’re told to “wait” for the power of the Spirit. We have a hard time waiting upon God – there are deadlines, jobs, workouts, dinner – and no time left to wait. 

If we want to make disciples, baptize them in the Holy Spirit, and teach the observance all Jesus commanded (Matthew 28: 19-20) we must receive the greatest promise, the Spirit living in us. We must be baptized by the Holy Spirit who bears witness of Jesus (John 15: 26). No outward sign is necessary, but an immersing in His overwhelming presence. We will be taught and led by the Spirit (John 16:13). And we will have the Spirit of Christ abiding in us (John 14:16-18). 

Obviously, there are many examples in which we rely on promises and place our trust – marriage, home, happiness, riches, locations, pleasures, fantasies. But as a pastor, I want to focus on what seems to be the greatest promise God ever gave. Two thousand years later, many in the world are still waiting to know Jesus. And many believers have yet to become acquainted with the Spirit. The greatest promise is the Holy Spirit, a genuine representation of Christ, who lives in and guides into all we need to know. 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

 

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