The Spirit continues Jesus' ministry
Daily Scripture
John 16:12-15, Matthew 28:18-20
John 16
12 “I have much more to say to you, but you can’t handle it now. 13 However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth. He won’t speak on his own, but will say whatever he hears and will proclaim to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and proclaim it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine. That’s why I said that the Spirit takes what is mine and will proclaim it to you.
Matthew 28
18 Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
In the closing moments of his earthly ministry, Jesus prepared his followers for a new chapter. John recorded Jesus’ teaching about “the Father,” himself and “the Spirit,” not as three separate beings, but one God in three persons. The greatest theologians can’t articulate this concept in ways that the human imagination can readily process. The three persons of the Trinity are close in a manner that goes beyond the closest human relationships. Today’s passages captured the promise of the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission. These words offered the disciples comfort and direction in uncertain times. Jesus’ promise of the Spirit’s guidance and the call to share his message still resonate today. Our sermon series reminds us that God’s presence through the Spirit offers wisdom, understanding, and transformative power for our daily lives, at every stage of our faith journey.
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Some popular sources claim a secretive church council “invented” the Christian belief in the Trinity in a dark corner of the 4th or 5th century. But in Matthew 28:19, Jesus the victor, risen from the dead, made the Trinity central in his Great Commission: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” He didn’t explain the Trinity; he just stated it as reality. Based on that reality, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would guide his followers into all truth, giving them power to share his message worldwide. Scholar N.T. Wright said, “Those in whom the Spirit comes to live are God’s new Temple. They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and earth meet.” * Do you find the mystery of the Trinity an obstacle to faith, or can you value it as a way of expressing God’s constant guiding presence with you? How does trusting that Jesus has ultimate authority and is always with you affect how you face challenges or doubts in your life? How might this trust shape your approach to serving others?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, guide me by your Spirit each day. I ask for a teachable spirit to know more about you and your will for me. Thank you for being patient with me. Amen.
GPS Insights
Mike Ash
Mike Ash serves as the worship leader and Director of Operations and Community Life at Resurrection's Blue Springs location.
When I think about the Holy Spirit I think of my grandmother. Her father (my great grandfather) had planted a church. It was a little Pentecostal church with great music and preaching with a big emphasis on receiving the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the fuel you needed to make it through the week. The Holy Spirit was a fire that consumed sin and stuck with you to help you stay on the straight and narrow.
Being raised with this particular flavor of Christianity was confusing and at times did not translate well into practical everyday living. There was a battle between trying and failing to live a holy life and experiencing everything that comes with being human.
Looking at what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit began a shift in my heart. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be a comforter, a counselor, and that he would lead us to the truth (John 14:16).
I’ve found that the Holy Spirit is more than just fuel for the week. The Holy Spirit will comfort us in times of need (and usually through people). The Holy Spirit will counsel us when we need direction (again, usually through people). To be a follower of Jesus is learning to lean trustingly on the reality that the Holy Spirit is with us to comfort, to guide, to restore us.
How wonderful to know that we can in turn offer encouragement and help to others and that is evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in and through us.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* N. T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, (p. 130). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
