Jesus taught by Revealing truths Normally Inaccessible (Contd):
Pouring Out the Spirit: "On the last and greatest day of the festival Jesus stood and cried aloud, "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me; whoever believes in me, let him drink'. As Scripture says, 'Streams of living water shall flow out from within him'. He was speaking of the Spirit which believers in him would receive later; for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John, 7: 37-39). The reference to the Scripture in the above passage may be seen in the Book of Isaiah 44: 3 and 58: 11 where the Lord promises to pour out his spirit on the children of Israel as a result of which they would be like a well-watered garden. John the Evangelist has interpreted those passages to mean the Holy Spirit who was to be given to all those who believe in Jesus. At the moment when Jesus spoke, the Holy Spirit could not yet be poured out as Jesus was still to be glorified. Glorification of Jesus through his death, resurrection and ascension to his Father was an essential condition for pouring out the Holy Spirit so that the believers could freely drink.
Charisms: However, how is it that very often we find believers without the benefit of taking in the charisms of the Holy Spirit? How is it that there seem to be so many fake charismatics who lead others also astray? The answer should come from the lack of proper understanding of the Word of God, lack of perseverance, snares laid by Satan and the world and an inadequate preparation of ourselves. The Word of God is like a seed that is sown in our hearts where it should dissolve and transform itself and its surroundings. Without the transformation of the seed and the soil into which it is sown, it cannot sprout and form itself into a plant on its way to producing fruits. Similarly, the Word of God should transform itself and our hearts into a new creation producing fruits unimaginable to our old selves. Repeating the Word of God without inner transformation both of the Word and of our own Selves will be of no use. Understanding the Word of God means creating a new reality in ourselves.
Personal Conversion: A concrete example of why we are unable to drink in the Holy Spirit can be seen in the case of the Samaritan woman. Jesus put forth only one condition to fulfill her request for living water and that was the requirement to come with her husband. There was something wrong in her personal life that prevented her from approaching the living water that could quench her thirst forever. If we are unable to draw near to the source of this living water it is only because something is wrong with our own life. We have to examine our relationships and effect the required changes. At this very moment we can forgive all those who have hurt us in any way and we should learn to thank them, for they have acted just as instruments in the hands of God . God Himself will see to it that no harm befalls us and in fact He can turn all our adversities into opportunities for blessings.
Temptations: Another reason why we are not under the influence of the Holy Spirit is our tendency to succumb to the temptations directed against us by Satan and the world. Paul is very clear on this point when he says: "For our fight is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world , against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens" ( Ephesians,6: 12). Compared to the machinations of these forces arrayed against us, our own weaknesses and those of others interacting with us are insignificant. To counter such forces Paul advises us to put on the armaments of God , which are six in number. Two of them, namely, the belt of truth and the sword of the Spirit, i. e., the Word of God are weapons to defend ourselves from the onslaught of the enemy. The remaining four, namely, the breast-plate of justice, the shoes of the Gospel of peace , the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation are our protective gears (See Ephesians, 6: 14-17). Being ready for battle with our invisible enemy, says Paul: "Give yourselves wholly to prayer and entreaty; pray on every occasion in the power of the Spirit" (Ephesians, 6: 18). Having done this, if we co-operate with the Holy Spirit, the nine fruits of the Spirit will be produced in us. They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness and self-control (See Galatians, 5: 22-23). It is the same as drinking in the Spirit, for streams of living water flow from such a person. (To be Contd).
Pouring Out the Spirit: "On the last and greatest day of the festival Jesus stood and cried aloud, "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me; whoever believes in me, let him drink'. As Scripture says, 'Streams of living water shall flow out from within him'. He was speaking of the Spirit which believers in him would receive later; for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John, 7: 37-39). The reference to the Scripture in the above passage may be seen in the Book of Isaiah 44: 3 and 58: 11 where the Lord promises to pour out his spirit on the children of Israel as a result of which they would be like a well-watered garden. John the Evangelist has interpreted those passages to mean the Holy Spirit who was to be given to all those who believe in Jesus. At the moment when Jesus spoke, the Holy Spirit could not yet be poured out as Jesus was still to be glorified. Glorification of Jesus through his death, resurrection and ascension to his Father was an essential condition for pouring out the Holy Spirit so that the believers could freely drink.
Charisms: However, how is it that very often we find believers without the benefit of taking in the charisms of the Holy Spirit? How is it that there seem to be so many fake charismatics who lead others also astray? The answer should come from the lack of proper understanding of the Word of God, lack of perseverance, snares laid by Satan and the world and an inadequate preparation of ourselves. The Word of God is like a seed that is sown in our hearts where it should dissolve and transform itself and its surroundings. Without the transformation of the seed and the soil into which it is sown, it cannot sprout and form itself into a plant on its way to producing fruits. Similarly, the Word of God should transform itself and our hearts into a new creation producing fruits unimaginable to our old selves. Repeating the Word of God without inner transformation both of the Word and of our own Selves will be of no use. Understanding the Word of God means creating a new reality in ourselves.
Personal Conversion: A concrete example of why we are unable to drink in the Holy Spirit can be seen in the case of the Samaritan woman. Jesus put forth only one condition to fulfill her request for living water and that was the requirement to come with her husband. There was something wrong in her personal life that prevented her from approaching the living water that could quench her thirst forever. If we are unable to draw near to the source of this living water it is only because something is wrong with our own life. We have to examine our relationships and effect the required changes. At this very moment we can forgive all those who have hurt us in any way and we should learn to thank them, for they have acted just as instruments in the hands of God . God Himself will see to it that no harm befalls us and in fact He can turn all our adversities into opportunities for blessings.
Temptations: Another reason why we are not under the influence of the Holy Spirit is our tendency to succumb to the temptations directed against us by Satan and the world. Paul is very clear on this point when he says: "For our fight is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world , against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens" ( Ephesians,6: 12). Compared to the machinations of these forces arrayed against us, our own weaknesses and those of others interacting with us are insignificant. To counter such forces Paul advises us to put on the armaments of God , which are six in number. Two of them, namely, the belt of truth and the sword of the Spirit, i. e., the Word of God are weapons to defend ourselves from the onslaught of the enemy. The remaining four, namely, the breast-plate of justice, the shoes of the Gospel of peace , the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation are our protective gears (See Ephesians, 6: 14-17). Being ready for battle with our invisible enemy, says Paul: "Give yourselves wholly to prayer and entreaty; pray on every occasion in the power of the Spirit" (Ephesians, 6: 18). Having done this, if we co-operate with the Holy Spirit, the nine fruits of the Spirit will be produced in us. They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness and self-control (See Galatians, 5: 22-23). It is the same as drinking in the Spirit, for streams of living water flow from such a person. (To be Contd).
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