{"id":10,"date":"2014-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/05\/sunday-27th-may-2012-come-holy-spirit\/"},"modified":"2014-01-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-05T00:00:00","slug":"sunday-27th-may-2012-come-holy-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/05\/sunday-27th-may-2012-come-holy-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday 27th May 2012 &#8211; Come Holy Spirit!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><font size=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">The Word This Week:<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<ul style=\"\">\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=94#hebrew_reading\">Acts 2:1-21<\/a><em style=\"\"> or <a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=94#hebrew_oth_reading\">Ezekiel 37:1-14<\/a><\/em>  <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=94#psalm_reading\">Psalm 104:24-34, 35b<\/a>\u00a0  <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=94#epistle_reading\">Romans 8:22-27<\/a><em style=\"\"> or <a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=94#epistle_oth_reading\">Acts 2:1-21<\/a><\/em> <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=94#gospel_reading\">John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><font size=\"4\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Thoughts on the Word:<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15     <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u2018When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u2018I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u2018I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth;  for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and  he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Acts 2:1-21     <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent  wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, \u2018Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs\u2014in our own languages we hear them speaking about God\u2019s deeds of power.\u2019 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, \u2018What does this mean?\u2019 But others sneered and said, \u2018They are filled with new wine.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and  addressed them: \u2018Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be  known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o\u2019clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: <\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"> \u201cIn the last days it will be, God declares,<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">and your young men shall see\u00a0visions,<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and your old men shall dream\u00a0dreams. <\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"> Even upon my slaves, both men and women,<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0in those days I will pour out my\u00a0Spirit;<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and they shall prophesy. <\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"> And I will show portents in the heaven above<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and signs on the earth below,<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0blood, and fire, and smoky\u00a0mist. <\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"> The sun shall be turned to darkness<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the moon to blood,<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0before the coming of the Lord\u2019s great and glorious day. <\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"> Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be\u00a0saved.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This week&#8217;s reflection will be short.\u00a0 I just want you to reflect on the readings for today.\u00a0 I want us to focus especially on the words of Jesus in the Gospel reading.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u2018I still have many things to say to  you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he  will guide you into all the truth;  for he will not speak on his own,  but will speak whatever he hears, and  he will declare to you the things  that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine  and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason  I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It is something that we so often forget! The holy spirit <\/span>is how God speaks to us now that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father.\u00a0 We are not alone, and while the Bible is God&#8217;s Word and our guide for faith, it is not our sole access to God as is so often taught in some denominations of Christianity.\u00a0 I am not trying to downplay the importance of God&#8217;s Word &#8211; the whole purpose of this blog is to share the Scriptures and preach on them! The Bible is our supreme authority for establishing and holding to a genuine faith in Jesus, what I am trying to convey though is that we mustn&#8217;t allow ourselves to become so focused on the &#8216;book&#8217; that we forget we have direct access to God through His Holy Spirit indwelling in us.\u00a0 We mustn&#8217;t become so focused on reading and obeying the Scriptures that we forget to actually live them out in love through the Holy Spirit. That is the trap that the Pharisees fell into &#8211; no one knew the scriptures better than the Pharisees, but knowing the words in the book, is meaningless unless you involve the Spirit.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p><span>The Spirit is alive and well in <\/span>the world, and can revitalise our faith and the Church, all we need do is call upon Him!<\/p>\n<p><span>Let us this Pentecost, (or Whitsunday<\/span> in the tradition of my own particular denomination) ask that the Holy Spirit fills us as it did the Apostles and disciples on that first day that Jesus sent Him.\u00a0 Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will grant us gifts of the spirit, and teach us in the ways of God as Jesus promised. Let us focus on changing modern Christianity from a &#8216;religion of the book&#8217; (like the Pharisees had) and return it to its roots as a religion of the Spirit, that happens to be founded on the truth found in that book.    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Word This Week: Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b\u00a0 Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21 John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Thoughts on the Word: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 \u00a0\u2018When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/05\/sunday-27th-may-2012-come-holy-spirit\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Sunday 27th May 2012 &#8211; Come Holy Spirit!&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}