October 15
To Be DisclosedJoh_16:12-15
The disciples might have reason to be puzzled this night of nights. But Jesus assures them that the fog will clear, and all will be made plain by the Holy Spirit.
See that the Spirit will guide them (and us). The word in the original means a personal guide, not a map. The Spirit is a person of God.
But do not think this undoes the unity of God. No indeed! Jesus makes plain here that God is one. Does it belong to the Father? It belongs to Christ. Does it belong to Christ? The Spirit will reveal exactly that to you.
Tantalizingly, we are told that the Spirit will reveal what is to come—the future. This was fulfilled by John's Revelation, but think how this must have tingled in their ears.
All of this has a purpose: The Holy Spirit will bring glory to Christ.
You might ask, "Why can't they understand all these things now? Why would they have to wait?" The answer is simple: the Atonement had yet to occur. The truth that would be revealed to them would not take effect until after Christ's death.
There are some lessons in here for us, as well.The Spirit is the guide of the church, and keeps her from remaining in error. How? Consider this: many denominations today have wandered from the revealed word of God. They proclaim homosexual marriage to be righteous, for example. These are the same denominations which are dying slowly. The Spirit is moving the believers to fellowship with those who hold to the Word.
The Spirit only brings to us that which we can bear. This is one reason we should not judge others. It may be that what you see as fault in your brother is something the Spirit plans to take up with him—later. He may not be able to bear it now. The same is true for you, too.
The Spirit knows the future. Therefore, listen to the Holy Spirit as He guides you, for he knows the bumps in the road and where the ruts lead. As the Spirit is the guide of the church, so He should be your guide as well. He may not reveal the future to you as was done for the prophets of old, but He will keep you from stumbling—if you will listen.
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The Words of Christ devotions are distributed freely and Internationally in the excellent freeware Bible Study package called e-Sword.
You can obtain e-Sword at:
http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.htmlAuthor: Rick Meyer
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