Although I grew up in a church environment, I don’t remember hearing much about the Holy Spirit, except when people would get baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Sounded kind of spooky to me.
My operative Trinity, what was most emphasized, was: Jesus, the Bible and a little bit of God. (the one who was probably angry at you).
Yet, when the apostle Paul wants to express his best hopes and wishes for people like the Christians living in Corinth he said “may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always” (2 Cor 13:14).
If that happened, that is, if they experienced God’s Spirit in their lives more and more, what would that be like?
This Sunday at the Gathering Church, I will conclude the short series, The Benedicted Life based on the last verse in 2 Corinthians. It’s a perfect syllabus for life: the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
When John the Baptist told his message about the Coming Messiah one thing he always said was that that Messiah would baptize us in the Holy Spirit. On the night that Jesus was arrested, he told his disciples that it would be better for them for him to leave because then the Holy Spirit would come.
Many people I meet say something like, “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual.”
How can a person be truly spiritual? How can God’s Spirit shape our lives for the best experience of life?
Also, this Sunday we have our annual “Blessing of the Books.” Bring something physical that symbolizes your pursuit of learning and education as we pause to dedicate our educational experiences to the purposes of God.