Have you ever thought how easy life would be like if you had the opportunity to walk with the disciples, talk with Jesus, see Jesus with your own eyes and even touch Him physically? I dont blame you if you sometimes have thought life as a christian today feels almost like being dropped behind enemy lines without proper training. Our chief and leader Jesus is back up in heaven and we are down here on earth trying to tell as many people as possible about Him and what He has done for us, and at the same time trying to fight of demons and devils opposing our message. Yes of course we already have the victory, it was won at the cross. But it is easy to believe in the lie that we have to do this by ourself considering that Jesus is back in heaven and we are down here on earth. But as we shall see, that is a lie, because if you are a Christian you are not alone. You have not been dropped behind enemy lines without proper training.
There are two things the devil has succeeded in confusing the church about, the first one is how to live by grace through faith in the cross of Jesus. The second one is the Holy Spirit. The devil has succeeded in making us believe we can live for God by our own man made schemes and fads. If we just confess, decree, declear, tithe, sow, give, read our Bible and pray enough God will be impressed and deliver us and provide for us. That is the first lie the devil has succeeded in making us believe. The second one is this, the Holy Spirit is somebody you cant really understand or He is just a power but you cant have to much or to little of Him and you must never confuse Him with Jesus. That is the second lie the devil has succeeded in making us believe. The first one tricks us into living under law instead of grace so we end up loosing our soul, the second one robs us of our closest friend who is supposed to give us what we need to live this life. And they are both connected in a way, because the Holy Spirit is unable to function in the life of a believer who is not living by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus.
The disciples of Jesus could see Him, touch Him and speak with Him face to face. But Jesus was physically restricted while He was living on this earth. He had to be, because He had to be fully human and fully God at the same time. And His humanity restricted Him so He became hungry, thirsty, tired and was unable to be everywhere all the time. So if he was talking to Peter He couldnt talk to John at the same time. If Peter had His attention John had to wait until they where finished talking. So even though Jesus was and is 100% God He could not live inside of the disciples.
Before Jesus was born, the Holy Spirit sometimes came over individuals like Samson, David, Saul and others in the Old Testament. But He couldnt abide in them because at the time the only sacrifice for humanities sin was the blood of bulls and goats. The blood of bulls and goats could not take away our sin and could never atone for humanities sins, it could only serve as a stop gap measure. The Holy Spirit is Holy, so He cant access and take up residence in any individual who`s sin is not atoned for. So He had to withdraw Himself from Samson, David and the others after the job was done.
To be an acceptable sacrifice for our sins, Jesus had to be 100% God and 100% human. He had, and He still has a physical body but now it is a glorified body. So when He returns He will still have His wounds and scars that testifies of His sacrifice for our sins. When Jesus was resurrected He did not turn into a spirit. He was resurrected in His physical body that was now turned into a glorfied body, and He went back to heaven in a physical body. Right now Jesus is in heaven with His physical body.
If Jesus is in heaven with His physical body, who is on earth living inside the believer?
The Holy Spirit could not enter into and live inside people like Samson, David, Saul and the other great names from the Old Testament. They are some of the great most famous righteous men and women of the old testament, but the Holy Spirit could not live inside of them because Jesus had not yet been born and sacrificed on the cross.
When Jesus died for our sins He atoned for every sin humans have ever committed and will commit in the future. His death, His blood opened the door to God so that every last one of us who chooses to believe Jesus died for them will have their sins atoned for. What Jesus did on that cross will be their sacrifice for their sins. And if you believe in what Jesus did for you at the cross, your sins will be forgiven and washed away. It will be like you have never sinned a day in your life. That gives the Holy Spirit legal access to enter into a believer in the cross and take up residence.
Now the Holy Spirit can do what He could not do before, now He can enter into and live inside of every person who believes Jesus died for them. The death of Jesus and our faith in it is the "key" for the Holy Spirit to unlock the door to our lifes and enter in. That is also why it is so important to maintain that faith all through our life.
So even though we cant see Jesus, we cant talk to Him face to face. But we have something better, we have the cross of Christ.
The disciples saw His miracles, they heard His voice and felt His touch. They saw Him die for their sins, but when He had ascended back into heaven they recieved the infilling of the Holy Spirit and suddenly they discovered something way better then what they used to have. It was wonderful to have Jesus walk with them, talk with them, teach them. But having the Holy Spirit fill them and take up residence in them was way better. If you doubt this, read about Peter. When he was filled with the Spirit he was brave enough to preach the gospel to several thousand individuals. Just a few days before he had sworn he would never deny Jesus, but out of fear, he denied Him not one time but three times. That change in that man came about as a result of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is not just something for the disciples back then, this is for us today as well.
But we have to understand one important thing, Jesus said it was good for Him to go away so He could send the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit could not come and fill us until Jesus had died on a cross for our sins and ascended back into heaven. He could not fill any individual who did not first believe in the cross and what Jesus did for them. For the Holy Spirit can only function in our lifes when our faith is focused on the blood and the cross of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:1-11)
So who is the Holy Spirit? His first job is to glorify Jesus. He knows how vitally important it is for us to maintain a firm belief in the cross at all times. He knows that without the cross as the object of our faith, we will loose our soul. So He wants us to remember the cross, the cross, the cross as a solution for everything. His next job is to teach us from the word of God. He is the author of the Bible, He wrote the book so He wants to teach us what His book is all about. And His book is all about the cross, the cross, the cross and what He wants to do to and through an individual who has their faith in the cross of Christ.
But He is more then just a teacher, He is also our comforter. Through our faith in the cross He wants to provide for us, heal us, comfort us and guide us. But He cant do any of those things if our faith is not in the cross.
In short, He is God and as God He wants to fulfill Deut 28:1-13, Psalm 23, Psalm 91 and the entire bible in our lifes as long as we believe in the key that opens the door for Him to come in and fill us. And the key is and will always be the cross, the cross, the cross!
So you have not been dropped behind enemy lines without proper training. You are behind enemy lines with the one who won the victory over satan and all his demons on the cross living inside of you. The disciples had Jesus on the outside of them, you have Him on the inside of you.
But wait a minute? Didnt I just say that Jesus is in heaven with a physical body?
Yes He is, but He is also here on earth with His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and Jesus is one and at the same time three distinct expressions and individuals in the Godhead. So the Holy Spirit is one with Jesus just as you become one with Jesus through your faith in what He did for you at the cross. By faith in what Jesus did for you at the cross you do not sieze to have an individuality. You are still yourself with your own personality. But you are at the same time one with Jesus through faith. And being one with Jesus through faith makes you one with the Holy Spirit and God the Father. So your faith in what Jesus did unites you with Him the same way the Holy Spirit is one with Jesus. But just as you keep your individuality and personality, Jesus and the Holy Spirit keeps their individuality and personalities.
Lets be clear about this, we are not speaking of two or three gods. We are speaking about one God who has three distinct personalities and individualites. To understand this more you might compare this to the marriage. A marriage that functions as it should is two indidividuals who become one with each other to the point where they finish each other sentences and they both know what the other is thinking. They are still two individuals, two personalites. They have not become one person, but they are one and at the same time two individuals.
This is how we are one with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. But just as two married people can only be one through faith in what makes them married, we can only be one with Jesus and the Godhead through faith in what makes one - the blood of Jesus.
God bless you dear reader. Remember in two weeks and some days I will launch a school where you can learn how to talk with God. Its free of charge.
Published by Apostle Ernie apostleernie@outlook.com