This
month we continue the question of what the Holy Spirit is for by asking the
question to the first four chapters of Luke’s gospel. Probably we will continue
to follow him via Luke’s suggested directions in months to come. This is
important for our prayers and mindset change in the context of being
repositioned in the world for two reasons at least. The first is that the church,
or what from now on I will be referring to as the ecclesia, has tended in its
history to get separated from Jesus whose body it is supposed to be. The mindset
change and repositioning that we are experiencing as God’s people appears to be
the result of three generations of Holy Spirit visitation aimed at getting
Jesus’ ecclesia back where he wants it. So the question relates to the purpose
of those visitations and the changes that seem to have been the result.
Secondly, there is an increasing sense that the Holy Spirit is way ahead of us,
which is why so many are no longer finding him present in meetings and worship
events which he seems less and less keen on. So we need to know where he is
likely to be so that we can find him there.
THE
HOLY SPIRIT IN LUKE CHAPTERS1-4
a)
THE PREPARER
i) The Holy Spirit is
the inseminator of Christ. As he quite literally initiated the presence of the
embryonic Jesus into the world, it seems that his job is to do the same with
the now risen Christ among teenage girls and anyone else willing to receive him
into the culturally mixed-up and unjust situations of today. Then as now his
purpose will be to scatter the proud in the imaginations of
their heart, bring down the mighty from their thrones and
exalt those of lowly estate. It will be to fill the hungry with good things and
to send away the rich empty-handed (1:51-53). So let’s
pray for this and make ourselves available to achieve it.
ii) The Holy Spirit is the aligner of times. As was the case with Simeon he seeks out and rests
on people who are looking for genuine comfort and encouragement for their
people group and guides them to the real Jesus (2:25-32). Let’s pray for sons
of peace like these and where we can, help them to the real Jesus. This is not
so easy these days when the image of Jesus has been so misrepresented in our
capital cities that he is often associated with the false images of war,
patriotism, political domination and money.
iii) The Holy Spirit is the fulness of repentance. John the Baptist prepared
the way by baptising in water for repentance. But when Jesus was baptised in
water, the Holy Spirit baptised him. This is the one who baptises us with the
Holy Spirit and fire. If baptism in water carried the challenge to the crowds that anyone who has two coats
is to share with him who has none and
he who has food is to do the
same, then what does the fulness of repentance mean? And if those who collect
taxes and manage large accounts should do it justly what does the fire of God
lead to? And if soldiers, who were baptised in water, as the King James Version
puts it so succinctly, were to “do violence to no man” what will the
baptism in the Spirit mean for the military? (3:10-16). It’s hardly surprising
that Luke later records Jesus’ words "When they bring you before the
synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what
you are to speak in your defence, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit
will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say" (12:11-12). Let’s
pray for courage for all those truly baptised in the Holy Spirit and for help
with the altercations with the political authorities in which we are sometimes
bound to find ourselves.
b)
THE ACTIVATOR
i) The Holy Spirit is
the one Jesus himself is baptised with. It is not until this point that Luke
states that Jesus began his ministry (3:21-23). Although Luke introduces Jesus as
one who “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the
Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over
the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end" (1:32) this
does not begin until after he is baptised with the Holy Spirit. At this point
Luke states, using a word that at root literally means first in political rank,
Jesus began his ministry. He began to reign then and was, as Paul puts it
subsequently, declared the Son of God with power by
the resurrection from the dead (Rom 1:4). Pray for understanding to
dawn on us that Jesus is not only Lord of all, but that the Holy Spirit makes
him the first ranking political authority on earth today, although by a totally
different kind of power to the power of this world. Pray too that we his people
will understand who that makes us and how to live it out practically like he
did.
ii) The first work of the Holy
Spirit in Jesus’ leadership on earth was to lead him into spiritual
confrontation with Satan and the strongholds of his dominion (Lk 4: 1-14). The
first focus of Jesus’ leadership was to confront the way that the devil manipulated
human appetites, maintained the political systems of the world and challenged
God for fame and position. Only when he had overcome these strongholds of
satanic power was he ready for public life. Pray for all those called to lead
among their fellow human beings to discover this work of the Holy Spirit and
for those who have experienced this, to walk in it and be given room wherever
they operate.
iii) The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to announce good news to the poor,
proclaim release to prisoners of war (this is the literal meaning of the words),
proclaim sight to the blind, to send away free those who were oppressed
(literally crushed or bruised) and proclaim the favourable year of the supreme
authority (4: 18-19). This summary of the kingdom rule of God surely describes
the power and purpose of the Holy Spirit. Supremely this is what he is for. He
is here to displace and replace all other forms of authority. But he does not
do it by domination and control but by mercy towards those in awe of his
totally different kind of power to the world’s (1: 50). Let’s pray for the Holy
Spirit’s anointing on his ecclesia, so that we display his alternative but supreme
authority like we see in Jesus’ extraordinary rule on this planet.
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WITH LOVE
ROGER AND TEAM