The Work of the Holy Spirit. (John 16:4-15)

“I did not tell you these things at the beginning, for I was with you.

Jesus before the beginning of His public ministry, underwent baptism, as though He was a sinner. Indeed,

He was spotless, but He chose to be among the crowd of sinners who came to the Jordan River to be plunged, so that their inequities would be cleansed off. Water was a symbol of cleansing and cleaning of bodies and every day utensils, etc. It was a sign of outward bathing that reflects the inner cleansing of the hearts.

Jesus was chosen by God, yet His human will had to be consulted and this will had to give God the consent, so to freely participate in God’s plan of salvation.

The crowd of believers, who were baptized by John the Baptist, was preparing for the Rebirth in water and spirit, which only found its fulfillment when Jesus died and rose from the death. Jesus therefore as member of the human race, joined the crowd in the ritual of baptism.

Soon this human Jesus shall take upon Himself the Sin of the whole human race, which resulted in His death. As a pure human being He was in fact excluded from the Judgement of which the world had to bear, because of Sin. Jesus need not have to die. The law of sinful nature did not apply to the New Adam, but He joined the whole fallen human race, and allowed Himself to be the victim, to bring about the defeat of physical and spiritual death. In time to come, all shall receive a New Glorified physical body, similar and exactly the likeness of Christ. We too would be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus rose from the water of the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit, that empowered and commissioned human Jesus, to fulfill the Divine will of God, came upon Him like a dove. A dove is a symbol of peace. Jesus did not come to punish or to judge, but as Representative of Man, He was the sign of God and Man at peace. Jesus came to bring about reconciliation, among Man and with God.

Jesus also mentioned a contradictory warning, that He had come not to bring peace but wars! Why?

The Apostles of Jesus would be greatly persecuted within their own families, in their own community and country. Because of the urgency in spreading the Good News, other worldly obligations and roles, would be sidelined, which would caused anger and fight among those whom the Apostles, owed their obligations toward.

They could no longer go fishing or earn income for their immediate families and loved ones. Levi could no longer collect extra money for his family. They would have to abandon all the pleasures human lives and relationships had to offer.

Without the Holy Spirit, that had empowered Jesus to accomplish God’s will, with them, none, not even Peter or John, could ever struggle till the end.

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after baptism, which led Him into the wilderness, of which He fasted for forty days and nights, without food or drink. Human wisdom could never explain the mystery, why He survived, yet still had the inner strength to conquer, His human will and desire for basic necessities.

The Holy Spirit, is God, who created everything seen and unseen, could He not provide human Jesus with the ability to conquer hunger and thirst?

There in the wilderness, human Jesus learned to be dependent on God to provide everything. This is God’s revelation to us, to be like human Jesus, who had given His fullness of trust and co-operation to God. With this submissiveness, God never failed to provide for His physical and spiritual.

Jesus did not mention the ‘Helper’ or the Holy Spirit, when He was with them. They were still in infancy, of which merely milk was offered. But later, they had to accept and consume solid food, so that they had spiritually matured strength to fight spiritual battles of the flesh and in their minds.

When Jesus was lifted off into heaven, they had only one hope for Jesus to be continuously presence in their lives, that was the descending of the Holy Spirit upon them.

These they obediently observed and prepared. They followed solemnly the instructions given by Jesus and waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

But now I am going to Him who sent me, yet none of you asks me where I am going.

And now that I have told you, your hearts are full of sadness.

Like the sad scenario of an about to die rich businessman, who called upon his lawyers and his children, so that what was once his responsibility and work, would be carefully distributed to reliable ones. Heavy burdens were then placed on his children’s shoulder. They want their father to die and rested in peace.

The mission of Jesus Christ as the New Adam would soon be accomplished, but the descendents of the New Adam, could never experience what He had, if they did not follow and live the life of Jesus. Human Jesus was the first to experience the perfect peace, love and joy of God or Heaven, but not the disciples of Jesus. Therefore Jesus promised to be with them, till the end of Time, through, in and with the powerful working of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were full of sadness, as they knew fully well that they would let Jesus down.

But I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you.

But if I do go away, then I will send Him to you.

Jesus Christ, as human being was under the law of human and physic. He could not be everywhere at the same time. He could not fully express and reveal the power of God. Even though God was incarnated into Him, He was not allowed to fully express them. After attending full glorification of His Human Body, He returned to God, whom He called His Father, yet that was the same God that was incarnated into human Jesus. Son of God and God the Father, together with the Holy Spirit is One Omi-potent and Almighty God, inseparable, by any law of His or of the world.

Therefore, the different between, before He came and after was that God brought Human Jesus, to reign with Himself for all eternity. After that Human Being, had Representative in God. Therefore if we had representative in the Divine Throne of God, Man’s prayer that yield and submit to God, would receive immediate respond.

When Jesus returned to reign as God’s Right Hand Man, together, Man and God sent forth His Spirit to all those whose hearts are open to Him. Those who did not hide from the Sun would receive warm and nourishment from it, but not those that hid and stood in the dark.

With the Spirit of Glorified Human Jesus, united with God dwelling in us, we too through the love and mercy of God can conquer, like Christ had. Jesus called the Spirit, whom He was, is and would sent, as Man’s Helper. Jesus as shepherd and God as Father, would help and serve His sheep, lambs or His Children.

Therefore the Apostles would be spiritually anointed by God, like Jesus, as Helper to those young ones of God.

And when He comes, He will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgement.

They are wrong about sin, because they do not believe in me; they are wrong about what is right, because I am going to the Father and you will not see me any more; and they are wrong about judgement, because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

In the beginning, where was the Holy Spirit?

‘The power of God was moving over the water’

God created the whole universe, as the Spirit starts its creation, by moving over the water. The Spirit of the Lord was all over, in and empowered heaven and angels. The Spirit moved over the water and continued, until Time ended, with its power to sustains, maintains, renews, improves, nourishes, what God had willed.

God breathed His Life into the nostril of Man, and they lived, until Sin constricted the lifeline that gives His fullness of life to Man.

Man after that lived a life of falsehood, saturated with truth.

Part of their once perfect knowledge and wisdom that was of God; was darkened. They lived in the world and among Man, of partial darkness, therefore, in this state of dilemma and bondage, they could not made perfect judgement on what is Sin and lost their path of God and righteousness.

If they had believed in Jesus, who would give them the Holy Spirit, they would once again be enlightened and know the path of righteousness and God.

“I have much more to tell you, but now it would be too much for you to hear.

When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, He will lead you into all the truth.

God is a generous God, who showered gifts and blessings with great responsibility. He would never give so to destroy our lives. For our lives are His very own Life. There is only One Sacred and Divine Life; that is God’s Life. This Life, He shared with us in great generosity, hoping that all would be able to rely on Him fully to provide. This Life was greatly hurt, diminished, polluted, tainted or constricted by Sin. Sin devalued God’s Life in us. Sin caused bondage and diminished us to mere status of the Devil’s slave. In slavery we could not make clear and right judgement for our souls, inside our bodies.

Just like Jesus prepared the hearts of the disciples for the ‘solid food’; we too must be willing to be taught how to consume this food. Christ Jesus as Human Being, would be powerless, if He only take milk, but He was prepared for solid food, even before birth. He trusted in God, like an infant, trusted his mother, when he was being fed at her breast. ‘Solid food’, enable Christians to be like Jesus and be true disciples, who would be willing to pay the price for that consecrated life. These investments reap, imminent great harvest, which Man ought to be looking forward to. Eternal Life was with the pure Adam and Eve, but corrupted when Sin came into their lives, but later restore, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Victorious Spirit of Christ, once again reinstate the reign of God in this world. Satan’s dominion over the earth was terminated at the death and resurrection of Christ. The Holy Spirit, came to us and the world, Jesus had conquered death, which was the toughest battle, is seeking a ‘home’ in our hearts, so that as the Spirit, that had achieved perfect victory, in Christ, would work the same in us too.

God had inspired the holy authors, through His Spirit, would reveals and brings His words to reality and life, in those who have the same Spirit, too.

God, through the Holy Spirit, continues to prompt and inspired Man, as before to accomplish the whole work of sanctification, which Christ started. Only in heaven, can all the mystery of God be wide open, before our very sight and we would have ability to fulfill the will of God. The truth of God would truly set us free. But if we are still in bondage, whereby we could not surge forth to fulfill God’s will, even though we knew about it, is still not exposed and had not fully accepted God’s truth.

We, who are still on pilgrimage on earth and purgatory, who desire and hunger, for the truth, would be revealed. God would give us the courage to accept the truth. Every ‘step’ of knowledge, is symbolically equivalent to a ‘step’ higher towards heaven.

He will not speak on His own authority, but He will speak of what He hears and will tell you of things to come.

Imagine the scenario, of which the Father and the Son, in unity of Oneness and love, both shone their Light together, into a mirror. The reflection of this Light is the Holy Spirit. Even though He is not physically seen, yet He is no lesser, than God, the Father or the Son. They cannot be differentiated from each other.

From my life experience, in walking with God the Spirit, He revealed the mystery of the Divine Godhead. I was able to grasp the mystery of God, as the Spirit, slowly brought to light, what seemed impossible to explain. He reveals, His truth, step by step, until I would allow Him full control, He would not force Himself into the throne of my heart. Through the Holy Spirit, I experience the reality of God’s Kingdom on earth, as He drew me into it. It was a marvelous experience to be part of the Mystical Body of Christ. Although I was, am still far from holy or perfect like the purified saints in full communion with God, He did not mind, as He overlooked my imperfection.

The Holy Spirit, was and will always be the ‘Helper’ and ‘Loving Father’, who knew our weakness. He was and will always be full of patient, like a mother, watching her beloved children taking their initial steps, in walking. Countless time the toddles fell and their mother was hurt, but perseveres, with knowledge that they would surely be able to enjoy the reward of their struggles, later on. The Holy Spirit, if allowed freedom over our lives, would cleanse us of our sins, through the mystery of Jesus’ blood. He would assist us in our prayers and reveal to us, what, how we ought to pray. When we pray according to the will of the Spirit, God would never hesitate to answer the plead that comes from the core of God’s Life.

He will give me glory, because He will take what I say and tell it to you.

All that my Father has is mine; that is why I said that the Spirit will take what I give Him and tell it to you.

Even our pure human nature, without God’s Spirit, cannot give Him the Divine praises, glories and thanks. Led, guided and empowered, by His Spirit, we can offer God the essence of all worship and adoration that are fitted for God, who is the origin and source of life, seen and unseen.

The praises, as expressed by the language of ‘tongue’, varies from person to person. They reflect the unique role, they are anointed to play, in the vineyard of the Lord. The words that came out from people, in communion with the Spirit, were usually speedy repetitions of adoration, glorification, praises, sanctification, revelations, prophecies, healing, deliverance, etc.

The Three Persons in the Triune Godhead, were, are and will for all eternity be equal in power, different in their roles, yet all work toward the common goal and will of God, that is the salvation of souls. The Spirit drew, draws and will until the end of time, when salvation and sanctification is accomplished, brings all of God’s Image and Likeness to reign, in, with and through Jesus Christ, then finally into Himself.

Praise the Lord. Amen.

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