I Wonder About Simeon

 

It had been revealed to [Simeon] by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death
before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.

Luke 2:26

The prophets of Israel had been silent for 400 years. The promise of Yahweh that he would send a deliverer who would make all things right was getting harder and harder to hope for.

"How long, O Lord?"

And while it must have been personally encouraging to Simeon to know that it was all going to finally come to pass in his lifetime, I do wonder about a few things:

• What was Simeon's age when he was told by the Holy Spirit that he would live to see the Messiah? How long had he been waiting since he was given this news?
• How was Simeon told? Was there writing on the wall? Was it a strong feeling or thought that just wouldn't go away?
• Did Simeon tell other people about his special standing as the countdown clock to the Messiah?
• And if he did, what was their reaction to this news? Was he a revered elder, looked up to by everyone...or was he the crazy old man who hears voices in his head, avoided and whispered about by young and old alike?

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Truth is...I am probably asking these kinds of questions because I'm not sure I'm all that good at differentiating between the Holy Spirit and my personal convictions, opinions, and wishes. That's also why it's important not just for me to be in the Scriptures, but for the Scriptures to be in me...fueling my ability to recognize the voice of God when I hear it.

From Disappointment to Delight: A Holy Spirit Story

 

But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

John 14:26 (AMP)

Not long after moving to Minnesota to become the Youth and Worship Minister at a church in the suburbs south of the Twin Cities, we were part of a group from that church who bought tickets to a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Donny Osmond.

My Beloved was especially looking forward to seeing her former teen-crush-heartthrob perform and was especially disappointed to hear the announcement that Donny would not be seen in the role of Joseph that night, but that his understudy would be performing instead.

Then the show started and the abundant energy and talent of the understudy obliterated all thoughts of disappointment.

I think the disciples may have gone on a similar journey.

There they were, sopping up the last of their Passover meal, when Jesus told them he was leaving  -  and that the Holy Spirit would come instead. Their hearts weren’t ready for that. They wanted him. How could they imagine being helped or counseled by anyone else?

Then the book of Acts happened, obliterating all thoughts of disappointment.

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Truth is...Jesus didn't make that promise only to the disciples in the upper room. I know that's true because he didn't send the Holy Spirit only to them. We are promised the same Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, and Standby, weilding the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

File that under "Good News"!

Five Solid Facts about the Holy Spirit

 

When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father — he will testify about me.

John 15:26 (CSB)

There are plenty of people who freely admit to not fully understanding the role of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity or within our lives.

And that's okay.

I mean, the Holy Spirit is God, and as I've said on more than one occasion, if God is completely understandable, he's not much of a god, is he?

But there are some things about the Holy Spirit that we can know for certain because Jesus told us. Just in this one verse, he tells us five things about the Holy Spirit.

   1. He is the Counselor, providing guidance and comfort.
   2. Jesus has sent him, so his presence is a kept promise and a positive thing for us.
   3. He is "of truth." No falsehood can be connected with him.
   4. He is "sent from the Father" and "proceeds from the Father." He is just as much "part of diety" as Jesus, who was also sent from the Father. (John 8:42, et al)
   5. He testifies about Jesus. If something that seems spiritual is drawing attention to anyone or anything other than Jesus, we had best be careful.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...Historically, opinions and arguments about the Holy Spirit have been responsible for division and disruption. My prayer is that, instead, he will be allowed to do his work, guiding us into all truth and uniting our hearts in Jesus.

The Most Honest Prayer You’ll Ever Pray Might Be Wordless

 

In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words.

Romans 8:26 (CEV)

Have you ever been dumbfounded? Perhaps speechless? How about taciturn, tight-lipped, or tongue-tied?

I admit there have been many times when I've looked at the chaos surrounding me and have been utterly gobsmacked. It's hard to know how to even begin praying in the face of a world gone crazy.

But the Apostle Paul brings us good news, friends. Our prayers do not need to be peppered with perfect prose. The Holy Spirit, being God, knows exactly how we feel and is able to bring our burdens to Yahweh in a way that is beyond words.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...sometimes the most effective prayer is a sigh ... or a sob.

From Rock Guitar Hero to Jesus Music Pioneer

 

Phil Keaggy had a decent following and an expanding reputation as an amazing guitarist as part of a late-60s / early 70s rock power trio, Glass Harp.

Then he met Jesus. And nothing has been the same since.

As a musician, Keaggy began expressing the joy of his newfound faith through the songs he wrote and performed. That didn't fit so well in the context of Glass Harp, so Phil went solo and ended up being part of the Mount Rushmore of Jesus Music/Contemporary Christian Music.

Mount Rushmore of Jesus Music:
Larry Norman, Andrea Crouch, Honeytree, Phil Keaggy

Keaggy's first solo album was, as the album cover states, "written, arranged, produced, and performed by Phil Keaggy." Every note, every word, every percussive tap and melodic pluck was Phil Keaggy expressing his love, joy, and hope in the Lord.

Today, and for the next eight weeks, Truth Is... will meditate on the songs of that album, What a Day.

First up, "That Is What the Lord Will Do for You":

Winter's here, autumn's gone

Leaves have fallen

It's the season before the dawn

Spring is calling

And as winter comes to an end

Spring brings life again

Born again, given life anew

That is what the Lord will do for you

Just in case you haven't heard

In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God

And the Word was God

He gives life to all mankind

He gives sight to the blind

Able to see, able to start anew

Life and that is what He'll give to you

And it's free

All you have to do is believe

That He loves you

Died for you, is ever more alive for you

There is something about the wind

And how it blows

Where it's coming from and then where it goes

There's no doubt when you hear it

There's no doubt when you're born of the Spirit

Born again, given new life anew

That is what the Lord will do for you

https://youtu.be/UVCEL-POPrI?si=w1crHFfHKTNLc_us

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Truth is...Having been "born again" for more than a few years, I must admit that this sense of resurrection and joy and being filled with the life of Christ is something that is not "one and done." Every day, Lord Jesus, keep me aware of how dead I was without you and how you conquered death...not just for yourself, but for me, too.

Why Do We Wander?

 

A former co-worker messaged me out of the blue:

Asking for myself  -  why do we sometimes wander from God? Why do we get caught up in the world? Just some deep thoughts this morning.

My response:

Deep in the realm of My Personal Take here, but I do think these thoughts are Scripturalesque-ish. We sometimes wander from God because we are bent toward sin. Our human nature is one that wants its own way. We are NOT basically nice people who sometimes "make mistakes". Without Jesus, we are dead set against the things and ways of God. And I do mean dead.

Now, when we accept Jesus' work on the cross, we are instantly forgiven and justified...just as if I'd never sinned. But the work of being sanctified, actually being made holy, is a longer process. We LEARN to walk in step with the Spirit, but there are many missteps along the way.

The ways of the world are right here in our face 24/7 and we ARE called to be in the world...just not to be OF the world. To live in the midst of something but not accept its wrong motives/desires/priorities is challenging.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...I am grateful for this opportunity to focus on the fundamentals of faith. It reminds me to be thankful for Yahweh's everlasting love and overwhelming grace.

For Those Who Think I've Got It All Together

 

I'm just a little over a month shy of having been doing this blog for ten years.

Before that, I became an elder at my church.

Before that, I spent 14 years of my life ministering to and with teenagers; attempting to make disciples out of the clay God put in my reach.

With all of that, you might be tempted to think I've become a mature, in-the-zone kind of Jesus follower: full of wisdom and truth and the confidence that comes from being acclimated to hearing God's voice and walking in step with the Spirit.

"Here's a guy that's been around the track a few times and has a firm grip on God's specific will for his life."

Truth is...since leaving vocational ministry in 1998, my life has been a series of walking through doors that have been opened. There has been no overwhelming sense of any step being exactly what God wanted or any activity being what everything up to that point in my life had prepared me for. Sure, there have been flickers of light and echoes of harmonious collaborations with the Spirit, but nothing that has made my eyes open wide and caused me to say, "Oh, NOW I understand!"

But still, even if I can't see God's hand in every little detail, I am still convinced he loves me in incomprehensible ways. I trust his heart is inclined toward me...as it is toward each person reading these words.

The Oz Is Strong in This One

 

The young farmboy from Tatooine got off a lucky shot at an exhaust port and now he thinks it's his destiny to become a mighty Jedi..."like [his] father".

He travels to a steamy swamp of a planet. (Why do we assume the whole planet is like the small part of it we see at any one moment of the story?) He searches for and finds the Jedi master, Yoda, and convinces the small, green creature to train him in the ways of the Force.

The farmboy, Luke Skywalker, eagerly drinks in the instruction of the...well...the puppet.

Yes, the future mighty Jedi who will bring down the evil galactic empire is getting his understanding of the "energy field created by all living things" from a piece of foam and latex.

If it weren't for Frank Oz, the Muppet performer behind Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Bert, Grover, and countless other personalities, Yoda would be nothing more than a lifeless prop.

In the same way, without the Holy Spirit empowering us to be Christ's ambassadors, we would have no spiritual vitality whatsoever. We would be of no use to anyone seeking after Truth.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! - Colossians 2:13 (The Message)

The Spirit Has Spoken

 

Per the Nicene Creed:

[The Holy Spirit] has spoken through the prophets.

Per the Holy Bible:

"In the last days," God says, "I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants — men and women alike — and they will prophesy."

Acts 2:17-18 (NLT)

Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

2 Peter 1:20-21

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is..."All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." (2 Timothy 3:16) A more literal translation for "inspired by God" is "God-breathed". Put that together with the knowledge that the Hebrew word for breath and spirit is the same, and you've got a picture of how it is that the Holy Spirit has spoken through the prophets, in both the Old and New Testaments.

Praise the Spirit, Too

 

Per the Nicene Creed:

With the Father and the Son, [the Holy Spirit] is worshipped and glorified

Per the Holy Bible:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

1 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

Matthew 14:33

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

John 4:24

Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

1 John 3:24

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Truth is...because the Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Father and the Son, He deserves our worship just as much. It may feel a little strange for those brought up in more conservative circles...or certainly so for those raised with no spiritual background at all, but the Spirit provides our most intimate contact with God. It is only "natural" that we worship Him through song, meditation, and obedience.

Where Did the Holy Spirit Come From?

 

Per the Nicene Creed:

[The Holy Spirit] proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Per the Holy Bible:

But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.

John 15:26

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...It seems reasonable to me to believe that humans have not invented the Holy Spirit and that He is a real aspect of the Triune God. I mean, why would anyone make up something as hard to understand as this?

A Body Without a Spirit Is a Corpse

 

Per the Nicene Creed:

[One name for the Holy Spirit is] the Giver of Life

Per the Holy Bible:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

John 14:16-17 (NLT)

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Romans 8:2

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Romans 8:11

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

Galatians 6:8

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Truth is...Without the Holy Spirit, we couldn't experience any kind of "Christian life" whatsoever. Moral, upstanding citizens? Sure. But what made Jesus exceptional and unique was his unswerving dependence on the leading of the Spirit and entrusting himself to that leading...even to the point of death. Our efforts at being little Christs (Christians) will only be exceptional and unique if we do the same.