Grace, peace, and mercy from God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Some years ago, back in the Jurassic Age (June 1977), I participated in a class focusing on empowering people in the workplace. The workplace was the military! At the time it was a very revolutionary topic – empowering people: giving them a voice; preparing them to make decisions that affected the workplace. This is a concept that many have written about.
Isn’t this what Jesus did with his disciples? Granted Jesus, as God-Son, was infinitely better prepared to provide the teachings. He not only knew his disciples from the time of their calling – he had known them from before there was time! Yet, even Jesus experienced difficulties in mentoring his disciples. Jesus chastised Peter saying: “Get behind me Satan” (Matthew 16: 23) The disciples argued “which one of them would be the greatest.” (Luke 9:46) Gracious! These fellows were taught and spent time in the presence of the living Lord! Jesus prepared them to be empowered. I now have an idea of why God knew he couldn’t leave them, and us, without the Holy Spirit! Thank you Lord!
As we prepare for and participate in weekend activities, please be reminded that we are working with disciples not very much different from the ones Jesus chose. We are all fallen and have our own agendas. Our weekends encourage disciples to continue their journey with God with confidence. Weekends and follow-on functions encourage us to rely of God, to continue our journey with God together with other brothers and sisters, and to boldly go, empowered with God-Holy Spirit, into the places to shine the light of God’s love.
May we all marvel at the spring – the new growth in all of God’s creation, including the growth in ourselves.
God’s peace, love, and joy to all –
Ed
Eric is our current Webmaster and works on the NLS Communications Team. Raised in Judaism, he found Christ and the New Testament at age 16 in a Southern Baptist Church. He searched many denominations for the real church, only to find the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. He's worked for One for Israel, a group of native Israeli believers who are sharing the gospel in the holy land in Hebrew and is part of the only Hebrew speaking seminary in Israel.
