The Spirit keeps calling - JOHN 20:21-23: Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
The disciples were gathered, but hiding behind closed doors. They had been waiting for ten days in Jerusalem, as they were promised to receive the gift of the Lord, which is the Holy Spirit. When it arrived, as the Scripture said, flames of fire appeared over their heads. Enlightenment. Literally and spiritually too. Transformation of the heart.
Disciples, who became desperate and depressed after the death of the master, and were left without the physical guidance of Jesus since the ascension, these same disciples, by the touch of the Spirit, opened the doors, not hiding anymore the Gospel of the Christ.
They prayed for faith and they received it in the Spirit. This event was the Pentecost.
Three thousand people joined them in Jerusalem in the hours they opened the doors and left their fear and anxiety, doubts and apathy behind. Although persecution also grew, but they did not run anymore, as they told to the authorities that they have to obey Jesus rather than men (who crucified him).
The first Christian churches shared everything within the congregation: food, money, land and resources, thus there were neither beggars nor needy among them, neither slaveholders nor slaves, neither landlords nor peasants. They gave thanks together to the Lord saying that only to GOD belongs the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever.
In the last 2000 years Christian scholars wrote tremendous amounts of tractates, essays, Bible interpretations, commentaries and other books, filling up personal bookshelves, religious and public libraries throughout the world and throughout centuries and millennia.
These works were written by renowned scholars and together with them, we mostly and seriously think that the case of the Holy Spirit is so complex that it is barely perceivable for the simple mortal being.
However, almost nothing should be more simple than the touch of the Holy Spirit, because as God is One and the Lord is One, so the Holy Spirit is One. All are one under different names and within different manifestations of the same divine one. However, there are some phenomenal characteristics where the Holy Spirit can be caught red-handed, like in its gifts to humans: the gifts of prophecy, speaking of tongues, healing of the sick, judging the souls, attaining wisdom, etc. When we contemplate on these gifts, one of the major phenomenon is that the giver of the gifts is One.
In order to be reborn to the similarity of the One Spirit, we all have to become, one by one, a holy wisely one-minded person, which means that we have to focus on the oneness of God, and we have to focus on the Kingdom of God whose sole importance must overcome everything on Earth.
The requirement of being holy wisely one-minded sounds very simple, though it is one of the most difficult task in our lives as the Apostle Paul wrote that "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. "
Good and bad dwell in the divided human soul in the same time and they are fighting each other all the time for the rule of human soul. In order to get rid of the bad we have to become one minded. That is why the Great Commandment says that "Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. "
God demands our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole strength and nothing less. According to the Spirit Math, just like the candle shines in the darkness, the light of the One Spirit must destroy the darkness in the soul, eradicating fully the bad inclinations. It is like combing the coiling snakes from someone’s hair.
In that way the one-minded soul serves God, and only God, as Jesus declared himself:
“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
Nonetheless, some people imagine that they can become their own God, and they will serve themselves only, their own ego, as Wolfgang Goethe wrote in the 19th century that:
“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”
However, the opposite is written in the Gospel: "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Gospel of Luke 14:)
A human without God is less than nothing, because being without God is not neutral, it is a wicked and evil, an ungodly condition.
The Paradise is not lost, just the path to its Gate is hidden. The Path had been revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and we have to simply obey the road signs aka the holy commandments in order to return to the Paradise, which is the Kingdom of God.
It is obvious and clear that our relationship with God must be based on humility, as God is so much higher than humans, that it is unimaginable for a man to exalt himself over God.
If at least one is humble out of two, or at least ten men are humble out of the many, then forgiveness, reconciliation, wisdom, truth, justice and hope will be present on Earth.
Still the temptation of becoming gods lured the first people to death, and it is still deadly today, when men, like despots, tyrants and psychopaths claim ultimate power over life and death, bringing wars, oppression, slavery and contaminated blankets on each other. That is what humility means that we have to submit ourselves to God obeying his commandments, aiming the common good and the well being of all humans and all creatures.
One of the main astonishing aspect of the Spirit might be that the Spirit talks to the godly and to the wicked almost in equal intensity, as it is written in the Sermon of the Mount, that “you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”
The volume of the voice is the same, even the love is the same toward the just and the unjust. However, to listen to the inner voice of the Spirit depends on our readiness, willingness and openness to really listen to it, as it is also written in the letter to the Hebrews that “while it is said, "Today if you will hear his voice, don't harden your hearts, as in the rebellion."
Not only the Spirit calls everyone, good and wicked, reaching out with the same intensity, but it does it without a pause. No one can say, that I will do some good, when the Spirit will call me, maybe next year, because it occurs every day and even by night.
Thus, we are on duty 24/7, as the first congregation heard and answered the Spirit every day, as it is written: “ Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people.” May we do the same, for the sake of God, by the merit of Jesus, that we do answer the voice of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
The disciples were gathered, but hiding behind closed doors. They had been waiting for ten days in Jerusalem, as they were promised to receive the gift of the Lord, which is the Holy Spirit. When it arrived, as the Scripture said, flames of fire appeared over their heads. Enlightenment. Literally and spiritually too. Transformation of the heart.
Disciples, who became desperate and depressed after the death of the master, and were left without the physical guidance of Jesus since the ascension, these same disciples, by the touch of the Spirit, opened the doors, not hiding anymore the Gospel of the Christ.
They prayed for faith and they received it in the Spirit. This event was the Pentecost.
Three thousand people joined them in Jerusalem in the hours they opened the doors and left their fear and anxiety, doubts and apathy behind. Although persecution also grew, but they did not run anymore, as they told to the authorities that they have to obey Jesus rather than men (who crucified him).
The first Christian churches shared everything within the congregation: food, money, land and resources, thus there were neither beggars nor needy among them, neither slaveholders nor slaves, neither landlords nor peasants. They gave thanks together to the Lord saying that only to GOD belongs the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever.
In the last 2000 years Christian scholars wrote tremendous amounts of tractates, essays, Bible interpretations, commentaries and other books, filling up personal bookshelves, religious and public libraries throughout the world and throughout centuries and millennia.
These works were written by renowned scholars and together with them, we mostly and seriously think that the case of the Holy Spirit is so complex that it is barely perceivable for the simple mortal being.
However, almost nothing should be more simple than the touch of the Holy Spirit, because as God is One and the Lord is One, so the Holy Spirit is One. All are one under different names and within different manifestations of the same divine one. However, there are some phenomenal characteristics where the Holy Spirit can be caught red-handed, like in its gifts to humans: the gifts of prophecy, speaking of tongues, healing of the sick, judging the souls, attaining wisdom, etc. When we contemplate on these gifts, one of the major phenomenon is that the giver of the gifts is One.
In order to be reborn to the similarity of the One Spirit, we all have to become, one by one, a holy wisely one-minded person, which means that we have to focus on the oneness of God, and we have to focus on the Kingdom of God whose sole importance must overcome everything on Earth.
The requirement of being holy wisely one-minded sounds very simple, though it is one of the most difficult task in our lives as the Apostle Paul wrote that "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. "
Good and bad dwell in the divided human soul in the same time and they are fighting each other all the time for the rule of human soul. In order to get rid of the bad we have to become one minded. That is why the Great Commandment says that "Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. "
God demands our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole strength and nothing less. According to the Spirit Math, just like the candle shines in the darkness, the light of the One Spirit must destroy the darkness in the soul, eradicating fully the bad inclinations. It is like combing the coiling snakes from someone’s hair.
In that way the one-minded soul serves God, and only God, as Jesus declared himself:
“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
Nonetheless, some people imagine that they can become their own God, and they will serve themselves only, their own ego, as Wolfgang Goethe wrote in the 19th century that:
“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”
However, the opposite is written in the Gospel: "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Gospel of Luke 14:)
A human without God is less than nothing, because being without God is not neutral, it is a wicked and evil, an ungodly condition.
The Paradise is not lost, just the path to its Gate is hidden. The Path had been revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and we have to simply obey the road signs aka the holy commandments in order to return to the Paradise, which is the Kingdom of God.
It is obvious and clear that our relationship with God must be based on humility, as God is so much higher than humans, that it is unimaginable for a man to exalt himself over God.
If at least one is humble out of two, or at least ten men are humble out of the many, then forgiveness, reconciliation, wisdom, truth, justice and hope will be present on Earth.
Still the temptation of becoming gods lured the first people to death, and it is still deadly today, when men, like despots, tyrants and psychopaths claim ultimate power over life and death, bringing wars, oppression, slavery and contaminated blankets on each other. That is what humility means that we have to submit ourselves to God obeying his commandments, aiming the common good and the well being of all humans and all creatures.
One of the main astonishing aspect of the Spirit might be that the Spirit talks to the godly and to the wicked almost in equal intensity, as it is written in the Sermon of the Mount, that “you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”
The volume of the voice is the same, even the love is the same toward the just and the unjust. However, to listen to the inner voice of the Spirit depends on our readiness, willingness and openness to really listen to it, as it is also written in the letter to the Hebrews that “while it is said, "Today if you will hear his voice, don't harden your hearts, as in the rebellion."
Not only the Spirit calls everyone, good and wicked, reaching out with the same intensity, but it does it without a pause. No one can say, that I will do some good, when the Spirit will call me, maybe next year, because it occurs every day and even by night.
Thus, we are on duty 24/7, as the first congregation heard and answered the Spirit every day, as it is written: “ Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people.” May we do the same, for the sake of God, by the merit of Jesus, that we do answer the voice of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
