"And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."
Revelation 22:17 NKJV
The final lines of the last book of the New Testament describe the quintessential event, but one that might still be thought to be far off. The Spirit, at all times, always acts on behalf of believers, the church, every living thing and creation itself. If in the last pages of Scripture it is written about how God is the Alpha and Omega, in Genesis it is written, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the face of the abyss, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. God said, "Let there be light!" And light it was" (Genesis 1:1-3). Before the world took on the appearance we know, the writer of Genesis tells how the earth was formless, empty and lifeless. Over that still lifeless mass the Spirit moved, hovering over the waters and thus covering it. Before the Spirit worked our existence, we too were a "formless, empty, and lifeless mass"; we bore no fruit. One day He came and began to move upon us, until the Lord said, "Let there be light." At that command the Spirit created light, convincing us of sin, showing our condition, revealing our lack of future if we persisted in remaining in the darkness of sin.
To speak of the Spirit is to speak of the divine presence. A "holy" presence, as the accompanying adjective indicates. Holy because it sanctifies our lives: "he who is holy continues to sanctify himself," exhorts Revelation (22:11) in the closing lines. It is also a presence of freedom: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). An inner freedom, both moral and ethical, that shatters sin and restores to each of us a spiritual autonomy that is the source of all other freedom (Galatians 5:13). The freedom to which we are called is regulated by the Law of the Spirit, "for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2). Let us be clear: there is no freedom where the Law is absent. The Law of the Spirit guides the believer in the paths of the Word in an atmosphere of revelation and unveiling, helping them to place their lives in the following of Christ, and never in His place. Only when we allow His Word to dwell in us and become the lamp at our feet, then His light will shine bringing life on par with the Spirit who raised up an army reduced to a pile of dry bones before the prophet Ezekiel. Existence does not spontaneously take life from water as many believe, but it is essential that light with its warmth heats and generates life. It is essential, in fact the first divine word was "Let there be light."
We have not physically seen Jesus, but there are those who have described and represented him to us because they knew him. We thus perceive his voice through Scripture. Of the Spirit we have the presence because our spirit attests to Him; it is because of Him that we can confess Christ as Lord. Today there is a widespread tendency to speak and jabber in improper ways about the Spirit, even through inconceivable manifestations, for the sole purpose of achieving personal interests. Instead, where He is truly present there is clarity, sharpness and tranquility. Where He is truly present the church lives in expectation of the Lord's return. A longing that makes pilgrims in this life, as well as aware that every earthly good is taken away from us by the "thief" or the "moth." Where the Spirit acts believers are enticed to seek lasting things, fruits are visible and gifts drama and theater. A Spirit-led church preaches salvation in the name of Jesus, for we have been clothed with power so that we can become witnesses of Jesus: "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8b); that is, proclaiming Him in our homes and workplaces (Judea) beyond them (Samaria) and as far as He will lead us (the uttermost part of the earth).
Weekly Bible Reading Plan # 22
May 27, 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 10:24-42
May 28, 2 Chronicles 7-9; John 11:1-29
May 29, 2 Chronicles 10-12; John 11:30-57
May 30, 2 Chronicles 13-14; John 12:1-26
May 31, 2 Chronicles 15-16; John 12:27-50
June 01, 2 Chronicles 17-18; John 13:1-20
June 02, 2 Chronicles 19-20; John 13:21-38