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The Scriptorium

When the Spirit Comes

When the Spirit comes, we'll know.

The Gospel of John: John 15.18-27

Read and meditate on John 15.26, 27.
Christians quibble about what it means to be filled with the Spirit. But when the Spirit comes – really and fully comes – we’ll know it.

                      26“But when the Helper comes,
Whom I will surely send unto you from
the Father, He Who is the Spirit of
all truth, Who from the Father, by His love
proceeds, then He will testify of Me.
27And you will like witness unto Me,
because you have been with Me from the start.”

- John 15.26, 27

Reflect
1.  Jesus and the Father have sent the Spirit to us to bind us together as one body before the Lord (Eph. 4.3). Why is it, then, that the Spirit has often been as much a source of division among believers, as of unity? Complete this prayer: Thank You for Your Spirit, Lord, so that I…

2.  Jesus said the Spirit proceeds from the Father, as He Himself was begotten from the Father. How does this make it certain that the Spirit of God is God, just as the Word of God is God (Jn. 1.1)? The Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son; the son is neither the Father nor the Spirit; and the Father is neither the Son nor the Spirit. But all are God. Not three Gods, but one. How can this be? Help me to accept, Lord, that there are mysteries about you and about my faith which I cannot fully understand, but which…

3.  Jesus said that the work of the Spirit would be to testify of Him. What He literally said was bear witness concerning Jesus. Is there a difference between testifying (NKJV) and bearing witness? How does the Spirit bear witness to Jesus? What is incumbent upon us for receiving that witness? Your Spirit, Lord, is bearing witness to You in Your Word and throughout the creation. Help me to…

4.  Here, as in Acts 1.8, Jesus said that one effect of the Spirit’s bearing witness is that we “who have been with Jesus” would bear witness, too. In our text, Jesus was talking about the disciples. But He instructed them to teach us everything He had taught them (Matt. 28.18-20), so we can presume that we are called to bear witness to Jesus as well. This is the goal of the Spirit’s work in our lives (cf. Jn. 7.37-39). How would you counsel a new believer to expect the Spirit to bear witness in him? What does bearing witness presently look like in your life? Lord, I am called to be Your witness, and my witness at present is…

5.  Jesus mentions two important criteria for fulling our calling to be His witnesses: First, we must be “with Him.” What does that entail in your life? Is your present practice of being with Jesus preparing you to fulfill your calling as His witness? Explain. Second, we must have the Spirit of God. Why? What does the Spirit do to help us fulfill our calling to witness? Bring together into one your prayers from questions 1-4.

Summary
“The Lord promised to send the Comforter who would join us to God. For as a compacted lump of dough cannot be formed of dry wheat without liquid, nor can a loaf possess unity, so, in the same way, neither could we, being many, be made one in Christ Jesus without the water from heaven. And as dry earth does not produce fruit unless it receives moisture, in the same way we also, being originally a dry tree, could never have produced life-bearing fruit without the voluntary rain from above.” Irenaeus of Lyons (135-202 AD)

Jesus said the Spirit would be our Helper or Comforter, and that He is the Spirit of truth. Does He help or comfort us apart from the truth of God? Does He empower us to bear witness to Christ apart from the truth of God? How important is it, for the full working of the Spirit in our lives, that we grow continuously in the truth of the Lord?

Closing Prayer
The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.
The LORD has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORDhas made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 118.14-29

Psalm 118.14-29 (St. George’s Windsor: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come )
In the Savior we are strong! He is all our strength and song!
To His grace now raise your voice; in His righteousness rejoice!
For the Lord does valiantly; we shall live eternally.
Praise His works with all your breath, you whom He redeems from death.

All who know Christ’s righteousness His great Name now thank and bless!
Though His gate full righteous is, He our saving mercy is.
Cast aside and left alone, Christ is now our Cornerstone!
God has made His Son and Word our salvation: Praise the Lord!

Blest are they who in His Name come and Jesus’ grace proclaim.
God His light upon us shines in the Savior’s sacrifice.
Praise and thanks to You, O Lord; we extol Your holy Word!
Thanks to You for You are good! Thanks to our great loving God!T. M. Moore

We are happy to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in our series on the Gospel of John by clicking here. Need help learning to pray the psalms? Order the book, God’s Prayer Program, and discover why and how to realize the power of the psalms to transform your prayer life (click here).

Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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