John 15:26-27, 6:4b-15
May 31st, 2009
"The Holy Spirit"
Today is Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. In our Acts reading we heard the actual events of the birth of the Church. In our reading from John, we heard the prophecy of that day.
In these two stories we find ourselves and the call to wholehearted participation in the Church and the call to testify on Jesus’ behalf.
From the Acts reading I want us to keep three things in mind in terms of the work of the Holy Spirit.
1st - When the Spirit fell “they were all gathered together in one place.” It is assumed they were in the Upper Room engaged in prayer as verse 14 of Acts chapter 1 states.
The Holy Spirit fell on the body of the believers when they were gathered together.
The first major work of the Holy Spirit was to birth the church. Anytime a new fellowship or church comes into existence they are brought into existence by the Holy Spirit, which is why in our Apostles’ Creed, we state, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of the saints,” (“catholic” here refers to the “universal church of Jesus Christ and the ‘saints’ are you and me who are brought into ‘communion’ or fellowship by the Holy Spirit.”)
Any gathered body of believers is brought into existence and power by the Holy Spirit, which is why in the creed the church and the communion of saints are listed together. You as a believer in Jesus Christ are one of the “saints” of God.
2nd - From Acts 2, Peter quotes Joel and says in verse 17, “I will pour forth my Spirit on all humankind”. I know I have to be careful explaining this scripture because once when I emphasized the “Spirit was poured out on all flesh”, I was angrily confronted by a couple who quit the church, refusing to believe the Holy Spirit would have anything to do with a non-believer. The Holy Spirit does, and I will delineate that when I talk about the passage from John.
But indeed with Pentecost the Spirit was poured out on all flesh though members of the Christian church and nonmembers experience the Spirit differently.
3rd - The Spirit enabled the disciples to testify to people from many languages and cultures, which you can gather from the list of people who understood the disciples in their own language.
So remember 3 things from Acts.
- The disciples were together praying when the Spirit fell upon them. Christianity is a team sport. And I can’t emphasis the importance of “togetherness”, fellowship too much.
- The Spirit was poured out on all flesh. The Spirit of God seeks all to save all.
- The Spirit enabled the disciples to testify to Jesus’ in many languages.
Now on to John 15:26-27, & 16:4b-15
This Scripture has 3 parts. The first part, verses 15:26-27and third part, verses 16:12-15 address how the Holy Spirit works in the life of the Church and in the believers’ life.
The second section verses 4-11 addresses how the Holy Spirit works in the life of non-believers, how the Spirit is poured out on all flesh from Acts 2:17.
The whole section, as it describes the work of the Holy Spirit, is couched in the language of the courtroom. Now I know this is not the most popular way in our culture of talking about the Holy Spirit or the things of God. But we need to use and understand this language in order to be faithful to the Scriptures.
Most would like to use the language of “relationship” and speak of the Holy Spirit as “Comforter” or “Guide” as it does earlier in the John, but we need to use this language here to understand this aspect of the Holy Spirit.
In Chapter 15:26-27 it speaks of the Holy Spirit as the Advocate – a defense attorney and as the “Spirit of truth”. It speaks of how the Holy Spirit will “testify on Jesus’ behalf” and “how we are also to “testify”. In the 2nd section it speaks of the Holy Spirit in relation to non-believers, those in the world experience the Holy Spirit as a “prosecuting attorney”.
In the NRSV version in our pews, it says in verse 16:8 the Holy Spirit “will prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment.”
In other translations it says, “The Holy Spirit will “convict” the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.” Again this is the language of the courtroom of “convict”, “righteousness” and “judgment”.
Now, what this means is that the believer experiences the Holy Spirit as an Advocate, Counselor and/or Comforter. The Holy Spirit is the “defense attorney” who comes alongside of us to help us in the time of judgment.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that will tell us, or testify to us the truth about God in Jesus Christ.
Verse 27, which reads, “You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.” is very direct and if you don’t understand how the Holy Spirit works, scary for you might think you have to do all the testifying by yourself under your own power and understanding.
No, we are to “do the work of the Holy Spirit by the Holy Spirit working through us”. We are also to testify because as the scripture says, “You have been with me from the beginning”.
John here speaks on two levels; one to the disciples who were present with Jesus at that moment and the other to believers down through the ages, to us gathered here for the phrase “from the beginning” can also mean “from conversion” or in other words we are to testify from “the beginning of our relationship with God.”
Even children can do this as they lisp “Jesus loves me.”
Once when I was at Catalina UMC working with their young adult group a lady from the paper called to get an explanation of what the YA group at Catalina UMC was about. After a few minutes of my trying to explain the group, she said, “Oh, you exist to grow.”
That pretty much sums up the church and is reflected in CCUM vision statement that says: “To grow as individuals and as a congregation in service, spirit and community.”
If we testify to Jesus, we will grow, because the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh. To testify to Jesus is to “witness” to Jesus, which is reflected in our new membership vow of “witness”. When we witness or testify people will respond and we will grow.
Now I said that non-believers experience the Holy Spirit in a different manner. They experience the Holy Spirit as a “prosecuting attorney”. As verse 8 says, “the Holy Spirit will prove the world wrong (or convict the world) about sin, righteousness and judgment.”
“Sin” here is defined as not believing in Jesus Christ. “Righteousness” is achieved through belief and relationship with Jesus Christ, and the “judgment” is to discern between the two, knowing one is blessed with eternal life, the other with death.
For unbelief, along with the devil, is defeated and condemned by Christ through his death, resurrection and ascension.
What this means practically is that when you attempt to testify to another, share your faith, invite them to worship, choir, Sunday School or a friendship luncheon, whatever in terms of our faith – the Holy Spirit has already, already been working on that person’s heart and soul. Students of Wesleyan theology know this as “prevenient grace.” Our Acts scripture says, “The Spirit has been poured out on all flesh.”
As “prosecuting attorney” the Holy Spirit has already been pricking someone’s conscience saying there is something more.
The Holy Spirit has been saying belief is possible as well as new life and a loving relationship with God. And for those caught up in life destroying activities the Holy Spirit issues “cease and desist” orders.
So when you get the idea, the feeling the urge to invite or share or visit with another person, the Holy Spirit is already and has been already working on that other person’s mind and soul.
One of the most profound things you can do to experience the Holy Spirit working in and through you is to simply invite another person to an activity of the church.
What happens then is that the Holy Spirit that is in you is calling to the Holy Spirit that is in that other person. Now they may or may not respond right then and there, but the seed has been planted and God will cause it to grow.
This last Tuesday in the Upper Room Devotional a man spoke of this activity of God. He wrote, “Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
“My Dad loved to plant and grow vegetables, particularly tomatoes. However, because he was in the military, we had to move every three or four years. Even if we knew we were about to be moved, Dad would plant and tend a garden anyway, and say with a smile, “I’m planting tomatoes for someone else to pick.”
Dad’s words come back to me at times when I feel my work for God is not showing any result. I have never helped someone find God in a single encounter, nor have I ever helped guide a straying Christian to return to God’s path in a single conversation. Frankly, most of what I have done for God may not bear fruit in my lifetime.
Each act I do for God nudges someone closer to God’s grace, but never all the way. In the few cases that I’ve been present when someone does find God for the first time, or is restored to spiritual health, it has always been the last of a long series of events in that person’s path.
God calls us to work in the garden. We can plant or water, whether or not we get to enjoy the harvest.”
We are not responsible for another person’s response – the Holy Spirit is. It is the Holy Spirit who will convict another person’s heart. We are simply to testify. To cast that message out again and again and again and again until the Holy Spirit prompts someone to respond. We plant the seeds and water; it is God who causes the growth.
We, as a local church, may reap the benefits of a person’s response or it may be another church. It doesn’t matter which, each and every one of us must simply continue to testify. Think about it, most of you are here today because someone in another church in another place cared enough about you as a person to love you and to share with you about Jesus Christ.
Scared about what to say and feel inadequate to say it? You can study and prepare in fact we all need to do that, but in the end, the Holy Spirit will guide you into what to say and do. Our Acts scripture shows that God could even help people speak the gospel in foreign languages.
And verse 13 of John 15 says, “The Holy Spirit will guide you into all the truth.” It is God who causes the harvest.
We don’t need to know now all that we need to say and do, but when the moment arrives…when the Spirit that is within you calls to the Spirit that is in the other person, the Spirit will give you what you need to say and do.
In the end we get our strength and encouragement when we gather together like the early disciples were doing on Pentecost for where two or three are gathered, Jesus is there amongst them.
I can’t emphasis enough the importance of us gathering together for worship, fellowship and prayer. It is what brought the Church into existence and sustains it to this very moment.
It is in and from this gathered body of believers that we gather strength to go and testify. And it is to this body of believers we return with those whom the Holy Spirit has convicted, called and comforted.
Today, let us rejoice in this mystery of the Church that the Holy Spirit has called us to be part of and to create with Him.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
AMEN!!!
