enthusiasm of the Holy Spirit
In 1983, John Scully decided to leave his prestigious position at Pepsico to become President of Apple Computer. He entered an uncertain future by leaving the safe haven of an established company and joining a young company that offered no security, just one man's visionary idea. Scully made the bold decision after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs confronted him with a now-legendary question: "Do you want to sell sweetened water for the rest of your life?" Or do you want to come with me and change the world?" As the saying goes, the rest is history.
Around 2000 years ago, a group of ordinary men and women met on the upper floor of a house in Jerusalem. If you had asked them back then if they could change the world, they probably would have laughed. But when they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, these previously hesitant and fearful believers shook the world. With overwhelming power and ability, they proclaimed the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: “With great power the apostles testified to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” (Apg 4,33)Despite all opposition, the early church spread from Jerusalem like water gushing from a freshly opened fire hydrant to the ends of the earth. The word for it is "unstoppable." The believers pressed out into the world with an unprecedented urgency. Their passion for Jesus lasted a lifetime and drove them to proclaim the word of God with confidence and courage: "And when they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Apg 4,31)But where did this passion come from? Was it a crash course or a dynamic seminar on positive thinking or leadership? Not at all. It was the passion of the Holy Spirit. How does the Holy Spirit work?
He works in the background
Shortly before Jesus was arrested, he taught his disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit, saying: “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because he will receive what is mine and make it known to you.” (Joh 16,13-14).
Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit would not speak of himself. He doesn't like to be the center of attention, preferring to work in the background. Why? Because he wants to put Jesus first. He always puts Jesus first and never puts himself first. Some refer to this as "the timidity of the mind."
The timidity of the Holy Spirit, however, is not timidity out of fear, but out of humility; it is not a shyness of selfishness, but one of focus on the other. It comes from love.
communion with humanity
The Holy Spirit does not impose itself, but slowly and quietly leads us into the whole truth - and Jesus is the truth. He works to reveal Jesus within us so that we can relate to the living God Himself and not just know facts about Him. Community is his passion. He loves connecting people.
He wants us to know Jesus, and through that, to know the Father, and he never gives up trying to achieve this. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would glorify him: “He will glorify me, for it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” (Joh 16,14)This means that the Holy Spirit will reveal who Jesus truly is. He will highlight and exalt Jesus. He will draw back the curtain to illuminate Jesus' true self and reveal the wonders, the truth, and the greatness of his love. This is what he is doing in our lives. This is what he was doing long before our conversion to Christianity. Do you remember the time when you surrendered your life to God and said that Jesus was the Lord of your life? Do you think you did that entirely on your own? “Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says, ‘Jesus is accursed,’ nor can anyone say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1. Kor 12,3).
Without the Holy Spirit we will not have real passion. He works the life of Jesus into our very being so that we are transformed and able to let Jesus live through us.
“We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us: God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. In this way love is perfected among us, so that we may have freedom to speak on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.” (1. Joh 4,16-17).
Open your life to Him and experience the joy, peace, love, and passion of God that flow in and through you. The Holy Spirit transformed the early disciples by revealing Jesus to them. He enables you, too, to grow continuously in your understanding of Jesus Christ: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and forever!” (2. Petrus 3,18).
His deepest desire is for you to get to know Jesus as he really is. He continues his work today. This is the passion and activity of the Holy Spirit.
by Gordon Green
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