During this past summer of 2021, I composed a series of blogs entitled, ‘Governmental’ Control, Who’s in Charge? I was continuing my thoughts regarding Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. My concern was for the Church, the Body of Church, the Israel of God.
As I sat and pondered where to begin, I asked the Lord, “What is the Spirit saying to the Church?”
There is a great significance in asking this question. Why? In the upper room, the night before Christ’s crucifixion, Jesus is spending the Passover with His disciples. In what is referred to as the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus is finalizing His instructions. He is dealing with His disciple’s lack of understanding about His departure; readying them to be hated by the world on account of Him; inaugurating a new covenant, modeling what it means to be a servant; commenting on His betrayal and setting it into motion; His relationship to the Father; the Father’s desire for them; and a constant emphasis on love. Uniquely interwoven among all this teaching, instruction, drama, and dynamics, there is a predominant theme that must not be ignored, overlooked, or minimalized. That teaching was about the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is THE LORD’S C.E.O., Christ’s Executive Officer of the Church.
Reading John 16:1-16, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now, I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, where are you going? But because I have said these things to you sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgement because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority; but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that he will take of Mine and declare it to you. A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see me, because I go to the Father.” (NKJV)
I emphasized the final sentence on purpose. Why? Because the next verses in John 16:17-18, says, “Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’? They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.” Verse 19 tells us that Jesus knew what they wanted to ask and He addressed it, see John 16:19-33.
Here is my point. What Jesus said about the Holy Spirit is on the back burner of the disciples’ minds. They were caught up in the immediate moment. They had heard what Jesus said about His ‘going’; but they were confused about what it meant. This is not surprising.
Fast forward to Pentecost-the Holy Spirit has come; the Church has been ‘born’; the Apostles and others have been filled with the Holy Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father. The coming of the Holy Spirit is also the fulfillment of Jesus’ words to His disciples in the upper room. Jesus is the Ascended Messiah. He sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is Lord. He is the King of the Kingdom. We, who are in Christ, are children of the Father, and servant followers of the King. So, Who is in charge? Who is in governmental control of the Church? Jesus is the Head of the Body. All authority has been given unto Him. He rules and reigns. But, lest we forget, what was His teaching in the upper room? I must go back to the Father and I will not leave as orphans.
In John 14:15-18, Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither see Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans.” (NKJV). In the following verse, we hear Jesus’ words saying to them (this is in the upper room) “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me…”
Jesus told them that the Spirit will be sent. The Holy Spirit’s coming is an answer to His prayer to His Father. The Spirit has come and for the past 2000 years the Church has…mirrored the life of the nation of Israel (Old Covenant). Many ups and downs throughout its history. Under the Old Covenant, the nation of Israel wrestled with who is in charge. I submit to you that the Church of the New Covenant, too, has wrestled with who is in charge.
I believe that the Church needs to have a fresh understanding of the fact that the Holy Spirit is the C.E.O. of the Church. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s Executive Officer.
Reflecting upon my own experience for a moment. When Christine and I were first married, knowing that ‘going to Church’ was needed in our lives because that was how we were raised, we started ‘looking’ for a Church. I came to the realization, and told Christine, ‘if this is all there is to Christianity, then I want out.’ There was no meaning, no life, no purpose, no vision, only repetition, a sense of boredom. The Lord heard that statement, and instead of ignoring me, projected me(us) into a new journey. One which, now that I think about it, He set up my disappointment so that I would say what I did. What was the Lord up too? The Lord introduced us to the Third Person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit. In short, we experience our own Pentecost; and since the 60’s, we have been on a remarkable journey. And just like Israel, and the Church, we have had our ups and downs, victories and disappointments, moments of obedience and disobedienced, joy and heartache. BUT, the Lord has been faithful. He has watched over us. AND, the Holy Spirit has been there as our C.E.O.
At this time, I want to say many things, but I will refrain, and ask a question.
Who is responsible to see that the One New Man functions as it is supposed to function? Paul answers that question in His letter to the Church at Ephesus. Ephesians 2:14-18, Paul wrote, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandment contained in the ordinances (the Old Covenant) so as to create in Himself, one new man (New Covenant) from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him (Christ), we have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Yes, it is Godhead that works together. Again, I submit to you that the primary function of overseeing the Church has been designated to the Holy Spirit. He is the C.E.O., the governing entity of the Church, the Body of Christ, the (new) Israel of God.
I asked the Lord about 2022. The answer I received was that 2022 was going to be a year of change for members of the Body of Christ, the Ecclesia, the Isreal of God. Many of you may or may not know that I like acronyms. The following is an acronym for the word CHANGE: Christ Has A New Governmental Experience coming in 2022 to His Church. It will not be a NEW extra-Biblical experience. It will be an awakening. It will be a renewal. It will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit governing individual believers and the Church as witnessed in Acts 2; and outlined by Jesus in the upper room the night before His crucifixion. The Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is, will be, in charge. Man’s wisdom, ingenuity, and human decision making will be minimized.
The Holy Spirit, the Lord’s CEO, will take charge of the ‘board room’ of our lives individually and collectively. It will be unsettling for some, traumatic for others, and refreshing for many.
Change is coming in 2022.
Resting in Christ’s Kingdom, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 