In the late 1960’s, I said to my wife, Christine, “If this is all there is to Christianity, then I want out.”
Was I in despair? What is the basis for such a statement?
I can only make conjecture.
I think I can safely say that it was a frustration of an unsatisfied spiritual life that I was not even aware that I had.
I am grateful to the Lord that upon hearing those words of ‘despair’ He didn’t abandon me (us); but graciously, mercifully, and lovingly, intervened in our lives and showed us that there is truly more to Christianity than one may think.
In essence, heaven intervened.
Christine and I both grew up attending church.
It was, shall I say, part of our childhood life; what we did; and what was expected.
We were married in 1964 at the ‘mature’ age of 20.
Legally, when we were married; Christine was my legal guardian under the law. I didn’t turn 21 until two months after we were married. (lol)
Because we ‘grew up attending church’, we looked for a church to ‘attend’, believing it was right to do so.
The normal thing to do, right?
We wanted it to be part of our married life.
We looked. We attended. We were dissatisfied with what we saw and heard.
We were not ‘satisfied’.
Question: What were we looking for? I am not sure we knew.
Little did we know that the Lord was guiding our footsteps.
That’s called Sovereignty and Providence.
Christine and I were both nominal Christians at best.
We had some Biblical understanding (I think); but basically trained to ‘attend’ church.
Speaking for myself, I had some basic Biblical understanding; but I cannot quantify it, other than it was shallow; yet there was a foundation that had been laid that ‘attending church’ was important.
Question: What was the Lord’s response to my personal words of ‘despair’?
Answer: The Lord introduced us to the Third Person of the Trinity.
His Name is Holy Spirit.
It has been nearly 60 years since that intervention.
The Lord began revealing to us who Holy Spirit is, and what is His part in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ; His function in the Church; and His part in the salvific plan of redemption by the God-head.
During the past 60 years of our married life, our journey with the Lord has been more than we could have imagined.
Married at 20;turning 81 in 2024; we have lived 75% of our lives together under the tutelage of the Lord, guided by Holy Spirit, learning to please the Father, walking by faith in obedience to the Word of God.
We were ‘enrolled’ in the ‘School of the Spirit’, as members of the Body of Christ, the Church by the Lord.
This enrollment included ‘attending’ church.
But it was much more than just ‘attending’.
We, were now, as outlined in Acts 2:42 NASV, “…continually devoting (ourselves) themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. (insert mine)
Question: What brought about an abrupt change in lifestyle to those who were in Jerusalem fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection?
Answer: Acts 2:1-4 NASV, “And when the day of Pentecost had come (was being fulfilled), they [followers of Christ] were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” (marginal notes) [insert mine]
I want to ‘arrest’ your mind.
I want you to disregard your ‘scriptural prejudices’ about the Day of Pentecost for a moment.
Lay those thoughts aside.
I want you to focus not on ‘what’ took place; but to focus on ‘Who’ came “from heaven“.
Emphasizing Acts 2:2: it begins with these words-“And suddenly there came from heaven…”.
I am NOT minimizing God, the Father; NOR am I minimizing Jesus, the Son.
I am pointing out ‘Who’ came: God, the Holy Spirit.
This is the One, the Lord introduced us too.
I had hardly ever heard about the Holy Spirit growing up in church, as I remember.
The Lord introduced the Person that we needed functioning in our lives.
The Third Person of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father, according to the words of Jesus, the Son. (Luke 24:49)
The Promise of the Father is one of the central truths explained to Christ’s disciples in the Upper Room, the night of His arrest.
In context, Jesus is speaking about His soon departure going back to the Father.
He is reassuring His disciples of His love and care for them.
He is instructing them about praying to the Father; the ground rules for praying; the expected results of prayer; and about the coming of the Holy Spirit.
This is all found in John 14-16.
Let me paraphrase.
Jesus is speaking to them about a GAP that is going to occur shortly; and how He, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are going to be there for them.
In order to go back to the Father, Jesus will lay down His life as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
He is headed to the Cross!
The G.A.P.- Jesus shares with them about His Going; Assurance, and a Promise.
Jesus emphasizing His oneness with His Father. He instructs His disciples about praying to the Father; the conditions for praying when praying to the Father; and the assurance of answered prayer from the Father.
Continuing, Jesus says, in John 14:16-18 NASV,
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, who the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him, or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
Again, let me ‘quiet’ your mind.
Put aside your ‘scriptural prejudices’.
Do you hear what Jesus is saying?
First of all, as His disciple, He invokes the entire God-head, the Trinity is there for you. God-the Father; God-the Son; and God-the Holy Spirit.
Go back and read the verses.
Secondly, He has been physically with them for three plus years; but very shortly, His presence, as they know it, is going to be removed from them.
And He knows that is going to devastate them.
Jesus said they would be as ‘orphans’.
What does that conjure up in your mind?
Maybe you understand that personally?
Third, Jesus is assuring them, that His Father will send them another Person to replace Him in their lives.
That Person is the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Fast forward to the Day of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit came; descended out of heaven ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, on the Day of Pentecost.
I contend, that many in the Church today, have an ‘unsatisfied spiritual life’.
There is an undercurrent of a cry in many believer’s hearts like the cry of my heart almost 60 years ago that said, “If this is all that Christianity is about, then I want out.”
I understand now that this was not a statement of disowning my salvation.
This was a longing of the ‘heart of a sheep’ looking for something that is missing and really can’t put a ‘handle’ on it.
I also know I didn’t realize that at that time.
(I barely understood what it meant to be saved.)
I had an ‘unsatisfied life’ explained to me many years ago.
I encourage you to read Psalm 42:1-6 and reflect on the words.
If this is truly the cry of your heart, then read the rest of Psalm 42 and Psalm 43.
Our ‘unsatisfied life’ changes as we learn to be content in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, submitting to His Headship, guided and enabled by Holy Spirit, and learning to walk by faith pleasing our heavenly Father, according to the Word of God, in the context of the Church, as summarized in Acts 2:42: that is centered in the ‘apostles teaching’; maintaining ‘fellowship’ with the Body of Christ; ‘breaking bread’ with the Church; and ‘prayer’, individually and corporately.
The Holy Spirit is an active member of the God-Head.
His activity is documented from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21.
The Person of the Holy Spirit cannot be ignored when living the Christian life.
The Person of the Holy Spirit is an integral part of the entire purpose of God as revealed in the Word of God.
I encourage you to ask the Lord to reveal to you the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
I am not saying that the Holy Spirit is not in you.
If you belong to Christ, then the Spirit of God dwells in you. (Romans 8:9,10)
I am confident that the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is about to be confronted with an A.I. moment orchestrated by God, the Father.
I call it, Adonai’s Intervention–Acts 2:2 says, “and suddenly there came from heaven…”
The Holy Spirit came at the Feast of Pentecost ten days after Jesus’ ascension.
Here is what I want you to think about?
Question: When you pray the prayer Jesus gave to His disciples,when they asked Him to teach them to pray in Matthew 6, what do you expect as a response when you say the following words? (Matthew 6:9,10, NASV)
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” (emphasis mine)
What is your expectation?
My expectation is my Father’s intervention.
Our Father is coming with an Adonai Intervention is going to suddenly happen soon!
‘suddenly from heaven’.
This intervention is NOT the second coming of Christ; but it will be a coming of the Holy Spirit, convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement. (John 16:8)
It will be a ‘suddenly’ that will reveal the Presence and Power of God to our nation and the nations of the world before the return of Christ.
God, Himself, is coming with ACTION.
It’s A Chosen Time In Our Nation.
This coming will awaken His Church. (Ephesians 5:13-21)
This awakening will bring change to the Church.
There is a shaking coming.
Hebrews 12:25-28 NASV:
“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” And this expression, “Yet once more” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”
May the Lord richly bless you as you faithfully continue to follow Him,
blessings, a brother in Christ, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 