Thursday, May 9 - John 16

HOLY SPIRIT STUFF

   Note the terms and descriptions used here of the Holy Spirit.   He is called "Counselor" and "Spirit of truth."  Jesus tells us that He will convict the world of guilt.  He also says that the Spirit will guide us into truth and bring glory to Jesus by taking the truth and making it known.  (see verses 5-16)

   If the Father is Creator and Jesus is the Savior... then the Holy Spirit is the faith-builder and faith-sustainer.  He is the One who is active at our baptisms, enabling sinners like us to believe.  He is the One who is active in the Word, using it to transform our hearts.  He is the One who nurtures us through Holy Communion, blesses us in our worship, and gives us gifts to use in service to our God.

   Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit like this:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5)

   Martin Luther describes the work of the Spirit with these words from our Catechism:   "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true."

   Yes, the Third Person of the Trinity is the breath of God that stirs the sinful heart of God's people and churns out the faith to receive all God's gifts.  Feel free to pray to this Person of the Trinity even as you make requests of the the Father and the Son, for He knows you in a deeper way than you can possibly imagine.  As Paul says in Romans:  "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8)