Today's Passage - John 16:14-18

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 16: 14-18   "He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you...."                   In this passage, we continue to see the work of the Spirit on earth. First, the main work of the Spirit is to glorify Christ. The Bible says, nobody has even seen God the Father, but the one and only Son, who is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. For Jesus Christ the Word to become flesh is to show the love of God, His faithfulness and His plan to the world. This is why the Lord Jesus said, "He who has seen me has seen the Father."                  But after the Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection and his ascent to heaven, we see no more of Him! Praise God, He sent the Spirit to work. The purpose of the Spirit's work on earth is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ is us. Therefore Paul said in 1Cor. 12:3, "and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit." So may God help us, do not overlook the work of the Spirit, and do not indiscriminately reject the manifestation brought by the work of the Spirit.                  Over the years the Lord often teaches me to understand the work of the Spirit with a humble heart. When I see the manifestations that I do not understand, I would ask whether this is the work of the Spirit. If it is, I humbly receive no matter if there is any explanation to it; if it's not, I ask the Spirit of God to stop this manifestation. Once I adopt this attitude towards the outward manifestations without the indiscriminate rejection, the Spirit will teach me how to discern what is from the Spirit and what is from the evil spirit; and what is from the flesh; because the work of the Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ.                  Next, the Spirit comes to make known to us what it has received from Jesus. To "make known", it's not simply knowing the work of Jesus Christ; it's also for us to receive all the grace from Jesus Christ. The Father is the creator, the planner, but the Lord Jesus is the executor of the salvation, the one that becomes the flesh; while the Spirit is the one that fulfills, because it's impossible for us to know the work that Jesus Christ fulfilled for us without the work of the Spirit.                  To this end, the Lord Jesus Christ asks the disciples to wait for the coming of the Spirit, because he would rise from death and ascend to heaven, the disciples would not see him again with their naked eyes, but they can experience again the presence of the Lord through the work of the Spirit, and indeed a more powerful presence! Brother and sisters, have you ever experienced the presence of the Lord? Not just knowing it in theory, but to really feel it in our lives! We ask the spirit of the Lord to put in our hearts the longing to experience the presence of the Lord, we also ask the Spirit to show God's presence in our everyday lives!                                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, thank you, because you send the Spirit to work. We pray the Spirit to open our minds now, looking directly only at God, to receive His healing and grace, walking with Him, enjoying all of His grace. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!