MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
January 15, 2025
The Third Person of the Godhead Series – Part 45
Peace: The Third ‘Fruit’ of the Holy Spirit (Part 3)
NO TRUE PEACE WITHOUT SOUND KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF SPIRITUAL TRUTH
Jesus said to the Twelve: “I have yet SO MANY THINGS to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now. HOWBEIT when He, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH IS COME, He will guide you into ALL truth.” John 16:12, 13, KJV.
Notwithstanding that the Master Teacher and “First Comforter” himself patiently, thoroughly taught, illustrated, and repeated His gospel lessons to the first disciples, they were “slow to hear,” that is, spiritually undiscerning. They were unready and unfitted to represent Him and the spiritual kingdom He was to establish on fallen earth.
But Jesus, the promised “Seed” and Messiah only had an ultra brief, pre-determined three and a half years, according to the plan of redemption, to accomplish His comprehensive mission on earth, beginning at His baptism at the Jordan, 27 A.D. Three and a-half years later, 31 A.D., He was already crucified at Calvary! Then, 50 days later, after spending 40
days with His disciples in His glorified body, He finally ascended to the Father in the heavenly sanctuary, witnessed by “Cephas(Peter), the Twelve, the over 500 disciple”, James, all the apostles, and Paul. (1 Cor. 15: 1-8; Acts 1:1-3)
Q. So how and by whom was the “continuing education,” training, eventual vetting by anointing, and continual empowerment and guidance of the disciples to be accomplished and facilitated, in heralding to the world the first edition of the gospel of a risen Savior, thereafter, the gospel of a coming King of kings and Lord of lords?
God’s messenger magnifies the Biblical account thusly (all emphasis and bracketed words mine):
“The disciples still FAILED TO UNDERSTAND Christ’s words in their SPIRITUAL SENSE, and again He explained His meaning. BY THE [Holy] SPIRIT, He said, HE WOULD MANIFEST HIMSELF TO THEM. ‘The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send IN MY NAME, He shall teach you ALL things.’ [John 14: 26]. NO MORE WILL YOU SAY, I CANNOT COMPREHEND. No longer will you see through a glass, darkly [1 Cor. 13: 12]. You ‘shall be able to COMPREHEND with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the LOVE of Christ, which PASSETH KNOWLEDGE’ (Eph. 3:18, 19].” E. G. White, Desire of Ages, pp.
ignorance of the true knowledge and understanding of the spiritual meaning of Christ’s words, the whole Bible itself—-which ONLY “THE HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH” can/will teach and impart to any and all humble seeker of “the truth as it is in Jesus”—-explains why Christ’s love, “which passeth knowledge,” and Christ’s peace “that passeth understanding,” can never be truly and fully experienced by any merely professed Christians.
This spiritual deficiency and disease will become even more critical, correspondingly increasing with the chaotic, predictably unpredictable “perilous times of the last days.” It reaches its prophesied stupendous climax in “the hour of temptation that shall try all that dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10) in the final crisis and “time of trouble such as never was” (Dan. 12:1).
It behooves all who confidently “think they will be able to stand” at that time “to make their calling and election sure” now by closely “examining themselves and proving themselves”, not others, “whether they are in the faith” of Jesus through the “Holy Spirit of truth,” by whom Christ’s peace is imparted.
Presumption is the counterfeit of faith. Procrastinate no longer. Tomorrow is not promised. Today, “Ask, seek, and knock for the Holy Spirit” that you may obtain Christ’s “peace that passeth understandjng!”
To be continued next MWM, God willing. Bless all, NMF.