Reflections

Life Controlled and Transformed by The Spirit Romans 8:12-39  ‘ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?’ (35) The book of Romans is not for easy reading. Only when we read it carefully and prayerfully can we grasp the true message. Today’s passage deals with the difference between the life lived in sin and the one lived under the influence of the Spirit. This is a theme which Paul deals with in other chapters and in some of his other letters also. In 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 Paul speaks of ‘the man without the spirit’ (‘natural man’ in KJV) and the ‘spiritual man’. A life lived according to the flesh is one of fear, condemnation, slavery, despair and death.  (Romans 6:23) Life lived in Spirit: It puts to death the misdeeds of the body (v.13 cf. Galatians 5:16-17). A spirit-filled life leads us from fear to courage, weakness to strength, slavery to ‘son-ship’ and from despair ...

Walk in the Spirit Gal. 5:16-24. “So I say live by the spirit……..Vs. 16. In this passage Paul talks about some practical   aspects of Christian life. It is possible for a believer to misunderstand the nature of Christian freedom and to be tempted to continue a life which leads   to sin. Therefore in 5:13 Paul tells us not to use our freedom as an occasion for the flesh to sin. Paul was very conscious of the fact that it is not easy to live the Christian life. Works of the flesh Every believer has a sinful nature. No matter how spiritual one may be.Vs.16-21 describes the conflict between the flesh and the spirit. They are hostile to one another, that we may not do the things that we desire to do. In scripture the expression ‘flesh’ means the whole of our human nature in its present condition under the power of sin. The only way to be made free from the power of the flesh is to have it crucified and given over to the death. Scripture always speaks of it as a t...

THE POWER OF PENTECOST Act 2:1-11 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (4) As we meditate on the theme for the day, the Power of Pentecost, it is important to remember the role of the Holy Spirit.  In spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth, the apostles gave importance on relying on the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit was a guide and counselor in their lives.  As we read in this passage, speaking in various languages was a significant gift the apostles received to spread the Gospel so that all people from different backgrounds could understand.  The guidance of the Holy Spirit to the apostles was indeed a shock and surprise to those who came to witness the miracle first hand.  The diverse crowd in Jerusalem was amazed that the local Galileans were able to communicate the Gospel message in their own languages.  It was indeed something no one had ever witnesse...

The Power of Pentecost Genesis: 2. 1-15 The Lord God took the man put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. The Context: Today is Whitsunday in the liturgical calendar for celebrating Pentecost, which in the Old Testament times was a harvest festival, the ‘Festival of Weeks’, counting seven weeks from the end  of Passover (Leviticus 23: 16; Exodus 23: 16); later it became a  commemoration day of the Sinai covenant. This day is also important for Christians because, seven weeks after the resurrection of Jesus, during the day of Pentecost Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers for empowering them for God’s mission (Acts 2). Here we see God’s Spirit in action at the inauguration of the Church. Today’s text is about the beginning of the world and man’s place in it; it emphasises the Biblical concept of the creation of the world. Human dignity is based on the imprint of ‘God’s image’ on man. Adam formed from the earthly elements becomes ali...

Holy spirit - The Presence Of God John 16: 5-15 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in to all the truths... (v. 13) The Church is celebrating the festival of Pentecost this Sunday. On the day of Pentecost, we commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ. Different church traditions celebrate this day in various ways. This is also an opportunity to remember the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church to which we all belong.  John 14-17 is the farewell discourse of Jesus Christ in which He is reminding the disciples about His departure. Responding to their distress over that news, Jesus was encouraging and preparing them for continuing His ministry even after His departure. John 16: 1-15 speaks about the promise of the Holy Spirit as well as its nature and function. Holy Spirit is an ever Abiding presence of God On the day of Pentecost we thank God for His presence with us through the Holy Spirit. The everlasting presenc...

Waiting on the Lord for power Acts. 1: 1-8 “…You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 “Happiness in a bottle, have this energy-drink to feel energized throughout the day” is the ad for one of the numerous energy drinks available in the market. We live in a stressful world; there are deadlines to be met, projects to be finished, to-do lists to be completed! Where do we draw our strength? Is that morning coffee, or that energy drink sufficient? Where do we get our power? Jesus promises a source of power to his disciples-that which is far greater than any earthly source, and his promise remains true to us today. After the resurrection of Jesus, he had instructed his disciples that they were to witness to people around them all about him, but they were to wait on the power of Holy Spirit first. While the vocations ...

Waiting up on the Lord for Power   2 nd Kings 2:9-15   “ Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit ” ( 2:9b) When my daughters were younger we always made an annual family trip to the amusement park.  Although these trips were always fun, I dreaded having to wait in the long lines before each amusement park ride. I have to admit that I often become impatient when I have to wait for anything. Indeed if the truth were told most of us are the same.  If you think about it, the examples are endless- the wait for excited grandparents before the birth of their first grandchild, the wait for the engaged couple before their wedding day, the wait for the student before graduation; they all test our patience, our ability to endure, and our commitment to the outcome. Often times, we are called to wait upon the Lord. There are occasions when the Lord seems to be really taking His time. And the reason for this is simple. During this time gap, the Lord is pr...