As Lutheran Christians, we confess a Trinitarian belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  This means that we believe that while we have only one God, that same God has revealed Himself to us in three persons.  The ancient creeds of the Church express this understanding as best as can be done in human words.  While the Holy Spirit is always spoken of "last" in those creeds, He is by no means less  Godly.  In fact, we recognize the Holy Spirit's enduring and powerful work among us today even in our Catechism: “The Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”  (Martin Luther).  How can we move from viewing the Holy Spirit as a mysterious "blur" and "ghostly presence hovering in the background" (Gordon Fee), to seeing Him as the powerful and active person of the Godhead that He is?

Young King Solomon, when asked by God what he wanted, prayed to receive wisdom (1 Kings 3).  Do you pray for wisdom?  What does that mean to you?  It has been said that wisdom is "knowledge applied."  It is true that humans are capable of amassing knowledge, and yet still remaining unwise.  Such is the case of the unbelieving heart.  Often what is perceived as worldly knowledge is wrongly applied and then deemed to be opposed to what is spiritually wise.  So how is the believing person to reconcile the wisdom of God, which is seen as foolishness to the world?

 

The Bible clearly states that Christians will be persecuted. It still happens today in many different forms, from as simple as being mocked to as serious as suffering death. Be that as it may, we do not let persecution discourage us.  In fact, we embrace it. Persecution is an indication that we are "on the right track," since the enemy is always opposing the work of Christ.  Last week, after professing their faith, our confirmation students were asked this question: "Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession ... and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?" Recognizing that Christ is the creator and sustainer of your very life, and that He holds your eternity in His hands ... How would 

answer that question?

d intends to change us from the inside out.

The voices we listen to and the thoughts we allow to occupy our minds eventually shape who we become and what we do. If our goal is debauchery and depravity, we don’t have to do much—just avoid God, avoid Scripture, and avoid godly people. If our goal is a mediocre spiritual life, we can just occasionally focus on God’s Word, and the rest of the time focus on whatever else is out there. But if our goal is to have a mind that is the dwelling place of God, we need to fill it with what God says, and meditate on His Word.

Do you sometimes wish that God would show Himself more plainly?  He can seem to hide somewhere between the clouds and the pages of the Bible.  Wouldn’t it be nice if God showed up the way that He did for the Disciples of Jesus and the nation of Israel?  When there seems to be so much wickedness at work in our world today, you may be tempted to believe that God has “left the building.” Don’t.  Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake you … why start doubting Him now?