A Devotional Life

Series: The introductions of the Holy Spirit by Jesus In the previous studies we looked at the teachings of Jesus revealing the person of the Holy Spirit, by highlighting how we are to relate to Him - setting Him as priority and yielding to Him . In today's session we will look at who Jesus said the Holy Spirit is from the passage in Matthew 10. He is: The Spirit of the Father and Our Guide into the Father's Will - Matthew 10:1-20, 26-31 In Matthew 10:1-20 Jesus sent His disciples on a short mission. He asked them basically to do what they had been watching Him do for a while now - preach the kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead...(7-10). He then gives them advise on how to travel (no money, no bags), and how to meet potential hosts (greet, ask nicely, and bless if welcomed) - verses 9-15. From verses 16-18 Jesus begins to tell His disciples the realities of this mission, how risky it is. They would be maltreated and summoned to justice. But in verses 19-20 He says ...

Series: The introductions of the Holy Spirit by Jesus Previously we looked at Jesus' introduction of the Holy Spirit in John 7 - where Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit by saying it is possible for us to flow in our relationship with Him. And that our relationship with the Spirit is as easy as believing and setting Him as our priority. This week we'll look at Matthew 9. In Matthew 9:14-17, Jesus responds to a question about fasting, but His proverbial response went beyond fasting. 14 Then the disciples of John [the Baptist] came to Jesus, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast [as a religious exercise], but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus replied to them, “Can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts a piece of unshrunk (new) cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment and a worse tear results....

Series: The introductions of the Holy Spirit by Jesus In John 7 there was a big Jewish feast called the Feast of Tabernacles. It seemed Jesus was initially reluctant to go to this feast (v9) but later decided to go stealthily. And when He got there He waited till the feast was half over before he began to teach (v14). We notice that for the period of the feast His sermon was blessed with a divided audience (v12-15) - those who accepted His message and those who didn't, which was understandable. But then there was also those who just wanted to kill him but wouldn't admit it (v16-36). What a day in Church? Actually, what a Church conference? because v37 says in the last (...) day of the feast , and He had been there teaching from when the feast was half over (v14). Although there was a very divided audience at His teaching, He pressed on till the last day. Father help us to always set your Spirit as the most important in our lives. [The feast of taberna...