Holy Spirit

I begin today by stating that we all need the Living Scripture, as brought to us and taught to us, through the ever-powerful, ever-present, ever-patient and ever-productive Holy Spirit.  Indeed! We have been again reminded in no uncertain term and no wavering voice that, All Scripture is breathed out by God ESV, or as is recorded in the KJV, All scripture is given inspiration of God.

I’m encouraging us, for the remainder of this first week in the second month of a still very young year, to look at and focus on the words, God-breathed. This has all come about due to a WhatsApp message from someone. This is what it said, and I quote. “How do you explain the giving of the Holy Spirit on the night of resurrection and the giving on Pentecost? What I mean is, why the two? …the significance of each. Hope I make sense. Ask the Teacher.” I’m sharing this for two main reasons. The first is that having just come out of learning much about the Holy Spirit and Jesus, I am sure that many of you like me, want to seek the Scriptures for more about Him. The other reason comes from the fact that we all need the same Holy Spirit to grant us teachable spirits, surrendered hearts and willing minds to receive as we are led by Him.

Lord Jesus, Holy, Divine Spirit, lead us into all truth, please. Amen!

To be honest, I had never thought about the giving of the Holy Spirit on the night of resurrection and the giving on Pentecost.  In addition, I certainly did not recall learning anything about it either. Nevertheless, now that it had been opened up to me, I had become quite curious to know more about it. If perchance you do not know much about it also, I know that you too will be most eager and ready to receive.  

My initial response was to ask our spiritual leader to simply teach me, tell me, show me, but there was a constraining force within me, which kept me stuck to these words, “Ask the Teacher”. I could not deny or run away from the fact that I knew the person was referring to Teacher Jesus. Believe me or not, this is what happened. I never asked Teacher Jesus, but so convicted was I about my first response to pass the buck, as it were, I was taken through a time of deep repentance. I spent much time before our Teacher, but it was in repentance, asking Him to forgive me for not facing up to and accepting readily, this opportunity to prove Him as my Good Teacher. I went to bed assured that I was forgiven and was promised to have it taught to me at school the next morning.

Having gone to bed excited about learning more about the Holy Spirit after Resurrection and the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, I am up very early for school, expecting an exciting and moving lesson from our Teacher. I now give as I have been taught.

John, a disciple of Jesus, gives a first-hand knowledge of what has transpired on the evening of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. The disciples are all together, behind locked doors, for fear of the Jews, when Jesus, their risen King and Master, appears and speaks peace upon them. After convincing them that it is really their Jesus, they all receive untold resurrection joy from Him.

It is in their new state of resurrection joy that this next receiving takes place. I say next receiving, for they have just received the Peace of the Lord, and are overjoyed with having their returned and risen Master with them. Now, they are receiving the Holy Spirit of the Lord.

And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.  John 20: 22 – 23. The breath of Jesus upon His disciples is the giving of the Holy Spirit to them.

But why does He do this? Why does He give them the Holy Spirit at this point?