God the Holy Spirit Continues to Work
God the Holy Spirit Continues to Work.
Ancient Prayer #1: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. You, who have already come to make them believers, come now to make them blessed. You who came so that with Your help we might glory in the hope of the glory of the sons and daughters of God, come anew so that we might also glory in the possession of that glory. For Yours it is to strengthen and make firm, to perfect and to bring to fulfillment. The Father created us, the Son has redeemed us; Accomplish now what it belongs to You to do. Come and lead us into the fullness of truth, the enjoyment of the supreme Good, the vision of the Father, the abundance of all delights, the joy of all joys. Amen.” (medieval, Walter of St. Victor).
THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Presence of God in the Hebrew Bible appearing in Shekinah glory through light, fire, and luminous cloud; God’s divine Presence on earth; the eternal life-giving Third Person of the Holy Trinity; the intimate bond of divine love and truth shared by God the Father and God the Son; the dynamic power of God offered to every human being on earth; the supernatural Presence in the Community of God who is personal without being material; the invisible creative force with divine intelligence who truly knows the mind of God from the inside; the “ruach” of the Lord, His breath, wind and divine energy in the world; the Spirit of God who thus has all knowledge and is present everywhere in the universe; the sacred energy streaming forth from the Father and the Son, pouring love into our hearts, producing virtuous qualities in us, and gradually transforming each believer into the image of Christ; God’s Holy Spirit is the Lord’s change agent in each of us and the Church; the Spirit is the delivery system of grace into our hearts; the Spirit is God’s gift of the ‘Paraclete,’ God’s Helper who is called to come alongside us; the Spirit is the biblical ‘finger of God’ who acts in power on behalf of God, distributing His gifts to believers in the Church and accomplishing God’s will on the earth.
Ancient Prayer #2: “Come, Holy Spirit Lord and God, Fill full with Your own gracious good the faithful ones’ heart, mind, desire; Inflame in them Your love, O Fire! The light You bring, O Spirit, Lord, gathers now in one accord folk from every land and tongue; Your praise, O God, by all is sung. O holy Light, safe rest from strife, shape us by the Word of Life; Teach us to know our God aright and call him Father with delight. Guard us, Lord, against false creed, nor let us other masters heed, but cling in faith to Jesus only, and Him with all our might trust wholly.” (Martin Luther, 15th century)
The Finger of God at Work. God leaves His fingerprints everywhere, because that finger of His is always working. God has a finger? Scripture and Christian thinking ever since the early church supports the idea that the “finger of God” is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. God’s finger represents the power of the Holy Spirit, and in fact is the working member of the Godhead that demonstrates God’s power and accomplishes His will. God’s finger is always ready to spring into action, He is restless to demonstrate the power and love of God. “Most clearly supported in the Bible is that the finger of God indicates the working power of the Holy Spirit as He is made manifest in actions that are out of the ordinary, like casting out demons and working wonders.” (Father Raneiro Cantalamessa, Come, Holy Spirit). Early Christians were convinced that the Holy Spirit, the finger of God, was inseparable with Jesus when He worked miracles in His ministry. They attributed the signs and wonders to the Holy Spirit, as Paul clearly states in Romans 15:19 above. The Holy Spirit is the meeting place where God meets with God’s creatures. It is where His supernatural power touches human need by the finger of God. The miracles accomplished by the finger of God were an important part of the Christian message, and validated the legitimacy of what the apostles were asked to do after the ascension of Jesus. “Many non-Jewish people are coming into obedience to the Faith by the power of the Spirit of God, which is displayed through mighty signs and wonders, both in word and deed.” (Romans 15:19).
Ancient Prayer #3: “Holy Spirit, my Lord and God, let Your saving plan be fulfilled in us all. You drew God down from heaven and into the Virgin’s womb; You are the love that moved God to become one with our own flesh. You built for God’s Son a home in His mother; Built it on seven pillars, Your seven gifts. From the root of Jesse a shoot has sprung: On it You would one day come to rest. God, we have heard with our very own ears; Our fathers have told us the work that You did when you came in flame-tongues from Your throne in the Godhead to make earth a heaven. From that moment on, as children adopted, scattered throughout all the earth, through You we keep crying, Abba, our Father! to God. How great are Your mercies, oh Spirit, oh Lord! They revive me in hope; Through them I entreat You. Faith’s seal, of believers the counselor-helper, Light, Fire and Wellspring of light, Oh, listen to us who call You, and come! If You will but guide us, our Father’s face we will see, and also the face of His Son, and know You too, who flow from them both, Life’s fountain and river of peace.” (medieval, Rupert of Deutz).
Finger, Hand and Arm Working Together. Like any human finger, the finger of God does not function independent of the hand and the arm. Because of the deep union in the Trinity, the Holy Spirit does not have a mind of His own. A finger is only useful if it is connected to and has a working relationship with the hand and the arm. There is an intricate network of nerves and muscles that enable the arm and the hand and the finger to function together, perfectly in synch. The Trinity enjoys an even more intricate and mysterious spiritual network of interdependent parts. There were some early church theologians that went so far as to suggest that Christ was the “hand” of God. “The divinity is a body that represents the unity of the Godhead; the right hand represents Christ; the finger of the hand represents the Holy Spirit. We use the word ‘finger’ to draw attention to the Spirit’s power at work.” (St. Ambrose, circa 350 AD). So we can see the finger of God, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm all at work (Deuteronomy 26:8) to deliver, heal and renew the earth. The finger of God works in partnership with the hand of Christ and the arm of the Father to accomplish God’s will. The fingerprints of the Holy Spirit reveal the magnificent handiwork of God. The Holy Trinity continues to work to this very minute for the benefit of all creation. “Signs and wonders are not all that the power of the Holy Spirit can achieve. They are simply the high notes in a song whose melody continues lower notes too. They are lights that surprise us in order to show us what sort of energy is at work in a quieter way everywhere in our everyday life.” (R. Cantalamessa).
Ancient Prayer #4: “Come, Creator Spirit, Visit the minds of those who are Yours, Fill with heavenly grace the hearts that You have made. You who are named the Paraclete, Gift of God most high, Living fountain, fire, love, and anointing for the soul. You are sevenfold in Your gifts, You are finger of God’s right hand, You, the Father’s solemn promise putting words upon our lips. Kindle a light in our senses, pour love into our hearts, infirmities of this body of ours overcoming with strength secure. The enemy drive from us away, peace then give without delay. With You as guide to lead the way we avoid all cause of harm. Grant we may know the Father through You, and come to know the Son as well, and may we always cling in faith to You, the Spirit of them both. Amen. (early 9th century, Archbishop Maurus).
The Holy Spirit is Our Helping Friend. The paraclete was Jesus’ descriptive name He gave to the Holy Spirit (in John 14, 15 and 16). The Greek term means “called to come alongside of.” This rich term paraclete points to many different functions and personal ministries of the Holy Spirit after He comes alongside of us in love and friendship. The Spirit is the ultimate Helper to us as He lives out His personal character He shares with the Father and the Son. As Paraclete, the Spirit fulfills these roles in us as we grow in Christ. Jesus must have had a good reason to call the Spirit the Paraclete, of course. Unpacking the meaning of the term, we see that the Spirit’s helping style is fleshed out in ministering to us in these ways: The Spirit is called to “come alongside us” in order to point us to Jesus, advise and counsel us, remind us in order to understand, advocate for us, comfort us, listen to us, exhort us, teach us, and encourage us. That is the style, the method of influence that is intended for the benefit of every person being empowered by the Spirit. One Bible translator summed all these qualities up by simply naming the paraclete “Friend,” each believer’s intimate, supportive presence who befriends us on life’s journey. The Holy Spirit is our True Companion. The Father promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit was sent by both the Father and the Son… by Jesus who is seated in glory at the Father’s right hand, and by the Father right there along with Jesus. John 14:16 = “And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Paraclete), that He may abide with you forever.” John 14:26 = “But the Helper (Paraclete), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my Name...” John 15:26 = “But when the Helper (Paraclete) comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father…” John 16:7 = “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Paraclete) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
Ancient Prayer #5: “Holy Spirit, Direct our mind, Fill our heart, Be words on lips that we open to You. You tell the festive bell to ring, and prompt the singer of psalms to sing, Holiest of the holy, God of gods, Joy, light, healing draught and life; Praise be to You, with Father and Son, Spirit life-giver so kind. Amen.” (medieval hymn, Rupert of Deutz).
The Holy Spirit Tattoos the Heart. The finger of God, the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, will inscribe the Word of God on each individual heart. He will write God’s instructions in each believer’s heart and mind so we can follow Him and keep His commandments. The Holy Spirit will inspire each believer to obey God’s expectations for those who follow Him, because the Spirit of God has tattooed His Word on each heart and mind. “What is this law of God written in our hearts by God Himself, if not the very presence of the Holy Spirit who is the finger of God?” (Augustine). We can take His word everywhere we go, and His inscriptions will remind us of anything of God’s Word we have forgotten. It’s interesting that the writer of Hebrews in the New Testament paraphrased Jeremiah’s passage above (Hebrews 10:16) by saying that the Lord will write God’s words on our “minds” rather than the “hearts” mentioned by Jeremiah. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “I will give you a new heart, and put a new Spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and obey my laws.” (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:16-27).
Ancient Prayer #6: “Oh love of Father and of Son, Sacred source of every good, Spirit Paraclete! From the abyss of the Trinity, flow now river of love, into our inmost heart. Sweet flame in every corner felt of our stony heart to melt the ice of ill. Breeze of gentle strength so warm, breathe all through us till we burn with love that makes divine. Through You are we with God at one, and linked in heart together run in covenant of love.” (anonymous medieval hymn).
The Holy Spirit Pours Out Love. “ekkechytai” = to pour out in abundance; a lavish outpouring to the point of super abundance; a pouring out that began at some point earlier (the Cross, or perhaps one’s conversion), and continues to the present time; a continuous pouring out that floods the heart and is immeasurable; an ongoing soaking stream that is never withdrawn. Can we not clearly imagine the fingers of God picking up a silver pitcher of love that was just filled by the Father and the Son. The Trinity always has more love to offer, they never run out. We can see the hand of Christ guiding those fingers of God as the pitcher of love is tipped and pours out that love into the heart of every believer. We can then envision God’s love gushing out extravagantly from the heavenly container into our hearts of flesh. It has been said that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love shared by the Father and the Son, that the love between the Father and the Son is literally the Holy Spirit. So we can see the Godhead joyfully pour this living Spirit of Love, God’s love, into the pitcher till it is full to overflowing, then the hand of Christ splashing that love into our hearts, the Spirit in a sense pouring Himself into our lives. “For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with love; God has poured out (“ekkechytai”) His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us; We can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!” (Romans 5:5, various versions).
Ancient Prayer #7: “Spirit, dispenser of charisms to everyone; Spirit of wisdom and knowledge, who so loves us all, You fill the prophets, perfect the apostles, strengthen the martyrs, inspire the teachers with teaching! To You, our Paraclete God, we send up our supplications along with this fragrant incense. We ask You to renew us with Your holy gifts, to come down upon us as You came down on the Apostles in the upper room; Pour out Your charisms upon us, fill us with knowledge of Your teaching; Make us temples of Your glory, let us be overcome by the wine of Your grace. Grant that we may live for You, be of one mind with You, and adore You, You the pure, You the holy God, Spirit Paraclete.” (early Syriac Church, from Pentecost Liturgy).
The Holy Spirit Distributes His Gifts. The Greek word here is “charismata” which is plural for “charism.” It is derived from “charis,” which means grace. So the gifts of the Holy Spirit have often been called grace gifts, finding their origin in the unmerited love God offers to all believers as we seek to minister to each other for the common good. As has been often said, a charism, a spiritual gift, is given for the benefit of others, not oneself. A gift is given by the Spirit to enable believers to do or say something beyond one’s natural ability. The gifts are given for the building up and strengthening of Christ’s Body. These gifts are sparks from the holy fire of God so that it will be a light to the world. A gift is not a mere human talent, it is not a gift of natural heredity. A spiritual gift is a supernatural ability, not a natural one. The gifts are given to believers to meet the needs of their local body of believers, to help that local faith community founded on Christ to function effectively and enable that church to increase in maturity as they grow in faith and ministry. The most excellent spiritual gift is the Spirit’s pouring of agape love into our hearts (Ro. 5:5), a love that is not basic human love, or the natural love received by all people, but instead a love that is only possible when given by the Lord above through the Holy Spirit. Agape love, the greatest gift of the Spirit, is a true litmus test of faith in Jesus. “Remember, it is the same Holy Spirit who distributes, activates, and operates these different gifts as He chooses for each believer… Every believer has received grace gifts, so use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many-colored tapestry of God’s grace.” (1 Cor. 12:11; 1 Peter 4:10).
Ancient Prayer #8: “Come, oh Holy Spirit! Come, power of God and tender sweetness of God! Come, You who are both motion and rest! Renew our daring, Be our Companion so that we will not feel lonely in this world. Create in us intimacy with God! We do not say any longer, as the prophet said, ‘Come from the four winds,’ as though we did not yet know where You come from. We say, ‘Come, Spirit, from the pierced side of Christ on the Cross! Come on the breath blowing from the lips of the Risen Jesus!’” (early church hymn, undated, anonymous).
The Holy Spirit Plants Fruitful Seeds of the Kingdom. “You must think of yourself as of one setting out to make a garden in which the Lord is to take his delight.” (Teresa of Avila). The finger of God is the spiritual farmer who plants the kingdom seeds in the garden of our hearts. The Holy Spirit then directs the growing process until the grapevine starts bearing fruit. The dynamic Spirit of God in this way produces the character qualities of Jesus within each of us, the fruit of the Spirit. Bearing fruit by the Spirit, we take on the personality of Christ Himself. When we live in the Spirit and let Him guide and enable us, the virtues of the Lord will grow naturally. Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit can only lead to a harvest of righteousness if we let the Spirit have His way, according to the designs of the Father and the life of the Son. If we are serious about flourishing in God and bearing good fruit for the kingdom, the finger of God points the way. “Serve one another in love. For the whole teaching of Christ is summed up in this one sentence: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is nothing in Scripture that stands against such things.” (Galatians 5:14, 22-23).
Ancient Prayer #9: “Come Holy Spirit, Send from heaven the rays of Your light. Come, Father of the poor, come, Giver of gifts, come, enlightenment of hearts. Of consolers, very best, of the soul, the sweetest guest, You sweet refreshment are in midst of labor bringing rest, tempering the summer heat, soul’s ease in midst of tears. Oh, most happy-making light, fill to the very depths the hearts of all who believe in You. Of Your divinity bereft all humankind is empty left and nothing harmless is. Wash the filthy, water the dry, heal the wounded. Make supple the stiff, warm what is cold, give direction to the stray. Give to your faithful who trust in You the sevenfold sacred gift. Deserts to virtue lend, bring us to salvation’s end, give joys that never end. Amen.” (1228 A.D., Archbishop Langton of Canterbury).
The Sevenfold Holy Spirit at Work in Us. ‘Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars.” (Proverbs 9:1). As taught by the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the house of wisdom in Proverbs 9:1 was considered to be a direct reference to the Christian Church. The seven pillars holding up the Church were believed to be the ‘Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ as listed in Isaiah 11:2-3: “Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, Godliness, and Fear of God.” These seven qualities of the Spirit are the divine graces that rested on Christ, the perfection of His anointing at His baptism, and had remained in the Christian tradition all the way to John’s book of Revelation, in which John refers often to the “Seven Spirits of God.” (Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6). The seven gifts of God are also referred to as the “Sevenfold Holy Spirit.” These attributes of the Spirit continue to this day as properties of the Spirit that we live into as we follow the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This passage in Isaiah 11:1-3 celebrates the profound giftedness of the Spirit as He came in full force upon the Messiah Jesus and remained there forever. These sevenfold qualities represent the perfection of the Messiah’s anointing at His baptism, and they reveal divine gifts offered to believers who are “in Christ,” which only increase in power and usefulness as the believer earnestly follows God. These gifts come in the believer’s anointing as a new believer, and are given to each Christian “according to each one’s ability to receive them.” (Maurus). The Spirit’s gifts “do not come through our natural abilities, but through the divine power that confers them.” (Maximus). As we exercise these gifts in the power of the Spirit, they increasingly become that much more of an ingrained part of our redeemed nature. The Spirit offers to us the probability of becoming wise and insightful, able to guide others with God’s strength and valor, gaining in spiritual knowledge and godliness, and of developing a deep reverence for God. In other words, the Holy Spirit enables each believer to become like Jesus. Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One. “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness. His delight is in the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:1-3).
Ancient Prayer #10: “Come, true light. Come, eternal life. Come, mystery concealed. Come, treasure unnamed. Come, reality outreaching all telling. Come, of You whom our minds cannot grasp. Come, everlasting joy. Come, light that causes no shadow. Come, hope of all the redeemed. Come, You who raise the dead. Come, You only, to the lonely. Come, my breath and my life. Come, my soul’s consoler. Come, my joy, my glory, my everlasting delight. Shining vesture, searing to demon touch. Cleansing bath, bathe me in purest tears most holy. Stay with me, oh Sovereign, alone do never leave me: For so, when those enemies of mine shall come who always seek to devour my soul, it is You they will see, dwelling in me, and at once they will flee, able to do nothing to me, finding You, most powerful of all, enthroned within the poor home of my soul.” (Simeon the New Theologian, Eastern Orthodox Church, 1000 A.D.).