From Messiah to Holy Spirit —

The world is in spiritual turmoil. The power structures of mankind are being rewritten daily. In recent history, governments were an indication of stability, so any rebellion against the power structures was considered evil. Today, most of that rebellion is considered good and is often labeled as ‘freedom fighters’. But what is freedom? Some suggest freedom means not having to pay large amounts of money on interest rates, taxes, and food. Basic living seems harder everywhere than it has ever been, and pain is personal. People are upset.

This is not unlike the social climate during the Second Temple period. People were preoccupied with conspiracies, rumours of wars, and trouble was everywhere. It was in this time that Jesus Christ came to the earth and established the Kingdom of God. Those who were enraptured and captivated by seeking power and authority for themselves resisted Him, and those who were poor in spirit, lost, and troubled came to know the LORD in a new way.

In Jesus’ day, the governors and ruling class were transitory, crime was frequent, many people did not respect human life, slavery was popular, blasphemy was rampant, money was hard to come by, and it was difficult to survive. The world Jesus came into was not well. And it still isn’t.

This month, we continue to study the life of Jesus Christ, which is highlighted in the Gospel of John, and then we read the Acts of the Apostles, which emphasizes the movement and power of the Holy Spirit. The apostles were met with grave challenges, but they knew the only thing that would change the world was when everyone lived in repentance to God and committed their lives to following Jesus Christ. We would do well to remember that as we continue to face the challenges of our world.