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Life in the Holy Spirit An Empowerment Bible Study © 2003 by Terry A. Modica |
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Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Do you really believe?
In John 16:29-33, Jesus asks: "Do you really believe" that I came from God? That I am God? That I am your Lord? That I love you faithfully and unconditionally? That what I say is true -- all the time? "Do you really believe?"
And in Acts 19:1-8, St. Paul asks: "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?"
There's a difference between receiving the Holy Spirit when we were baptized and receiving His power when we become true believers. Even those who were baptized as adults might not have been "true" believers at that moment. "True" means being fully committed to growing in an active Christian lifestyle following the lead that Christ gave us, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Otherwise, the baptized are Christians whose belief in Christ has not yet been awakened. (Actually, very few of us are fully awake before passing into purgatory/heaven. A good spiritual life is a process of opening our eyes more and more.)
True believers are Christians who live in a genuine love relationship with God, who realize they are sinners and that they are forgiven because of what Jesus did on Good Friday, who understand that with this forgiveness they are able to go to heaven because of what He did on Easter, and who want to follow Him by laying down their lives for others in loving service. None of this is possible without the Holy Spirit.
How do you know that the Holy Spirit "came down" on you -- is active in you? Speaking in tongues and uttering prophecies, like we see in the story from Acts, are not the only indications, nor are they necessary. They are just a few examples of outward signs. Read carefully what Jesus tells us in this Gospel passage: True belief brings peace, even in the midst of suffering! How can this be?
It's not possible without the Holy Spirit. On our own, we belong to the world. With the Holy Spirit helping us live out our beliefs, we are overcomers of the world.
We lose peace when we rely on our own resources and our limited perceptions of the problems we face. Faith and hope and inner peace come from relying on the Holy Spirit, who is the Higher Power behind all our overcomings.
Pope John Paul II gave us a beautiful and important prayer to the Holy Spirit on May 30, 1998: "Come, Holy Spirit, come and renew the face of the earth! Come with your seven gifts! Come, Spirit of Life, Spirit of Communion and Love!" Let us journey through daily life with this prayer on our lips.
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See also Holy Living: A Bible Study covering the Sermon on the Mount.
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