Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

(Matt. 28:19, John 14, 17:20-23)

I began to think about this phrase.  When I searched for it in the Bible, I found it only appeared in one place in that exact form.  Of course, the three persons are mentioned often in different ways.  Our concept of the “trinity” fails to touch the mystery of our God.  Are we settling for some version of Him, or are we pressing in and pressing on to know Him, as He is?  When He does not meet our expectation, do we begin to look for other answers, other solutions?  He is ever desiring us, and drawing us to know Him.  Life is not so slow and ponderous that we can stop to decide which “person” we are crying out to.  Let Him decipher that groan that is too deep to utter.  A fervent cry of “God, help me,” is a powerful prayer.

It is His Spirit, Holy Spirit, who is here now!  And some still discuss cessationism.  Stop!  I mean that. STOP!!  We do not control Him.  We need Him as the ever-present conductor of our lives, individually, and together.  Without His fullness, we leave room for religious spirits.  The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control.  That means the Spirit’s control, not our own reputation-protecting, “good” behavior.  We must allow the Father to be our gardener as Jesus, the Son, taught us.  He would go deep and get at the roots of our troubles.  It is the Spirit who searches the deep things of God and He is the One who searches us.  See Psalm 139.  It is a continual process as we will submit, surrender, and recognize the altar is His cross where we were crucified.  Will we submit daily to the Spirit’s working?

We will not get this perfect.  May we seek Him in our gatherings and fellowship.  We have many forms and traditions.  If we take a critical view, we miss the life-giving flow of the Spirit.  As Jesus spoke to His own little flock concerning His departure and the Holy Spirit’s coming, He spoke about dwelling places.  God wants a place to dwell among us.  And He comes in His fulness.  The Father and the Son, in all that they are, want to dwell with us.  This is more than a visit.  He wants to stay!  He provides all that is needed.  It is for us to say yes.  He says for us to keep His commandments and that He, Jesus, and the Father, will make their home in us.  We know that His commandment is that we love one another.

We can take great encouragement that His desire is for this unity among us.  As we stay tuned in to His Spirit, we remain in a place to be drawn closer.  It is a daily process.  The singleness of His purpose is seen in His work in our lives.  Years ago, I heard the three persons of God expressed as a divine runaround.  The Spirit reveals and glorifies Jesus.  Jesus directs our attention to the Father, saying He is greater than Himself.  The Father commends the Son, saying He is well pleased in Him.  The Father gives all authority to the Son and gives Him the Spirit which He pours out on us.  Receive the Holy Spirit, Jesus says.

So it is the Spirit who dwells with us.  He is the Lord.  He is God with us.  He will take what Jesus gives Him and give it to us.  As we allow Him to work in us, fruit will come.  First the flower and eventually the fruit.  Be patient while He works.  Don’t be too introspective.  It can be like watching grass grow.  We can become frustrated that it is not happening fast enough.  If we find ourselves so, He is more patient, more gracious.  He is never frustrated.  He would work among us so that we would continually confer honor on one another.  Even as the Father, Son, and Spirit do.  Love covers, hides, a multitude of sins.

I found my way back to John 17.  The thoughts here are so high, only God can answer the thoughts Jesus prays.  That we would be one with one another as He and the Father are one.  That singleness of heart, mind, will, and action is so beautiful, so wonderful.  We know it cost Jesus everything in this life so that God might fulfill Jesus’ prayer.  He was on His way to pay a price we cannot comprehend.  The inestimable value of the life of the Son of God was laid down.  After the prayer of John 17, He went on to the garden and prayed again.  His humanity was exposed for us to see.  Now He is highly exalted restored to the place He was with our Father before the world was.  The Father, the Son and the Spirit in one accord.  May we be so also, one with them, and one with one another.