Tag Archives: the Father

Practical presence of the Trinity

 

Holy, Holy, Holy – Audrey Assad

 

John 14 is a wonderful portrayal of what happens when the Father and the Son and the Spirit come to live in us. I want to count on the practical presence of the Trinity.

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me[e] anything in my name, I will do it. – John 14:8-14  ESV

Imagine having your last meal with Jesus and there are many questions. Jesus answers them all. Philip’s question is not so much a question but rather more like a challenge. Is Philip wanting to know God? Does he have a hunger to know God because we are made to know Him and live in right relationship with Him? I know I do, just glad I do not have the need to see God.

“Man is one of your creatures, Lord, and his instinct is to praise you….The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.” –—Augustine, Confessions, trans. R. S. Pine-Coffin (New York: Barnes & Noble, 1992), bk. 1, 1.

There seems to be many who would want to join Philip in seeing God.

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.

For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.

We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God. – A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: HarperCollins, 1978), 1.

My question is more along the lines of – what is God like? It is one thing to know about God and say all the right words and expressions. It is another thing, more important and more vital – knowing God and being in relationship with Him.

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. – John 14:25-26  ESV

The Counselor will teach me everything I need to know as a disciple of Jesus. He will also remind me of things that Jesus has taught me. He will lead me into relationship with the Trinity.

 

 

 

 

Standard

One

 

One Church, One Faith

 

There is only one church that belongs to Jesus.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:1-6  ESV

I cannot get past how many times the word “one” is used in these verses. It is a reminder to me of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit, the Son, Jesus and the Father – three and yet one.

There are fond memories of times where I had the opportunity to introduce the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Sunday School formats and my favorite part was the Deity of Jesus and how best to describe the Holy Spirit. Yet, there was a point in the study where we needed to look at the significance of the Trinity and what was life like within the Trinity. Most importantly, there was the reminder that these three are all persons and the Trinity is a personhood.

All who have decided to follow Jesus are the called of God. Our calling is our responsibility to respond to what we have become in Christ and to serve in the body of Christ. These verses move us from the call to unity to one’s calling in ministry. Jesus has given many gifts of grace which come together in one common goal of maturity in Him.

 For example – one baptism. Baptism is the entry point to one’s walk with Jesus. It puts all new believers into the body of Christ to join with all the other believers.

 So then, when I am asked to walk in a manner worthy of my calling, it means that as a disciple, a part of the body of Christ, a part of the Church, it is a high calling. It is a walk not found in sin, but rather as a child of God. I am not my own, but bought with a price. My life is found in Christ and I live my life through Him. My life has been rescued by Jesus and His calling to follow Him changes the direction of every decision I make.

 

 

Standard