The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 13:11-14 ESV

“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, need to be reminded sometimes to rejoice, because life can be hard sometimes, and for some people it is all the time. So, how do we rejoice when things are difficult, and when we are going through trials and tribulations that test our faith? How can we rejoice when we are being persecuted and rejected for our walks of faith with Christ and even when and if family members reject us or fellow professers of faith in Christ shun us because we are following the Lord in obedience?

Well, we can only do so in the strength of the Lord, but this also has to do with our perspective on life, in general. For when we have a biblical perspective of life, and what we should expect if we are following Christ with our lives, we should anticipate these trials and tribulations, and we should anticipate that we are going to be hated, rejected, and mistreated, even by those who are supposed to love us. And we can rejoice in knowing that our God is sovereign over our lives working all these things for good.

Now, when Paul said to the Corinthian church to “aim for restoration,” I believe he was speaking of their restoration back to a right relationship with the Lord, for some or many were still living in unrepentant sin, and many were listening to and were accepting and receiving teachings of another Jesus and a different spirit and a different gospel other than the one the NT apostles were teaching the people. And so Paul had been exhorting them in that matter to examine themselves to see if they were really in Christ.

And if we get off course in our walks of faith in Christ Jesus, then we need that counsel, too, to aim for restoration, to get back on course, to reject the lies of the enemy and false gospels of men and to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and of his NT apostles regarding the subjects of faith, salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life with God. So we have to be students of the Scriptures who study them in context under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who are listening to the Spirit, and who are obeying our Lord.

And to comfort (encourage, exhort, urge) one another, and to agree with one another, and to live in peace with one another all has to be directed by the Holy Spirit and by the written Word of God, too. For before we can be united with one another we have to first of all be united with Christ and with his word, specifically with the teachings under the New Covenant. And then we can unite with other believers in Christ who are also united in heart, mind, and action with our Lord and with the truths of his word.

Now, in American culture, we don’t normally greet one another with “a holy kiss.” But we might with a handshake or with an appropriate hug (morally pure), for this symbolizes a friendly and caring relationship among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ within the body of Christ, his church. But we should be sensitive to other people’s comfort level in this, especially in a post-Covid culture where so many people are afraid to have physical contact with other humans. So find a good way to show pure affection.

And if the grace of our Lord Jesus and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit are to be with us, then we must be those who are walking in the grace of God, who are in genuine fellowship with Christ, and who are loving God above all. And this is demonstrated in our walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living and by us no longer walking in sin, in practice. For God’s grace alone instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Pray, Pray, Pray  

An Original Work / September 6, 2012

Based off Various Scriptures

Pray that eyes may enlightened be,

So they may know Christ.

Pray that they may Him better know,

Strengthened by His pow’r. 

Pray that they may grasp 

How wide and long

And high and deep

Is Christ’s love.

Pray that they may be filled

To the fullness of God’s love.

Pray with thanksgiving.

Pray for an open door for me,

So I may share Christ.

Pray when the gospel is proclaimed –

Shared with clarity.

Pray words are given me so

I declare the gospel fearlessly.

I pray for you to be active

Sharing your faith, too.

Pray continually.

We oft not know for what to pray,

So we ask for help.

The Spirit intercedes for us – 

Words cannot express.

Just keep on praying for the saints

With all kinds of requests to God.

Pray they may have faith to 

Please their God in ev’ry way.

Pray with joyfulness. 

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