Today is June 22nd
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”
Today’s reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 8.
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed, or lame were healed. 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
The early church was marked signs and wonders … both the proclamation of God’s kingdom through words, and the demonstration of HIs kingdom through miraculous wonders. These things were signs of God’s proximity... that where God’s presence is, His power also is. Take a moment to become aware of God’s presence with you right now.
In this passage the Apostles find that “the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them…” Consider for a moment, how have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life? Have you had an experience of the Holy Spirit falling on you, filling you? Consider what that might be like as you hear the passage again.
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the world: Jesus came to a particular time, a particular geography, and a particular people. He chose, in his human form, to be limited by our human world. But the Holy Spirit is not limited. He is everywhere and he makes God available to us. As we close our time, invite God’s spirit to open the eyes of your heart to receive him.
Music Credit:
Ready - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)
