City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:5-8 (ESV)

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:15-17 (ESV)

¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8: 15-17 (ESV)

⁵ When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, ⁶ and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— ⁷ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 2:5-7

Reflection

Who is the Holy Spirit?  To answer this question, let’s start with a simpler one.  Who is man?  Let’s not get caught up in that old controversy about man verses woman.  Think on the thing that God says He created in the garden out of dust and His breath.  In Genesis 2:7, the Bible says that that is when man became a living creature.  Note the two ingredients.  There’s dust, and there is God’s breath.  In verse 6, the Bible says that the dust was watered.  So, it is not a dry dirt that we are made of, but a wet, fluid, and shapeable mud. 

It is the materialist that look only at the dirt, or mud of a man.  We are constantly bombarded with notions of materialism and competition that are solely the purview of this world’s sorrows.  If you achieve more, if you have more stuff, if you have a bigger house, a better car, it is said that you are “winning.”  It is funny that people look to identify a “winner” but winning doesn’t really matter if the accumulation of wealth is all that there is.  Sure, there is pleasure, but what’s the point of that?  What is the difference if man should experience pleasure verse a tree or a rock or an animal.  Pleasure is not made for the inanimate, but the animate.

But then, there is the breath of God, by which we find our first movement.  Our world is set in motion by an initial push.  And now all the universe can be discovered, admired, and cherished.  Man, the living creature, is a place where God can keep heavenly things like song, love, and His image.

In science, there is a theory that something called “dark matter” exists.  It is mass that explains some of what astronomers observe, but no one can see it directly.  It seems to be mass that does not interact with light.  This is an extremely mysterious concept in the scientific community, but most people can not even conceive of it.  I do not know if dark matter is a perfect example for understanding who the Holy Spirit is, but I think it is at least a step.  We can not see the Holy Spirit with our eyes, but we can see His effects in our lives.  He is not a mindless process carrying out the initial impetus of the big bang.  He is a personal agent actively working to perfect your sanctification.  Holiness doesn’t come to us easily, and the Holy Spirit is there to help us with that.

Application

Make a list of 10 people who have helped you in life.  I recommend that you start with people who have pastored you or have been your teacher.  Now, pray this prayer over each of them.

Lord, thank you for ______________.  He or she has been a wonderful influence in my life and they have helped me overcome many things.  I pray that you encourage them and bless them with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name.  Amen.

Then spend a moment in the Lord’s presence.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit will be a little less of a stranger after spending some time with the Lord.

Prayer

Father God, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to me, that I might know that I am not along and that I might be encouraged and comforted.  Please lead me into Your righteousness that I might be a fit citizen of Your kingdom.  Blessings and honor and praise to You always, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.