The Holy Spirit and Building Zion

In the story of the wise men, God sent a star to lead them to Jesus. Today, we want to find Jesus, too - but there's no star, and no little house holding a baby king. What are we to do?

As I told my littles when I taught this, "Well, God thought of everything, so there's a gift to help us."

After Jesus finished his life on earth, he promised the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has a lot of jobs.

The Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost (with many other names) is a revelator. The Spirit reveals to us the nature of God. The Spirit testifies to our redemption and reconciliation. It is by the Spirit that we become confident of our standing with God. Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,."

The Spirit encourages and empowers us to accept God's love and submit (surrender) to Jesus Christ as Lord in word and deed. We receive wisdom and power to do God's will through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks God's will to us and helps us make decisions. The Holy Spirit teaches us God's heart so we can pray and act in ways pleasing to God. 

And the Holy Ghost does more than just tell us who God is and what God wants us to do. It is through the Holy Ghost - and only through the Holy Ghost - that we receive grace and power to do that which is pleasing to God. We are not big enough or good enough for a holy God on our own (we are loved, yes! but not perfect). We can't be like God by ourselves. So God sends power down to us so we are enabled to do God's work. The Holy Ghost is the channel by which this power travels from God to us. it is up to us to make a decision for Christ, and it is up to the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and make us more and more like Christ. 

Simply put, 1) the Holy Spirit tells us about Jesus, and 2) the Holy Spirit helps us to be kind like Jesus, to share with others like Jesus, and to pray like Jesus. 

As individuals listen to and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church universal will make progress towards the Kingdom of God. "The Lord [will call] his people Zion, because they [are] of one heart and one mind, and [dwell] in righteousness; and there [is] no poor among them" (Moses 7:18). The Holy Ghost will teach us that we are one family, that we are all alike. When I am you and you are me, when we are one heart and one mind, we have no choice but to share kindness and material goods. Listening to the Holy Ghost will lead us to openness, compassion, and justice for all people. Listening to the Holy Ghost will open our eyes to injustice and oppression. We'll think "This is terrible! My brothers and sisters are suffering!" Then we'll think, "Oh my gosh, how can I ever change anything? There's so much to do and I'm so small." 

That's when the Holy Ghost will whisper to us, 

"You are small. But I am not.

You are weak. But I am not. 

You are afraid. But I am not. 

You are poor. But I am not. 

You are human. But I am God."

And with the power of God Almighty in our words, hands, and feet, we will go on to transform the world by grace as we have been transformed by grace.