Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Personal Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Sometime, for family worship simply read from the inspired Book the story of how Jesus healed the first leper in Israel since the Gentile Syrian, Naaman, was healed by the prophet Elisha. Read it word for word slowly, letting the Holy Spirit arouse your imagination according as the story is written in the Holy Word (Matt. 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-15).

Then read the simple story of the paralyzed man who had committed bad sins and was now about to die of despair in his sickness. The great and "holy" priests had coldly told him, "There's no cure for you; God has cursed you for all your sins! Our great Moses said so!"

He had four friends who carried him on a pallet to Capernaum where he had heard that Jesus was healing people. But they couldn't get through the crowd. So he begged them, Get me up on the roof, take up the tiles, let me down in front of the Great Healer, maybe He won't curse me like the rabbis did.

Jesus did not heal him at first, just told him the Gospel message that his sins were forgiven, told him what justification by faith is, all which made the rabbis and priests angry. He was a Blasphemer! This made Jesus angry. He fixed His burning eyes on them and asked, "Which would be easier to do--tell this paralyzed man his sins are forgiven, or tell him, Get up, tell your four friends they are fired, pick up your heavy pallet yourself, and WALK home?" (Matt. 9:1-8;Mark 2:3-12; Luke 5:18-26). And that's what He told him.

The Holy Spirit will make these scenes from the life of Jesus "come alive." No Hollywood movie could ever be as vivid as the Bible story when it comes "alive" through the personal ministry of the living Holy Spirit.

There is power in the word of God, the Bible only. Fortunate the child who gets to sit under "live" Bible teaching.

And what the Holy Spirit does is permanent; it changes hearts forever. Children never forget it.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 13, 2004.
Copyright © 2012 by "Dial Daily Bread."

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