No Christians without the Holy Spirit
Acts 8:14-17 NRSV
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
J. I. Packer
Without the Holy Spirit there would be no faith and no new birth – in short, no Christians. The light of the gospel shines; but “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the blind do not respond to the stimulus of light. As Christ told Nicodemus, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God . . . he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). Speaking corporately for Himself and His disciples to people to which Nicodemus belonged, Christ went on to explain that the inevitable consequence of unregeneracy is unbelief – “Ye receive not our witness” (v. 11). The gospel produces no conviction in them; unbelief holds them fast. What follows, then? Should we conclude that preaching the gospel is a waste of time, and write off evangelism as a hopeless enterprise, foredoomed to fail? No; because the Spirit abides with the church to testify of Christ . . . He testifies by illuminating; opening blinded eyes, restoring spiritual vision, enabling sinners to see that the gospel is indeed God’s truth, and Scripture is indeed God’s Word, and Christ is indeed God’s Son. (Knowing God, p. 62)
Open My Eyes That I May See
Clara H. Fiske Scott
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free
Open my ears that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear
And while the wave notes fall on my ear
Everything false will disappear
Open my mouth and let me bear
Gladly the warm truth everywhere
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share
Silently now I wait for Thee
Ready my God Thy will to see
Open my eyes illumine me
Spirit divine
Spirit of the Living God
Daniel Iverson
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
I’m Gonna Sing When the Spirit Says Sing
https://youtu.be/ctSEw3rTkp4?si=ubvIvjXAZ9u3hN94
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
