Devotional 13/10/16 – John 16:14 The purpose of the Spirit’s speaking

The Spirit is on a mission to bring hearts to adore Jesus. He brings us to salvation and then is working to purify our hearts so that God becomes ever increasingly the focus of our affections. 

To meditate/pray upon

John 16:14 “He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you”.

John 15:26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me”.

The aim of the Spirit, and mark of His work, is that Christ is magnified. It is not a church that speaks a lot of the Spirit, which is necessarily filled with the Spirit; but rather the church that speaks a lot about Christ! To call oneself Charismatic or Pentecostal are not the badges of superior contact with the Spirit; it is the church that is genuinely steeped in gospel truth that is being taught by the Spirit.

So are we filled with love for the glory of Jesus? Is His worth our greatest passion? When the church comes together, are we ebullient in our worship, or are we caught up with distractions?

When we bring our spiritual gifts, do they bring Jesus into clearer focus?

Is our aim when meeting with friends to help them to see Jesus more clearly?

The Holy Spirit is not distracted by anything in His mission to bring glory to Jesus. Let’s walk in ever-closer unity with the purpose of the Spirit.

The bible also speaks about evangelism being a outworking of the empowering of the Holy Spirit. This is true, but evangelism is simply a desire to share our love for Jesus with others that they too would love Him. John Piper has written about the link between love and evangelism,

‘Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Mission exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.  When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more.  It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever…. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God…Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You cannot commend what you don’t cherish…’