LUke 12:12
"For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
Maybe you've never thought of the Spirit before as a teacher. I certainly hadn't. Sure, he is the promised comforter, a guide for every day of life, an interpreter of the word, and God's presence in my life, but I never noticed before that he is also a teacher, though when I stop and consider it, this really shouldn't have come as a surprise. After all, one of the primary images we have of God is of Jesus as a teacher. There is no reason for the Spirit not to be likewise.
In this text, Jesus warned his disciples they would face persecutions for his sake, even having to stand before high and powerful officials. Certainly history bore this out, but to these young men, Jesus told them not to worry about what they would say in defense of themselves. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be there to teach them what they need to say just as they needed his guidance.
As a preacher, I wish Jesus would have extended this same promise to my feeble efforts at sermon preparation. If only the Spirit would teach me exactly what to say the very hour I stand to preach! Of course he does so to some extent, with the Spirit guiding my mind and mouth as I share from God's word, but this primarily comes only after I've put in my time in preparation. The Spirit is not promised as a shortcut for laziness on my part. That'd be like praying for help on a school test when you've not studied. Surely that is a misrepresentation on how God interacts with his children.
So why this special dispensation for the disciples when they would face persecution? Was this promise just for the 12, or is it made to every follower of Christ thereafter? While I really can't answer these questions with much confidence, we can know for sure that the Spirit still teaches. We just need to be ready to be good students, with our listening ears on, our minds ready to receive the instruction, and hearts ready to obey.
For believers, the Spirit's touch still comes as a teacher, and with God choosing the subjects, you can bet they will always be relevant!
LORD JESUS
I invite the Spirit to teach me. I commit to being a good student, ready to take notes, ready to make application, and ready to share your words with others. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment