Lesson 68 – When the Spirit Is Received

John 20:21-22

"So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"

    The receiving of the Spirit has come - The breath of Christ upon the Church - The breath of God upon believers - The breath of the Spirit upon believers in Christ. As Jesus prepared to leave his disciples, he promised the coming of the Helper, and in this text, the Spirit is received by the disciples.

    While the Spirit would later descend on the Church in power at the Day of Pentecost, in Christ's physical act of breathing on the disciples, the Spirit is given for the first time to the Church. With victory over the cross, with the resurrected Christ, with the ascension, Jesus prays and God sends the Spirit upon the Church. Since that time, the Spirit has come upon every believer at the moment of our faith.

    Notice that the giving of the Spirit here was preceded by words of peace, not only in life's circumstances, but with God. Peace came upon humanity with the giving and receiving of the Spirit.

    Also see that with the Spirit, the Church is sent on mission, to bring this message of peace throughout the world. The Spirit is the one who brings power to our message. While we are the ordinary ones used of God, when we go in the sending of the Spirit, God does marvelous works in his kingdom.

    While our hearts yet yearn for the presence of the bodily Christ, we rejoice in the Spirit's touch upon our lives.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the giving of the Spirit to your disciples and to your Church. May our hearts remember your presence each day as we faithfully bring your message of peace to a hurting world. Amen.