Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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The Fruits of the spirit
John 20:19-23
“And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”
             It was resurrection Sunday night. Now, we would say Easter Sunday. The disciples were meeting in Jerusalem in the room with door shut when JESUS appeared among them. This scene highlights john's last reference to the spirit in his gospel. This passage highlights two important things. First, Jesus is dealing with the belief and fear of disciples. He inspires faith and bestows peace upon them. And second, He sends them out for their task. It is not enough that they believe; the disciples must fulfill their commission as well. They must be witnesses. These two emphases provide the immediate context for the impartation of the spirit, as we might anticipate, relates to both points. In V 19-20, Jesus establishes their faith, then in V 21 & 23 He deals with mission & service. Nested in this passage is Christ bestowal of spirit. John 20:19 -23 and Luke 24:33 - 43 are parallel and describe the same scene.
             Jesus comes to us in an invisible way, through his word, not to stop our storms, but to bring peace in the midst to the storms. Jesus breathes / imparts / anoints the disciples with the fruits of spirit. Gal 5 : 22 speaks about fruits of spirit ,the nine graces are often divided into 3 groups.
1) Love, grace and peace are the graces which turn ones thought towards God. The second group focuses our attention towards our fellow men and they are Long suffering, Kindness and Goodness. The third group refers more directly to one’s own self and they are Faithfulness, Gentleness and self control
         Let us pray to God to breathe on me the fruit of spirit, as Edwin hatch's wonderful hymn says, “Breathe on me, Breath of God, Blend all my soul with thine, Until this earthly part of me, Glows with thy fire divine”. May it so, let the breath of God come into our lives. Let go & live in  Gods gracious power, or as we say at the end of the service,'Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the spirit.
Prayer: God the spirit we want you to indwell within us to help us to shine in the darkness. Amen
Thought for the day: When Spirit indwells in us we will be the light of the world.

Theme of the week: The gifts of the spirit

Rev Saju Mathew, Immanuel MTC, Houston.

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