ARCHBISHOP'S CORNER
The Holy Spirit Who Filled the Apostles on Pentecost Is Still Present Today
Acts 2:1-11 Mark 14:71
From the Acts of the Apostles, we read: “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God”. (Acts 2:1-11)
Remember what happened on the night in which Christ was betrayed? The disciples all abandoned the Lord. All eleven of them ran away from the garden terrified. Peter, for whom the Lord had prayed for personally, denied three times, even knowing Jesus. Listen to what St. Mark wrote in his Gospel regarding Peter: Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” (Mark 14:71).
All but John were still hiding the next day when Jesus was crucified. Then we see the Apostles return to the same Upper Room. Jesus has ascended to heaven, and so the apostles huddle together with Mary for nine days praying and waiting. Then they leave the Upper Room and begin to preach the Gospel fearlessly. Three thousand people were converted that first day. The same apostles, who had scattered like frightened children in the Garden, were now gathering God’s children together for Christ. The Apostle Peter, who denied even knowing Jesus, in order to keep himself warm by the courtyard fire, was now on fire, confessing that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of the Living God. The disciples who were too frightened and ashamed to appear at the foot of the Cross, now boldly and proudly proclaimed God’s love as seen by Christ’s death on that same Cross.
Why were they so different? What had caused such a dramatic change? Jesus’ resurrection from the dead had filled them with joy and given them profound confidence.
But what could have made these people turn from cowards to willing martyrs, so soon? The answer is: The Comforter: The Holy Spirit, also referred to as the Holy Ghost. (The word translated from the Greek and Hebrew language is the same and also means breath).
The Holy Spirit worked a miracle in each of the apostles, and through them, in the whole Church. As the apostles were huddled together with Mary in the Upper Room fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, suddenly from heaven there was the sound like the rush of a driving wind that filled the entire upper room. Tongues of fire came down and rested upon each of them and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. This was the difference. They received the Holy Spirit’s help to boldly proclaim Jesus. The Holy Spirit came down upon them as tongues of fire, tongues because they were to speak, fire because they were to speak with the passion of burning love. And they responded. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit or “comforter” he would send; would teach them all things, lead them to all truth, remind them of everything he had taught them, and convict the world of their sin. Then, helped in this way by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles began to fulfill their mission to spread the Gospel.
The Acts of the Apostles had begun and the Church was born. The Church is still alive, and the Acts of the Apostles continues to this day. God wants to write new chapters, with each of us, and that includes you and me, all of us playing an important role. The wind is still blowing; the fire of the Holy Ghost still burns. Each of us however, needs to let the Holy Spirit in to do his work. Each of us has to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about a similar miracle in us.
Too often we are more like the Apostles before they received the Holy Spirit than on Pentecost Sunday. We come to church, we pray, but when we leave the Upper Room, we basically leave Him behind, giving into various denials, perhaps for comfort like Peter, perhaps out of fear like the rest of the disciples. We know what our mission is, to give witness to the whole world that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, that He is, the way, the truth, and the life, and worth dying for.
The Holy Spirit blows within us; the Holy Spirit burns within us. But we have to let that flame grow until we are consumed. Remember the same Holy Spirit who filled the apostles on Pentecost is still present today. We are all in the midst of the Upper Room, where Jesus himself gives us his body and blood, where the Holy Spirit himself comes down. If we wish to leave this Upper Room and carry out our mission as the Apostles of our own day, let us pray the Holy Spirit fills us with tongues of fire, so that with passion, love, and courage, we might bring the Gospel out into our world, which so desperately needs to embrace it. Amen.
Jesus Christ Fills the Hunger in Our Hearts
Jeremiah 23:5 John 6:5-14 James 1:22 Romans 6:8
A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: the LORD our righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:5).
God promises that a “righteous Branch” will come from the line of David—a king who will reign wisely, do what is just, and bring righteousness to the land. This points to a future ideal king (the Messiah) from David’s line who will restore justice and peace. This is a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ—a descendant of David who brings spiritual righteousness and establishes God’s kingdom.
The Gospel of John provides us with vital information about the Messiah that is crucial to our salvation: Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So, the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So, when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Therefore, they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Christ is the key piece to the puzzle of the Old Testament Prophecies. St. John tells us Jesus not only comes to fill our hunger, (literal in that if we follow Him we will do much better here on earth than if we do not). Christ can fill the hunger in our hearts for God.
We are spiritually starving creatures that need His love, and that our spiritual hunger can only be satisfied by seeking His love, and by being doers of His word, can we truly be satisfied.
We shall never be satisfied with worldly treasures and goods, but we need to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)
If we continue to study His Word and then become “Doers of the Word (James 1:22), we will become more Christ like and that is what He asks of us. He asks of us nothing special, but to do our very best.
Interestingly, He tells the disciples to “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” It seems He is talking about the sheep that He tends to, He wishes to “gather up the fragments that remain”, meaning the people that are apart from His flock, that “nothing be lost”, meaning that their souls may not be lost for eternity.
Think about that and take what it is offered before it is no longer on the menu! And be thankful for all His Blessings in our lives, especially our families and our friends. Also be thankful for finding and attending a church that holds true to the principles of Scripture.
But most of all we should be thankful for God sending His Son to die for us, that we might have eternal life to spend with our families and friends. As St. Paul told the Romans: Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Romans 6:8)
The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The Secret Things Belong to the Lord Our God
Deuteronomy 29:29 Isaiah 55:8 Ephesians 3:2-6, 4: 4-6 Colossians 1:26-27 1 Timothy 3:16
There is a profound truth that comes from the Old Testament in the book of Deuteronomy. Moses declares, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)
So, we see that the secret things belong to God, and He also declares, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)
From the beginning of creation, God had a plan, a divine mystery, not revealed to the prophets of old nor seen by the angels in heaven. This mystery, long concealed but now made manifest through the apostle Paul, is the glorious reality of the Church: not as a building or denomination, but as the eternal, spiritual Body of Christ.
The Church composed of both Jew and Gentile, redeemed and united in Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world. Yet it remained veiled until the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to us. Through the Apostle Paul, the Lord pulled back the curtain and revealed this mystery to us that we might understand our place in God’s eternal purpose.
St. Paul states this in his letters that there are secrets that only God holds. In his letter to the Ephesians, he speaks of a “mystery of Christ,” something hidden for ages, but now revealed in God’s perfect timing: “If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel (Ephesians 3:2-6)
Paul further states: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4: 4-6)
In St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he speaks of a mystery hidden for ages: “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27)
These passages emphasize how God revealed these mysteries in His perfect timing. Paul tells us that, “beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great.”
Then he records what may be an early hymn of the church: “He [Jesus] appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). In that short paragraph, the Bible reveals the heart of the gospel, the mystery of “true godliness.”
In John’s Gospel Jesus says, “I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it.” God’s withholding of certain truths aligns with His perfect assessment of our readiness, encouraging us to trust His goodness and to receive further revelation obediently. (John 16:12)
This at times can be difficult as we live in a culture that wants every answer, every blueprint, all the time. And yet, the faith we share is built on trust in a God who, like a loving parent, holds some things close for his own good purpose. Paul knew this, and he called us into a life that trusts the revealed, but also rests in the mystery.
So, as we reflect, let’s remember: what God has given us, His word, His spirit, His presence and this is enough. And what He keeps in His heart, we can trust Him with, knowing that one day, all will be made plain. In this balance of revelation and mystery, we find peace, purpose, and hope.
We are called to respond in faith maybe not knowing every detail, but trusting that God’s timing is perfect. Think about a time in your life when you faced an unknown. Perhaps you waited, uncertain, but in that waiting, God was shaping your trust. In its fullest sense, the “mystery of God” is God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. We would never have been able to comprehend the way to eternal life without the coming of Jesus Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit.
So today, I invite you to understand that God will never forsake us, and even when things feel uncertain, we know that the secret things belong to God, and the revealed things belong to us. Lord, please give us faith to follow and trust in you, even when we cannot see.
The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The Importance of the Empty Tomb
St. John 20:1- 10 St. Matthew 28 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Saint John’s Gospel permits us to look back in time almost two thousand years ago to that garden tomb where our Lord was laid following his crucifixion. Here we learn that Mary Magdalene had come to the tomb to finish the preparation of the Lord’s body for burial.
The beginning of the Sabbath observance had prohibited her final efforts on His behalf.
There was concern in her heart over the removal of the great stone which was set over the entrance, and the Roman guard that had been placed there by the governor. When she arrived, she found the stone rolled away and the body missing. She likely witnessed the Roman guards lying on the ground as if dead themselves (Matthew 28). In the other gospel accounts (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24), she was accompanied by two other women when she encountered an angel who commanded her to go and tell the disciples of the Lord’s resurrection. Later, upon her return to the tomb, she met the risen Lord who comforted her.
The disciples at first did not believe Mary and the other women; but when they were adamant about what they had seen, Peter and John went to the place only to discover that what they had said was in fact true, and were astonished beyond reason. The guards were gone, the tomb had indeed been opened, the linen cloth in which Jesus was wrapped for burial was lying separate from the cloth that had been placed over His head. What had transpired would forever mark that moment as the most important event in human history.
And so, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who took our place on the cross at Calvary, and secured for all true believers everlasting life in God’s kingdom. What a gift we were given when His tomb was opened. St. Paul noted in his first letter to the Corinthians: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
Before our coming to Christ, we were dead in our sins and trespasses, (Ephesians 2:1). and were without hope (I Thessalonians 4:13). Then Christ Jesus came into the world to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). The agony and the terrible treatment of our Lord had been foretold in both prophecy and in the psalms (Isaiah 52 and 53; Psalm 22).
At Calvary, the price for our redemption was paid (Romans 6:23), the Messiah was cut off (Daniel 9:26), he descended into the depths of the earth, and returned bringing with him a multitude of souls and fulfilling the promise of redemption to those of faith under the old covenant (Ephesians 4:8-10). With His resurrection departed saints came forth who were also seen by many in Jerusalem (St. Matthew 27:52, 53).
Hear again the words of St. Paul, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1Timothy 1:12-15). St. Paul was once a devout Jew known as Saul of Tarsus who had sought to round up as many Christians as he could find and then take them to Jerusalem for punishment at the hands of the Temple authorities.
What a shock it was for him to learn that the very God he thought he was serving, he was in fact persecuting. What agony of spirit he must have felt knowing that the very Messiah he had sought was Jesus of Nazareth: who had been crucified by the Romans; who had acknowledged that he is the Son of God (St. Mark 14:61-63). What pain he must have felt and guilt for his misdeeds. We know that St. Paul confessed his belief that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and that he did indeed repent of his sins and trespasses. We also know that afterwards, he lived a new life of obedience: teaching others about God’s mercy, grace and love which came through the meritorious life, death and resurrection of his only begotten Son.
For Christians, the empty tomb provides hope for all who hear the gospel of Grace; the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the Christian, death is only the door to an eternity with God.
The empty tomb sets forth our Lord’s power over death, hell, and the grave as we have been ransomed; our debt paid in full so that we will not have to experience the darkness, gloom and torments of perdition. No, Christ has closed that door and opened the way to a glorious life in the Kingdom of God for all who believe on his name and trust in his atoning work as the Messiah.
If you or anyone you know have not made a commitment to accept the free gift of salvation from our Lord, now is the time. God has been calling on you to come to his throne of grace so answer the call.
Believe in the truth of the empty tomb: that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Believe on Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Prince of Peace and the Author and finisher of your faith, who now sits in heaven at the right hand of the Father. Believe on his atoning sacrifice as the only means of your salvation.
And if you believe and accept these things, then you must live in accordance with his will as found within the pages of Holy Scripture.
Let us all take comfort in the words of Jesus: “Because I live, you will live also”. Christ is Risen; He is Risen Indeed! Amen