‘The art of waiting’ – an important strategy

Part of being ‘battle-ready’* is to respond to the Spirit. Jesus started teaching about the Holy Spirit in the very beginning of the training of the disciples. Jesus said clearly that the Holy Spirit is the best gift his Father can give:

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:13

When I experienced the Holy Spirit as a real power in my life in 1972, this verse became one of my favourite verses. When I some years later became a father and wanted the best for my children, the verse made an even stronger impact on me. 

The challenge is that God never intrudes into the privacy of his children. We have to ask him to give us the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus taught his disciples. Therefore, it may seem strange that he just before he ascended to heaven, said:

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”
Acts 1:4

However, this is only strange if I regard the ‘art of waiting’ as a passive strategy. I can hardly imagine anything more active than children who at Christmas are waiting for the moment when the presents are to be unwrapped. Waiting in the Bible is more related to expecting, simply because I am waiting for something to come true in my life. In the narrative about the Baptist, Luke wrote that “the people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah” – Luke 3:15.

God has left it to my initiative to receive the Holy Spirit. The strategy is to pray and wait ‘expectantly’ – after all God has already done his part through the pouring out of his Spirit.

‘Manna’ for today:

I expect The holy spirit to speak and lead - now!

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* General Peddle’s call:

 'I believe we need to be ready for what God wants to do with us and through us. This is a call to prayer, a call to holiness and a call to be "battle-ready" now. There is an urgency to this call that cannot be ignored. Men, women and children need Jesus.'
NB - this reflection is linked to General Brian Peddle's "Call to Mission - NOW"

One Spirit

After a long break, I return with my weekly blog, and I continue with reflections on walking ‘worthy of the calling we have received’ as one body.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
Eph 4:4

The last entry with posting in six languages was on the last day of June. In the time since then many things have happened in my life. During our homeland-furlough I was able to spend much time together with my family and my father before it was pleasing to God to promote him to glory. It was also good to be able to conduct his funeral and celebrate his life before we returned to office this week.

My father was not only my dad, he was an officer-colleague, a dear brother in Christ, and an intercessor on whom I could count in hard times as well as one who could rejoice with me when we saw the God’s intervening hand in our own lives as well as other people’s lives and situations. We were of the same Spirit, the one Spirit. Even in the struggles on his death-bed I sensed the confirmation Paul described in this way:

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Rom 8:16

I am so grateful to God that this kind of relationship can be found with every born again believer. Sometimes nothing needs to be said, we just know that we are of the One and same Spirit – we are the body of Christ.

‘Manna’ for today:

As one in one Spirit, we can make Jesus known to the whole world. 

The unpredictable move

Ten years ago, I was called to preach at the Youth Congress in Norway. The theme for the Congress was ‘Ground-breaking’ – and since I was preaching in three meetings, I decided to preach on ground-breaking faith, hope and love. Stine, who was in charge of decorations for the hall had asked me for ideas, and I suggested that she could use the three symbols: Cross, Anchor and Heart – however, I also said that she could feel free to do as the “Spirit leads”.

A couple days before the Congress, I felt a strong urge to use a game of chess as an illustration-base for my preaching without changing the content of the sermons. I wished that I had received this inspiration earlier so that I could have informed Stine about this option. Now it was too late.

When I entered the hall for the first meeting, I was struck with awe, because the scene was decorated with a big chess-board and elements related to the game. When I found Stine, I asked “How did you know?” – tears filled her eyes, and she said: “I felt led by the Spirit!”

If you want to win a game of chess against an experienced player, you need to make unpredictable moves. In spiritual warfare we have an experienced counterpart, and therefore the leading of the Spirit is indispensable. Jesus focused on this in his conversation with Nicodemus:

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8

When we let the Spirit lead us, the devil is scared because our moves become unpredictable. He knows that from his own experience. He thought it was a good move to kill the King. However, in doing so he sealed his own fate. Because the King conquered death and rose again to bring new life. By his Holy Spirit the King gives life to whosoever want to become his child. Now these children are flooding the world’s chess-board to overcome evil with good with unpredictable moves.

‘Manna’ for today:

As the Spirit leads! *

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* This blog is posted on the day The Salvation Army farewells the General and welcomes The High Council that next week will elect the next General to lead our mission. Please pray that it will be as the Spirit leads! The Welcome to the High Council and Farewell to the General and Commissioner Cox will be streamed live at sar.my/facebook or sar.my/highcouncil2018 at 3.30 BST (GMT+1)

To live the life of the Resurrection

NORSK
Since many of us are still in Easter modus I want to post the question:

“Have you ever thought about the Spirit’s role in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?”

If I was to ask this question in a Bible study, I am sure that some would answer “Yes!” – and if you have followed this blog for a while, you will know that the Spirit is the giver of life. The creation story tells us that it was the breath of God that brought Adam to life (1) and if you are attending The Salvation Army, you are likely to have stated that you believe in the regeneration by the Holy Spirit (2).

Paul prayed many prayers for the Ephesians, and in one them he prays: that you may know God’s:

“… incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead…”
Eph 1:19-20

Jesus was clear that this power is The holy spirit (3). So when I tomorrow greet the people I meet with the statement: “Christ is risen!”, I am also believing and confirming the mystery that the power that raised him from the dead is for me. Therefore, being conscious of the fact that I as a believer is living the life of the Resurrection even as I live my life here on earth, becomes vital for the continuous unwrapping of the gifts of the Spirit.

‘Manna’ for today:

To live the life of the Resurrection, means to pass on the power of The holy spirit

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(1) Genesis 2:7
(2) “We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation” The Salvation Army’s seventh doctrine.
(3) Acts 1:8

“Keep the fire burning – don’t wait for the others!”

NORSK
Part of the unwrapping of the gift of the Spirit, is to confirm that you have done it. This is in line with the Biblical principle of believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth (1). However, it is very important that we confirm each other as well.

When I last week wrote that I was given an opportunity to testify about the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the annual Congress in 1973, several people came and confirmed what I had shared. One of them was the main speaker at the Congress, General Clarence Wiseman. He came down to me and some other young people and said: “Keep the fire burning – don’t wait for the others!”

Very often we lose momentum because we are waiting for everyone to be part of the same move at the same time. It will never happen that ‘all’ are part of the same move. When a considerable number of people are on the same move, it is called revival. However, even in times of revival there will be people who distance themselves from the ‘movement’. General Wiseman knew that, and he encouraged and confirmed the young people ‘on fire’ for the Lord.

Some months ago I wrote a series on the mentoring relationship between Paul and Timothy (2). Several of the more than 90 blogs touched the importance of confirmation and affirmation that is so evident in the letters. It is for example encouraging to see how Paul confirmed Timothy as

"my true son in the faith"
1 Timothy 1:2a (3)

and how he confirmed the gift of the Spirit in Timothy:

I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:6-7 (4)

It shows how important it is to confirm those who are moving in the right direction.

‘Manna’ for today:

I want to confirm people who are on the right track

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(1) Romans 10:9-10
(2) You find link to the English version HERE
(3) In English see “Affirmation and accountability”
(4) In English see: “A mentor is clear and direct”

Who am I?

For Christmas I received a very good book. The author is from Sweden, and he writes profound books on Christian matters. For many years he has preached in conferences for people of all ages. He writes that he has prayed for people for many years. However, when he over the past ten years have asked people why they come forward to pray, an increasing number answer: 

Because I do not know who I am!

One of the results of the third move = the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, was that the believers received a new identity. All of a sudden they became aware of the fact that they were not only saved in Christ, but from now on the Spirit of Christ had also taken his dwelling in them. The believers had become the body of Christ. The bread of heaven was not any more limited to one bread. On the Day of Pentecost this bread was broken first into 120 and after a few hours into another 3000.

Paul captures this in a beautiful way:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.1 Cor 12:12-14

When we are aware of this part of our identity, the breaking of the bread of heaven in our world will continue as we spread His identity as living sacraments throughout the world in 2018. As we continue to move in this way, God’s impulse, God’s momentum will be kept. There is more to our identity that will keep us moving – you can read about it the next blog.

‘Manna’ for today:

I move as Christ’s broken bread

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The revolutionary third move!

Two weeks ago, I wrote about God as the ‘first mover’ and followed up with a blog that focused on how God through becoming man was giving his creation a new move. He even commissioned his followers to “Go and make disciples”.

Even with three years of intensive training together with their Master, the disciples were not ready for the task straight away. First they had to do what Jesus had asked them to do:

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:5

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, the disciples met in places where they could be behind closed doors, because they were afraid of the Jews. They chose the same strategy when they went back to Jerusalem after Jesus had ascended to heaven. However, when the third move came, it was like a revolution. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, nothing could stop them from speaking about what they had seen, heard and experienced (1).

• In the first move, God the Father moved with people.
• In the second move, God the Son moved among people.
• In the third move, God the Holy Spirit moves in and through people. 

This third move is vital for understanding who I am as a Christian. It is about my identity as a believer and how I am identified. God still moves with me and the Spirit moves in and through me so that I as a part of the body of Christ can move among people in 2018. The third move is a prolongation of God’s second move, making his presence physical all over the world.

‘Manna’ for today:

Where a disciple is, God is!

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(1) Acts 4:20

The important last promise - a time for everything *

NORSK
Yesterday I reflected for the last important lesson embedded in what Jesus did in the moment before he was taken up into heaven. If we combine Luke's account of the ascension of Jesus in the gospel with his version of the narrative in Acts, we see that just before Jesus blessed the disciples, he gave this promise:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you
Acts 1:8

Jesus made it clear that the disciples should wait until they were equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit before they started the mission.

I used to wonder why Jesus didn’t just give them the Holy Spirit before he left them. I choose to believe that it was because he wanted the disciples to long for the promise to be fulfilled - the desire for it to happen should not only be owned by Jesus, but also shared by the 11 and their 109 friends. I believe that this is the reason why they were given ten days entirely on their own to reflect on everything they had learned.

The free will is "holy" to God because it is part of his image in us. Therefore, we must desire whatever God wants to give us.

‘Manna’ for today:

I want the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon me

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* 'A time for everything' is connected with the Bible's teaching about a 'season for every activity' Eccl 3 This series is about the teaching in the time between Easter and Pentecost

The initiative is left to me - a time for everything *

NORSK
I believe that Jesus started teaching about the Holy Spirit in the very beginning of the training of the disciples. In the collected teaching of Jesus, which we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is clear that the Holy Spirit is the best gift his Father can give:

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:13

When I experienced the Holy Spirit as a real power in my life in 1972, this verse became one of my favourite verses. When I some years later became a father and wanted the best for my children, the verse made an even stronger impact on me. The challenge is that God never intrudes into the privacy of his children. We have to ask him to give us the Holy Spirit. Jesus was completely aware of this and taught. Therefore, it may seem strange that he just before he ascended to heaven, said: 

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”
Acts 1:4

But this is only strange if I regard the ‘art of waiting’ as a passive strategy (1). I can hardly imagine anything more active than children who at Christmas are waiting for the moment when the presents are to be unwrapped. Waiting in the Bible is more related to expecting, simply because I am waiting for something to come true. In the narrative about the Baptist, Luke wrote that “the people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah” (2).

So it is left to my initiative to receive the Holy Spirit. The strategy is to pray and wait ‘expectantly’.

‘Manna’ for today:

God has taken the initiative by sending the Holy Spirit; my initiative is to receive.

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(1) See “A passive strategy?”
(2) Luke 3:15
* 'A time for everything' is connected with the Bible's teaching about a 'season for every activity' Eccl 3 This series is about the teaching in the time between Easter and Pentecost 

The promise of the Father – a time for everything *

NORSK
This is the fourth time I quote the same verse in this series, and I guess it will be the last for now:

And look, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. Luke 24:49a

I love to be reminded of God's promises. It strengthens the faith to see the fulfillment of the promises in the Bible. It is likely that the promise Jesus was referring to is the same Peter used when he spoke to the great crowd on the day of Pentecost: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” (1).

Thus Jesus repeated the promise and Peter did the same when he came to the end of his speech. He urged the audience to repent and receive forgiveness for sins, followed by the promise:

“And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 2:38b-39

Therefore, the promise applies to all who receive the call – even we who are ‘far off’ many generations later. I know it is true because I have experienced it myself.

‘Manna’ for today:

For he who gave the promise is faithful. (2)

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(1) Acts 2:16-17a, which is taken from Joel 2:28-29
(2) Hebr 10:23b
* 'A time for everything' is connected with the Bible's teaching about a 'season for every activity' Eccl 3 This series is about the teaching in the time between Easter and Pentecost

Is 'upon' an important word? - a time for everything *

NORSK
When I was young, I had lots of questions about the Holy Spirit. I read books and spoke with experienced disciples and discovered that many focused on the importance of the Spirit coming upon us. There is substantial Biblical support for such thoughts, and we find it in a verse I have already quoted a couple of times in this series of reflections:

And look, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you.
Luke 24:49a

When I surrendered to Jesus and invited him into my life at the age of 14, the Holy Spirit moved into my spirit. I believe that all who have received Jesus have also received the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit in us, we are new creatures and as such we are able to recognize the Holy Spirit when he comes upon us.

I have definitely had many experiences of the Holy Spirit coming 'upon' me both in solitude and in fellowship with many others. This can be very different in expressions and intensity, but even when the expression is unknown, the Holy Spirit can be recognized by the fruit – the presence of divine love. If what the Father has promised comes from on high, it may not be so strange that it will come ‘upon’ us. Paul urged us to search for it:

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above”
Col 3:1a

The disciples also had to seek for that which was promised and they waited for it for ten days. For Paul, being raised with Christ is synonym with being a new creature. It shows that seeking for that which is promised to come ‘over’ me is an invitation that is still valid even though I live in a good relationship with the Lord.

‘Manna’ for today

I want the Holy Spirit to come over me!

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* 'A time for everything' is connected with the Bible's teaching about a 'season for every activity' Eccl 3 This series is about the teaching in the ime between Easter and Pentecost

The best clothing - a time for everything *

NORSK
Today, I take a small side track from Jesus' teaching in the intense learning-period between Easter and Pentecost. I do this because it was also important for Paul that they who repented and were saved should experience ‘the power from on high’ - the baptism in the Holy Spirit (1). 

In the Romans he described the Spirit as ‘the first crop of the harvest’ (2). This must mean that the harvest that comes is also about being dressed:

“Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
2 Corinthians 5:2-5

Paul used the same word Luke used to when he quoted Jesus' promise to be clothed with power from on high. Paul added a preposition that can translate on-clothed or over-clothed. He regarded to be clothed with the Spirit as a taste of the covering clothing of the life in the heavenly dwelling. To have such a deposit is a great treasure!

‘Manna’ for today:

The power-clothing is a deposit on the heavenly clothing.

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(1) Acts 19:1-6
(2) Romans 8:23

I am born of ... yes, of course

NORSK
The theme: “What kind of birth which gives access to the kingdom of God” is still on the agenda:

“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”
John 3:5

Yesterday, I wrote about water, blood and Spirit as three witnesses to my regeneration. Today "born of the Spirit" gets my full attention. For some reason we seem to be more familiar with the idea of the Spirit’s role in the rebirth. Perhaps, the reason for this familiarity is found in the creation-story:

And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7

Already in the first verse of the prologue, John identified "logos" as God. A few verses later he states “In him was life”. Therefore, it is also he who gives mankind new life. Just as God breathed the breath of life into the first Adam, he now breaths new life through the last Adam. This is how Paul describes this:

“The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
1 Cor 15:45

There is a lot of food for the thought in this reflection, but the main thing is to have the assurance of regeneration in the heart!

‘Manna’ for today:

I am born of the Spirit! (1)

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(1) Of course I am – I have already declared that "I am born of God"

The Spirit … gives us power

NORSK
Like many Christians, I have experienced how real the power of the Spirit is. Yet it is easy to forget the importance of this resource when I live as Jesus’ disciple in the world. In fact, in God’s kingdom no lasting fruit will occur without the presence of God the Holy Spirit.

Some years back some municipalities in Norway had become very wealthy through production of hydro-power. However, rich wants more, so the local politicians decided to take up huge loans with security in future income. The loans were invested in international hedge funds. By doing so, they simultaneously gave away the control of how investments were allocated and spent. They lost huge sums when the financial crisis hit the United States and subsequently the rest of the world in the autumn of 2008. In the sequence of few minutes the former richest municipalities (per capita) in my home-country, had become the poorest.  

During my life I have met many Christians who resemble these hydro-power municipalities. Basically, they are rich in an unlimited resource of always available renewable energy, but they seem to forget it and continue to gamble with the hope of potential proceeds from other sources. Most Christians have not utilized more than a fraction of the potential of the renewable power source the third person in the Godhead represents.

I think that was why it was important for Paul to remind Timothy that:

“the Spirit God gave us … gives us power”
2 Tim 1:7 

Paul wrote much about the power of the Spirit. He reminded the Ephesians about God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe … the power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms”. Ephesians 1:19-20

I do not hesitate to admit that I receive power and inspiration from other sources as well. E.g. I love music and much of the music is inspiring and gives me strength. However, neither music nor anything else, should ever get in the way of Him who creates and sustains all life.

The most important thing a mentor can do, is to remind the disciple on the primary source of all life - the power source is God Himself.
 
'Manna' for today:

The Holy Spirit is the primary power source!

It is about the good circle

NORSK
As a child, I used all my volume when I sang “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam” and the song taught me that it would happen by me trying to please him in every way. It was a good song to sing.

However, if the song is used in combination with e.g.: “O be careful little eyes what you see”, I am not sure that it necessarily leaves children with a correct image of God. 

The challenge is even bigger in Norwegian. In our version “the Father up above” translates well, while the next line stops with “he is looking down” and skips “in love” because love needs two extra syllables in Norwegian. Two syllables can make a lot of difference.

I am sure that the intentions of the translator were good, and the Biblical truth is still there. The point is that the base, which must be the experience and understanding of God who is boundless in love and grace, needs to be built first. It is the sequence of things that is important - a matter of concern even for Paul:

“..since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..”
Col 1:9-10

As I grow older my understanding of how much I am loved has been steadily growing, and that experience has become the motivation for my longing to please the Lord, not just a little, but in every way. I believe that the result will be that I bear more fruit and grow in my knowledge of him. This will please both him, and me, and I find myself in “a good circle” – also called the process of holiness.

‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is about the good circle

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It is about glory

NORSK
It is many years since I first heard Heidi Baker preach. Her testimony made a strong impact, but it was her longing for “fresh fruit” to bring to the Father that I could identify with on the depth of my own longing. I often feel that the only fruit I have to bring is a dry raisin, while he deserves honour and glory through me bringing him abundance of fresh fruit – or grapes, which are the fruit in Jesus’ speech about the vine:

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:8

When Isaiah prophesied about the outpouring of the Spirit, he saw this vision:

And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
Isa 32:15b

This is the ideal picture of a life in the Spirit, abundance of fruit to the glory of the Creator – because he rejoices when he sees abundance of all goodness. But the fruit is also pleasing to the people around us, and here is the apparent link to discipleship.

I really like that Jesus uses the verb “to be” my disciples. It shows that discipleship is an ongoing process, as is the fruit bearing and the life of holiness. It is a lifelong process. 

Unfortunately, lack of fruit can lead to “religious ingenuity” – which means that I try to create something that resembles fruit. It can be a nice piece of art. In the world of art we have the term “Still life”, which very often is a painting of a bowl of fruit. But even if this can be very beautiful, a painting or a picture can never substitute real life. Fruit bearing and discipleship are about life that springs from unity with the Holy Spirit. Everything else becomes religion.

‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is about glorifying the Father by producing fruit

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It is about confirmation of the blood

NORSK
As a young Bible-reader it was refreshing reading the Scriptures from page 1, but I must admit that it was a struggle when I had a go at the third book for the first time. Leviticus is full of regulation and procedures to be used under different circumstances, but the book gives quite a few interesting pieces of information that can throw some light on spiritual principles.

Yesterday I wrote that I would give some more information about the function of the anointing in connection with healing. The story of the blood-sacrifice and the oil in connection with the cleansing of a leper, gives interesting food for the thought. It is found in

See: Lev 14:12-18

The regulation is that the priest shall touch the clean leper first with the blood, and then with the oil, in a sequence: the right ear-lobe, thumb and the big toe - the choice of these three parts of the body, may have a deeper meaning, but I will leave that for later. 

Today it is about the blood and the oil. The blood is associated with Jesus and his ultimate sacrifice. The oil is associated with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will always confirm Jesus, the cross and the
resurrection. Jesus and the Spirit are mutual in their confirmation of one another:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 14:26

This is also a key in holiness. There will be no holiness without the sacrifice of Christ and the confirmation by the Holy Spirit 

It is the same with healing. If I believe that I am healed "by his wounds" (1), the Holy Spirit will confirm that. Not necessarily with an instant healing, but with an assurance that my prayers have been heard and I feel that I can rest in the fact that it will happen in His time. I have experienced both the instant healing, and the rest in the assurance that in him, I am healed even though no physical change has yet taken place.

'Manna' for today:

In in His time!

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(1) Isa 53:5

It is about anointing

NORSK
It is interesting that also with regard to the concept of anointing, I need to go to the Old Testament to get a better understanding. The anointing is an important part of the preparation of both the items and the people involved in sacred rituals:

Make these (1) into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.
Ex 30:25-29

When I teach about anointing and the use of oil, I always stress that there is no “magic” in any physical element. It is the combination of the prompting of the Spirit and the act of faith that releases the special anointing.

The sacred anointing oil is another image of the Spirit, and over the next days, I will look at different qualities of the oil. These qualities are also the qualities of the anointing of the Spirit, which again are recognized among the characteristics of holiness. So if you are interested in the subject of anointing, hang on!

‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is about anointing

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(1) The ingredients were 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, 250 shekels of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia and a hin of olive oil.

It is about the forces of nature

NORSK
When I read the Bible that an earthquake can be linked to a revelation of God's spirit, I understand that this may seem like a provocation for people whose lives have been hit by an earthquake’s destructive forces. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that when God reveals Himself in a nature phenomenon, it is of a non-destructive kind.

It is evident in the story of the burning bush that this was a non-consuming fire (1). Likewise, I have several times pointed out that it was important for God to reveal himself to Elijah, irrespective of natural phenomena like e.g. an earthquake (2).
 
Nevertheless, there are several stories in the Bible where an earthquake is linked to the activity of God’s spirit. When Jesus gave up his spirit at the cross, it is just a foretaste of what was to come a few weeks later. The earth shook, the rocks split, the curtain of the temple was torn - and many saints came out of their graves (3).
There was noise and a rattling sound when Ezekiel spoke to the dead bones in the valley, and then the breath of God brought them to life (4).
In Acts, I see that the prayers of the disciples caused an earthquake (5), and furthermore how earthquakes opened the prison doors (6).

Why does the Holy Spirit reveal himself in this way?
 
I think in the following verse contains the answer:

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Hebrews 12: 26-27

The contrast between shaking of heaven and earth and the Kingdom of God that cannot be shaken, is evident wherever the Holy Spirit is present. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that shaking also can be noticeable on people in the presence of the Holy Spirit – I know it from my own experience, and it explains today’s illustration*. It is familiar also in Salvation Army settings, and both Bramwell Booth (7) and Samuel Logan Brengle (8) testify to such manifestation.

‘Manna' for today:

I will hold on to that which cannot be shaken!

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* Quakers (Community of friends) got their name because the presence of the Spirit was identified through the physical manifestation of shaking in the person on whom the Spirit had given a message for the community.

(1) There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 2 Gen. 3: 2
(2) Cf. 1 Kings 19:11-12
(3) Matthew 27:50-53
(4) Ezekiel 37:7-9
(5) After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:31
(6) Acts 16:25-26

(7) “Later on, in Meetings of The Army, we had far more wonderful scenes of this nature. During an ‘All-Night of Prayer,’ for example, there would be a certain movement apparent among the people, and sometimes when prayer was being offered, and at other times during the singing or the address of a particular speaker, here and there among the audience people would be observed to fall to the ground. At times they appeared to fall with great violence, yet I have never known of anyone being really hurt. On some occasions there would be perhaps in a meeting of several hundreds of people only half a dozen such manifestations, although I have known as many as fifty or sixty in one gathering. Sometimes the younger people were in the majority, but at other times those thus influenced were mainly from the older portions of the audience.”
Bramwell Booth in “Echoes and Memories” ch. VII ‘Signs and Wonders’ – SP&S 1926 p 53

(8) “At times, the influence of the Spirit came in waves, and there was shouting, but never confusion—never any loss of what seemed Divine control of the meetings. .. . All these brought immeasurable blessing to my soul until it seemed to me that if I ever got much nearer Heaven, gravitation might turn the other way and I might not get back to earth. . . . All these manifestations of God’s presence, in rich variety, and yet Divine unity, fill and thrill me with the hope for revivals in all parts of the earth.”
Samual L. Brengle in letter to Rev. Dr. John Paul, Chicago Evangelistic Institute (Sept. 18, 1933) – quoted in R.D. Rightmire: “Sanctified Sanity” 2003 p 48. 

It is about breath

NORSK
“Breath” is one of the most common images of the Spirit, and it has been there since the creation story:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Gen 2:7 KJV

The image of the Holy Spirit as life-giving breath – a “kiss of life” – is beautiful, and it makes a lot of thoughts fall into place, like e.g. the fact that the regeneration is an act of the Holy Spirit. Like the oxygen is vital for my physical life, is the breath of life from the Spirit vital for my spiritual life.

It must have been important for the resurrected Jesus to make a point of this by doing it literally:

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit".
John 20:21-22

It is important also to note that the purpose of the breath is to be empowered and ‘equipped for every good work’;

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Tim 3:16-17

…and in prolongation of these verses, I quote Brengle once again:

“While others debate about the inspiration of the Word, let us eat it, drink it, preach it, and live thereby, and we shall live in the power of ‘an endless life’. Hallelujah!” (1)

‘Manna’ for today:

I breathe in the breath of the Spirit

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(1) Samuel Logan Brengle in: ”A Month with Samuel Brengle” p 4