Week 3: The Spirit comes as a down payment
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5
Seal and down payment — when the apostle mentioned one, he always had to bring up the other. It make good sense!
Meditation Notes:
The seal is a protection as you await a promised inheritance. You need a seal because you don’t yet have what God has promised, and you need to be kept for that time.
But that’s not the whole story—because you already have a down payment: the Holy Spirit.
So while you do not yet have the wealth of heaven—you do have the riches of the Spirit.
You don’t have the resurrection body—but you do have the resurrection power of the Spirit within you.
You don’t have the unmediated glory of God before you—but you do have his intimate Spirit within you.
A down payment is a pledge that there is more to come.
Dwell in me, O blessed Spirit Dwell in me, O blessed Spirit! How I need your help divine! In the way of life eternal, Keep, O keep this heart of mine. Refrain: --Dwell in me, O blessed Spirit --Gracious Teacher, Friend divine! --For the kingdom work that calls me, --O prepare this heart of mine. Grant to me your sacred presence; then my faith will ne’er decline. Comfort me and help me onward;f Fill with love this heart of mine.
OUR WORLD BELONGS TO GOD — a Contemporary Testimony # 28 The Spirit At Pentecost, promises old and new are fulfilled. The ascended Jesus becomes the baptizer, drenching his followers with his Spirit, creating a new community where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit make their home. Revived and filled with the breath of God, women and men, young and old, dream dreams and see visions.
