Acts 1:1-9 In the
first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did
and taught from the beginning 2 until the
day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving
instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles
whom he had chosen. 3 After his suffering he
presented himself alive to them by many convincing
proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking
about the kingdom of God. 4 While staying
with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem,
but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This,"
he said, "is what you have heard from me; 5
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from
now." 6 So when they had come together, they
asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore
the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He replied, "It is
not for you to know the times or periods that the Father
has set by his own authority. 8 But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9
When he had said this, as they were watching, he was
lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
This
week we are focusing on the third article of the Creed. For
the last two weeks, we have focused on God the creator and
God the redeemer. The third article of the creed gives us
insight about God the sanctifier. We all know that
Pentecost Sunday is coming up soon (May 11), and is the day
that we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. We can
also look at this day as the birthday of the church. It is
the Holy Spirit who is abiding with us until the return of
Jesus. It is also through the power of the Holy Spirit that
we are even able to believe in God, and are made Holy.
Below is the third article from the creed along with Martin
Luther’s explanation.
III. The Third Article: On Becoming Holy
I
believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the
community of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and an everlasting life. Amen.
Q.
What does this mean?
A.
I believe that I cannot come to my Lord Jesus Christ by my
own intelligence or power. But the Holy Spirit call me by
the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, made me holy and
kept me in the true faith, just as He calls, gathers
together, enlightens and makes holy the whole Church on
earth and keeps it with Jesus in the one, true faith. In
this Church, He generously forgives each day every sin
committed by me and by every believer. On the last day, He
will raise me and all the dead from the grave. He will give
eternal life to me and to all who believe in Christ. Yes,
this is most certainly true!
In our prayers this week: Alma,
Linwood, Gail, Ruth Brown (Gail’s mother), Deborah Steed,
Michael, and Brenten.
