Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - May/71

Contributor - Mrs. Marg Van Eck

Title - Going to the Father - Sending the Helper

Topic - Women

Although Ascension day is not a holiday in Canada, it does not mean that we have to let it pass by without even to realize its importance in our Christian History. Without it, God's redemptive work would have been incomplete. Christ, himself, gives us a beautiful explanation of His need to return to heaven in John 14 and 16.

"I am going to prepare a place for you," and "It is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But if I do go away, then .1 will send him to you."

In the coming weeks, I wish you would all read chapters 14 through 17 of the gospel of John. I am sure you will enjoy it. It tells you about the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Ten days after Jesus left His disciples on Mount Olive, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. And through the Spirit they received Power. Power to heal the sick; power to preach the good news of the forgiveness of sins through Christ Jesus, the crucified. This Power transforms a plain fisherman into a great preacher, who spoke the message with boldness: 3000 people believe. Are you willing to let this Power transform you and fill your whole being? The result may surprise you: It makes you alive in Christ!

A lady from our Guild for Christian Service, sent me an essay, written for the Spring Conference. The topic is "Alive in Christ". Pentecost is near and I thought it a beautiful theme for this feast of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For only through the Spirit are we Alive in Christ.

Alive in Christ

This is the theme for the Triennial in Cleveland next month and it may be a good idea to think what this will mean to us. During the past weeks we remembered the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, and last Sunday we rejoiced on Easter morning because our Saviour had won the victory over dead and hell. Now we are approaching Ascension day and ten days later we hope to celebrate Pentecost, what we could call the birth of the Christian Church. Before Pentecost there was no Christian Church as we know it. On Good Friday, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, which meant that the complete offer of God's Son paid for all our sins. The followers of Jesus had to wait for the Holy Spirit to guide them on the new road of worship. We read that on the day of Pentecost there were people from all surrounding countries gathered in Jerusalem. Each had his own language and customs. But when they heard the apostles speak, 'filled with the Holy Spirit', there were no barriers. They were of different skin colour, but in Christ's love they were the same.

We read in the history of the church, that there came a man, who put himself in the way of the Holy Spirit, putting up barriers through which he divided the Church of Christ. Some were followers of Paul and later some were followers of Luther and some of Calvin. But most important is that we let the Holy Spirit work in us. Then it will be like Paul wrote in Romans 8, when God's Spirit dwells in us we want to please God.

Many definitions have been given of what difference there is between Christians and non-Christians. Some think you have to be a baptist member of a church. Others think you have to live a good and upright life. Indeed, we do not despise these differentiations, but Paul describes a Christian different in his letter to the young churches. Whether a person is a Christian depends not on him being baptist, a churchgoer and of good behaviour, but that he has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Every man can speak of sin living in him, but only a Christian can speak of the Spirit who dwells in him. The language of a Christian is not I, but Christ dwells in me. It is true of every Christian that his body is the temple of God's Spirit. So the difference between, having Christ dwelling in us or not having Christ is a matter of life and death. By nature we are dead in trespasses and sin. Under God's judgement we are cut off from the life that is in Him. But when Christ by His Spirit dwells in us, although our bodies are still mortal, our spirits are quickened or made alive. We are reconciled to God, brought into fellowship with Him which is eternal life.

And so our daily task is to please not our sinful self, but to pray for the Holy Spirit through whom we are able to please our Lord and Master.

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