Psalms 25 * 9, 15; Daniel 4:19-27; 1John 3:19-4:6; Luke 4:14-30Jesus comes out of the desert filled with the power of the Spirit and makes a name for himself immediately. He travels around and quickly goes back to his hometown where he preaches the truth and is questioned as to his authority. He responds with difficult truth that really pisses off his hometown and is chased to the edge of a cliff, but he eludes his pursuers.
The Spirit is a wonderful thing, but it can be a dangerous thing as well. When we are filled with the power of the Spirit, we know it. When we see someone else filled with the power of the Spirit we sometimes don't recognize it so readily: many times we find those people annoying. With the power of the Spirit, we can and do tell truth to power. This is an important aspect of the Spirit, for those hearing and for those delivering. There are ways of telling truth without getting ourselves killed in the process. But there is danger in working with the Spirit, and we need to recognize that.
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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.
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