从天上赐下的复兴
因我的名
经文
约翰福音十四15-31
15你们若爱我，就必遵守我的命令。
16我要求父，父就另外赐给你们一位保惠师（或作：训慰师；下同），叫他永远与你们同在，
17就是真理的圣灵，乃世人不能接受的；因为不见他，也不认识他。你们却认识他，因他常与你们同在，也要在你们里面。
18我不撇下你们为孤儿，我必到你们这里来。
19还有不多的时候，世人不再看见我，你们却看见我；因为我活着，你们也要活着。
20到那日，你们就知道我在父里面，你们在我里面，我也在你们里面。
21有了我的命令又遵守的，这人就是爱我的；爱我的必蒙我父爱他，我也要爱他，并且要向他显现。
22犹大（不是加略人犹大）问耶稣说：主阿，为甚么要向我们显现，不向世人显现呢？
23耶稣回答说：人若爱我，就必遵守我的道；我父也必爱他，并且我们要到他那里去，与他同住。
24不爱我的人就不遵守我的道。你们所听见的道不是我的，乃是差我来之父的道。
25我还与你们同住的时候，已将这些话对你们说了。
26但保惠师，就是父因我的名所要差来的圣灵，他要将一切的事指教你们，并且要叫你们想起我对你们所说的一切话。
27我留下平安给你们；我将我的平安赐给你们。我所赐的，不像世人所赐的。你们心里不要忧愁，也不要胆怯。
28你们听见我对你们说了，我去还要到你们这里来。你们若爱我，因我到父那里去，就必喜乐，因为父是比我大的。
29现在事情还没有成就，我预先告诉你们，叫你们到事情成就的时候就可以信。
30以后我不再和你们多说话，因为这世界的王将到。他在我里面是毫无所有；
31但要叫世人知道我爱父，并且父怎样吩咐我，我就怎样行。起来，我们走吧！
信息分享
昨天我们提到有些人对圣灵的工作和本质，存在着一些奇怪的想法。今天让我们继续来思考这个问题。我认识一位牧者，他不幸染上了酒瘾，不能自拔。然而，他不但没有承认自己受到捆绑，也没有向其他基督徒寻求帮助和支持，他反而把问题合理化，说酗酒令他向圣灵开放，除去他的障碍，令他更容易接受神的启示。我说他实在是喝醉了，他却回答说：「酒精令一些人喝醉，但令我更容易被神使用。」真是一派胡言！
然而，透过基督，圣灵的本质和内容获得了确定，对此我们实在十分感恩。圣灵好像耶稣基督，正如今天的经文说，圣灵是因着基督的名赐下的，所以在旧约时期，神只是有限地给人赐下圣灵，祂在等候耶稣来确定圣灵的内容和特质，因为只有在耶稣里面，我们才能看到圣灵最真实的特性。
在深入地看圣灵之前，让我们先深入的看看耶稣，这样才能够有一个正确的认识。耶稣没有任何神秘、怪异或失衡的地方，祂不需要透过异象或梦境去获取指引（这却是某些现代基督徒的做法）。祂是透过祷告和等候而得到从神而来的指示，而这也是你和我所该做的事。异象和梦境在基督徒的生命中也许有它们的位置，但不能失去平衡，把它看得过为重要。
「在耶稣里面，我们才能看到圣灵最真实的特性」
进深研究
林前二1-13；路十二12；约壹二27
1. 保罗的见证是甚么？
2. 试列出圣灵教导你的五件事情。
祈祷
天父，我再次感谢您让我清晰圣灵的内涵和特质，求您帮助我不要期望您向我们的生命展现一些神奇的力量，是耶稣基督不曾行使过或表现出来的。阿们。
Heaven-Sent Revival
"In My Name"
Bible reading:
John 14:15-31
15 "If you love me, keep my commands.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you.
26 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.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,
31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
Message
We continue with the thought we considered yesterday, that some people have strange ideas about the work and nature of the Holy Spirit. I once knew a minister who unfortunately had fallen into the grip of alcohol and could not break free. Instead of admitting the bondage he was in and seeking help and support from his fellow Christians, he rationalised the problem and said his heavy drinking opened him up to the Holy Spirit because it lifted his inhibitions and made him more susceptible to divine revelation. I suggested that all that was happening to him was that he was getting drunk. He replied: "Ah, alcohol makes some people drunk, but me it makes more available to God." What nonsense!
How thankful we ought to be that through Christ the nature and content of the Holy Spirit has been fixed. The Holy Spirit is like Jesus. As our text for today says, He is given in Christ's Name. This is why God could only give the Holy Spirit sparingly to people in Old Testament times; He waited until Jesus had fixed the content and character of the Spirit. It is only in Jesus that we see ultimate character revealed.
So take a good look at Jesus before you take a good look at the Holy Spirit, and then you will come out with the right perspectives. There was nothing weird or strange or unbalanced about Jesus. He never laid stress (as do some modern-day Christians) on getting guidance through visions and dreams. He received His guidance through prayer and waiting upon God, as you and I should. Visions and dreams may have their place in the Christian life, but not an unbalanced place.
"In Jesus we see ultimate character revealed"
Prayer
Father, once again I want to thank You for clarifying for me the content and character of the Holy Spirit. Help me not to expect You to exercise or demonstrate in my life any power that is not power Jesus would have exercised or demonstrated. Amen.
Further study
1 Corinthians 2:1-13
Luke 12:12
1 John 2:27
1. What was Paul's testimony?
2. List 5 things the Holy Spirit has taught you.
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