Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
The Holy Spirit is the most mysterious Person of the Trinity. On the surface, He seems to be more of an invisible power than a Person. He never speaks about Himself, as the Father and Jesus do, and when He does speak or act, it is always to glorify and honor Christ. The Scriptures reveal that the Holy Spirit was with Jesus from His conception through His resurrection. Jesus was both God and human. But to experience life as a human, Jesus limited the free use of His divine powers (Philippians 2:5-8). He also chose not to begin His earthly ministry until the Spirit came upon Him, filled and empowered Him (Luke 4:1-14). There was a time when the Pharisees claimed that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of the devil. Jesus warned them that they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and there would be no forgiveness for this sin. Jesus honored the Holy Spirit above Himself (Matthew 12:22-32). We would be wise to do the same.
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins in Matthew 25 has many applications to the life of believers, but the foundation of the parable is our need to honor and have an ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit. The oil in the parable represents the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives. There were five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. They were all believers. They all slumbered and slept because the Bridegroom (Jesus) delayed His appearance. This can speak of the delayed answer to prayers, promises, and prophetic words. Sleeping in this parable is not to be considered wrong since the wise and foolish both slept. It speaks of cultivating your relationship with the Holy Spirit in the natural everyday demands, routines, and needs of life. As the parable illustrates a time will come when it will be too late to get oil through your relationship with Him. Apparently, half of the church will not have sufficient oil at that time. It is not too late now, though.
The parable reveals that you can get by with living in someone else’s light (revelation and anointing) for a little while when things are going well (John 5:35). But you can’t borrow oil from others when things get intense and stressful. You need your own personal supply. Why would you want a spiritual life with most of your light coming from others when you can have it from the Lord Himself? The moon gives light at night but imagine if all you had for light was the moon. You also cannot borrow oil from yourself, meaning you can’t go back to a time when you were full of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has accomplished much in my life already, but I still have weak spots and areas of inconsistency in my character and walk with God. Until I see Jesus face to face, I will need His guidance, transforming power and correction. As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit so that we could be true and living witnesses of the glory of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and not an impersonal force. He already indwells us, but we are not always filled with His Presence. He wants to take us from strength to strength and from glory to glory.The abundant life Jesus promised is not simply about conduct and morality; it is walking in a relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is experiencing the fullness of His grace, love and power.
Many Blessings, BW