Why We Feel It.

I'm at it again, weekly scripture study entries! I didn't do this last semester, because it wasn't an assignment for my REL121 class.  This semester, it is an assignment again, and I have realized that I get so much more out of my scripture study when I am looking for something I could write about.  I see more than just black words on a white page this way.  I really should make these entries a habit, even when it's not an assignment.  Without further ado, here is my first weekly entry of the semester:

My thoughts today are based on a conglomeration of scriptures in Acts 1 and 2.  Let’s set the stage a little bit.  This is during Christ’s 40 day ministry after His resurrection.  We don’t know much about this ministry, and it was a rather brief time for Him to be back.  Because it was so brief, though, He spent it teaching His apostles what to do after He was no longer there, because he wanted His gospel to keep spreading and His church to remain established on the earth.  

I found a verse in the beginning of this ministry to be significant, because it tells a very important concept that Christ taught His apostles during this time of instruction.  The verse states: “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

The important concept talked about is the Spirit.  The apostles are to be given this, and its bestowal comes with a responsibility.  The Holy Ghost provides a witness of Christ to them, and they will need to use that witness to be witnesses of Christ themselves, to others.

This is all well and good, but why do there need to be appointed apostles and ministers?  Why teach?  The next chunk of verses I want to talk about gives one very important reason.  This just goes to show that Christ wants us to understand, because he clarifies and answers questions we may have as we study, sometimes even in the next few verses we read.  Acts 2:20-21 states “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and terrible day of the Lord come: and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The thought that struck me when I read this was “they teach to prepare people for the coming of Christ – like John the Baptist did.”  
Alright, awesome.  But I'm not a general authority or anything, so how does this apply to me?  Why do I have access to the Spirit?  I got to thinking about this, and realized two things.  One was pretty obvious: I can use the witness I have gained to witness to others and bless their lives, just like the leaders of the church can.

The second thing I realized was more profound to me: the Spirit is given so we can teach, not only others but ourselves.  The Spirit is there so leaders can prepare the people for the coming of Christ, and it is given to us so we can prepare ourselves to meet Christ personally in our lives; so we can be ready to come unto Him.  The power and revelation from the Holy Ghost is the way we gain knowledge on spiritual topics, the kind of knowledge that will bring us to Christ.  It is the kind of knowledge that is more than the texts we read from the canon or otherwise, knowledge that is personal and applies to us and our lives right now.

I know the content and realization in this journal entry have come from just that – the Spirit helping me teach myself.  I am very grateful for this ability and opportunity.  I find more meaning in my study and in my life every day because of it.

Thanks for reading. :)