The Spirit of Christ

You’ve probably never heard the name Martin Bucer, but you should have. He’s basically the Forrest Gump of the Reformation. He mediated the famous debate between Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli on the nature of communion, personally modeled for John Calvin much of what he took back to Geneva, and befriended Thomas Cranmer, helping him to shape the Book of Common Prayer. I can’t think of another Reformer who is so quickly claimed by Lutherans, Baptists, Calvinists, and Anglicans alike!Christ’s Spirit seems to work in a similar way: He’s not a solo artist. He’s never doing anything that draws attention to Himself, but is rather always pointing to Jesus for the glory of the Father. I like to joke that the Spirit is the introverted member of the Holy Trinity. He’s almost bashful, it seems like sometimes. If you know any bashful introverts, then you are probably aware that they are often the most powerful people in the room.Now, all of this is just my own reflective musing on the Spirit. For some of us, we grew up in a tradition that took the Spirit’s apparent modesty as a sign that He should be ignored, and we’ve foolishly regarded Him as the one Francis Chan has called “Forgotten God.” Others have come close to or crossed the line of actually exploiting Him over and against that apparent preference, forcing Him into the center stage as some “cheap conjurer of tricks.” But the Spirit, like Gandalf and every other person, has a mind and a will and a desire to be known for who He truly is. He can be grieved and blasphemed. He can be loved. And this Person ought to be worshipped.So this week, we’re going to explore what the Spirit has disclosed about Himself in the Scripture He has inspired so that we can worship God well.- Josh