Word of Life Church Podcast

How can we live in the midst of a world marked by fear, hatred, and violence, and not be destroyed by it? By becoming aware that our true house is not the house of fear, in which the powers of hatred and violence rule, but the house of love, where God resides. Through the spiritual life we gradually move from the house of fear to the house of love.” –Henry Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord

We are not Levites at Sinai cutting down sinners in our zeal. We are healers from Mount Zion reconciling people to God. We are not given the ministry of death from the letter; we are given the ministry of life from the Spirit. If we have more passion to put up the Ten Commandments in courthouses than to advocate for immigrants, help prisoners, and reconcile sinners, we can be sure we are filled with the wrong spirit and have the wrong ministry!

When the Law was given at Mount Sinai, the Levites took up swords and killed 3,000 people who had worshiped the golden calf. At Pentecost, when the holy spirit was given, Peter preached the gospel and 3,000 people were saved! The Apostle Paul says it this way: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

God is triune but Jesus gets a lot of attention because the Father sends the Son and the Spirit glorifies the Son. Jesus said that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would come to glorify him. The work of the Holy Spirit is not to draw attention to the work of the Holy Spirit, but to draw our attention to Jesus. He does this by producing within us the fruit of the Spirit.