The Holy Spirit (The Lord Giver of Life) Fifty days following Easter, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. The season leading to the feast is called in Arabic 'Khamaseen' which means fifty (50) or Pentecost. The feast of Pentecost or the poring of the Holy Spirit, is a great feast and an occasion preferred over any other time in Church calendar for new ordinations of Bishops and Priests in the Coptic Church. The word 'Pentecost' is a Greek word which means fifty, its equivalent in Coptic is 'Ansara', in Hebrew is the word 'Bitevi' and in Arabic 'Khamaseen' or 50th day. We also use the Greek word 'Parakleet' which has more than one translation, meaning. The Holy Spirit of God is referred to as the 'Parakleet' meaning: language, tongue, comforter, advocate, defender, intercessor, .. etc. These are some of the works of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and the Church. Before his passion, Jesus promised his disciples saying: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even, the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me .." (John 15:26). Before man was created: "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Gen 1:2). Men received the Holy Spirit, also in a small measure for special purposes. Before the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured on very few people of God for special purposes, as examples: 1. Jeremiah: The Holy Spirit came upon him even when he was in his mother's womb and continued with him, so he prophesied great prophesies which gave us a treasure of knowledge about things to come, even to this day: "Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed you in the belly I knew thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I santified thee and ordained thee a prophet .. " (Jer 1:4). 2. Joshua the son of Num: "was full of the Spirit of Wisdom; for Moses has laid his hands upon him." (Deut 34:9). 3. Bazaleel the son of Uri: "The Lord said unto Moses. I have called by name Bazaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, .. and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. To advise cunning works, to work in gold and in silver and in brass .." (Exodus 31:1-5). 4. The seventy elders of Israel: "The Lord said to Moses: gather 70 of the elders of Israel and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them." (Numb 11:16-29). 5. Joseph was filled with the Spirit of God which made him wiser than all the wise men of Egypt: "Pharaoh said: can we find such one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discrete and wise as thou art .." (Gen 41:36-). 6. Saul the son of Kees: was annointed with oil and the spirit of God was on him when the Israelites asked Samuel the prophet to appoint him king on Israel, previously they were ruled by judges: Samuel the prophet spoke to Saul after anointing him with oil saying: and the spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophecy .." (I Samuel 10:6). Later on the Spirit of the Lord left him and a bad spirit possessed him because he displeased God. 7. David the Prophet and King: Was by the will of God chosen on the hands of the great prophet Samuel to succeed Saul while Saul was still alive and David was filled with the Holy Spirit of God: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him .. and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." (I Samuel 16:13-). In that same category are: Isiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, and Elisha among other men of God. It is interesting to learn that the Spirit of God strifed with all men always, but after the flood the situation changed because man's sin became like a big wall that separated man from his creator: "God said: My Spirit shall not always strife with man .. Because they sinned." (Gen 6:3). From the time of the flood a measure of the Spirit of God was on a few chosen people like the above mentioned. How did God Prepare for the Coming of His Son? A special dispensation of the Holy Spirit preceded the Coming of Christ (his birth): 1. Zakariah the Priest and His Wife Elizabeth - were given a special dispensation of the Holy Spirit. They gave birth to the messenger, John the Baptist, to prepare his way. Both Zakariah and Elizabeth prophesied about the message of their son and the coming of the savior Jesus Christ. List to Elizabeth saying to Mary: "And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For lo, as soon as the voice of thy saluatation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. .." (Luke 1:43,44). 2. John the Baptist - "was filled by the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15) because he was "his messenger to prepare the way of the Lord" which shows ÿ the mercy and grace of our Lord in the fullness of time. It is important to understand that God by his Holy Spirit works in us and for us at the right time as determined by God's pre-knowledge and infinite (unlimited) wisdom. 3. Mary Theotokos (Mother of God in truth) - was filled by the Holy Spirit to become worthy of carrying Emmanuel (God with Us): "The angel said unto her: Fear not Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. .. And the angel and said unto her: The Holy Ghost (Spirit) shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highers shall overshadow thee." (Luke 1:26-). 4. Jesus our Lord - to prepare himself (to give us an example of how to prepare for the service of the Lord) fasted 40 days and 40 nights and was then baptized and: "Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him." (Matt 3:16). This was mentioned for our edification, since Jesus is God Incarnate, one of the trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We learn the importance of fasting and receiving baptism which is renewed always through repentance (penance), confession, and the Eucharist (holy communion). The Holy Spirit in the Church (After Ascension) Before ascension, the works of the Holy Spirit was not fully manifested, because Jesus was with his followers in the flesh. After ascension, the Holy Spirit was sent according to the promise: "And behold, I send you the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry (wait) ye in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high. .. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen." (Luke 24:49-). These words are the last words in the Gospel according to St. Luke. They are very clear instructions from Jesus to his Disciples, to wait in a specific place, Jerusalem, to receive a specific endowment (inheritance) which is the Holy Spirit of Power. This was the weapon they needed to go out and complete the works of evangelizing the whole world. This is a great truth which is essential for the church to live with. The church of God which was begun by Jesus himself, the corner stone, was entrusted to the Disciples and those that follwed their teaching, endowed with power because it received the promise of the Father after Jesus was glorified (died, buried, risen, and ascended). The prophet Joel prophesied about that great outpouring of the Holy Spirit centuries before it actually took place: "And I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophecy, you old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit." (Joel 2:28-). Here we see no particular groups being chosen to receive the Holy Spirit, instead he says all flesh. He also stresses old and young, sons and daughters, rich and poor. The Works of the Holy Spirit: 1. Witness for Christ: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." (John 15:25). 2. Stays with the believers: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." (John 14:16). 3. Teaches the believers all things: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send you in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26). 4. Leads the Believers to the Truth: "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...and he will show you things to come." (John 16:13). 5. Reproves (reprimands or rebukes) the World: "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin because they believe me (Christ) not. Of righteousness because I (Christ) go to my Father (which makes us right with the Father)... Of judgment, because the prince of this world (Satan) is judged." (John 16:8-11). These are the words of Christ our Lord concerning the works of the Holy Spirit. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul the Apostle explained these things to help our understanding, especially in his words in his first epistle to the Corinthians. The Corinthians were part of the Greek culture, they admired miracles and wonders, and he explained to them how the Holy Spirit of God can give us the ability to perform wonders and miracles which is a gift of the Spirit. No one can have any of these gifts if the Spirit is not in him. . St. Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that different people receive different gifts because they are different members of the body of Christ, but the different gifts complement each other to make the Christian community whole (complete): "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is give to every man to profit withal (to benefit everyone).." (I Cor 12:1-7). In the book of acts, acts 19, it talks about seven men the sons of skala, a Jewish head priest who tried to cast out an unclean spirit calling on the name of Jesus whom Paul preached. The evil spirit responded: Jesus I know and Paul I am familiar with, but you, who are you, and the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and they ran out naked We can summarize the gifts of the Holy Spirit: the word of wisdom, Faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, diverse kinds of tongues, and interpreting of tongues (See I Cor. 12:8-10). It is essential to note though that God divided as he wills: "But all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." (I Cor. 12:11). This is because we all are members of the same body with Christ the head. If so we do not need to be one and the same: "For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many are one body: so also is Christ." (I Cor. 12:12). We do not need to expound on many of the gifts because they are obvious: nothing is better than saying a word of wisdom in a difficult situation. It can diffuse anger and turn a losing situation into a winning one. Healing is a power that we have to believe in more so we can receive a greater measure of this most needed gift of God to the works of his hand. Who can not use a miracle even a minor one from time to time. Prophecy can help a church, a community, a family, or an individual in times of uncertainty. Prophecy does not have to be spoken also, it can come in the form of a vision, a holy feeling, or a dream. Tongues are the subject of great controversy today because some are misusing and sometimes plain abusing the gift. Our church teaches that it was essential to have that gift in the early days of Christianity because the teachers of the word were very few and most were simple and uneducated. Today, education and knowledge makes it less important. Even during the time of Paul the Apostle, the gift was abused which caused him to write in the same epistle: "Follow after charity, love, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather you may prophecy (the most important gift). For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries... for greater is he that prophecies than he that speaks with tongues..." (I Cor. 13:1-6). The Fruits of the Spirit: If you have a gift, that gift must bear some fruits otherwise it is a useless gift. Paul the Apostle also summarized the most important fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering (Patience), Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance, and added the beautiful words: "against such there is no law" (Ga 5:22-). Now if you have the Holy Spirit active in you, the Holy Spirit will work in you. As a result some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit will become evident in your life. And consequently the works of the Spirit will bear fruits. It is marvelous to have all the fruits at once, but if we can not, let us hope for some. Which are your favorite qualities: Is it Love? How about having Christ's Joy, his peace, long- suffering? How about asking for gentleness? Goodness? Faith is a great quality. It protects us from the doubts Satan sends our way every turn of the way. Do you have faith that you will reach the top of the mountain, knowing that the road is long and the door is narrow? There is no law against these beautiful qualities. Let us pray to the Father in the name of Christ our Lord through the Holy Spirit, the Lord Giver of life to assist us in claiming that life full of gifts and fruits in Christ Jesus our Lord to whom is Glory with his Father and the Holy Spirit; One God. Amen. (C) 1997; Dr. William A. Hanna; St. Mary & St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church; 1843 Ross Ave.; St. Louis, MO 63146; USA Please Consider Sending A Donation: St. Mary & St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church 1843 Ross Ave. St. Louis, MO 63146; USA (This Will Help pay the Building Loan. Also, we are planing a Second Edition of the Essays For Orthodox Youth Book. Visit Our Home Page: http://www.geocities.com?SiliconValley/Heights/2894))