Ferndale Tonight: All Together Now

Meditate: Acts 2:44

And just as the expectancy peaks, the conductor takes the podium and raises his baton. Let the harmony flow…

What’s the big deal about the conductor? The musicians are all very competent, right? Can’t they just read the music and have at it?

I heard a famous conductor interviewed once. He made it clear that he’s not just out there to keep time. If that’s all they needed they’d just get a big metronome.

In fact, he said he only used one hand to keep time. But he was using the other hand, and facial expressions, and body language and everything else at his disposal to communicate to the whole orchestra and individual players, to inspire them to go where the composer intended.

“Louder.” “You play softer.” “Pick it up.” “More feeling!” “Gentle, now.” He said that he’s responsible for all the parts of the composer’s plan that can’t quite be reflected in the sheet music.

This early Church had been united in following Jesus; they had benefited from the Word made flesh, as Jesus Himself explained the scriptures to them; they had seen Jesus taken into heaven and obeyed His command to go back to Jerusalem and wait.

And into the silence, into this expectation, God sent His Holy Spirit. The Spirit reminded them, convicted them, and taught them. The Spirit led them, comforted them, and gave them power. It’s the Spirit that brought them together. And herein lies the clue to where “all the believers together” has gone.

The Father, the Lord, the Almighty, the Righteous and Holy One, the Giver of the Word, the First Person of the Trinity. And Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord, the Risen One, the Redeemer, the Word made flesh, the Second Person of the Trinity… Father and Son, we know and honor and worship. We pray to them and sing to them and concern ourselves about pleasing them, about obeying their will…

But what about the Holy Spirit? You know, the Comforter, the Counselor, the Third Person of the Trinity? What role does He play in our lives and our congregations?

Jesus promised the Spirit would guide us into all truth. Can we afford to neglect the Guide that God Himself has provided for us?

Having received the Bible, the Word, have we now become so clever that we don’t need the Spirit to illuminate its truth? It is by the Spirit that Jesus keeps His promise to never leave us or forsake us. Do we not need Christ’s presence in our lives and our churches?

Believers submitting themselves to the Lordship of Christ, obeying the Father’s will and Word, and following where the Spirit guides are bound to come together, all together. Like a symphony.