John 1:32-34
2 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." NIV
Were you looking for Y'hsua or did He find you? Was yours a lifelong search, or a curiosity because of a friend or family member's faith? Whatever your story, YHWH was in it.
This is the Hebrew text for our Father in heaven. It means literally, what He called Himself to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. The Jews feared misusing it against the LORD's commandment, "thou shalt not take the name of Adonai, YHWH in vain." Adonai, the Hebrew word for LORD, was the name they chose to call Him instead.
My quest for truth began when I was little girl. My parents had divorced and my world was turned upside down. I didn't want to live anymore. I hated who I was and everything about my life. As I grew up, I visited various Christian churches with friends, and saw how happy their families seemed to be. I wanted that kind of life for myself. At the age of eleven, I was baptized in an Anglican Catholic Church.
As I got into my teens, the influence of drugs, alcohol, Buddhism, and boys stole my attention from Christianity. I was sexually assaulted, and almost murdered before I realized how far down the wrong road I'd traveled.
When I met my ex-husband and learned he was a wayward Catholic, it was a dream come true for me. He was a man I could "fix" (get him back to faith,) and find the faith I'd always been looking for. The only problem was, all I found in the church were trappings. Beautiful statues, ornate gold candle holders, and an intricately carved cabinet where the "shew" bread was kept sanctified. It was all about rituals, rote prayers and sayings, genuflecting, and signing oneself. Outward signs. The parishioners were not encouraged to read the Bible lest they wrongly interpret Scripture.
I spent ten years going to church faithfully, kneeling at the pew, looking at a massive crucifix hanging over the altar praying "Jesus, how can I know you? Why am I such a mess and still feel like I want to die?" I was empty. I did not have the Holy Spirit. All I had was religion.
John had the Holy Spirit. YHWH had given him the Spirit before he was even born. Remember that he stirred in his mother's womb when Mary arrived to help Elizabeth. He knew, even then, that Y'shua was on the way. He knew already in his heart of hearts, but Adonai confirmed it when John saw a Spirit come down "as a dove" from heaven.
We've often seen the symbol of a white dove used to depict the Holy Spirit. I'm not at all sure that's correct. That could mean one of two things. It could mean what many interpret it to mean, the Spirit looked like a dove. But it could also mean only that the Spirit descended in the same way a dove would, in flight, landing on Y'shua. Either way, there was no mistaking what John knew to be the One Adonai had told him would come to baptize with the Holy Spirit.
But the most important words John says in this paragraph, "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of YHWH."
He sets the example for all disciples to come. Testify. Give witness to the truth. Don't keep it to yourself.
What is your testimony? Do you testify of the Holy Spirit in you by the saving grace of our Adonai and Savior Y'shua?
If not prepare it. Know it. Share it.
For the glory of YHWH,
anne
2 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." NIV
Were you looking for Y'hsua or did He find you? Was yours a lifelong search, or a curiosity because of a friend or family member's faith? Whatever your story, YHWH was in it.
My quest for truth began when I was little girl. My parents had divorced and my world was turned upside down. I didn't want to live anymore. I hated who I was and everything about my life. As I grew up, I visited various Christian churches with friends, and saw how happy their families seemed to be. I wanted that kind of life for myself. At the age of eleven, I was baptized in an Anglican Catholic Church.
As I got into my teens, the influence of drugs, alcohol, Buddhism, and boys stole my attention from Christianity. I was sexually assaulted, and almost murdered before I realized how far down the wrong road I'd traveled.
When I met my ex-husband and learned he was a wayward Catholic, it was a dream come true for me. He was a man I could "fix" (get him back to faith,) and find the faith I'd always been looking for. The only problem was, all I found in the church were trappings. Beautiful statues, ornate gold candle holders, and an intricately carved cabinet where the "shew" bread was kept sanctified. It was all about rituals, rote prayers and sayings, genuflecting, and signing oneself. Outward signs. The parishioners were not encouraged to read the Bible lest they wrongly interpret Scripture.
I spent ten years going to church faithfully, kneeling at the pew, looking at a massive crucifix hanging over the altar praying "Jesus, how can I know you? Why am I such a mess and still feel like I want to die?" I was empty. I did not have the Holy Spirit. All I had was religion.
John had the Holy Spirit. YHWH had given him the Spirit before he was even born. Remember that he stirred in his mother's womb when Mary arrived to help Elizabeth. He knew, even then, that Y'shua was on the way. He knew already in his heart of hearts, but Adonai confirmed it when John saw a Spirit come down "as a dove" from heaven.
We've often seen the symbol of a white dove used to depict the Holy Spirit. I'm not at all sure that's correct. That could mean one of two things. It could mean what many interpret it to mean, the Spirit looked like a dove. But it could also mean only that the Spirit descended in the same way a dove would, in flight, landing on Y'shua. Either way, there was no mistaking what John knew to be the One Adonai had told him would come to baptize with the Holy Spirit.But the most important words John says in this paragraph, "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of YHWH."
He sets the example for all disciples to come. Testify. Give witness to the truth. Don't keep it to yourself.
What is your testimony? Do you testify of the Holy Spirit in you by the saving grace of our Adonai and Savior Y'shua?
If not prepare it. Know it. Share it.
For the glory of YHWH,
anne
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