Love Letters: Smyrna by Rich Cave (Revelation 2:8-11)

Being Filled With the Holy Spirit by Rebecca Tyers (John 1:29-34)

In the Gospels, we read of John the Baptist, a man called by God to prepare the way for the arrival of Jesus. Whilst John prepared his community by baptising them with water, he claimed that Jesus would baptise them with the Holy Spirit. Since then, Christians have tried to reconcile the difference between their experience of the Holy Spirit and what they read on the pages of Scripture. How do we make sense of experience, unmet expectations, the now and the not yet?

Who is the Holy Spirit? (Pt2) by Luc Sadler (John 1:29-34)

At the beginning of John’s Gospel, we are given a glimpse of the three persons of God together; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As Jesus, the Son, is baptised, the affirming voice of God the Father is heard, and the anointing Spirit of God is revealed as a descending bird. The New Testament reveals the Holy Spirit as a gift-giver and guide. The Holy Spirit leads us to repentance, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness. The Holy Spirit is an agent of transformation. How do we prepare for this change? How do we partner with new possibilities?

Who Is The Holy Spirit? (Pt.1) by Rich Cave (Genesis 1:2)

When we read the Bible as a whole, we see that God has revealed himself to us as one God in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called ‘ruach’ in Hebrew in the Old Testament. Denoting wind or breath, it creates the image of a gentle, powerful, sustaining, yet invisible entity. The Holy Spirit empowers men and women within the Old Testament, resting on them and appearing to them. In the story of the artist Bezalel in Exodus, the Holy Spirit gives skills and abilities beyond the natural. How do we understand the Holy Spirit through scripture? How do we know the personal presence of God? How do we open ourselves to be empowered by Him?

Love Letters: Pergamum by Ness Wilson (Revelation 2:18-29)

‘Here’s the reward I have for every conqueror, everyone who keeps at it, refusing to give up: You’ll rule the nations, your Shepherd-King rule as firm as an iron staff, their resistance fragile as clay pots. This was the gift my Father gave me; I pass it along to you—and with it, the Morning Star!’ (Revelation 2:26-28). In the second half of our series on the Book of Revelation, we’ll be doing a deeper dive into the second and third chapters of the book, also known as the Letters to the Seven Churches.

Love Letters: Smyrna by Rich Cave (Revelation 2:8-11)

‘This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.’ (Revelation 2:8b-9). In the second half of our series on the Book of Revelation, we’ll be doing a deeper dive into the second and third chapters of the book, also known as the Letters to the Seven Churches.