February 21, 1990 Portland Observer Page 3
¡itti
Scripture o f the ‘Weeki
entire Book I JOHN
Strengthen fo u r ‘f a it h ‘Through (Prayer A n d ‘f e g u ia r Church ‘Worship
3y Mattie Ann Callier-Spears
Insight from the Word
GLORY
The Blessings of the Spirit
HALLELUJAH!
by Michael Lindsey,
Dean of North Portland Bible College
The Sunday School lesson for February 25 in the uniform series will be John 14:15-27.
Anyone w ho is active in a local C hristian church today is aw are o f the im portant role of
the Holy Spirit in our teaching and preaching. U nfortunately, teachings concerning the gifts
o f the Spirit, the filling o f the Spirit and the baptism o f the Spirit often lead to heated
discussion and disagreem ent w ithin the fam ily o f believers. T his was never the intent o f the
Lord Jesus.
In our Scripture lesson today, we continue to hear the w ords o f the Lord, spoken to his
disciples on the night he w as betrayed, the night before he died on Calvary. He knew He
would no longer be w ith his m en in the way they had been together for three years, and he
knew they w ould be grieved and disoriented— scattered like sheep w ithout a shepherd
(M atthew 26:31). But Jesus w as ready to m eet their need, by sending the Holy Spirit into
their hearts. T here is very little said about the Holy Spirit in the earliest part of the Gospel,
but Jesus teaches about the S p irit in each chapter o f this Farew ell D iscourse (John 14:16,
26; 15:26; 16:7-15).
The Lord gives us several truths about the spirit in this text, w hich w ill help us through
the disorienting tim es in our lives as well. I ’d like to explore several o f these with you.
First, we note that the S p irit is a “C om forter.” T his w ord (in the original language,
paraclete) has been very difficult to translate into tongue. K ing Jam es Version says
“C om forter," the NIV uses “C ounselor,” other translations use “ H elper,” "A dvocate,” even
“Friend.” No one w ord does ju stice to the original concept. T h e word could be literally
translated, “one who is called alongside.” In I John 2:1-2, C hrist is described as our
paraclete, but there the m eaning can be derived from context: C hrist is our A dvocate with
the Father, m uch like a defense attorney or character w itness in a court o f law. So in this case,
Jesus tells us that the Spirit w ill be an A dvocate w ith the Father as well, interceding for us
(see Rom ans 8:26-27).
T he Spirit o f G od is "a n o th er" A dvocate, for the disciples had already know n the
interceding grace o f Jesus here on earth, and had been taught by him, and had grow n to rely
on him as their greatest H elper and Friend. Now the Spirit w ould be taking up that w ork for
all believer, forever. U nlike som e cases in the O ld Testam ent, the Spirit, once given, would
not be w ithdraw n. (C om pare Sam son in Judges 13-16, esp. 16:20; and King Saul in 1 Sam uel
16:14; also recall John 7: 38-39.)
In particular, the Spirit is called “ the Spirit o f truth" (14:17), ju st as Jesus had already
declared, “ I am the Way, the Truth, and the L ife" (14:6). T heir Lord w ould repeatedly tell
them things like this: “If you love m e, keep my com m andm ents” (14:15, also 21, 23, 24).
Surely they loved Jesus! B ut how w ould they know what he com m anded, once he was
glorified and returned to heaven? T he disciples needed the Spirit o f G od to lead them into
truth. And Jesus m akes this clear “he will teach you all things and w ill rem ind you of
everything I have said to you” (14:26, NIV).
B ut the Lord m akes a clear connection betw een o u r love for him , and our obedience to
him, and the jo y o f having the H oly Spirit w ithin as an A dvocate from G od the Father. In
other w ords, no one should p retend to be C hristian, if he is living a like o f disobedience to
the plain truths o f C hrist. A nd no one w ho is a believer, should expect the fullness o f the
Spirit in his life, if he is n o t w illing to turn from any sin in his life.
I am afraid this is the real reason so m any o f our churches (and our ow n C hristian lives)
lack the love, joy and peace w hich the Holy Spirit produces (G alatians 5:22-23). It doesn t
m atter w hat gifts o f the Spirit you m ay possess, or experiences you may claim . Sin in the
b eliever’s life blocks the flow o f the Spirit, and m akes the believer m iserable, and his
w itness a sham bles. L et us give thanks to G od for the G ift o f the Holy Spirit; but then let s
confess any sins w hich keep us from enjoying his presence and pow er in our lives and our
churches.
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Som etim es, w hen I am
dow n and out
I lift up my voice
and I s h o u t. . .
“G lory H allelujah!”
W hen my day has
ju st begun
A nd there are no
songs to be sung
I cry out,
“G lory H allelujah!"
I looked in the cupboard
and saw no bread
T he pain is so great
I ca n ’t lift my head,
“G lory H allelujah!”
M y lights are off
and my friends are all gone
“Jesus! M y Jesus!
W hat w ent w rong?”
“G lory H allelujah!”
T he Lord w ill supply
A -L -L that you need
And, every day in the year
H e ’s a friend indeed . . .
“G lory H allelujah!”
All the Lord asks is
that we com e to Him in prayer
“ . . . A sk and it shall be g iven.”
Try it? If you dare.
“G lory H allelujah!"
You got to PRAISE Him when y o u ’re up
and PR A ISE Him w hen y o u ’re dow n
H ave a calm assurance that
your soul is heaven bound . . .
“G lory H allelujah!”
— by M AC Spears
Kindness is a hard thing to
give away; it usually comes
b
a
c
k
. /
Nykee C. English,
Longtime
Businessman, Dies
Mr. E nglish and his wife operated a
School Store across the street from Boise
School for 15 years. They sold the property
and operated a craft shop on N orth L om ­
bard St. for 10 years. Mr. and M rs. English
w ere active in the B oise area for many
years.
He is survived by his wife D orothy, son
Larry E nglish, daughter C hristie Verhocf;
three grandsons, Donald, David and Douglas
Sellers; one granddaughter, Julie Hansen;
two great grandsons, D avid Sellers and
Ryan Hansen.
T here w ill be no services per request o f
the deceased. D isposition was by crem a­
tion. Due to the m any years o f support from
the fam ilies o f the B oise district, the E ng­
lish fam ily requests any rem em brance be
given to the U nited N egro C ollege Fund,
Inc., 500 E. 62nd St., New York, N Y 10021,
in m em ory o f Mr. English and for Students
o f O regon.
D
Thank You!
God in His glorious wisdom,
has supplied me w ith so many
good friends, well-wishers and
praying saints. In a very short
space, I merely want to say
“ Thank You so very, very much
for all the calls, flowers, visits,
and cards; but, most important
of all — your prayers.”
A very special thanks to the
“ Uhuru Sa Sa Organization” in
the Oregon State Prison. I shall
never forget your offerings. I
shall cherish your card with all
your names. My fam ily mem­
bers, my Portland Observer fami­
ly, and my mission sisters.
God has blessed me with a
speedy recovery; but, I still have
to take it easy and have physical
therapy until I regain total usage
of my left arm and leg.
To all my readers and every­
one mentioned above, again,
"Thank You and May God Bless
you all.”
Yours in Christ Jesus’ Name,
Mattie Ann Callier-Spears
Religion Editor
Portland Observer
■ Lord, help me live my life for thee?
1 To think ol others instead ot me,
And help me give my very best
' Without regard for need of rest,
'Until I ’ve run the race you’ve set
And every righteous goal is met.
Then will I pause to give thee praise
For all the grace that blessed my days.
Then lovingly will I lay down
A life of work, to thee a crown,
Unworthy token though it be
To you who gave so much for me.
• Glenda Fulton Davis
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Equal justice under the law and the d em o­
cratic process can only be realized w hen all
o f the people o f a given society have both
an equal access and a sharing o f the e co ­
nom ic as well as the political pow er of the
society.
Social and political change in the United
States toward true democracy has only happened
when the ju st dem ands o f all o f the people
have been organized and m obilized. E lec­
tions at the state level provide opportunities
and challenges for grass roots organizing.
InG eorgia every rural com m unity and urban
center will have to be m obilized if Young is
to win the election. Voter mobilization volunteers
are now being organized from across the
nation to help get out the vote.
A m ong those w ho also w ill be running
for G overnor in G eorgia in opposition to
Young is the segregationist, form er G eor­
gia G overnor Lester “ ax handle" M addox.
Lt. G overnor Zell M iller also w ill be ru n ­
ning. Once again, this election w ill have far
reaching im plications for the rest of the
nation as we face the 21st century.
Andrew Young’s candidacy offers G eor -
gia and the nation an opportunity to move
forw ard on the road o f participatory d e ­
mocracy. Like the days o f the 1960’s, this
challenge should be m et with the voice and
energy o f m asses of concerned and com ­
m itted people. As the “M idnight Freedom
T rain” now heads to G eorgia, “jo y w ill
certain com e in the m om ine!
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profound social changes. Lest we forget,
there were m any who did not believe that
Douglas Wilder had a chance at being Governor
o f the state o f Virginia. Therefore, no one
should conclude that Young does not at
least have a chance in being elected as
G overnor o f G eorgia.
We believe Andrew Young’s chances of
w inning in G eorgia are very good. In a
recent interview in New York’s Am sterdam
N ew s, Young stated, “I really do feel a
calling to the state o f G eorgia." D uring the
last several m onths, there has been a ground
sw ell o f expressed support for Young across
the state in rural as well as urban areas.
Young is an ordained m inister of the
U nited C hurch o f Christ. T he church and
the m inistry for Young have provided a
w ealth o f experience in leadership devel­
opm ent. Young has noted what he calls “the
dem ocratic tradition o f the United C hurch
o f C hrist has served as a fram ew ork for
dealing with political offices.” Young af­
firm ed, “The church has been good training
for politics." A ccording to reporter Jesse H .
W alker o f the Am sterdam N ews, Young
em phasized, “The m inistry is a com bina­
tion o f preaching, or sharing ideas, and
pastoring or caring for the needs and con­
cerns o f its mem bers. I ’ve alw ays felt th at’s
been the m odel for my leadership.”
O f course the entire w orld will be w atch­
ing to see w hat develops in G eorgia as the
cam paign for Young expands. A t a time
A Prayer for Strength
104 N.E. Russell St.
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 282-5111
Call for
Quote!!!
Andrew Young fprGèorgia Governor
uring the week of August 11-
by B enjam in r. Chavis, Jr.
14, 1988, the Bethel AME
Jef
vi,
Avhfen dem ocracy and greater freedom is
Church became host church to T he 1990’s w ill continue to see the
the 97th Session Puget Sound ttonal political landscape change both at:; ■;being called for tftroughout the w orld it will
be im portant to m onitor the G eorgia elec­
the national level and state levels. African-
Conference.
tions.
There was singing, preaching (2 Americans and other racial and ethnic candidates
However, w e are also concerned that
to 3 times a day), eating, praying, will continue to make significant progress
people should not see this election cam ­
in
challenging
the
past
racial
exclusivity
of
workshops, eating, board meet­
paign as a carbon copy or replay o f the
ings, and just plain old fellow- top state and national elected offices.
W ilder cam paign in V irginia. M ost o f the
Andrew Young is now running to be the
shiping with one another.
issues will be different although the basic
G overnor o f G eorgia. The form er M ayor of
There was a banquet held on
issues of education, health, econom ics and
the city o f A tlanta, G eorgia if elected will
Wednesday at the Red Lion Lloyd be the first African-Americanelected Governor
crim e rem ain high on ev ery o n e’s agenda.
Center to open the four day event. o f the state o f Georgia. Young has had an
Yes, race is a factor because w e live in a
Dignitaries from the city and state outstanding career as an effective civil rights
society polarized by racism . A ndrew Young
is keenly aw are of this and his cam paign
government offices came to wel­ leader with the Rev. Dr. M artin Luther
will attem pt to rise above those w ho w ould
come the new Bishop and his King, Jr. in the 1960’s; a m em ber o f the
try to inject race as a negative factor in the
wife and the delegates to the city C ongress o f the U nited States and a vibrant
cam paign.
of Portland and the state of Ore­ presence at the United Nations in the 1970’s;
It appears that while the federal g o v ern ­
and
as
aprogrcssiveelcctedofFicial
inGeorgia
gon. It was a night of sopranos:
m ent under the leadership o f G eorge Bush
in
the
198O’s.
Mrs. Ernestine Dillard, Mrs.
has already been extrem ely slow in calling
We are aw are that there are som e people
Dorothy Butler and Mrs. MAC
for our nation to be m ore racially inclusive
who believe that it will be im possible for
Spears. Mr. David Flannigan, Mr.
in the political process, A frican-A m erican
Young to w in the G overnor's seat in a state
Edgar Mitchell and Mrs. Lorene like G eorgia that continues to have racial
and others who have been historically e x ­
W ilder also performed. The problem s. B ut the truth is, there are racial
cluded continue to m ake rem arkable p ro g ­
speaker of the evening was problem s in all 50 states o f the United
ress. This progress puts to rest all o f those
distractors who claim to see no lasting im pact
Bishop Anderson.
States o f America. If there were more people
or legacy o f the civil rights m ovem ent during
There was a special Luncheon who w ould w ork harder to challenge ra ­
the last thirty years. T he benefits o f the civil
held on Wednesday for the cism throughout the nation, particularly at
rights m ovem ent extend to all A m ericans.
crowning of “ Miss Puget Sound". the local level, then the 199O’s w ould see
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