Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit

Have you ever wondered about the difference between Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit?  I was raised in the Pentecostal church and we have most often used Holy Ghost. By contrast, many other denominations use the term Holy Spirit. Is there a difference? Not really.

At the time of the King James Bible both Ghost and Spirit were used interchangeably. The Greek word in the New Testament is Pneuma. There are two English words that that can translate the one Greek word: Ghost and Spirit. Ghost is from English, which is a Germanic language. Compare the German Geist and the Dutch geest. Spirit comes to us from Latin spiritus via French esprit which both mean the same as Ghost. So Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are two ways of talking about the presence of God.

The important thing to understand is not the term involved but who the Holy Spirit is. He is not a thing. He is the presence of the creator in action and especially as he involves himself with man. In the Old Testament the Spirit of God hovered over the waters of Genesis One. The Spirit of God talked with Abraham and moved on the prophets. The Spirit of God hovered over the Tabernacle of Moses, etc. In the New Testament the Spirit of God lives within the hearts of those who have been born again. According to Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19 those who were filled with the Holy Spirit spoke in tongues as the Spirit spoke through them.

The Spirit of God living in the heart of a believer gives guidance, wisdom, understanding, and direction. He is a comforter is times of loss and courage in times of fear. He will be whatever we need him to be because He is God.

A friend of mine taught me to pray, "Holy Ghost, show me such and such when I am in a place of decision." In addition to big prayers, I have said "Holy Ghost show me where my keys are", etc and it has worked. This is not to minimize the Holy Ghost to trivial things but I believe God cares about everything that bothers me. If you need strength, direction, wisdom, or anything else you can pray for the Holy Spirit to be the light and He will light the way.

Prayer for the guidance of God's Spirit:

Lord, I pray that you would let your Holy Spirit guide and give me wisdom today. Give me strength over temptation and to accomplish the tasks I must do throughout this day. Help me to be sensitive to your voice and be obedient to you. Let your Spirit illuminate your word that I may understand it. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!

When You Don't Have the Answers

When You Don’t Have the Answers

When I lived in Honduras I conducted a weekly prayer meeting and Bible study in the home of a lady in the church. Here name was Maria and she lived with her daughter Maira in a barrio in a rough part of the city. They were precious people who loved God. Though the house was small it was always clean and this Bible study was the highlight of my week.

In addition to her daughter Maira, Maria had a son. He was a drug addict who I had been told lived in the streets. I had never met him. One night we returned late from a church function to a death message. Maria’s son had been found dead. I didn’t learn the details of the death but I do remember the funeral because it was the first one I had taken part in.

In most Central American countries funerals are quite different than in North America. The bodies are not embalmed so they must be buried within 24 hours. The family goes to the funeral home, picks out a casket and waits while the body is prepared. They usually wake the body through the night, having a service sometime that night or the next day. Then they go to the graveyard and have a service similar to what we would do here in the U.S. The main difference is that they wait until the casket is buried before leaving the cemetery. I have often thought this practice to be harder on the families than if they left before the body is buried.

We arrived at the funeral home to find the family already gathered. Sister Maria saw me, grabbed me in a hug, and begain to wail, “Mi muchachito, (my little boy) he went to hell.” I prayed with her and tried to comfort her as best I could. There were no words that I could really say. I didn’t have all the answers.

I stayed with her and a hand full of others through the night at the funeral home. After daylight the family members who had gone home returned. We had a short service where I officiated. The whole service was probably fifteen minutes. By this time I was bone tired and everything seemed surreal.

I resisted the urge to give an answer because there were no answers to give. I simply talked about the love of God and assured them that he would bare their griefs. I talked about the holiness of life. Maria had several small grandchildren and I emphasized that God had given hope for a future generation through the children born into the family.  Many times we as Christians feel weak in trying times because we feel compelled to give an answer. We seem to think that the unchurched expect us to have an answer for everything. I think they know that we do not have such an answer. We do ourselves and them a discredit when we try to come up with an answer.

I am convinced the best thing we can do for people in such times is just to be there and show our love and concern. We can let them cry on our shoulders and pray with them. We can let them know that God is concerned and the Holy Spirit is a comforter. If we are asked “why” it is best to answer honestly; “I don’t know.” The greatest witnesss that we can give is when people see us go through difficulties and yet we have peace.

Recently a fellow minister contacted me for advice on how to conduct a funeral for a five-week-old baby. The baby was born with health problems and did not make it. Naturally the family was devastated. I gave him the same advice. Don’t act like you understand when you don’t. Just be there to help the family make decisions and offer your support. Let them know that God loves them and will help them through their grief. Talk about the sanctity of life and assure them the baby’s short life was not a waste. Above all just be there and they will appreciate you for it.

Do you know someone who is going through a hard time? You may not feel like you are strong enough to be the comfort they need. You don’t have to be. You just have to care and that makes all the difference in the world. The next time you are confronted with a similar situation why not pray this prayer:

“Lord, help me to be a comfort to this family. Help me to show them through my love that you love them more than I ever could. Comfort them in their grief and give me the right words to say. In Jesus name, amen.” 

We will all speak Spanish in heaven

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever felt like a stranger? Perhaps you were in a room with people you didn't know and felt totally out of place. If you've ever been to a foreign country you know what it feels like to be an outsider. Though you may learn the culture and language of the people around you, a part of you always knows where home is.

I was on a bus once in Central America when a young man heard my accent and said, "where are you from?" Then he asked, "what are you doing here?"  He probably didn't mean it to sound as harshly as it came out; he was just trying to be friendly and helpful.  I admit I was  a little startled. I was still learning the language and the culture and didn't quite know what to expect. After he learned that I was doing mission work we had a nice conversation and he shared several things about the history of his country as we traveled.

One guy in Honduras used to tell me that everyone would speak Spanish in heaven so they'll be no communication issues. Of course it was a joke but his message is somewhat true. One day there will be no more division between race, class, language. those with money and those without, etc. That heavenly Jerusalem will be a wonderful place where all of God's children are finally united in true peace.

How I long for that day when we hear Jesus say, "well done, enter into the joy of your Lord." There is no treasure on this earth that compare to the beauty that awaits us in that heavenly paradise. I am determined that nothing shall keep me from that place. I long to see Jesus and what he has prepared for me, don't you?

Earnestly Awaiting,
Rev. Sullivan Jones