Empty Room

Has this happened to you? You're talking to your friend on the phone and joyfully telling them something, and then suddenly you realize that there's no connection, and you're talking to no one? You call your friend back, and you're told: "The subscriber is turned off or out of the coverage area." You hang up, wondering at what point you were cut off. I think each of us has experienced something like this. And then it turned out that the connection was lost, or the battery ran out, or the money ran out, or someone called your friend, or something else. The connection is restored, and you continue communicating. But it also happens that by your behavior you caused pain to your friend or insulted them, and they simply stopped communicating with you, doesn't answer calls and messages, and doesn't call themselves. What happens to you then? How do you feel? I think you'll immediately understand that something is wrong and start looking for a solution to this problem. Proving your rightness is not the best way out. And the dearer and closer the friend, the more noticeable their absence becomes.

In communication with people, you can very quickly determine whether there is warmth and friendship between us, how close and dear we are, whether we have spiritual closeness? In each of us, there is an invisible mood barometer that very accurately captures the spirit of relationships.

Now let's transfer all these concepts to spiritual life and make Christ our Friend. He is also alive and wants to have communication and a close relationship with me. Since He is currently in the Heavenly Sanctuary and is performing ministry there for me, on Earth Jesus has His Representative - the Holy Spirit, through Whom He connects with me and participates in all my plans and prayers.

And the Holy Spirit Himself is not against friendship with me through my faith in Jesus. He is not against communicating with my spirit called mind, intuition, and conscience. And thanks to this mediating ministry of Two Persons of the Godhead, I have a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father, Who loves me unconditionally and educates me for His Kingdom, endowing me with a new heart and inscribing His law in my thoughts. And all these relationships are possible thanks to my faith in Jesus. Having embarked on such a path of hope, I comprehend many Biblical mysteries by faith and become admitted to communion with my Creator. But even in these relationships, there is an element of faith, which is very interestingly built into my heart. It suggests the right path where feelings and reason see and experience nothing.

I get so used to living by faith that sometimes I don't even think about whether I was accepted, heard, understood by God. I just believe, and that's it. But the Holy Spirit, in some special way, gives me assurance that I am accepted, the prayer is answered, and peace and joy in the Lord reign in my soul. I think you all understand what we're talking about, how it happens inside.

As a church, we have different projects and all kinds of ministries in which the Holy Spirit also participates and grants us success, His blessing, and protection. And we as God's people go by faith, looking to Christ. We are united by one teaching in one spirit. And even if we speak different languages, our faith and principles of life are the same.

And what will happen if the Holy Spirit leaves us? I think that the life of the church will not change or stop. We will also gather, pray and sing songs, plan various projects, go into the world and witness, as we did before. Perhaps someone will declare their feelings that there is some emptiness, but they will be convinced that one should rely on faith, not feelings, and move on. How to determine whether we have power from above or are going our own way?

And what about personal life? How will I be able to determine the presence of One Who has never been visible, but always acted through my thoughts and feelings? I think that in a personal relationship, the absence of God will be noticed very quickly if He was present before, although many issues will also be resolved as usual and by faith.

In communion and friendship with God, there are certain conditions and criteria, observing which, I am born again, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and begin to grow. And as I grow, God teaches me new truths, sends me new light, and waits for my acceptance and obedience to lead me further. With all this, I remain free in my choice and decide how fast to go and how fast to grow.

The experience of my relationship with Jesus is determined by my experience and skill, where my spiritual ear and heart have learned to hear His quiet voice, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life is recognized by the presence of His fruit. And by these signs, having a special closeness, one can understand whether I possess Christ. But I live in human flesh, which hears other voices too and sometimes confuses them or doesn't pay attention to quiet calls. And faith continues to go and comprehend the invisible.

I also know that God has a good heart that respects my choice. And when I prefer evil or don't pay attention to new light, going persistently my own way, the Lord can leave me, first for a short time, depriving me of joy and peace, and then, if I persist in my choice, forever. I will be left with faith, but I will believe in lies. Another spirit will take Christ's place, and it will not be against me continuing to bear the holy Name, attributing Christianity to everything, to be a zealous defender of my knowledge and traditions, imitating habitual service and uttering familiar prayers. My sermons will remain the same and may even inspire someone. But God will not be with me, and my room of communion with Him will be empty. My knowledge of the Deity will not stop, but He will no longer be interested in me, quietly calling and knocking on my heart. How many times has He called me and drawn my attention to the final prophecies for the last time, how many times has He opened the narrow path to me and invited me to walk on it! But I didn't want to change anything and go alone. I was waiting for a fun company and constantly postponed my answer, and then stopped responding to these calls, hoping for a miracle of transformation that will occur when the Latter Rain is poured out.

I continue to dial the familiar number and communicate with emptiness, believing that I am heard, trying to see answers in my life. Nothing particularly changed, although feelings trouble the heart, but I think this comes to everyone with age. The main thing is that I believe and go to the right church.

I don't want to continue this sad story, especially when everything is not like that, when love moves thoughts and points to new goals. God's advice is considered and accepted for life. Although feelings don't always understand what's happening, they weigh the action of the received light before and after and fill the heart with joy and thanksgiving to God. A room in which love reigns and guides will never be empty. There will never come a time when love will say that it has ended, and I need to solve my problems myself further. Love gives me the right to wear white clothes and opens my eyes to many things. I have eye salve, which was given to me when buying gold, and my ears are open to hear the voice of the Spirit, and I love.

Questions for reflection on this chapter:

1. Please read 1 Chronicles 28:9; Isaiah 54:7-8; Genesis 6:3-7; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; Hebrews 10:25-29; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; John 12:35-37; Matthew 12:26-32; 23:38; Luke 11:21-26; Revelation 2:4-5; 3:3; Nahum 1:2-7; Habakkuk 2:4; Matthew 7:13-20; 28:18-20; Revelation 3:20 in light of this chapter.

2. What did you understand from this chapter?

3. How do you understand the expression "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit"?

4. Why does the Lord, who spoke so much about not leaving us, leave those who do not respond to His calls?

5. What happens to those who abuse God's longsuffering?

6. What does God-forsakenness mean in the last time?

7. Is it possible to pray, read the Bible, do God's work, and at the same time be spiritually dead? What could be the reason?

8. Are there any other messages giving hope for those who have rejected the message to Laodicea?

9. If I wholeheartedly believe in such a God Who sees my sincerity and desire to be in paradise and closes His eyes to my sinful behavior because He loves me so much, do I have a chance to get to Heaven?

10. How long does God endure human resistance?

11. How to determine that boundary when God leaves the sinner forever?

12. How can the presence of love in my mind help me stand? How is it different from other gifts of the Holy Spirit?

13. Do you want to be established in love? How do you understand this? Ephesians 3:17

14. Do you believe that as long as you have communion and friendship with Christ, He will never leave you, even if you make a mistake and fall?

15. How does a mistake differ from rebellion or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?