The Spirit of JESUS

WTW 2021
1 August
Revelation 1

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne. Revelation 1:4

Paul was initially prevented by God’s Spirit from entering the first century province of Asia Minor with the Good News Message of JESUS.

First Century Asia Minor encompassed roughly the region of modern day Turkey and included the 7 cities to which John directed the apocalyptic letter prophecy of Revelation, in Greek called The Apocalypse.

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the (martyrian) testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” Revelation 1:9‭-‬11

ASIA MINOR
Ephesus
Smyrna
Pergamum
Thyatira
Sardis
Philadelphia
Laodicea

We have these 7 letters to these 7 cities written circa AD 95. The events of Acts 16 took place approximately 45 years earlier.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6‭-‬10

Rereading this now, I realize I never noticed the Bithynia restriction before being the second instance, first by the Holy Spirit, then by the Spirit of JESUS.

There is still much more to the story of Asia Minor to which The Apocalypse is addressed. For starters, clearly Paul not much later did go to Asia Minor after all without much commentary.

Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. Acts 18:18‭-‬21

As we have also seen recently, Timothy later oversaw the ongoing ministry in Ephesus. And so it is that we come to have Paul’s letters to Timothy in Ephesus in addition to his AD 62 letter directly to the followers of JESUS in Ephesus as well as that well known reference to his open letters to the Colossian & Laodicean followers of the Way.

So, what can happen in 30 years? We get another glimpse of this right here in these first couple chapters of The Apocalypse.

Are you hearing from the Holy Spirit today?
What is the Spirit of JESUS speaking?
Let us not by any means desire or seek in some way to conjure anything from God’s Spirit. Rather let us seek hard after Him so we can know Him and so He can speak to us, even in koinonia fellowship with the adelphoi brotherhood by the Holy Spirit of God.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:1‭-‬16