Never Abandoned (+Midweek)
Good morning, Immanuel. The gospel promises the presence and love of God within us, by the Holy Spirit.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).
There are times when we feel somewhat abandoned spiritually here on earth. Even if we don’t doubt that God is there, we wonder if he is actually here. And there are times when the difficulties of this life feel more than we can bear without God being right alongside us. So we need to hear these precious words of Jesus: “I will not leave you as orphans.” He’s not saying he won’t leave us. He will. He is saying he won’t abandon us. We will be physically without him. But we won’t be on our own.
The reason for this is what he previously said: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17). Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit. The Son’s departure will be followed by the Spirit’s arrival. Pentecost wasn’t just a watershed moment of empowerment; it was a form of consolation. Pentecost shows us we aren’t abandoned on earth as spiritual orphans.
The Bible never denies the reality of deep loss and trauma in this world. Nor does it promise us immunity from such loss the moment we become Christians. Instead it promises us something in the midst of this loss––something more precious than anything else in this world, and which itself can never be lost––the presence and love of God within us, by the Holy Spirit.
The coming of the Holy Spirit stands between us and spiritual orphanhood. We have not been abandoned. The Spirit of Jesus himself has been given to us, and placed forever in us.
You can read the full article on The Gospel Coalition here.
MIDWEEK UPDATES
TONIGHT @6:30
Join us tonight as Pastor Sam Allberry addresses the question, “Will I ever change?” All are welcome! iKids and Student Ministry will be open.
Celebration Sunday…
Watch the Sunday Service - Our new sermon series in 1 Timothy is underway! You can catch up on the service here.
Looking Forward…
Weekly on Fridays TENTH GENERATION PRAYER - Join us every Friday at 6 am in the Cafe for prayer as we seek the Lord for a long-term home in Nashville. Let’s see what the Lord will do!
Sunday, January 14th: DISCOVER RECEPTION - The next Discover Reception will be hosted in the cafe on January 14th at 10:45 am. If you are new or newish and looking to learn more about Immanuel, RSVP here.
Saturday, January 20th: NEXT STEPS ONE DAY EVENT- Join us on Saturday, January 20th, from 9 am-2 pm in the cafe for Next Steps Day. We will cover the material for all four sessions. Coffee and lunch will be provided. RSVP here.
STAFF PICKS
A curated selection of local food joints, coffee shops, books, and other recommendations by the staff of Immanuel. Our Staff Picks today highlight coffee shops in the Nashville area. The best coffee is obviously at the very top of the list…
McDonald’s
Portland Brew
Honest Coffee (L&L Market)
Crema Coffee Roasters
Black Press Coffee
The Well Coffee
Enjoy!
Praise God, thank you Sam 🙏🏼