Shalom

HOLY SPIRIT ‘EIRENE’ COMFORT

(July 24, 2022) Robert McQuillan encourages a young believer…

Dear Dr Robert

I’ve heard you talk about the joy of ‘falling into the arms of the Holy Spirit and knowing His peace, comfort and security.’ I’m a relatively new Christian… please tell me more. Billy (sorry, not my real name).

Dear ‘Billy’

Discovering more about our Holy Spirit is always precious, even eye-opening. Let me firstly say that He, who is the third person of the Godhead, is our friend (John 14:16Mge).

Friend… the Greek word here is paraklētos – comforter, consoler, advocate, intercessor – which tells us a lot about this great friend! We all need comforting at times! John also referred to this special friend in John 14:26, 15:26 and 16:7.

Jesus, who would be returning to heaven after His resurrection from the dead and then leaving His disciples (Acts 1:9-10), promised a new friend as He wouldn’t be around physically anymore; someone who would assist them in building His church. See also John 14:16-17, and Jesus’ words of John 15:26 and Luke 24:49. That new friend is the blessed Holy Spirit.

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FINDING JESUS WHILE STUDYING FOR HIS BAR-MITZVAH

(April 06, 2022) Charles Gardner shares…

An innocent question about Jesus from a primary school classmate set a 10-year-old Jewish boy from London on the road to discovering his Messiah.

Gerry Cohen, now 63, looks back on the monumental effect this has had on his life, and why he is still passionate about the need for fellow Jews to find Jesus for themselves.

Searching
In an interview with Jane Moxon for the CMJ (Church’s Ministry among Jewish people) website, Gerry recalled that time, 53 years ago, when his friend Nigel asked him: ‘What’s Jesus when you’re Jewish?”

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EIRENE PEACE

(October 18, 2021) Dr Robert McQuillan responds to this query about the Holy Spirit special brand of peace…

Dear Dr Robert
It’s me, Mitch. Again. I appreciate the help you been giving me over recent months… advice and prayers. I want to ask you something… I was really struggling with something that I couldn’t get free from; it was hanging on me like some sort of trap. But then you prayed for me… in what I thought was unusual at the time… you strongly prayed for a special peace to come on me, drop on me, aneirenepeace. And I know that I know something happened! I felt so released and have been feeling good since. I know you wrote about this peace as being one of the fruit segments of the Holy Spirit, but please explain further (I still feel so good!).  Mitch.

Dear Mitch

Firstly, I praise God that you’re feeling released in your mind and heart. Yes, back in July I explained this peace as Eirene… inner peace is ours, a very special assurance that all will be well… as Jesus assured his frightened disciples. Eirene is mentioned some 90 times in the NT and was (think Irene) a very popular girl’s name. Eirene related to serenity enjoyed under a good and just government ruler. Villagers would call the keeper of public peace, ‘the Eirene’ the one who would justly look after them. Think about this in respect of Jesus… the hand that holds the universe also holds us!

Perhaps if I share the following with you, it’ll help you further understand – and appreciate how releasing and what a blessing this special peace is…

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WORDS OF LIFE (#3) – PEACE (SHALOM)

Jim McClure(September 15, 2016) Dr Jim McClure, respected theologian, continues his series on some scripture words…

The Hebrew word shalom is familiar to many people apart from Jews.  Most people would say that it means ‘peace,’ and they would be right – up to a point! However, to consider shalom only in terms of the absence of war is to put severe limitations on this great word. For example, two nations may not be dropping missiles on each other, but they may still vent such hostility towards each other that the citizens of both nations may live constantly under the sense of threat and uncertainty.  This would not be a definition of shalom.   ‘Shalom’ means so much more than that.

When we examine how the word shalom is used in the Bible, we discover that ‘peace’ is a widely embracing word which has a plethora of meanings.  It is a word of interaction – with God, between people and, indeed, with all of life. It has to do with harmonious totality.  This study explores some of the depth and breadth of this most positive of Hebrew words. (more…)