“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” — 2 Corinthians 3:17
When our baby Parker was born and died in October, 2012, we were heartbroken. Although we trusted in the Lord, we couldn’t have predicted all the ways in which His Spirit would comfort, encourage and conform us to His will. Not only did He ensure us we could trust eternity, and that He would work even the death of our son for all of our good, but He gave us a deeper picture than ever before of His present, active work in the world.
The Holy Spirit does not only “ripple through a grave yard, to comfort the bereft.” Like a mighty wind, he sweeps into:
- Halls of power, where wrong passes for right
- Brothels filled with lust
- Broken homes and crime-filled streets
- Evil systems of bonded labor and other forms of slavery
- “All around the world, shaking everything”
We began to think of His work in the world through people and ministries at our church Sojourn, knowing that the same kind of things are going on in countless churches across the globe. Some of these ministries are officially part of Sojourn Church, while some are founded/led by Sojourn members, in whole or part:
- Scarlet Hope, who reaches out to women trapped in the sex industry
- Jeff Street Baptist Center, America’s 5th oldest homeless rescue center.
- G.O. Ministries, who reaches and serves people in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Columbia and urban America.
- Sojourn’s many mercy and renewal ministries, (like Medical Clinics and Urban Experience), our international missionaries, and many church planting partners.
- Nadus Films, our official partner in Parker’s Mercy Brigade. Half of all profits from this CD and mp3 album will go to Nadus Films. Nadus documents social justice issues around the world, then partners with local organizations to provide humanitarian relief and Christian witness.
We could go on and on about the many individuals who take part in these ministries and others, who adopt children in need, and who work for God’s Kingdom in their homes, neighborhoods, places of employment. When you read the news, it may seem that evil is all-powerful, that Satan is winning, that death has the last word.
But the Holy Spirit, who has “removed the veil” (2 Corinthians 3:14-18) from his people, shows a different picture. We see “the power of the cross to bring us to God’s feet.” We see that Christ has already won. We see that His Spirit is blowing down strongholds all over the world, releasing prisoners from sin and death. We see the supremacy of the New Covenant over the old. For these reasons, Kristen and I wrote “Spirit Of Freedom” (free chord sheet PDF here and .doc , and free multitracks usable in any playback platform that supports mp3s.
You can listen to it in full, in the player above. Hear it any time, read the lyrics, and order Parker’s Mercy Brigade at KristenGilles.com. Finally, you can also hear “Spirit Of Freedom” and read the lyrics anytime in the lyric video at Kristen’s new YouTube channel, and in the YouTube player below:
“Til the orphan looks on the savior’s face / And, in Him, beholds the Father of grace”
2 Cor. 3:12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
{ 2 comments }
LOVE IT!! PTL!
Thanks Lajuana!