Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (ESV)

Paul writes to the church in Corinth, which was a place where many Jewish families came to make their home after being exiled from Rome. Sometimes I forget that, at this point, following Jesus was a very new thing; it had only been around about 25 years. To the Jewish people, the law was everything. It was a way of life, and the Holy Spirit was something that didn't fit into that life.  As the Jews came into exile, it must have been hard and falling back on what they knew, the law, was probably easiest.

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Let’s do a little make-believe: Take their situation and bring it about 2,000 years to the future. You might experience something like this: You are just settling in from being driven from your home. Everything has changed - the town, the people, and even the church you were used to. I would guess you probably feel a little bit like a second-class citizen. Along with all this, the religion you have known all your life seems a bit stale, so you go to church and sit in a service just like your parents did and their parents did. You see people all around you who seem to have it all together, they say all the right things and act like you think church people should act. So, you start doing all the “things.” You are a greeter at your church, you put a “HE>I” sticker on your car, and you swap all your secular playlists for worship playlists. Yet you still feel there is something missing.  

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This kind of life is one that is lived in religion, instead of living in the Spirit.  I know I’ve felt this a lot.

Let me tell you a story. I had been working toward becoming a firefighter for a few years. I walked the walk and talked the talk (some would say maybe too much). I would do anything to get close to that world. Driving down the road, I would see a fire truck coming down the street, and I would know where their station was, what type of engine it was, if they were in their coverage area...but I was not a firefighter. I remember sitting on a fire scene as a driver and feeling like I was useless, and all I could think was, I can’t wait to get my firefighter certification so I can do what the cool, real firefighters do.

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The day I got my fire certification was one I will always remember. I was sitting in the training hall with all my classmates, and one-by-one, our names were called. My chief calls my name, I walk up, and he gives me my certificate and my new firefighter helmet. And he said something that I will never forget: Firefighter Matlock. Not probe Matlock (probationary firefighter) or Brandon; at that moment I was firefighter Matlock. I was given authority and power by the State of Alaska to do the job of a firefighter.

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In John 16:7, Jesus says, “For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” We see this on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples like tongues of fire (Acts 2:3). This wasn't a one-time thing for the apostles alone either; we as children of God have the Holy Spirit and all the authority that comes with him. Just like when I was given my firefighter certification, I will forever be a firefighter.  

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The day YOU said yes to Jesus being your Savior, you were called out of darkness and into his marvelous light; you were called an heir with Christ; you were called God’s possession; and you were called holy. In this passage, Paul reminds us that none of the things we do—the serving, the listening to worship music—are what give us any authority or the power of the Spirit.  

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Jesus became a man, was executed on a tree, took your sins, past and future, on himself and paid that price to make you holy. Then, he sent you his Spirit, that you can walk in that call. Like my Chief calling me a firefighter, God now calls you his child, his chosen, his ambassador, his warrior. Live in that commissioning as you walk the path God has laid in front of you.  

God, you call us a new creation; you call us your heir. Give us the boldness to step into this new name and proclaim Your Name as we go about our lives. God, when the enemy gives us doubtful thoughts, the questioning of who we belong to, give us clarity and strength to step into your power and live our lives proclaiming you. Amen.