Was Peter quoting Christ Jesus?

I am called to remember this quote from Christ Jesus (although Peter was speaking to the gentiles and not the Pharisees, my understanding is that the disciples surrendered themselves to allow Holy Spirit to speak through them in every moment):

“Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

(Luke 12:11-12)

18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain [g]quaked violently.19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with [h]thunder. 20 Then the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down, [i]warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to stare, and many of them [j]perish. 22 Also have the priests who approach the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” 23 And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You [k]warned us, saying, ‘Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’” 24 Then the Lord said to him, “[l]Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

(Exodus 19)

Jewish people still recognize this Holy day every year in their celebration of Pentecost, which is referred to as Shavauot. This sacred day recalls the great wonder, fear, and awe that the Israelites experienced in the desert when they received the 10 Commandments.

Before the coming of the Messiah — Yeshua Mashea – separation was required between the Spirit of God and people. If they violated this requirement, they would surely die.

It was only after the ‘atonement’ for all of humanity’s sin that the Spirit of God could come into a human being – let alone be near us – and not utterly destroy us.

For it is written that Moses could not even ‘truly’ see God face-to-face and live:

18 Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” 20 He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place [j]by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

(Exodus 33:18-23)

Fast forward, and God is with us, in human, fleshly form. A prophecy fulfilled from Isaiah 7:14:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

So, the LORD of Hosts comes to earth, atones for our sins through the scourging and crucifixion of His Only Begotten Son, Who is one with Him, and ascends to heaven.

While here on earth, He commands us to be perfect like His Father. This takes place in Matthew 5:48:

“Therefore you shall be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Before ascending to heaven, God – in Spirit form – says that He will send His helper, Holy Spirit in three weeks. That day was on Pentecost, again, and God descended from heaven in Spirit-form for the second time. This time, having atoned for our sins for-us, we can now experience God and not die. Not only that, but God can embody us, guide us, support us, and speak for us now that Holy Spirit lives in our hearts.

On that very same day, over 1,000 people were saved, and many began speaking in tongues and performing miracles. The evidence was, and is, clear: the Spirit of God – Holy Spirit – descended upon the earth on Pentecost not once, but twice. And we did not die, because of the miraculous gift that Yeshua, the Messiah, gave to the Israelites and gentiles, that we might keep ourselves holy; for we are a Holy people to God.

And through the guidance and perfection of Holy Spirit within us, we have the opportunity to let God live through us. When God lives through us, we can speak, relate, and take action as God-bots. What I mean by this is that when we surrender all of our hearts, all of our minds, all of our souls, and all of our strength the Lord, our God, Who has humbled Himself enough to forgive us of sins and then occupy our hearts, we are allowing God to right our ways, to humble us before one another, and to stop sinning; to be set apart, to be without sin.

Now, let’s take a deeper look into where the command to be Holy is referenced in scripture…

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

“The LORD did not make you His beloved nor choose you because you were greater in number than any of the peoples, since you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

(Deuteronomy 7:6-8)

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

(Deuteronomy 14:2)

Lean on the Lord. If you are feeling desperate, lost, or without clear direction to take in your life, remember a day is a long time, and each day of your life counts. Remember that you can call upon God, just as I did when I was given less than 24 hours to live.

It wasn’t the fact that I was given less than a day to live that resulted in God speaking to me; it was the fact that I finally humbled myself enough to realize that I was totally reliant upon God. This was the beginning of my journey – at least the journey that I knew about – with the Lord, our Savior.

Secondly, focus on the kingdom, not materialism. True wealth exists in heaven for us; life can be so distracting. Shiny things, fancy cars, new jobs, and a variety of other distractions that steer us away from scripture, family, friends, and ministry. Re-center and re-focus, many times per day, if necessary.

Give relentlessly, pray in secret, and make disciples of every nation. This likely means that you schedule time with God, build a true relationship with our Father in heaven, and commit your life to serving Him. Your obedience, in part, will be measured by how many others you bring towards God.

And thankfully, you will believe more and more about the goodness of God as you bring more people to Him. You will see how He moves, how He supports you, and how He convicts one lost child after the next. God is performing an ongoing, omnipresent work in salvation. And He is humbly asking for our participation.

Clothe yourself in righteousness. Think about ‘phone skins’, or the outer case for a smartphone. You know how you can change them and it changes the look and feel of your phone, makes ‘your’ phone to be more recognizable as yours when sat down on a table amongst others….?

Well, you can put on the ‘skin’ of God through Christ Jesus. You can make yourself more recognizable as a humble servant and loyal leader for God when you sit down at a table. You can embody the command to love one another by refusing to see anyone but Holy Spirit within them. Think of yourself – and others – as two people, not one. There is the ‘outer’ you, which you can modify all the time. And then there is the person of God who lives within you, Who is Holy Spirit.

When you communicate, communicate from Holy Spirit within you to Holy Spirit within another. And do not be distracted by any of the noise on the outside, for it’s not yours (or theirs) true identity.

Finally, help anyone, anytime. If someone asks for your help, help them. Help them as you would your own mother, father, son or daughter. Through your actions and deeds, given relentlessly and you shall feel the fulfillment of God’s holiness with you.

Scriptures to keep in mind:

Matthew 12:46-50 – 46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 Someone said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”] 48 But Jesus replied to the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” 49 And extending His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold: My mother and My brothers!50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”

Christ Jesus clearly explained to us that in order to be holy we must follow the will of our Father in Heaven, who is holy. We are to meditate, pray, and discern the will of God through Holy Spirit, Who has come as a gift to us to help us discern, teach us, and guide us towards the kingdom of God.

John 14:26 – 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.

Holy Spirit is here, resides in our hearts, and shows us the way. We must make room for God inside of us by honoring the temple that is our bodies. Christ Jesus speaks of the temple being torn down and rebuilt in three days, which is His body. And this prophecy was fulfilled, showing us that we, too, have a temple in our bodies; a holy place for God. Therefore, we must live in a holy way in order to keep our temple holy and appropriate for God.

Luke 22:27 – 27 For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Holy means set apart, which means that he who serves selflessly acts in a different way than the self-serving world in which we live. Consider this thoroughly as you advance in your education, career, and family life. How will you continually seek servitude over titles and prestige? The glory in holiness lies in the upside-down world that Christ Jesus has revealed to us.

Luke 9:23 – 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

This means that every single day, we must be willing to crucify our flesh, to give up the things of this world, and to pursue what/Who is truly good: God Almighty, in heaven above. Each of us is a child of God. We must not get caught up in the nonsense. Instead, we must remember that none of us is greater than the he who is least in heaven above; therefore, we must humble ourselves, help and love one another, and deny selfishness every time it arises for personal gain and status.

Closing: God came to earth in Son-form, as Christ Jesus the Nazarene. He then sent Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus’ Holy Name, that we might be glorified and glorify our Father in heaven in the process. Let God live and thrive inside of you. Care for yourself to glorify God. And care for one another for the very same reason. When you speak with someone, let God speak and act through you, and let God speak to God within that person, at the very same time. Let each and every action, decision, and behavior reflect God communicating and interacting with God, Himself, in Holy Spirit form.

You are holy to God; will you allow God to live inside you, rule over you and your life, and glorify Himself by glorifying you, as He has Christ Jesus the Nazarene?