I’ll never forget the first time I heard the word “adoption.”  I was about seven years old and a childhood friend nonchalantly mentioned that he was adopted.  Not knowing what that meant, he explained how his parents weren’t really his true parents but they had “picked” him from a different home because his real parents hadn’t wanted him.  Throwing me into a terror, I ran home and asked my mother if I was adopted.  After asking me why I was asking such a question, she laughingly told me, no, I was not adopted but was a child of their own flesh and blood.


    Years later, it wasn’t until I became a follower of Jesus that I realized I was indeed adopted.  While I had come from the DNA of my parents, I was nonetheless a spiritual orphan, wandering and squandering around, living a self-centered and “worldly” life.  The only truth I knew or cared about was a paycheck and what I could do with it come Friday night.  My welfare and that of others was not high on my agenda.  But one night I became fully aware of the homelessness and pointlessness of my life, of my lonely wandering.  I had come to the realization the world had nothing to offer and I had nothing to offer the world.  It was at that moment I became adopted by God’s Spirit.  I have been adopted because my birth family gave me a body and opportunities but couldn’t give me a soul.  Only the parent of us all can do that.  As an adoptee, I have been given all the rights and benefits—and responsibilities—of the natural born child.  I have inherited a peace and understanding I could not have had before.  And a purpose.


    Yes, I have been given a place in the family of my—our—real and true parent because I adopted the ways and sponsorship of the Son.  In this way, we arecalled to become adopted through the adoption process in order to adopt others into God’s family.  As believers, we are an adoption agency and we seek to adopt everyone and place them into our family where they will be loved, lifted up, and given an inheritance neither their birth parents northe world can provide.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’

it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

 

‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever.

This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.

In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’

Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

 

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.

And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.

Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?

Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’

But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.

Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.

No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy.

And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”