Holy Spirit Filled Greetings, Where Have They Gone?

1 Peter 5: 12-14

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“By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly,
exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. 
Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
1 Peter 5:12-14

Many of the books in the Bible are dictated by one person and written by another. In the case of 1 Peter, Silvanus wrote the words as verified here, “By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him,” but Peter gave hm the words to write. The voice of the Holy Spirit was flowing through Peter as all of the words in the Bible are given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Also, Mark is the same Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark and someone whom Peter calls his son, “…and so does Mark my son.” Mark is the son of Peter in the sense that Peter raised him in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. At the time, it was just a tiny Gospel mustard seed that Peter was planting in Mark, but it grew up into a giant tree to bring multitudes to God through Jesus Christ.

The “She who is in Babylon,” would definitely relate to a Church, as she is connected by Christ to whom Peter is writing to, “elect together with you, greets you.” Of course, people have to be in the Church, so she probably is a person as well, but the Holy Spirit is letting us know this is a greeting from Believers to Believers. Also, “Babylon” is symbolic for the global government of the beast. The Holy Spirit is encouraging us by letting us know that people faithful to the testimony of Jesus exist in this world that is dominated by those of the culture of the beast.

The Holy Scriptures were written in a time very much different from our own, but at the same time very much the same. Today, the times are different because of this verse, “It was granted to it to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given it over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship it, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:7-8 Today, the beast is in this world that has power over physiology to give people what to say, do, think, and feel. While that was not the case 2000 years ago, it was still true that Satan was attacking belief in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The days then and now are the same relating to the despise for the followers of Jesus Christ.

How wonderful it would be to speak words of God’s love without facing ridicule from out of the blue. Even in the churches, which have discarded the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no tenderhearted affection in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. During the life of the Apostles and the Gospel writers, God’s love abounded among Christians, “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.” I believe we are at the “Amen” part of that scripture referring to the last days when love becomes cold because of iniquity. When is the last time we heard someone tell us to make sure we say “Hi!” to those who hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ? I would be very happy to hear that a fellow follower of Jesus Christ sent me a greeting, but it’s not likely to happen, but it did among the early Christians, “She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.” I do remember that forty years ago there was still some of those Holy Spirit greetings.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11