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1. Without receiving the Holy Spirit, we cannot understand the greatness and Godhead of Christ, although we may follow Him all our life. This is clear from the experiences of the disciples. Christ called the disciples from a lower to a higher and nobler work, from being fishermen to be fishers of men. They lived three years with Him. During those years, they did the noble work of preaching to men the good tidings of salvation. But when Christ was crucified and buried, all their hopes were laid in His grave. The disciples went back again to do the same old work which they had been doing before for their living. But Christ, who they thought was dead, rose again from the dead and appeared to them on several occasions. Once when He appeared to His disciples by the Sea of Galilee Peter recognised Him as the Lord, and was so much ashamed that he jumped into the water to hide himself. For this there were most likely two reasons. One was that this was the first time he saw Christ after his denial, and he was ashamed, thinking: I declared solemnly that I would give up even my life for Christ and that I would not by any means deny Him. But I did deny Him. How can I now stand before Him? The other reason most probably was that he was ashamed when he realised that three years ago at that very spot he and the other disciples had been called to the great work of bringing men to Christ, and that after three years they had given up the nobler service and had gone back to the old work and were following it in the same place, while they should have continued the great work to which Christ had called them. When Christ rose from the dead, their dead hopes also came to life, and when further they received the fullness of the Holy Spirit, they realised anew the Godhead of Christ and continued to the end of their lives, in spite of persecution and martyrdom, to preach Him and to carry on the work for which they had been called.
2. At the present time there are many Christians who have been following Christ without experiencing His greatness and Godhead in their own, inner lives. So they have gone astray. They think that Christ was a great and perfect man who lived and died centuries ago. But to those who repent and pray, He reveals Himself again in His glory and powers as to St. Paul. They renew their fellowship with Him, and by the power of the Holy Ghost faithfully serve Him to the end of their lives.