Guard Your Heart - - Be Wise

 

Romans 12:3

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.

*Strong's Ex. Con. No. 4993

Sober Judgment: be of sound mind, temperate, exercise self-control, think shrewdly

From the Greek word 'sóphroneó' (pronounced so-fron-eh'-o). A personal word/phrase: I exercise self-control, I am of sound mind, I am sober-minded.

    Self-examination of how we think and why we think thus and so is good for our souls. As in all other aspects of our life, we learn by observation. So we must watch ourselves. Not so much as to be self-involved, but to see ourselves for who we truly are: sinners who need a Savior. 

    Because we recognize we need a Savior, we are made aware that it is not only ourselves who need saving, but the people around us, whether we know them or not. We are the church and as the church we need to go out into the highways and byways to reach the lost and dying, bringing them into the body of Christ with us. None of us is greater or lesser than the other. "We are all members of one body" (Ephesians 4:25). And that body is Christ's (1 Corinthians 12:27).

    How do we exercise self-control in our thinking? Be wise/shrewd as serpents (Matthew 10:16). Be wise in knowing what is good and innocent (Romans 16:19). We can only know what is good and innocent when we know God's Word, so we must read it and study it out for ourselves. We need to meditate on God's Word, allowing God to write His Word on our hearts when we study and pray. 

    We exercise wisdom when we listen to the voice of Wisdom (Proverbs 1:33; Proverbs 2). Ignoring the voice of Wisdom is our downfall. Now, remember, Paul is writing to the church. So these words he pens about being sober-minded, he pens to the church, to us who believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. 

    If we are going to boast about anything, it should be that we have received the salvation of God through the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:17; 1:31; Psalms 105:3; Jeremiah 9:24): let us glory in The Lord. 

    Romans 12:14-20  gives us more insight on how to be shrewd Christians:

14. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

15. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

16. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited.

17.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.

18. If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.

19. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

20. On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

    Have compassion. Live in harmony. Enjoy the company of the humble. Do what is right. Live in peace. Don't be vengeful, petty or rise up against those who come against us. And, as verse 20 tells us, Feed our enemies, give water to the thirsty. 

    We are living in a world that is so self-centered and self-involved that doing the right thing in the eyes of God is becoming a criminal act. People are not only having their Bibles taken away and burned, but their churches are being demolished, their religious rights are being struck down in high courts. Children are separated from parents, the elderly are encouraged to die instead of receiving healing care.

    Yet, we are not to attack in any way, shape or form those who are coming against us. We are not to think of ourselves as better than the unsaved who desire us to vanish away, but to remember that they need a Savior, they need to be loved into the kingdom of God just like we were loved into the kingdom of God when someone prayed for us. 

    Love. The true love of God in Christ is our only hope, our testimony is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is how we are to love one another. whether or not they are a part of the body of Christ, for the body is continually growing. The Word says to us, "Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34). 

    When we love one another like that, we know we are being wise. Because a person cannot love like Christ unless Christ is living in them. We are directed by The Holy Spirit of God which direction to go in and He fills our mouths with the words we are to speak at the right time they need to be spoken. 

    Are you filled with The Holy Spirit? Seek God in prayer and wait on Him to fill you. Then you truly will be able to live a life of self-control, for He will help you. 

 O Lord fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we might walk in Your Spirit, live in Your Word and Your Word live in us. We need Your strength, Your wisdom and Your power to lives out these last days You have given us. Help us to make wise choices, lead excellent lives: for Your glory and Your praise. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen. 

Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns

Spirit Lead Me by Michael Ketterer

Abide In Me by Andrew Marcus

Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith    

Word of God Speak by MercyMe

    

Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- The Spirit

 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Quench not the Spirit.

*Strong's Ex. Con. No. 4570

Quench: extinguish, suppress, thwart

To put out the fire.

It is impossible to accomplish the task(s) which God has given us without the guidance of His Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:12 "We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." In Revelation 22:17 the Spirit and the Bride are calling the lost souls to repentance together, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." 

No one can give us what only God can give us. And that includes His Holy Spirit. Matthew 25:8 "And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." The oil is the Holy Spirit. We must have Him with us when Christ returns for His church. We cannot share Him, the anointing which God gives each of us individually, with each other. Acts 2:3 "And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them." He will leave this earth, when we leave this earth. 

Who is the Holy Spirit? 

He is the Spirit who helped create the world from the beginning. Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."

He is the Spirit which guided the hearts, the mouths and the hands of the men who wrote, put into print, the Holy Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Peter 1:20, 21 "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

He is the Interpreter. 1 Corinthians 2:13 "And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words."

He is the Comforter. {*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3875 Consoler, Helper.}

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and will bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you." John 16:7 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."

He is the baptism of Godly power. Acts 1:5, 8 "For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” "But you will receive power, the Holy Spirit having come upon you, and you will be witnesses for Me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth."

He is the convictor of sin. John 16:8-11 "And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned." 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3076

Grieve: distress, vex, cause to sorrow, to experience deep emotional pain, 

How do we quench the Holy Spirit? By not listening to Him. Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Isaiah 63:10 "But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy, and He Himself fought against them." By insulting Him. Hebrews 10:29 "How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?"

Don't put out the Holy Spirit of God. Listen to Him and follow His lead. Let Him lead us to the cross, to the garden and into the eternal presence of God. 

God Dwells Within The Believer By Faith

 

2 CORINTHIANS 6:16

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them, and will walk among them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people."

Dwell: inhabit one's personal dwelling/residence, indwelling, dwell within, settled in

Exodus 25:8 "And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them."

Leviticus 26:12: "I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people."

Jeremiah 31:1 ""At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people."

Ezekiel 37:27 "My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people."

John 14:23 "Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

1 Corinthians 3:16 "Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?" 

Romans 8:9 "You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." 

God lives in us through our faith in Him by the power of His Holy Spirit. It happens when we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. We cannot clean out our hearts by ourselves and make ourselves presentable to God, nor can we expect to remain in His presence for all eternity if sin is present in us. For God is holy and His holiness demands a holy people, a holy sanctuary, a holy temple, a holy dwellingplace.

So, when we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, God moves in, Christ moves in, the Holy Spirit moves in. This is God's promise to us. In John 17:20, 21 Jesus prayed for us: "I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."

That the world may believe that God has sent His Christ (Anointed One, Messiah), JESUS, "Yahweh Saves" "Yahweh Is Salvation" to be the Savior of all mankind. Me. You. That guy that just pulled out in front of you. The cashier who's having a bad day and takes it out on you. Your grouchy next door neighbors. Your parents, siblings, children, cousins, etc. All mankind is predestined (Ephesians 1:4-6 "For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.") for salvation through Jesus Christ, but not all will be saved. Why? Because it has to be our choice. We have to make a decision now whether or not we will believe God's plan of salvation or dismiss it as folly. This decision has to be made while we have breath in our bodies and the ability to make a conscious decision to believe. After death it is too late. 

When we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, God enters our heart through the power of His Holy Spirit. This is a beautiful even that is only possible by faith. When we believe, God places a measure of faith within us, which allows Him to enter the door of our heart (Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone should hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.") and begin to clean up the sins that have taken root in our hearts. 

God is a gentle God: He waits to be asked by us before moving in and before moving on our behalf. Yes, His holiness demands a holy people, therefore He makes us holy when He makes sin leave: He washes us in the blood of His Lamb Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:9 "And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.") 

Do you believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord? To day is the day to make that decision. 

Living Water

 John 4:14

"But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

It is not enough to believe in God, we must also believe in God's Word. For there is but one God and in Him, through Him and by Him have all people and things been created (John 1:3). On Him we are dependent for every breath of life. He supplies our every need. In Him we have no lack: He satisfies our every need (Psalm 23:1).

We must also believe God's Word is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). As such, we should choose to surrender who we are in ourselves and follow Jesus Christ with our whole hearts and lives (Romans 12:1), not just giving Him lip service. It is not enough to say, 'I believe God exists' then turn around and say, 'the Bible is an ancient text and does not apply to me.' 

It is like saying, 'Yes, I see the fresh water, but no matter how thirsty I am I'm not going to drink it.' Sight alone isn't enough to save our souls. Many people followed Jesus during His ministry years on earth, but not many stayed following. For the words which He spoke were hard to hear and most definitely unconventional. 

Are some of us rejecting God's Word because we don't want to hear it? Yes. Are some of us ignoring God's Word because it prohibits us from having what we think of as fun? Yes. Are some of us choosing an unrighteous lifestyle because a righteous lifestyle is contrary to popular living? Yes. How do we get out of that cycle of self-destruction? Drink the water. 

Drink the Living Water which the Word of God offers to those who have received His first Gift, His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. How do we do that? We ask Him for it. We ask God for the Living Water which quenches the thirst of our souls. Living Water flows without end, constantly refreshing the one who asks for it. What is this Living Water? The Holy Spirit of God. 

It is God's Spirit which strengthens us and fills us with power (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:4) to walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) in God's Word as we travel our journeys in this life on this earth. It is God's Spirit which enables the believers to speak the Truth of God's Word to the world into which He sends us. It is by this power that I speak now. I crave the Living Water which refreshes my soul and strengthens my spirit. It is this Water I drink. 

The Word tells us in Psalm 42:1-2  As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence? And again in Psalm 84:2 My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Are you thirsty? Come to the Water. Come to the Well.

The Clothes Make The Man - Part Two

  

We have heard it said, "It's what's inside that counts". This is certainly true of the Christian man or woman. Now that we are saved, how does what's inside us become Christ-like? 

Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." 

In order to walk in the Spirit of God, we need the Spirit of God within us and upon us, that we may hear God more clearly, that is, with understanding, gaining knowledge and applying Wisdom to our lives on a daily basis. 

It is true that we can change ourselves, but only to a certain degree of change. It is God who changes the heart by His divine power. It is God who leads us by His Holy Spirit with His divine power. It is God who saves the souls of mankind by the blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ by His divine power. It is God who resurrects us to everlasting life through the death of our flesh, changing us from a fleshly being to an eternal being by His divine power. 

Now is the time to allow God's Holy Spirit into your life, changing you and I from clay to spirit. For the Word of God tells us that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for God Is Spirit. John 4:23-24 "But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

It is very simple to receive the Holy Spirit of God into our lives. All we have to do is believe God that when we ask His Holy Spirit to come upon us, we will receive His Holy Spirit. Of course, the Spirit only rests upon the believer; therefore, we must be saved by believing on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. We must repent of our sins, the unrighteous things we have done and said and thought. 

We read in Acts 2 how the faithful believers, men and women, gathered for fellowship and prayer in an upper room of a house. They were there for 50 days waiting on God to send His blessed Holy Spirit who would give them the power to share the gospel. And arrive He did. Sound of a mighty wind. Flames of Fire. The Spirit could be heard (wind) and seen (flames) by the believers who were waiting for His arrival. How awesome is that! 

When contemplating the trinity, what do you think of? There is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Are you smiling? Are tears making their way down your cheeks as your eyes blur? The unsaved and unfilled have only an inkling but no understanding of the things of God. Believe. Be saved. Be filled. Be holy. 

It is the Spirit of God who makes us holy. It is the Spirit of God who creates within us a clean heart. Psalm 51:9-11 "Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me." (this was David's prayer)

Repentance + Renewal + Restoration = Forgiven & Filled

 O Lord God, I confess my sins before You. Wash me clean and make me holy. As King David said, 'Renew a right spirit within me', too. Draw me close to You. May Your Holy Spirit remain within me. Your Strength is what I need to obey Your Word. Fill me with Your Love and Your Truth that I may walk in Your Spirit and gain strength every day of my life. As I pray Your Word over my life and the lives of they whom I pray for, may Your Name be glorified and Your kingdom advanced. In Jesus' Name, His beautiful Holy Name, Amen. 

 

He Strengthens Me

 Part of the THANKFUL HEART SERIES

HE STRENGTHENS ME

1 Timothy 1:12

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service."

When we answer the call from God, it is not under our own strength that we serve Him, but through the strength of Christ: the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is our faith in Christ Jesus which saves us. But is only through this faith in Christ that we can receive God's Holy Spirit, who will strengthen us for the works which God has prepared for us to do. We cannot, nor should we, expect to do what God has called us to do  under our own power and strength, which are both weak and will fail.

Repent and Be Baptized

"The sermon preached in the power of the Holy Spirit invariably commanded men not only to repent, but to be baptized with the Holy Spirit." --Cortland Myers, 1909



In Matthew 3 we meet up with John the Baptist again, who is now calling men to repent and be baptized with water, for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand", meaning near. But what did he say a few days on?

Matthew 3:11-12 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but will burn up the chaff with an unquenchable fire."

And who could do that? Jesus the only begotten Son of God, who must first go through a time of testing and temptations in the wilderness. Did He bring Himself there? No. Matthew 4:1 "Then was Jesus LED up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." To prepare for that part of His journey Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights.

When He was hungry, He was tempted by the tempter to turn stone into bread. When the devil brought Him to Jerusalem (the holy city), he tempted Him to jump off the highest pinnacle of the temple to see if God's angels would catch Him. When the devil took Him to a very high mountain, showing Him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory, the tempter offered Jesus these if only Jesus would worship him.

But none of these temptations did Jesus give into. Not just because He is God's Son, The Lord Jesus Christ but because Jesus had the Holy Spirit with Him. As an example for us, Jesus showed us that WE CAN OVERCOME TEMPTATION when we have JESUS, THE WORD OF GOD, and THE HOLY SPIRIT of GOD upon us! That is exciting news!

And what were the first words out of His mouth afterwards? Matthew 4:17 "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And while He made the rounds of the cities healing the sick, teaching in parables and raising the dead, He was forgiving sins, too, to the heart that sought Him in earnest.

Now, we move to Acts 1:4-5 "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Which brings us to Acts 2:1-4 wherein the 120 men and women are in the upper room fellowshipping and praying together waiting for the Promise of God to arrive. Fifty days after the Passover Sabbath had passed is the Day of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-16), the feast of weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10), the feast of harvest (Exodus 23:16), and the day of the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26).

Afterwards, these men and women went out into the city streets proclaiming the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is here in Acts 2:38 that we hear Peter say to us, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

But this Promise/Blessing is not given just to them/us, Acts 2:39 "For the Promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Whether 'afar off' means geographically or genealogically, that Promise is still active today; just as the call of God on our lives is!

So, today, we say "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. You and your children and those that are afar off."

----Oh, Father God, I repent of all my wicked ways, of the sins in my heart and my life. Have mercy on me and forgive me. Deliver me from an unrighteous lifestyle and lead me in Your Word. Give me Your gift of the Holy Ghost that I might walk and live in Your power. Teach me Your ways and Your will that I might never stray from You again. Fill me and feed me that I may not hunger for the things of this world but be content in You. Be glorified, O my God, in me. In Jesus' Name, Amen. And amen. ----

Picky Eaters, I Mean Readers

We cannot know The Word by just reading our Bibles. We must believe The Word is True. We must receive The Word into our hearts. We must apply The Word to our lives. We must live The Word faithfully on a daily basis. 

Anyone can read the printed surface of their Bible and think they know what it means, even if they don't believe it. But that is not how The Word of God is going to be determined to be True. 

We need God's Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of God's Holy Word to us whenever we read our Bibles, which must be done faithfully on our parts. No matter which translation is used, God's Word 'does not return void', right? So, regardless of which version is read by the seeker, we still need the Translator of God's Word to reveal what God is saying to us. 

We need God's Holy Spirit flowing through us and spreading God's Word in our lives and thoughts and emotions: strengthening us, guiding/leading us, helping us be the people of God, Christ's Ambassadors to the world we live in. And we need Him now. 

But we cannot have God's Holy Spirit, The Comforter, unless we first believe God's Word, Jesus Christ, is Lord. And then we must repent of our sins, the wickedness we have committed against The Word of God, be forgiven by God and receive Jesus Christ into our hearts. 
>Acknowledge Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son.
>Believe that Jesus Christ became sin and died on the cross in our place, conquered death and the grave; rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb. 
>Commit our hearts and our lives to serving His purpose.
>Delight ourselves in The Word of God by studying it out and praying that it is fully revealed to our understanding.

God Breathed

 theópneustos

A word so rare in The Holy Bible that it is only used once; that once is in 2 Timothy 3:16

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

Inspiration of God. God breathed on the writer of each book of The Holy Bible, that The Scriptures would reveal God and God's purpose, God's will and God's way to anyone who came seeking God in it, with a sincere desire to seek out God. 

Those seeking to discredit God will not find what they are looking for, though their eyes see contradictions, their hearts understand nothing in The Holy Bible. 

 Theópneustos: Theó (God) + pneustos (breath) = Godbreath, or quite plainly, God breathed. 

God still breathes. The breath of God is God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit goes where God sends Him and does what God tells Him to do. What is The Holy Spirit's primary responsibility? To reveal God to they who are truly seeking God with their whole hearts. 

2 Peter 1:21b "...but holy men of God spake as they were moved by The Holy Ghost."

Just Because Pentecostal.....

is in the name of a church does not mean that that church is really Pentecostal. Are these fighting words? Yes. Absolutely. So, if I say that such and such church is not Pentecostal, how can I be absolutely sure I am not wrong? 
Welcome Holy Spirit
Well, let's see now. What does it mean to be Pentecostal? Factually, Pentecost is celebrated exactly 50 days after Passover. It is on this day in the Book of Acts that 120 men and women were gathered together in fellowship and prayer in an upper room in Jerusalem, waiting for the Promise of God, the Comforter, who would lead them into all the world, where Jesus Christ had said that they would go. 

And what happened when these people had assembled themselves here? Well, now, we have to go back just a bit to the Day of Passover. What happened there? The Lamb of God was slain on the cross, buried in a borrowed tomb and resurrected from the dead on the third day. For forty days He walked among the township and was seen by many people. Then He gathered His followers together, gave them a few last instructions, and told them to wait for the baptism of The Holy Ghost.

So they waited. They waited for fifty days. Until the Day of Pentecost, when God sent His Holy Spirit and baptized them with fire, giving them the power to speak in tongues, other languages. With these languages the 120 people gathered in the upper room, the men and the women, began to preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. And the crowds gathered because they were hearing something which they had not heard before: the language of love, hope, and peace.

Pentecost did not begin in the New Testament, though. It begins in the Old Testament, but is called The Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22), when the First Fruits were gathered in the fall harvest. It was also referred to as Day of First Fruits (Numbers 28:26), Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16). All three of these references are prophetic celebrations of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He who is the First Fruit of the New Covenant which God has made with us. 

It is through the blood of this Lamb of God that we are saved: our sins have been washed away when we repented of them and believed on the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. Now we are saved. But there's more to being Christian than being saved from an eternal death. We need to be sanctified, too. 

Being saved has set us apart from the rest of the world. We need to stop living the lifestyle we lived before we came to the realization and understanding that we needed a Savior, this Savior Jesus Christ. But how do we get from a lifestyle of bad habits, wrong choices and ignorance? The Holy Spirit. He will guide us through God's Word, revealing to us how God wants to change us. That's called sanctification. Transforming us from who we once were into who we are now. 

But The Holy Spirit has another job, too. And that is to baptize us with boldness to witness, freedom to declare the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, liberty to gather together and declare the grace of God to all nations. And for that we need the same baptism which the 120 men and women received on that Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. They turned their world upside-down. Are we? 

I want that holy anointing Isaiah spoke about. 

To me, being Pentecostal is believing in the Trinity: God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit. You cannot have just one and call yourselves Pentecostal. John 3:16 God sent His Son. Matthew 17:5; Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 12:18; Luke 3:22; John 15:9,10. And these are just a few which reference more than one Person in the trinity. 

Jesus Only is not Pentecostal. Oneness is not Pentecostal. 

Pentecostal is believing and receiving the Holy Spirit, who is sent by God to the believer who wants to live a sanctified, holy life; who wants to walk their life's journey with and in power. The power that comes from being filled and baptized with The Holy Spirit of God. That's Pentecostal. 

Not only that, but unless you believe that Jesus Christ Is LORD, and receive God's gift of grace through His Son's death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, you CANNOT receive God's Holy Spirit. You must be born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3. 

And how does such a thing get accomplished? By faith. Faith in God and God's Word. If you have a Bible, or can lay your hands on one, start with the Book of John; it is fascinating reading and will totally change your life, if you let it. 

By My Spirit

"...not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith The LORD of hosts." Zechariah 4:6

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines 'spirit' (#7307) as: wind, breath, a sensible or even violent exhalation, which are literal translations. In this same definition the figurative, or symbolic, translation is also given to us: life, anger, unsubstantiality (spirit of a rational being, including its expressions and functions: air, anger, blast, breath, courage, mind, tempest). 

Of the 238 times in the OT, only 31 references are to The Holy Spirit of God. Of the 253 times in the NT, 132 references are to The Holy Spirit. The word 'ghost' in the OT referred to death, or giving up the ghost, dying. In the NT the word Ghost is mentioned several times. It is the exact meaning in Strong's as given for the word 'spirit' (#4151) in the Greek dictionary.

Pneuma: a current of air, breath, blast; a breeze; the rational soul, vital principle, mental disposition; angel, demon or God, Christ's spirit, Holy Spirit: ghost, life, spirit(minded).

This means that The Holy Ghost and The Holy Spirit are referring to the same deity. It is impossible for The Holy Spirit of God to lose His identity. When you speak of Him or to Him, He knows to Whom you are referring.

With One Accord

Acts 2:1-4
"And when the day of Pentecost was full come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it was upon each of them.
And they were all filled with The Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as The Spirit gave them utterance."

The Day of Pentecost is exactly 50 days after the end of the last day of Passover. But was Passover for? Well, in Exodus 12:43=Moses was given the Law of Passover to share with the people of God, and we find that Passover is not a 'what', but an 'it'. 

V. 43: No stranger could eat it
V. 44: Every man's servant whose freedom was bought had to be circumcised first before partaking in it
V. 45: A foreigner and a hired servant could not eat it
V. 46: The Passover was for each household. The whole of the lamb must be consumed with no bones broken.
V. 47: All the congregation of Israel is to keep the Passover.
V. 48: When a stranger visits, and keeps the Passover, every male must be circumcised, then that stranger may draw near to the Passover and keep it; "he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof". 
V. 49: One law for both the the homeborn and the stranger that lives among us

Why is it important to know such things when we are hundreds of years past The Book of Exodus? Knowing what I know and wanting to know more, it is important to me to not just read my Bible but study it out. Therefore, I know that each of these laws can be confirmed elsewhere in the Bible. 

Exodus 12 describes the Passover in detail. It is important that you open your Bible and read therein, as well. The Passover was not just partaking in the unblemished (v 5) lamb, but the blood of the lamb was to be applied to the doorposts of their homes (v 7). For death would sweep through Egypt, and where the blood was applied, death would pass over that household. And they were to remember this day every year with a feast unto to The LORD, through all generations. 

You know why it is important to know this? To understand what happened in the beginning of New Testament times, at the end of Christ's ministry and the beginning of The Holy Spirit's ministry. 
For with Christ's ascension into heaven He gave them one more word, one more thing they must do: "You shall receive power, after that The Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8). 

And it is in Acts 1:14 that we find they who wanted this power, the disciples and the women who also followed Christ, gathered together, praying for this Holy Ghost power which Christ had promised them. Which brings us to Acts 2:1-4. 

With one accord and in one place
A sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing wind, which filled all the house
Cloven tongues like fire upon each one of them
All filled with The Holy Ghost
All speaking in other tongues, as The Spirit gave 

In verse 5-12 we see that this power was immediately put forth. Each Israelite and stranger who had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover heard the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ in his own native tongue. You can imagine the shock and awe effect that was upon all who heard these men and women proclaiming the gospel boldly and with such passion! 

Where is our passion? Where is our fire? Where is our boldness? 

"Lord, rekindle me. Light the fire of  Your Holy Spirit within my heart that I might be filled with Your passion for the lost. Give to my tongue boldness of speech, without fear of reprisal. Fill me to day. And let this my prayer be each day until Your return or You call me home." Amen. 

River Blessings

The river of life that flows out of the born again believer can only flow with the power of The Holy Spirit. For it is The Spirit of God that calls us all to salvation. 
He woos us into God's holy presence, where we realize we are sinners: unholy, unrighteous. Our hearts break with the weight of our sin and shame. When we believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation, that only He can save us from the punishment for our sins, then God forgives us and wipes away the tarnish from our souls. 

When we ask for God's Holy Spirit, we are asking for power to walk/live in, and according to, God's holy Word. The disciples could not witness of God's redeeming grace until The Holy Spirit had filled them with power to testify.
For we know that after Christ died and was buried, each went back to what he had been doing before walking with Jesus. Their understanding of His Words was not fulfilled until they had received the baptism of fire, of The Holy Ghost, upon each individually.
Even now those who only read the surface of The Word of God are not able to grasp the intent or wisdom of The Word. This only comes about through The Holy Spirit living in us, flowing through us.
The Holy Spirit guides us in God's Word. He is Wisdom. The Wisdom of God reveals God through God's Word. We need this blessed Holy Spirit to reach us, to teach us, to bring us, into God's eternal presence.
Revelation 21:17 reminds us that "..The Spirit and the bride say, Come...." That is God's Holy Spirit speaking to all who will listen:
"....And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely".

The House of The Lord

This beautiful setting is in the Great Smoky Mountains.

 

 

Psalm 122:1 "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into The House of The Lord."

 

The House of The Lord takes on a whole new concept, when we realize that we who have been born-again into newness of life, into the family of God; we are now The House of The Lord.

For it is in us that Christ dwells through the power of The Holy Spirit. We carry the gospel of salvation within our bosom, our being. It is our privilege, and honor, to serve God in this capacity.

As Mary was the first one to carry The Gospel within her, when she carried the baby Jesus in her womb, so to are we given the same blessing.

Carrying the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ

within us we are able to present Him to other people,

that those who are called out of darkness at the urging of the Holy Spirit

into the Light and Love of God can receive His salvation and

worship at His presence.

As the shepherds of the fields were called out of the darkness of the night

upon the fields where they lay watching over their flocks,

so to were we called out of the darkness of spiritual night,

to a place where we could worship at the feet of Jesus.

A place where we could sing our hearts out in praise for what Jesus did for us.

A place where we could worship God for Who He is and What He does.

A place where we could receive the message of salvation:

That Jesus died on the cross,

suffering the punishment for our sins,

was buried in a tomb,

and walked out of it

full of glory and truth and power,

into a resurrected life.

Having conquered death and the grave,

He held the keys to both.

By His example of love for us and to us,

we now can have this eternal life and joy

when we believe.

 

When we accept Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God,

Who died for the sins of the whole world,

And rose from the dead,

We become born-again people.

We are borne, carried, through the blood

which flowed from His head, His hands, His feet

onto us and into the ground where we stand.

We are born-again through The Spirit

into God's family.

As Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again",

so to is that command given to us.

Born of water and born of spirit:

first we are born and then we are reborn.

How cool is that?

 

And when we receive the baptism of The Holy Spirit,

and are given the evidence of same by the speaking in tongues,

which is a heavenly language and not of our own knowledge,

then He begins the transformation process within us.

Cleaning out our hearts and our minds

from all unrighteousness, removing wickedness from within us,

that our hearts, our seat of emotions, might be made new and perfect.

Would you invite Jesus into a dirty house? Expect Him to sit on filthy furniture?

Give Him a drink of water in a dirty glass? Feed Him off of stained plates?

And, yet, that is what many of us do, or have done.

 

The Holy Spirit of God first convicts the sinner of sin,

then begins to clean out all sin from the sinner's life,

making us able to house The Lord within us,

that His Light would shine brightly and clearly

into the darkness of this world in which we live.

 

I am the house of The Lord.

He shines brightly within me.

The Spirit reveals through The Word of God

all unrighteousness that is still in me,

and I give Him authority over my life

to remove all uncleanliness from within.

For when I stand before God at m judgment day,

I would like nothing of myself to be left in the ashes,

only what I have done for God.

 

I thank God that someone prayed me out of darkness.

Lord, let my prayer be that I would continue in their stead

and pray my family and friends out of darkness.

Amen.

"...The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16

 

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of The Lord."



Getting Ahead in Life

 

  My nephew, my brother's son Bryan, graduated from high school last night. He attended Reuther here in town. I do not remember having this much fun at my high school graduation. But then, that was 35 years ago. I barely remember high school at all. Their class valedictorian's first words were, "Every time I finish speaking you have to give me a round of applause." So, of course, everyone clapped after that. He never stopped smiling during his presentation, either. Part of his speech went like this, "Every valedictorian has three things they include in their speech: Courage, Endeavor and Ingenuity. These three topics make every speech boring, so I'm not going to include them in mine." Big round of applause; we all clapped, and the  graduates cheered.
     The valedictorian spoke about being bullied before coming to Reuther. He was transferred here as a last resort, because he was a troubled kid. Reuther has that reputation: send us your unruly, your difficult, your troublesome kids; we will help them pass their classes, we will help them graduate. If more teachers were willing to show compassion when it comes to teaching, more kids would be willing to not only attend class, but make an effort to be a good student, not just a fair or passing student. A child is more than what you see on the outside.
     Every speaker was entertaining, even the teachers. Mr. Farnsworth was the last major speaker. Part of his speech included saying Goodbye to a few of the teachers who would also be leaving Reuther High. And part of it included an admonition to change the world in which you live. Don't just take up space, but make a difference. (Now, I could be getting someone else's speech or two mixed up in here, so don't hold it against me). One speaker said, "Be the change you want to see."
     Reuther is the school our youngest son will be attending in the fall. I am glad he came with last night to the graduation ceremony. He got an opportunity to hear first hand how teachers are with their students, how teachers should be with their students. He got to see how classmates are supposed to treat each other. And I think, now more than ever he, is glad he chose Reuther as his future high school.

     But as I lay was waking up this morning I ruminated on the difference between being smart and being wise. In order to pass a class, a person has to be intelligent enough to understand what the teacher wants from the student. Some of us learn by listening, some of us learn by the hands-on technique. It's not enough most of the time to just hear the lesson, we need to see the lesson. Perhaps that was part of my difficulty: I am a hands-on learner. I learn how to do things by either watching someone show me how to do it, or having to learn it all by myself from my actions.

     And, while repetitive actions bring experience, wisdom comes from learning that some actions should not be repeated. Yes, I can read. Yes, I can write. I could read before I started school. My Mother taught me the basics by reading to me and having me read to her. My Mother is a hands-on teacher; both she and my Dad taught me the joy of reading, which opened up a whole new world to me. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. The library became home to me. (Mother liked to read Emilie Loring and Harlequin Romance and Daddy enjoyed the Dashielle Hammett genre).

     Teachers whose names I don't remember taught me to write. But the teacher who taught me to love writing, her name I remember. Mrs. Richardson, my sixth grade English teacher, taught me the joy of writing from the heart. That my thoughts were worth something. And I have realized over the years since, that this teacher taught me much more than that.
     By giving me the opportunity to express myself without fear of repercussion, Mrs. Richardson taught me that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as you fix the mistake, and go on from there. Thereby teaching me perseverance and dedication. She taught me respect because she gave me respect.

     It is the teachers who teach us the best that we remember long after we have left school far behind us. In high school I took a Creative Writing course. That teacher's name was Mr. Blum. It seems quite a few of us enjoyed being in his classes. Apparently, from the thoughts being expressed on our facebook page, he taught several English classes beside the Creative Writing course.

    Mr. Blum has a sense of humor. And if you are going to be a teacher, this is a must-have in the requirements list. Being a teacher is more than just having a degree in the field of your choice. It is more about profiting a child's life, than profiting your status. It is not about control and physical discipline; teaching is about instilling in a child personal values and a desire to learn and understand.
     These two teachers, whose names I can remember, are remembered by me for that very reason. They made learning a joy. They applied wisdom to their teaching skills, instead of just smarts. These teachers taught us to "be the change we want to see." We changed our world instead of letting our world change us. Though I must admit that for awhile, I did allow the world to change me. And I learned from my mistakes, that in order to be me, I must change before I can change the world around me. That is wisdom.
     Living a life of applied wisdom is how I am getting through life. Reminiscing in this way, I am reminded of not only where I started in my life, but how I got through it; how I overcame life's hurdles in young adulthood and reached a turning point where I needed another teacher to learn from.
     You can be a born-again Christian and still make wrong choices for your life. By giving my heart to Jesus, and repenting of the sins in my life, receiving His forgiveness and turning away from those sins and into His love, Jesus saved my soul from an eternal separation from God. But I still made bad choices for my life. And these choices had an impact on my growing family. Every choice we make in life, whether good or bad, has an impact on not only us, but the people who are the closest to us; our family or our friends or our co-workers, or all of them. The things we do and the things we say linger for years after. I needed someone to teach me to be a better person, to be the Christian I wanted to be, not the Christian I was being.
     And God showed me that the Holy Spirit is real. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples he was sending the Holy Spirit to comfort them in His absence. And that this Holy Spirit would give them power to witness, and guide them wherever they were sent. That Holy Spirit is for us, too. For me. For you. We are still living in New Testament times. Revelation has not happened yet. The Holy Spirit is still here. He is here to impart wisdom to us. He is Wisdom.
     The Holy Spirit guides us in the reading of God's Word, giving us clarity and revealing God and Jesus Christ to us in the way in which God chooses to reveal Himself to us. Without the Holy Spirit, a person who reads the Bible, will read it without comprehending it. That's why there are so many translations available. That is why many choose to refer to the Bible as a book of fairy tales, stories for children, and not to be believed. Without wisdom activating the understanding of it, the reader is confused and repelled by the Bible. Some view it as history, some view it as mystery. While others may have it opened on the coffee table only, still other people never view it at all.

     The Holy Spirit is a hands-on teacher. He shows us how God wants us to live. He shows us how Christians are meant to behave, that the love of God is a love in action and deed, not just words. He teaches us that God's Word is alive and powerful. That God is still God and always will be God. He reveals the falsehoods of the world's wisdom and the truths of God's wisdom. They are not the same.
     The wisdom of the world derides the wisdom of God and views the Bible and those who believe all of it as foolishness. The wisdom of God reveals that the wisdom of the world is foolishness and that those who believe it are fools.
      The wisdom of the world follows the path of enlightenment through self. The wisdom of God is a path lighted by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit. With the first, it is about getting ahead in this world. It is about "what's in it for me?". It is about taking care of Number 1; me, me, me. With the second, it is about meeting God's needs and not my own. It is about putting others first. Waiting instead of hurrying. Living instead of dying. It's about living for Jesus and dying to self on a daily basis.
     I love my new Teacher, the Holy Spirit of God. He is still teaching me. And only when I leave this world, will I have graduated out of His class.