Holy Spirit

Obedience

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Genesis 7:5
“And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.”

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Obedience is critical to any relationship with the Lord. If we are going to grow in Christ, experience the promises of God, and effectively witness to others about relationship with Jesus, we must learn obedience. Samuel told Saul that to obey is better than to sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22), and Jesus declared, if we love Him we will do what He says (John 14:15). Noah is a great example of what an obedient life looks like. There are three things that stand out to me about his obedience.

First, Noah did what he was asked to do. When the divine command was uttered, Noah got busy. We do not read of him questioning God about the meaning of rain, or a flood, nor does he argue with God about the difficulty of the task. Instead, Noah got busy and built a boat.

Second, Noah did what he was asked to do, and much more. He was instructed to build an ark, fill it with his family members, and all the beasts of the earth. Noah did as he was told, but did not stop there. Peter informs us, Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2Peter 2:5). As he prepared the ark, he also preached to the people. He warned them of the coming judgment, and of the way of escape. True obedience will never cause us to do the minimum. Instead, a heart that wants to please the Lord, will do all things heartily as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23) .

Finally, Noah relied upon the Spirit of God. God’s commands were impossible for Noah to accomplish in his own strength. Gathering together all of the animals, including the birds of the air, was a task way too big for any man. If you do not think so, take a quick break, run outside and try to catch a bird. The only way he could obey, was to rely upon the Lord. Instead of looking at the impossible, he understood there is nothing to hard for God (Jeremiah 32:17). Too often, we only see the impossibility of a task and fail to see the power of God. It is no more difficult for God to help you quit smoking, overcome addiction, share Christ with a relative, or serve in a Sunday school class, than it was for Him to get the animals to line up and march. In fact, it seems the animals always do what God asks, and it is only man who is often too foolish to obey.

Don’t get caught up with why you can’t, get caught up in Him who can.

Pastor Jim

 

Baptism

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Matthew 3:15
“Jesus answered and said to John, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’”

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The baptism of Jesus was a critical event in His life and ministry. It becomes a great illustration for us, of Christian living and service. First off, note that Jesus was baptized to fulfill righteousness. Water baptism is a picture of a spiritual baptism, which happens the moment a person believes in Christ.

Paul wrote, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…”  1Corinthians 12:13

While water baptism is not a requirement for salvation, it is a requirement for obedience. We are commanded, upon receiving Christ, to make it public with baptism. Jesus, to illustrate the value of this public declaration, submitted Himself to the rite of baptism. Second, note what happened upon His baptism; the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. This is a picture of a second baptism that the Bible speaks of; not when we are submerged in water, but in the Holy Spirit. I find it of the highest importance, that before Jesus began public ministry, He was baptized with the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised, any who asked would receive the Holy Spirit, and along with the outpouring of the Spirit, would be power to walk with Christ. Take time right now to ask God to baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and empower you to live for Christ and serve Him. Finally, note that Jesus heard the voice of God. One thing abundantly clear in Scripture is that God honors obedience. I believe whenever we take steps of obedience in our lives, we will hear the voice of God clearer. Whatever He is asking of you, do it, and His voice will become louder and clearer to you.

Pastor Jim

 

Fully Charged

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Micah 3:8
“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord,
And of justice and might,
To declare to Jacob his transgression
And to Israel his sin.”

Two things caused Micah to stand out from the false prophets who filled the pulpits of ancient Israel. First, he had received a message from God and second he was energized by the Spirit of God. These are as necessary today as they have ever been. If we want to effectively serve the Lord, we need a message from God and the power to deliver it. The question to ask is, where will I find these things?

Micah’s message came from two places. First, it was found in the pages of God’s Word. He could scan the scrolls and see what was being proclaimed in the pulpits, and practiced by the people, were a violation to God’s written Word. Second, his message came by direct revelation, requiring him to learn to hear the voice of God. We will not hear new messages from God, but we do need to learn to sit quietly and hear Him apply His Word to our lives and circumstances. Jesus said His sheep will hear His voice (John 10:27).

Under the old covenant, God was very selective as to who received the power of the Spirit. Certain individuals, for limited times, were filled with the Spirit. We know both Samson and Saul had the Spirit for a while, and then it was taken from them. In contrast, Joel promised, under the new covenant, the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh without distinction (Joel 2:28). The Spirit is received when you trust Christ for Salvation, but there remains a need for the continual filling with the Spirit of God. Jesus explained that we would receive the Spirit when we ask with persistence.

It is important that we see the need to be used by God to deliver His message to the world. Paul declared that people cannot hear without a preacher (Romans 10:14). It s also critical that we take the time to ask God to give us a message, an opportunity, and the gifting of the Spirit to share Christ with others.

Pastor Jim

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