spirit

Seven Men

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Acts 6:3
“. . . seven men of good reputation . . .”

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Scripture does not follow the stories of all seven of these men, but we know that both Stephen and Philip were remarkable men. Stephen carries the honor of being the first martyr of the church. While martyrdom is not something we should aspire to, his testimony is one of a man who refused to shy away from the threats, and boldly declared the Gospel to his community. It seems very likely his life was influential in leading to Paul’s conversion. Philip was used to begin one of the great revivals of church history. It was through his life, the people of Samaria heard the Gospel and were saved. Later we read, he raised four daughters who followed and served the Lord.

Acts 6 records for us what these men were like. We are told they were men of good reputation, filled with the Holy Spirit, wisdom and faith. The text also alludes to how they became these men. We are told, the apostles gave themselves continually to the Word of God and prayer. Something happens to us when we get plugged into a healthy church, where the Bible is being taught. As the weeks pass, we begin to develop a desire for more of the Lord, and ultimately to serve the Lord. After one of the outreach events that our church was involved in, one of my kids made the observation that it was so cool to see people come to the church, get fed the Word, and over time start serving. He said it was almost as though they could not help it.

Make sure you get plugged into a healthy church! The more time you invest in your relationship with Jesus, the more you will become a person whose life impacts those around you, for the kingdom of God.

Pastor Jim

Old Testament:
Joshua 1- Secret To Success
Joshua 2- Story Of Redemption

 

When We Obey

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Acts 5:32
“. . .the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Jesus promised, when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, we will receive power to be witnesses for Christ. It seems to me, I am always in need of more power than I currently have. The longer I walk with the Lord, the bigger some of the battles become. I need a greater measure of His power to deny the flesh, as well as to effectively serve the Lord. I think it is a common experience for all Christians to feel powerless against the battle in front of them. That being said, there is a critical principle revealed in this verse. Peter declares that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey.

Throughout Scripture, we find the people of God facing obstacles bigger than themselves. We read of Moses and the congregation of Israel being chased by the Egyptian army, where they are trapped by the Red Sea. We know of Joshua and the immense walls that surrounded the city of Jericho. Later, Scripture records how Gideon faced the armies of the Midianites, and David stood toe to toe with the Philistine giant. The New Testament is filled with its share of obstacles as well. We read of the man with the withered hand, blind Bartimeus, and the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the Temple. In each of these cases, God is calling people to do the impossible. In each case, they could have excused themselves because of a lack of power. I can almost hear the excuses I would have used. “Lord I can’t do that, I don’t have that kind of power, that water is too deep, the walls too high and the giant is too tall.”

The truth stated by Peter answers those objections. The Holy Spirit is given when we obey. If we are waiting for an overwhelming sense of power to build up in us before we do battle against the flesh, or go out in service of the Lord, we are going to wait forever. If we go out in obedient faith to the promises of God, we will find that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey. All the strength you need for the battle at hand, will be given as you walk in obedient faith to the command of God. In that struggle you are facing with the flesh, trust today, that He will empower you as you choose to obey.

Pastor Jim

 

Pour Out Your Spirit Lord 

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Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…”

The Holy Spirit is the driving force behind all the ministry that will take place in the book of Acts. Jesus had commanded His disciples to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel message, but before they went, they were to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Their personal lives, their ministries, and their world, would forever be changed because the Holy Spirit came upon them.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, on His church and the individual Christian, is a work of God. Jesus promised He would baptize them with the Holy Spirit. However, that does not mean the disciples played no part in the event. I think it is important that we understand their involvement, as the promise of God was being fulfilled in them.

First off, they were obedient to the Word. Jesus commanded them to wait in Jerusalem, and wait they did. Next, we find them in prayer. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to those who ask; but He also explained that we should ask persistently. Jesus told a story of a man who knocked on his neighbor’s door in the middle of the night seeking bread. He continues to knock until the man gave him what he was seeking. The man finally gave in because of the persistence of the petitioner (Luke 11:5-8). Jesus is not teaching us to bug our neighbors to get what we want. Instead, His point was to teach the need for persistent prayer for the Holy Spirit. Finally, they were in one accord. Rather than bickering about petty things, or focusing upon their differences, they were all together with a heart and mind fixed on their need for more of Jesus. It was in this setting, that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon His church. The lives of these men and women were forever transformed.

There is no special formula behind receiving the Spirit and gifts of God. I am not suggesting that we must travel to Jerusalem, fill a room with 120 people, and wait ten days if we want to receive the Spirit of God.  I am saying,  we are active participants in the work of God. If we desire a greater work of God in our lives, we must obey Him and seek Him.

Let’s take some time this morning to ask God to fill us again with His Spirit. Certainly, the world is in desperate need of men and women who have been transformed by the power of God.

Pastor Jim

 

Glory Of The Lord

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Exodus 40:34
“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

IMG_1474-0What the church needs today more than anything else, is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit; like the one received on the day of Pentecost, and the day the Tabernacle was erected. For both, Israel and the church, divine power and direction were directly related to the presence of God. While we cannot manufacture a work of the Spirit of God, we can learn a valuable lesson from the events that transpired on the day the Tabernacle was first constructed.

Exodus 39:42
“According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.”

God gave detailed instructions regarding how the Tabernacle would be built and operated. When Israel followed those instructions, it resulted in the outpouring of the presence of God. The same was true of the early church. Jesus instructed His followers to wait on the Lord, and pray for the baptism of the Spirit. When they did, God responded by fulfilling His promise. This is not a formula or a recipe, as much as it reveals that God has designed His church to function in a particular way. When we decide to trust the promises of God, and seek Him for a work of he Spirit, He will fulfill those promises.

Take some time to pray that God would pour His Spirit out on you and your church.

Pastor Jim

 

Steps To A Fall

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Mark 14:29
“Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.”

IMG_1457Mingled into the fabric of the betrayal, arrest, conviction and crucifixion of Christ, is the story of Peter’s denial. What happened to him? He went from confidently stating he would never deny Christ, to hiding his faith, denying his Lord, and bitterly weeping. While we never start out to fall, the path we walk will always determine our final destination. Peter’s path inevitably led to Peter’s fall. Let’s take a few minutes to notice the steps leading to his failure, that we might avoid these same pitfalls.

First, notice the pride of Peter, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.” Pride will always cause us to put our guard down and open us up to failure.

Second, notice that while he should have been praying, he was sleeping. How often we neglect to make spiritual investments because other things become more pressing.

Third, we read he attempted to do spiritual battle in the arm of the flesh. Having neglected to watch and pray, Peter was left to pull out a sword for battle. How ineffective the flesh is, to battle in the realm of the Spirit.

Fourth, we read, “Peter followed Him at a distance.” Instead of realizing his failure and running to Jesus, Peter’s fear caused him to keep his distance. Satan is so good at getting us to sin, then convincing us that we are guilty and must stay in our sin, rather than running to Christ.

Fifth, notice where Peter is hanging out. Eleven friends had been following Jesus together for over 3 years, yet in a time when his faith is being tested the most, Peter is hanging out in the enemy’s camp. How different the story would have been if these eleven men had returned to the garden for prayer and fellowship.

Finally, Mark gives us an interesting insight into the story that is particularly relevant. He tells us, before the third denial, there was the sound of a rooster crowing. In the 11th hour of temptation, Jesus is still giving warning signs to keep Peter from his fall and the subsequent misery. Instead of heeding the warning, Peter continues down the road until his sin is complete.

Let’s learn a lesson from Peter’s failure and draw near to Jesus today.

Pastor Jim

 

The Battle Is Won

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Genesis 21:10
“Therefore she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.’”

Post_image-720x360.jpgOn the day Isaac was weaned, Abraham and Sarah celebrated by throwing a party. Because they had waited so long for a son, and since Abraham’s camp was large, this would have been quite a celebration. Tragically, this joyous occasion is cut short when the teenage son of Hagar began to mock his half brother Isaac. While it is not shocking to any parent that one child could tease another, we might all be taken back a bit by the strong reaction from Sarah. When she hears his scoffing, she calls on Abraham to “Cast out the son of the bond woman…” In response, Abe will give Hagar and Ishmael a canteen of water and a loaf of bread and send them packing. On the surface this seem like a colossal over-reaction. What was it about Ishmael’s actions that warranted such a harsh reaction?

Two thousand years later, Paul explained to the Galatians church that this event, while literal, is also designed to illustrate one of the oldest and most difficult struggles we face. That struggle is the battle within, between the flesh and the Spirit. This is a struggle every child of God knows all too well. Each and every day we find that some of our desires are pleasing to God and complementary to Scripture, while other desires are an out right rebellion against God. Just about every night, we lay our heads down on our pillows regretting some action or reaction from our day. This is not the struggle of some, but is the struggle of all. Fortunately, the Bible gives us insight into how we can be victorious in the battle between flesh and Spirit. Paul gives the following recipe for success:

Galatians 5:9
“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”

Galatians 5:16
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Galatians 6:7-8
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

We need to cast off our flesh or our own desires. If we want to see victory in our lives, we need to be sowing to and walking in the spirit; only then can we see the battle being won in our lives.

Pastor Jim

 

I Will Arise

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Micah 7:8
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;
When I fall, I will arise;
When I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be a light to me.“

IMG_1229.JPGI have heard a a lot of exercise mantras designed to motivate behavior. They often read a bit like Micah’s declaration,

“Believe you can and you are half way there,”

“I cannot be stopped,”

“Stop saying I can’t and start saying I will.”

The big difference is, Micah does not claim that the strength to succeed is found within. He realizes if he Is going to rise above his current condition, he will need to rely upon the strength provided by the Lord.

The prophet Daniel was a man who faced big challenges and had even bigger successes. We read his journey began with resolve. He determined he would not allow himself to be pulled down by the world he lived in, nor by the compromise of others. Instead, he purposed in his heart not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8). His success began with determination, but it did not stop there. Later, we read of a different spirit that resided in Daniel. That spirit enabled him to overcome obstacles and accomplish great things. In other words, Daniel was filled with the Spirit of God, and given Heaven’s strength to overcome earth’s obstacles.

If we want our walk with the Lord to succeed, if we want to be people who are no long falling prey to constant wiles of the devil, the secret is found in accessing the power of God, made available through the Spirit. Take time today to ask God to fill you with His Spirit and His accompanying strength. When you face an obstacle, do not rely upon yourself, but pray for strength and see if you too, will rise above.

Pastor Jim