Category Archives: When the Holy Spirit Comes

The Holy Spirit and Our Future

08 Friday Jun 2012

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He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13c

 

Why does the Spirit need to speak to us concerning issues of the future?  I think many of us could use a little information about our future. If we are totally clueless about the future, we will eventually be blown away by it! Usually knowing a little about the future quells fear and makes our faith stronger.

I know many years ago when the Holy Spirit first began to speak to our family about some futuristic event, it was like being given a snap shot or picture of something that was going to happen at some time down the road. On most occasions, these snap shots were not outside our own personal sphere of influence. These glances or pictures were about our own personal world. We couldn’t do anything about the event, except watch it transpire. We called it “flagging.”  In other words, the Lord shared with us something of the future and we would flag it so that we wouldn’t be shocked when the event came to pass. This went on for years.

As time has passed, these same snap shots have grown bigger to include other larger events and even some cataclysmic events.  But believe me, it didn’t start off with large, grandiose words and pictures.

Does the Lord want to speak like this in everyone’s life?  I believe He does.  The reason He can’t is because the Holy Spirit is never allowed to start small in the believer’s life.  If not for my wife, I would have never listened or paid any attention to the Spirit’s prompting in those early years.  She was the one who listened intently, recorded them, and marked the calender when they came to pass.  Because those first snap shots were not as “meaningful” as I thought they should be, I discarded them like yesterday’s news.  Oh, the arrogance of some pastors.  Needless-to-say, I got tired of eating crow.  My wife didn’t make me eat it, the Lord did!

 

 

Jesus plainly told us…The Holy Spirit will disclose to us what is to come. This is why I like this word “disclose.”  It means to uncover, unwrap, or reveal.  In other words, these futuristic events the Lord wants to share with us are going to happen anyway, whether we know about it or not. We can be “in the know or remain in the dark.” Since God wants to take care of His children, He would rather us be one of His children who is “in the know.”  Sometimes, when God reveals snap shots of the future, it is a call to prayer.  This means the Lord desires a different outcome and prayer is needed to change things. The Lord always speaks to us when some action needs to take place on our part.

Please remember, the Holy Spirit is not a fortune-teller.  We are never to dictate to Him what we want to hear. He only speaks what He hears from the Father.  If you are looking for your fortune, you need to repent.  It is a dangerous thing to grieve and quench the Holy Spirit.

Start by expecting the Holy Spirit to speak to you in small ways. Unfortunately, most want to begin in dramatic fashion. If you could handle a “big” word, the Lord would have already shared it with you.  Most of us think when the Bible talks about the future it is referring to some BIG, cataclysmic, futuristic event that changes the course of mankind.  But is this what the scripture is referring?  Not necessarily.  If you just had a little info about what you are going through right now in your world of experience, it would help you sleep at night, bless you, and bring glory to the Lord. Life would not be so difficult all the time, because you would already be aware of some of the futuristic hardships.

Did you hear about the teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on? He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn’t want to go on. When the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.” She looked and sure enough, they were.

It wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on – this time on the right feet.

He then announced, “These aren’t my boots.” She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, “Why didn’t you say so?” like she wanted.

Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off. He then said, “They’re my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear them.”

She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again. She said, “Now, where are your mittens?”

He said, ”I stuffed them in the toes of my boots…”

Sometimes, we just need help. Just a little information about the future would make all the difference in the world. If the Lord Jesus promised help, then it is available.

Blessings,

Pastor

 

The Holy Spirit’s Discpline

07 Thursday Jun 2012

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The Kingdom of God has order. Hearing always precedes speaking. Just think about it for a moment…The Holy Spirit has never spoken a word to you which He didn’t first hear the Father speak to Him.  Wow!  Could you maintain this type of discipline?

 

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.  John 16:13

 

Jesus wanted everyone to know how He personally operated. Like the Holy Spirit, Jesus listened first, then He spoke. This is the order of heaven and we need to know it because this is where our instructions and our truth will originate.

The Spirit of God is never going to give us brand-new, startling, isolated truths no one has ever heard.  Every now and then some “minister” will say, “God has spoken to me and has revealed to me a brilliant new idea, no one has ever taught.  The Lord has only spoken to me. If  you want to know the secret, you’ve got to come to me!”

This was exactly what Jesus said would not happen. The Spirit of God will never speak in this fashion. He will only speak what He hears. Therefore, what He reveals or speaks will always be integrated truth.  This truth will always be in line with what God has already spoken. It will never differ from what God has said in the past. This is why Jesus said “I didn’t come to abolish, but to fulfill” what was already spoken.

I personally have a large library of books.  I was moving into a new office one day and someone commented after seeing all my books, “I don’t read much. The Holy Spirit tells me everything I need to know. I don’t need to read books.”  Now, I have heard this line numerous times.  What these folks are basically saying is, “I am too lazy to read, learn, and listen to the lessons of others.”  I don’t want to chase this particular rabbit now. But, suffice it to say…this is exactly how error is born and developed.  I don’t read much these days to learn some new spiritual truth. I read to learn how the saints struggle and fight to continue serving even during dark times.  I read to avoid errors.  I want to know how others avoided life”s pitfalls. This is one of the reasons I blog.  I want to help others avoid the same mistakes I’ve made.

The Holy Spirit will build upon what He previously taught others in generations past.  I do not want to fall into the same pits my ancestors fell. No, I want to build upon the legacy they left behind.  If you personally are just trying to maintain what the previous generation accomplished, you need to rethink whether or not you are listening to the Holy Spirit. Because while the Holy Spirit is our Tour Guide, while He only speaks what He hears… He is constantly speaking about the future.  Your future to be exact. If you are one of those just maintaining the status-quo, you are probably in the dark.

This is why we are specially told by our Lord to expect the Holy Spirit to speak truth into our lives.  You need truth, I need truth…all God’s children need truth.  The problem is the truth we are told is not the truth we always want to hear. This is the main reason why people cannot hear the Holy Spirit speak to them personally.  He is only speaking TRUTH and they are not looking to hear the blunt truth from the Lord.

Let me give a personal example. I have heard the Lord speak to me so many times about pride issues. I have gotten to the point where I did’t want to hear about it anymore.  Have you ever been there?  I really did’t think there was anything wrong in getting up every morning and looking in the mirror to sing “How Great Thou Art.”  Just Kidding.  Follow me here.  In those times of the Lord confronting me about issues of pride, my quiet times were very, very…lets say “quite“. The Holy Spirit had nothing else to say and no other truth to offer.  I wanted Him to say something else.  I begged Him to say anything. By the way, this didn’t mean the Holy Spirit wasn’t using me to preach a message or lead people to the Lord.  I could still be used.  Being used of the Lord and being completely obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading are two different things.  Don’t be deceived.  God used Balaam’s ass, but it still was an ass. You probably know what I had to do to move on. I could fake it or make it real. The only way to move on was to repent, confess (agree with God’s assessment), and allow the Lord to show me a better way.  Once that transpired, I received new truths.

A professional carpet layer stepped back to survey a newly installed carpet. Reaching into his shirt pocket for a cigarette, he realized the pack was missing. At the same time he noticed a lump under the carpet in the middle of the room, about the size of the missing cigarette pack. There was no way to retrieve his cigarette pack from under the attached carpet without ripping everything up and starting over. Finally, he decided to beat the object flat, thereby destroying any evidence of his mistake.        Gathering his tools, the carpet layer walked out to his truck. There on the seat of his truck was the mislaid pack of cigarettes. As he lit one up, the homeowner hurried out of the house and asked, “Hey, have you seen my son’s gerbil?”

It is possible to believe something is true when it is not. It is equally possible to believe something is not true, when in actuality it is true. Understand, the Holy Spirit is trying to bring TRUTH into our lives.  It is our job to give Him access to both sides of our belief systems.  Most believers are able to allow Him to teach them “new” truths.  They struggle in giving Him access to “old truths” they believe.  These are labeled “sacred cows” and untouchable.  The problem, this is exactly where the Spirit begins many times.  I have a long list of beliefs the Holy Spirit has totally destroyed and ultimately rebuilt.  The quickest way to grow unhindered is to give the Holy Spirit unlimited access to every area and belief in our life. It would be one thing if you were a BLANK SLATE, but you’re not and neither am I. We all have programs and data on our hard drives. Sometimes the Lord needs to do some erasing before He can write new programs.  Remember it is the Holy Spirit’s job to lead you into ALL TRUTH, not partial truths or incomplete truths.  The only question is will you allow Him access.

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Getting to Know Your Spiritual Tour Guide

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

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(Last Line)
An inscription on walls of cellars in Cologne Germany, where Jews hid from the Natzis

According to Jesus we need a guide to lead us in discovering spiritual truth. This word “guide” is sometimes used in reference to leading blind people.  Jesus knew we could not discover spiritual truth on our own, so He sent the Holy Spirit.

I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:12-13

His job is to accompany us through life, through scripture, through prayer, and every other spiritual discipline.  Our level of understanding should rise as we continually walk along with the Holy Spirit.  It is not going to be one big display in which you get it all in a seven-week course.  In other words, the work of the Spirit should be a gradual unfolding of truth in every believer’s life.

“He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak.”

Ever gone anywhere via GPS?  Insert your own joke here.  But in general, we as a society have had to grow accustomed to using GPS systems.  Now that we have grown accustomed to the idea of using them, we have adapted to using them more effectively.  We know when a GPS will be reliable and when we just might be better off following road signs or reading a map.

The Holy Spirit works kind of like a GPS.  He speaks to us and gives us the directional information we need at just the right moment.  If we fail to follow His directions, it is not His fault.  He can only speak what He hears from heaven.  He cannot make our turns or force us to choose correctly. When we make a mistake, He can only say, “Make a u-turn at the next intersection.”  It is our job to actually make the u-turn or course correction.

The Holy Spirit is our Guide, not our Consultant. When God speaks through the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t make much sense to push back or give Him ten reasons why His plan won’t work. This is an argument we can’t win. Resistance is futile!  But we’ve all done it. We’ve all had times when we knew exactly what God wanted us to do, but we still decided our own wisdom was better than the Lord’s. Only later did we discover the Lord was correct all along.  If you have pride issues like me…you just hate to admit it.

Here’s the problem. God doesn’t do consulting work. Never has, never will. He does God. When I treat Him as a consultant, He simply stops showing up in my life, in my church, and in my ministry. And it gets worse if I continue to choose to follow my own logic.  God not only stops showing up, He also pulls back some of the light He’s already given. The negative law of reciprocity kicks in…Ouch!

This is what Larry Osborne calls “The Dimmer Switch Principle.” It has a profound impact on our spiritual life for both good and bad. Most of the time people fail to remember or even care about it. Yet, this principle is at work twenty-four-seven.

Have you ever had the Lord turn down the light of revelation in your life?  This is why spiritual insights seem to come in spurts to most people.  When we are growing, we stay tuned into the Lord and the dimmer is turned up!  It seems we cannot keep up with all the revelations the Lord is pouring in our lives.

Then, when we reject the light of God’s word, the dimmer switch of God’s leading is suddenly turned low. This is why some people, who once possessed great spiritual insight, can regress to the point of mind-boggling foolishness. If your spiritual walk is one of many ups and downs, you need to remember how the Lord’s process works.  Stay in the light!

It’s a simple principle. When we respond to the light we have, God gives me more light. When we reject the light we have, God takes away the light we already possess.

It is the Holy Spirit’s job to lead us into God’s light and God’s revelation. Our job is to stay in that flow.  Whether you agree or disagree…Whether you like it or dislike it…Whether you understand or are totally confused.  Remain obedient to the light you have been given.

Listen, we are living in a day and time when as a whole, God’s dimmer switch is being turned down.  It is growing dark out there folks.   As believers, it is imperative we allow our own personal light to be turned as high as it will go.  We each need the guidance and voice of the Holy Spirit to lead us through these dark times.  If not, we will become like Romans chapter 1.

Here Paul outlined the downward spiral of a culture when it turned its back on God. Three times in this passage he pointed out that the increasing moral decay of a society was the direct result of having rejected the truth they once knew to be true.  In each case, God turned them over to even more depravity and darkness. In other words, the Lord put his hand on the dimmer switch and turned down the light.

Praise the Lord…The exact opposite is also true. When we respond to the light we possess, no matter how dim it has become, God grabs the light switch and turns the light up.

Blessings,

Pastor

A Prerequisite to Learning From the Holy Spirit

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

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“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15  All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.  John 16:12-15

 

When we finally get to the end of John, we have arrived at the good stuff.  In this passage Jesus revealed the process by which the Spirit Himself was going to teach us. But according to Jesus there was a catch.  He mentioned one prerequisite to learning. He said to these disciples, “I have yet many things to say to you.” Why didn’t Jesus communicate everything on His heart? What was hindering Him?

The answer of course, as he said, was they couldn’t bear the information right then. Don’t you hate it when someone does this to you?  People say things like, “I would tell you, but you wouldn’t understand. You wouldn’t believe me.  I would share, but I don’t think you could take it.”  My response is you shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.

These disciples were not talking to an ordinary person.  They were talking to the Lord Jesus. If Jesus said something was too difficult to bear, it must be too difficult.  What Jesus really wanted to share would have placed too heavy a burden on them. It would have created a demand greater than they could respond to, so He refused to reveal anything deeper.

Why couldn’t Jesus open up fully?  What were His disciples lacking?  Evidently, they lacked the understanding of the resources they needed.  They did not know how to handle these demands or how to satisfy these requirements, so Jesus would not reveal certain bits of truth until they had the power to respond appropriately. I hope this doesn’t sound too convoluted.  I will give an illustration.

Today there are many conferences, seminars, and meetings being held in which great biblical truths are being placed before people. The truth is out there, but many sincere believers are not always being told how to respond to it appropriately.  When we don’t know how to respond correctly, we default back to the only response we know.  We summon up our natural commitment, our natural strength, and attempt to do the best we can to fulfill what we just learned.

 

 

Many times when a sincere believer attempts to accomplish a particular spiritual maneuver, it hinders and cripples without them knowing why. How does this happen?  It is not that what they are being told is incorrect. They simply are ill-equipped to know how to respond. This is why everyday, at least on my blog, the top search terms are in the area of faith. People know what they need, they just don’t know how to get there. So they seek to build their faith.

It is important for every believer to understand we must learn and know how to respond in faith and trust to the One who dwells within us before we can ever move forward. Without faith in what God has previously spoken, it is all but impossible to respond to any additional commands from heaven. Read these last lines three times please and believe it.  This is the prerequisite to learning.  Don’t try to learn something you are not willing to allow God to birth, grow, and harvest in your life. (This is the thrust of the parable of the sower.) If you are not going to allow this process to transpire in your life…stop going to conferences, seminars and the like. You are wasting your time and only crippling your walk. All truths must be planted, cultivated, and harvested. If you are not going to be a cultivator and harvester…then don’t plant!  You will only become like the Dead Sea.  Water and life come into you, but no water and life goes out.

It is a very dangerous thing to be shown spiritual truth.  Why?  Because if you do not “follow though” with it, it can become disastrous.  It will weigh you down and you will live in guilt, confusion, and frustration.  Jesus knows sometimes it is best that we not be given spiritual truth. He warned us to “count the cost” first before we build.  If we crumble under the weight of spiritual truth, it will be even more difficult to come back around the second and third time.

The prerequisite to receiving spiritual truth and growing is…. know in the beginning you will respond to God’s word and know ahead of time you will stay in the process until it is completed in you.  Stay with me in the next few blogs and I will try to explain how the Holy Spirit leads us in this process.

Let me give a brief invitation for those wanting more at this point.  If you have been one of those who has crumbled under the weight of God’s revelation, you don’t need any more truth. More head knowledge will only puff you up. Light is not your issue.  There are no shortcuts or tricks. It is about the process which God has placed you. Most simply want out or want it over!  Say amen, if you have been there, done that, and got two t-shirts to prove it.  The simple way to correct the situation is to confess your anger, hatred, frustration, etc. with God’s dealings in your life. Repent and surrender to the Lord’s process. Begin telling the Lord how much you love Him, regardless of where He leads. In this you will find spiritual refreshment for the rest of your journey. Stop asking for more revelation and start asking for more of the Lord’s presence. Always remember, it is not about the destination. Life is about the journey and the Lord loves giving Himself to our process.

Blessings,

Pastor

When the Holy Spirit Comes… Conviction of Judgment

04 Monday Jun 2012

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and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.  John 16:11

 

One of the purposes and ministries of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world through  the believer that the “ruler of this world” has been judged.  I laugh at surveys and polls which suggest that most people don’t believe in a real devil.  In reality you can’t poll the world on the reality of the devil.  Scripture reminds us Satan “blinds the minds of the unbelieving.”  Polls only tell us Satan has done his job…effectively.  Unfortunately, believers have bought this Kool-Aid and drunk it down with gusto.  We forget about the devil, just like we forget about Christ and His finished work on the cross.  The Holy Spirit has been given  to us to remind us just what has happened to the devil.  He has been judged!  What difference does it make in your life knowing and believing the devil has been judged?  Everything!

 

 

The key to victory in spiritual warfare is in knowing both what Jesus Christ has done to Satan and what He has done to you. Christians too often live in fear of what they think the devil might do, but can’t, and in ignorance of what they themselves can do, but don’t.  Defeat is thus the result of failing to reckon with and act upon the devil’s dethronement and the believer’s enthronement.

Listen, there have been numerous times in my ministry when I have had to back Satan down and proceeded to drive him out of someone’s life.  In most of these situations… I didn’t want to be there.  I stood on the ground that Satan had been judged and he was defeated.  My hair may have been standing on-end, my skin might have been crawling and my flesh wanted to run the other way.  On these occasions I could feel the Holy Spirit well-up inside me, giving me the boldness of a warrior.  In those moments… defeat was not an option.  I stood because I knew I could enforce the victory Christ won centuries earlier.

 

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  I John 3:8

 

The word “destroy”  means to loose, to unbind, to unravel, or dissolve.  Hence, Satan’s works are conceived as chains that bind us, which Jesus breaks. The enemy is a master weaver.  His works have a coherence, an inter-connectedness, of somehow being intertwined, as if a tapestry of art.  We must remember Jesus came to undo and dissolve all the enemy’s efforts to bind people. Knowing Jesus and walking in the truth of His resurrected power makes us fellow liberators with Him.

What are Satan’s “works“?

  • Morally, he entices one to sin.
  • Physically, he inflicts disease (and death).
  • Intellectually, he seduces into error.
  • Socially, he provokes hatred and chaos.
  • Politically and Economically, he produces injustice and oppression.
  • Spiritually, he blinds the minds of unbelievers lest they believe the gospel.

Praise the Lord, the old ruler of this world has been judged. The Holy Spirit reminds us again and again that Satan has been defeated and we need to live as victors, not as those who are defeated.

Blessings,

Pastor

When the Holy Spirit Comes… Conviction of Righteousness

31 Thursday May 2012

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When the Holy Spirit comes there will be a second form of conviction.  Through the believer the world will be convicted of righteousness. Jesus said, “because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.”  (John 16:10) That is, when the world looks at the church, it ought to see a different way of life, a different standard of behavior. Only the believer can walk in righteousness.   What the world once saw in Jesus it should now see in His followers.  Christ in us is what convicts the world that there are absolutes in life.

Don’t be alarmed that secular writers and philosophers believe there are no absolutes and no standards. Without the Lord, men have always defaulted back to “doing whatever is right in their own eyes.”   We are deluged today by “situational ethics“, the idea that the situation alone determines whether a thing is right or wrong. The world will continue to operate in this fashion until it sees in the church a righteous standard of behavior. Surveys have revealed time and time again that there is little difference between the moral and ethical standards of the church and the moral and ethical standards of the secular world.

Once again when the world looks at the believer, they should be convicted of righteousness.  This occurs not so much by what you say with your mouth, but…

  • by the life you lead;
  • by the decisions you make;
  • by the fundamental truths you believe in;
  • by the peace and tranquility you possess; and
  • by the fact of Christ living in you!

What the world ought to see when it looks at the church is beauty. The Old Testament calls this “the beauty of holiness“.  When the Lord Jesus is reigning in an individual’s life, there is a beauty about that person’s life which captures people’s attention.  Real righteousness is captivating.

Listen, I hear people praying all the time for God to send a Great Revival which brings conviction and causes people to repent.  I have prayed for this.  According to this verse, how and by what means will God send a revival?  Real revival will only happen in you. The only way for the Holy Spirit to convict, reach, and touch the world around us is for God’s people to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with the righteousness of Christ. If you really want the Lord to move… then you must be willing to be moved by the Spirit first.

There are two ways to tell people they are wrong.  One is you can convict them on everything they do wrong.  Or, you can speak to them about what is right.  Which approach do you think the Holy Spirit takes?  When the Lord was convicting you, did He speak to you about all the sin in your life, or did He convict you because you were rejecting Christ.

This is the Holy Spirit’s job to tell people there is a better way… Jesus. The Holy Spirit keeps Jesus before our eyes. Yes, He keeps Jesus before the world’s eyes, but they usually do not listen.

QUESTIONS:  

  • Since the world is going to pot (spiritually downhill), is the Holy Spirit failing in doing His job?
  • Could He be doing a better job?
  • Has the Holy Spirit left and are we on our own?
  • This is the crux of the matter, isn’t it?

The Holy Spirit is doing His job and we should be doing ours by allowing the Holy Spirit to keep Jesus before our eyes twenty-four-seven. It is impossible to win people by telling them how wrong they are and at the same time lacking the presence of Christ in our life.

We have two approaches we can take.  We can continue to tell people how bad they are and how bad their sin has become or we can tell them how good our Jesus is.  We can follow the Holy Spirit’s approach and speak to people in the fashion which He is convicting them.  Or, we can follow the devil’s lead and tell them how rotten they are.

In most cases, people understand they are sinners.  What they need to know is the Good News of Jesus Christ, the impact of repentance and confession.

What has been happening in our world today from Christians and the Church?  What has been the results?  What do you think will be the future results?

Blessings,

Pastor

 

When the Holy Spirit Comes… Conviction of Sin

30 Wednesday May 2012

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When the Holy Spirit comes into us and operates in fullness as He intends, He will have this three-fold effect upon the world. I am not talking about the “experience” a person might or might not have in their life.  I am referring to the effect the world ought to evidence when it looks at the ekklesia, the gathering of believers.

 And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11  and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.John 16:8-11

 

There are three manifestations the world ought to see when it views us as believers.   If it does not witness these three manifestations of the Spirit, then you are not filled with the full intention of God.

So, lets begin by discussing the conviction of sin. 

The first thing Jesus said the world ought to experience when it is around us is the conviction of sin.  This means we personally have allowed Jesus to reign supreme as Savior and Lord in our life. This fact should convict others because this is the primary issue of life. Why does this bring conviction?  Because, as Jesus said, “They believe not on Him.”  When people see Jesus in you, are they convicted?  I love this verse in Acts.

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

 

I am convinced that the church in general has not reflected the real Jesus and spoken of Him passionately enough.  If we had, the world would not have so readily forgotten about Him.  The world desperately wants to forget Jesus ever came and lived among us.  It desperately wants to relegate His name and all his teachings to the farthest reaches of ancient history.

Academia gives all sorts of reasons why it is unneccessary to follow the teachings of Christianity.  They give a staunch record of the indiscretions of the church, the wickedness of the followers of Christianity, and the oppressive nature of the Bible. Once again, according to Jesus, the real reason the world wants to shed Christ is because He convicts them of their sin and need for His Lordship.  This is the sole reason.  Don’t ever think or believe differently.

Listen, why is the church in existence?  It thrives to bring Jesus consistently before a dead and dying world.  We don’t have to shove Scripture down people’s throats. We don’t have to throw spiritual haymakers and knock people out to win them over.  All the Lord requires is that we get full of the Holy Spirit and He will convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

The church has tried many different ways to be more attractive to the world in the last twenty-five years.  We have made our enviroment so “seeker-friendly” that it is not longer Holy Spirit friendly.  The truth is no man can convict, convince, or coerce another man to become a believer.  Even if he could, it isn’t his job to do so.  When people examine our lives, they should automatically fall under conviction.  Why?  Because they see in us the “hope of glory and the life of Christ.”

When I was 14-15 years old, I wanted desperately to give my life to the Lord.  As I would sit in the pew week after week, I was convicted by what the pastor taught.  I knew it was true and felt the Holy Spirit dealing with me through the pastor’s sermons.  But when I looked around at my teenage “church friends”, the conviction faded.  I would ask, “Are you believer?”  They would respond, “yeah, I joined two or three years ago.” Some even confessed that their experience faded with time. These were the same people I was smoking dope with throughout the week.  These were the same people who were cursing, drinking, and partying. Needless to say, there was absolutely no conviction oozing from their lives.  In fact, the conviction from the Holy Spirit quickly departed when I left church and starting hanging around them.

Now, as a pastor, I want the unbelieving to feel convicted when they are around me.  I used to seek to make them feel comfortable.  Not any more.  I want them to feel they are going to drop straight into hell. As I have grown in the Lord, He has taught me to incorporate this conviction with love.

What happens when a person “joins” a church without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit?  Not much.  You can love, convince, and talk someone into joining a church.  You will end up with a group of dead beats that can only imitate what a real church should be like.

Without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, we are left with manmade forms of capturing people.  These usually are presented in the form of some program. The early church presented Christ, not programs. The early Christians never wasted their time in this area. They never talked about the church; they talked about Jesus. The church itself doesn’t save anybody. It is the Lord who does the life changing work. He redeems, He changes, He revolutionizes, He forgives, He restores, He heals—not the church!

When the church is Spirit-filled it talks about Jesus. When the world hears this message, it will finally be convinced its most basic and fundamental sin is not the evil things it has done, but the fact that it has neglected to believe in Jesus.

Blessings,

Pastor

The Holy Spirit Needs a Container

29 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in When the Holy Spirit Comes

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The Lord only shares with us the things we need to know in their season.  Jesus has been talking to the disciples about some very serious issues which He couldn’t speak to them about in the beginning of His ministry.  Now it was time for them to hear these new instructions.  This is one of the most helpful passages in Scripture to enable us to understand the workings of the Holy Spirit.  The focus of Jesus’ teachings was upon the type of relationship His followers would have with the Holy Spirit… NOT the gifts the Holy Spirit brings to the relationship.  This is very important for us to understand. If we would but first get the relationship correct with the Holy Spirit, then everything else would fall into place, including spiritual gifts.

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;”  John 16:7-8

I wonder if there are any verses of Scripture more frequently misread than these in John 16. It is commonly quoted and read as though the Holy Spirit was going to come into the world and work directly upon the hearts of unbelievers, those who are not Christians.  Those who read it this way leave the believer totally out of the equation.   But if you read and interpret in this fashion, you have not read this verse correctly.  This is not what Jesus was trying to communicate.

Let’s read it again with an emphasis on a key word.  I also want to take that same word and insert it in a place in verse 8 where it does not occur, but where the context makes clear it belongs. I think then you will see what I mean.  In Scripture there are no breaks between verses.

 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.  And when He is come (to you), He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

You see, the Holy Spirit is not coming to the world; He is coming to you, the church, the Christian, the believer.  When He comes to the follower of Christ, this will convince or convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.  I believe this is what Jesus was trying to communicate.   The Holy Spirit does not come to the world; He comes to us.  Unless the Holy Spirit comes into our life and abides in us, He will not be able to accomplish all those things Jesus wants done in the world.  If the world around you is NOT experiencing the conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment, whose fault is it…. God’s or Your’s?

How many of us have gone to the grocery store in the past two weeks to buy milk, coke, juice, or some other type of drink.  The grocery store always provides liquids in some type of container.  We must have containers to carry our liquid refreshments.  What if the store simply poured the milk into our hands?  Obviously it would pour all out into the floor and be wasted.  Well, at least we would get an ounce or two.

God always pours out the Holy Spirit unto containers, or vessels, if you will.  The Lord did not send the Spirit to “float around“, but to indwell the hearts and minds of believers.  The Holy Spirit is not like “the force” in Star Wars.  He is a person of the God-head.   Because the Holy Spirit is a Person, we must be willing containers which desire a relationship with Him.

The Holy Spirit will only get into the world (via) indwelling your life.  If the Holy Spirit is not indwelling the world around you…it is because you are not carrying the Holy Spirit with you.  You are an empty vessel.  Jesus told us what to expect….I will send Him unto you!

During the Great Awakening all Charles Wesley had to do many times was to stand up before people and they would fall into great conviction.  On these occasions he didn’t speak a word.  Why?   Was it because of him?  No, it was the Spirit that dwelt within him.  He simply became a container of the Holy Spirit.  The more space we give Him, the more of Holy Spirit we will have.  The Lord doesn’t want us to do the Holy Spirit’s job.  This leads to man-made religion. Our job is to be filled.

Blessings,

Pastor

Would You Rather Have Jesus or the Holy Spirit as Your Guide?

24 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in When the Holy Spirit Comes

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 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.   John 16:7

 

I am not trying to get you to sit and compare which is better, Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  They are both vital to our lives. The question is not which is a better teacher.  God in the form of the Holy Spirit is more effective in motivating, moving, and leading millions of believers at the same time. And Jesus… Well, He is Jesus!

Lets get real here for just a moment.  Most of us have thought or said something along these lines in the past.  We have secretly believed the disciples had a great advantage over us because:

  • They were able to sit and listen to the very words of Jesus.
  • They were able to physically see Jesus’ face.
  • They were able to physically hear Jesus’ words.
  • They were able to witness how Jesus acted.
  • They were able to walk with Jesus and bear witness to all His miracles.

What an advantage they had! How many of us have felt, “Oh, if only we could have been there, if only we could have seen what Jesus’ disciples saw! I know my walk with the Lord would be stronger.”  Yet, Jesus told His closest followers very plainly it was to everyone’s advantage He needed to leave.  He basicly communicated, “Look, it is going to be better for you when I leave. For when I go away, the Strengthener will come.”  It is the Strengthener, the Helper, and the Comforter who meets our needs from within. This was what these disciples needed and this same Holy Spirit is what we need today.

I know it is hard for us to grasp that we are better off with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Did you ever notice in reading through the Gospels that when Jesus finished some of His greatest messages, the disciples still were clueless?  They never went away with their faces aglow, their minds full of understanding, their hearts committed, and ready to work? They were blown away, but not radically changed.  Instead, the record tells us that every time Jesus talked to them, He puzzled them. Those closest were perplexed. They couldn’t figure Him out. Many times the disciples went away arguing about what He had to say. Jesus’ actions produced more questions and on occasions created disputes within their ranks.

Now fast forward to the day after Pentecost, when the Spirit came. This same group was in unison, ready to face all of life’s challenges.  Their faces were radiant and joy was in their hearts. Before the Holy Spirit came, they all ran from death and persecution.  After the Spirit came, they welcomed persecution. This is what the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer. It was indeed to their advantage and to ours that Jesus was not with them.

We have the same access to the Father and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. We are simply not taking advantage of what we have.

Does the church act more like Jesus’ disciples before or after the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost?  If you answered before, then you and I need to get to know the Holy Spirit.  Maybe we don’t need anymore teachings, sermons etc.  What we may need is a reintroduction to what it means to walk in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. This was Jesus’ desire.

Blessings,

Pastor