25 Friday May 2012
Posted in Quotes
Tags
Christian quotes, fear makes te wolf bigger, flee temptation, God may not be early, good idea or God idea, got purpose, he who conquers himself, heros of faith, I shall not be moved, I Timothy 4:12, inspirational quotes, it came to pass, Not yet what I'm going to be, quotes, sometimes goodbye is the only way, stay strong, the reason you held on for so long
24 Thursday May 2012
Posted in When the Holy Spirit Comes
Tags
clueless, Holy Spirit, If God brings you to it He will bring you through it, Jesus, jesus disciples, John 16:7, not radically changed, not taking advantage of what we have, Pentecost, perplexed, puzzled, the disciples advantage, welcomed persecution
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:
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
22 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Dying to Self
Tags
Allies would steal from each other, Angus McGillivray, Bridge over the River Kwai, buddy, church without walls, death, doctors, Ernest Gordon, extra food, forced to eat, free to be nothing, given up hope, imacted camp, Japanese guards, library, mucker, one man gave his all for his friend, orcchestra, pool their talents, putting others first, recovered, Scottish prisoner, survival, the camp began to change, Through the Valley of the Kwai, transform, university, unselfishness
I have spent the last few blogs discussing what it means to empty one’s self. We are all free to be nothing, if we wish. This story below is about what can happen when someone empties himself and puts another person’s needs before his own. It is about a man who, through giving it all away, literally transformed a whole camp of soldiers.
Angus was a Scottish prisoner in one of the camps filled with Americans, Australians, and British who had helped build the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai. The camp had become an ugly situation. A dog-eat-dog mentality had set in. Allies would literally steal from each other and cheat each other; men would sleep on their packs and yet have them stolen from under their heads. Survival was everything. The law of the jungle prevailed…until the news of Angus McGillivray’s death spread throughout the camp. Rumors spread in the wake of his death. No one could believe big Angus had succumbed. He was strong, one of those whom they had expected to be the last to die. Actually, it wasn’t the fact of his death that shocked the men, but the reason he died. Finally they pieced together the true story.
The Scottish soldiers took their buddy system very seriously. Their buddy was called their “mucker,” and these soldiers believed that is was literally up to each of them to make sure their “mucker” survived. Angus’s mucker though was dying and everyone had given up on him, everyone, of course but Angus. He had made up his mind that his friend would not die. Someone had stolen his mucker’s blanket. So Angus gave him his own, telling his mucker that he had “just come across an extra one.” Likewise, every mealtime, Angus would get his rations and take them to his friend, stand over him and force him to eat them, again stating that he was able to get “extra food.” Angus was going to do anything and everything to see that his buddy got what he needed to recover.
But as Angus’s mucker began to recover, Angus collapsed, slumped over, and died. The doctors discovered that he had died of starvation complicated by exhaustion. He had been giving of his own food and shelter. He had given everything he had — even his very life. The ramifications of his acts of love and unselfishness had a startling impact on the compound.
As word circulated of the reason for Angus McGillivray’s death, the feel of the camp began to change. Suddenly men began to focus on their friends, and the humanity of living beyond survival, of giving oneself away. They began to pool their talents — one was a violin maker, another an orchestra leader, another a cabinet maker, another a professor. Soon the camp had an orchestra full of homemade instruments and a church called the “Church Without Walls” that was so powerful, so compelling, that even the Japanese guards attended. The men began a university, a hospital, and a library system. The place was transformed; love revived all because one man named Angus gave all he had for his friend. For many of those men this turnaround meant survival. What happened is an awesome illustration of the potential unleashed when one person actually gives it all away.
Most of us won’t have an opportunity to literally die for others. But, there are examples of this kind of self-emptying all around us…Dying to self — putting others first – not looking for credit or self-promotion – not doing things out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
This is from Ernest Gordon’s true account of life in a World War II Japanese prison camp, Through the Valley of the Kwai.
Blessings,
Pastor
21 Monday May 2012
Posted in Our Spiritual Process
Tags
appearance of holiness, crucified this area, desire for spiritul recognition, excellence to maturity, favor with God, fooling men, Genesis 6:8, good deeds, impress others, Jesus emptied Himself, lurks deep within the heart, made, make people feel inferior, Matthew 6:1-4, Only One Spiritual Giant, Philippians 2:7, prideful hypocrite, Publilus Syrus, reputation in heaven, Revelation 3:1, sin of pride, spiritual somebody, takes the focus off Christ, treat people differently, unchecked sin, well-adorned corpse, wrong motive and attitude
I’ve discovered no matter how much money people make in America, it’s never enough. People will eventually spend it all trying to live up to their preconceived status. People want to impress people. We want people to be impressed with our accomplishments and our sacrifices. This is all a part of our sinful human nature– The Bible calls “the pride of life.” If you ever have the desire for others to see you and your acomplishments…understand, it is sin.
The problem is as believers, we know it is sin to seek praise from the world and other Christians. What we know and what we do about it are two different issues. Unless you have purposefully crucified this area of your life, you desperately want other Christians to view you as a “Spiritual Somebody.”
I got some “Free To Be Nothing News” for you today. If God is not blowing a trumpet so that others notice you, then don’t consciously or unconsciously try to blow it yourself. In the church, the sin of pride and desire for spiritual recognition has reached epidemic proportions.
People often want others to know of their accomplishments in God’s Kingdom. Like the world, we want others to be aware of what we have given, what we’ve sacrificed, and how deeply holy we really are. If you have another believer out there who actually believes you are a spiritual man or woman of God, and you know you are NOT walking the walk, you are not just a hypocrite, you are a prideful hypocrite. Because what you really want accomplish is to give the appearance of holiness without actually possessing the integrity of it before God. If this is the case, you need to be setting the record straight. It is not wrong for others to see a holy person in action. It must authentic holiness, not a sideshow. Jesus was free to be nothing and we should strive to live the same way.
“He made himself nothing (of no reputation).” Philippians 2:7
Focus on the word “made” for just a moment. In other words, it was Jesus’ choice and He followed through with it to the cross. He didn’t empty Himself of His God likeness. We know when Jesus was on the earth, He was 100% man and 100% God. The question is, of what did He empty Himself? Jesus emptied Himself of His reputation.
Jesus, though he had the opportunity to impress others, knew it was not the way of the Father or the cross. We do not deserve the glory of men, but many try so hard to impress others. Jesus was worthy of all glory and praise. Yet, He voluntarily set everything aside for the glory of the cross. How much more, we who do not deserve any praise, should set aside every fleshly impulse to impress people. If we would just be honest with ourselves, most would have to admit we have had problems in this area. No one ever confronts us about it, because it lurks deep within our heart. Yet, the fleshly impulses to impress others is probably the number one unchecked sin in the church today.
We LOVE TO HEAR PEOPLE SAY…
Again, there is nothing wrong with people saying these things, unless we relish it and secretly want it stated about us.
A young woman asked for an appointment with her pastor to talk with him regarding a besetting sin about which she was worried. When she saw him, she said, “Pastor, I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin to look around at the other women, and I realize that I am the prettiest one in the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can I do about this sin?” The pastor replied, “Mary, that’s not a sin, why that’s just a mistake!”
Listen to what Jesus said about this very issue.
“Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do–blowing trumpets in the synagogues and the streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone, don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4
Did you catch what Jesus was communicating to us? Half the battle is found in not performing before others. The other half of the battle is not performing our good deeds before ourself. I know it sounds crazy. You may do a good thing, but in reality it becomes worthless, because it was done with the wrong motive and attitude. We’re so influenced by a results oriented society, sometimes we forget God isn’t as interested in our results as He is in our hearts.
There is only One Spiritual Giant. His name is Jesus Christ.
Jesus said of the church of Sardis, in Revelation 3:1, “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive–but you are dead.” One commentator said it like this, “the church at Sardis was like a well-adorned corpse at a funeral, but God was not fooled! We may give the appearance of life for a while, but it is not truly healthy.” You may succeed in fooling men that you are spiritual, but God is not fooled.
If everybody is so busy doing the things that will impress people, it doesn’t leave anybody to do those things that are truly important. And the body cannot be maintained unless all of it’s functions are carried out.
How much better it is to do something that nobody ever knows about, but will make an eternal difference for the Kingdom of God? How much better it is to never obtain the recognition of men, but for it to be said of you like it was of Noah, “But Noah found favor with the Lord“? (Genesis 6:8) Let your focus today be to find favor with God. Forget about your spiritual reputation on earth. Get a reputation in heaven.
Blessings,
Pastor
19 Saturday May 2012
Posted in Humor/Reaping and Sowing
Tags
altar call, burn, church fellowship, crying, do business with God, eat with my fingers, fingers, Galatians 6:7, hot homemade pickled peppers, hug, men's breakfast, men's choir, pastor, pepper in my eyes, religious experience, serving fork, sniffle, sting, temptation, touched by the Lord, water
I have always enjoyed fellowship meals at church. Several years ago I was attending a men’s breakfast that was being held at our church. People bring a sundry of delicacies to feast upon at such events. On this occasion I spotted some hot, homemade pickled peppers. Yum!
As I was walking through this smorgasbord of delectable delights, I noticed a problem with the peppers. I didn’t have a way to harvest the peppers from the dish. Someone had removed the serving fork. While no one was looking, I snatched several with my fingers. Now, my mother taught me different, but temptation got the better of me that morning. Satisfied with my bounty, I moved along with no one the wiser. By the way, they were just as hot and delicious as I knew they would be. I thought nothing more of the situation.
On this particular Sunday, the men were singing in the choir and I was participating. If there was going to be a men’s breakfast… there was probably going to be a men’s choir. The two usually went hand in hand. After singing a few hymns, there was a call to prayer. Sometime during the prayer I placed my hands over my face to pray. In addition, I moved my thumb and forefinger to the bridge of my nose and pressed against the inside corners of my eyes. This was a subconscious type of manuever I had often done while concentrating on prayer. Little did I know it was an enormous mistake.
My eyes began to sting and water flowed from them like a fire hose. I tried to fight it off by rubbing my eyes again and again. This only turned the stinging into intense burning. I was in agony and the flow of water only increased. I began to sniffle and once again started wiping my eyes. As my concentration began to suffer, I felt my face begin to turn blood-red as if it was being rubbed with sand paper. It was then that I knew my sins had surely found me out. I should have never handled those hot peppers without a serving fork. The tears were now gushing down my face like Niagara Falls.
At this point things began to get out of hand. The men beside me started passing handkerchiefs and patting me on the back like I had lost a member of my family. I was experiencing grief, just not the type they believed. They assumed I was being touched by the Lord or was having a religious experience. I felt like I was locked in some interrogation room under bright lights. What was I gonna do? I was having an experience alright!
The fire only increased. Peppers and eyes do not go together. It couldn’t have been any worse if I had been allergic to them. Nuclear waste couldn’t have burned any worse than those peppers. My ears were now ringing, sweat was pouring off my forehead and I could no longer focus. I wanted to make a dash for the door but I couldn’t see!
When I finally was able to take a peek, I noticed the entire men’s choir was now crying. At first I thought they too had handled those pickled peppers. No, they were crying because I was crying. They thought I was being touched by the Spirit… so they were moved. I couldn’t believe it. The whole choir was tore-up because I handled peppers without a serving fork. Now I really felt like crying.
The men’s choir was supposed to sing a special music selection next. As the men tried to gather themselves to sing the next selected number, the water works were turned on full blast. What started out as a lone contagion quickly grew into a full-blown epidemic. I detected that the men were trying to fight it off. The more they struggled to gather their emotions, the worse it became. It was a useless battle. The battle was over before it began. Sniper fire wouldn’t have made these men crumble any quicker. They melted like butter in a microwave. Have you ever seen 30 burly men all crying at once? I was thankful to have a hymnal in my hand so that I could hide behind it. As I took at peek over the top of my hymnal, as best I could make out over half the church was now beginning to weep and sob. Would this never end?
Without a word being spoken, all the pastor could do was open up the altar for people to come forward and conduct business. They did… it mass! As best as I could see everyone continued to cry, blow their noses, hug, and pray together. To say there wasn’t a “dry eye in the house” was an understatement. What started out as a men’s breakfast turned into a crying fest with people getting right with the Lord. Who knew so many people needed to do business with God?
The one who really needed to confess was me and I wasn’t going to confess anything, especially my sin. At least all of the commotion gave me some ground cover to make a move. I maneuvered my way to the edge of the crowd, hugging and crying all the way. As soon as humanly possible, I darted out the door to the bathroom. As I splashed water across my face… I finally was able to get some relief. Oh, the bliss of something cool on my irritated eyeballs. Thankfully, my pain and suffering was coming to an end.
I made my way back into church and sat in the back. The service continued on until everyone cried their way to freedom. As we departed, everyone continued to hug and comment that this was the best service in years. People talked about it for weeks and months afterward, far beyond the walls of our church.
I too made a committment that day.. Never again, would I eat with my fingers in the Lord’s House.
Blessings,
Pastor
17 Thursday May 2012
Posted in Our Spiritual Process
Tags
accomplishments, ambitions, being a jerk, career, crawl upon the cross, crucified the flesh, drink offering, Ecuador, embrace the plan of God, emptied of self, facade, forfeited your rights, giving God leftovers, honoring people, II Timothy 4:6, Jesus disrobing Himself, Jim Elliot, no compromise, Only one life, Philippians 2:5-7, poured out wine, Ralph Neighbor, self deception, selfish, selfish nature, spendo, spiritual reputation, the cross, the grave, the Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched, twill soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last
Are you free today to be nothing? Or are you holding on to some items in your life that make you feel like you are a spiritual something? Are you free to be a nothing? You can actually live in the anointing of the Spirit or choose to fake it. We pretend to be a spiritual something by maintaining the facade of a “spiritual reputation.”
If I took a poll right now across the internet and asked, “How many people today are selfish?” Few people would affirmatively agree. Why… we are all self-deceived to some degree.
Every person I’ve ever met thinks he/she has sacrificed more than most. Because of our sacrifices throughout life, we don’t view ourselves as a selfish person. Everyone believes they personally have had to endure more hardships than most of the general population.
The truth is you are selfish and the more you deny this fact, the more selfish you become. Unless you allow the Lord to get to the root of this issue, the self continues to flourish behind the veil of self-deception. In addition, believers have unwittingly dragged our selfish behaviors into God’s House. We know Christians are not supposed to be selfish, so we do not call ourselves selfish.
There must be a point-in-time when self is crucified! Has there never been a time in your life (after salvation) when God pulled you aside for a few days, weeks, and months to reveal your selfish nature? If not, then your ugly self is alive and well.
The first time (first of many) God spoke to me about my selfish nature I was about nineteen. It was only when the Lord took the scales off my eyes that I began to understand what a jerk I was. In the beginning, I thought God hated me because He kept bringing up my selfish ways. I have had to continually go through the process of God revealing my fleshly ways and then choosing to crucify my flesh. The same has been true of other ugly sins.
I have been in a lot of churches over the years. I have met 1000’s of Christians. It only takes a few minutes of talking to people to discover whether they have allowed God to crucify their flesh. You hear it in their words. You see it in their actions. You notice it in their reactions. A BELIEVER KNOWS WHEN ANOTHER BELIEVER HAS BEEN TO THE CROSS! Uncrucified flesh stinks to the high heavens. Crucified flesh is dead and the owner is the Lord.
Have you forfeited your rights?
Can you do all those things, be crucified, AND still accomplish what God has planned for you? When you finally realize YOU CAN”T, you have a responsibility to voluntarily give up your rights, as Jesus did, and embrace the plan of God. Christianity is not about self, but about others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Philippians 2:5-7
I picture Jesus in heaven “disrobing” Himself of all His glory, authority, rights, and privileges and saying to His father, “I’ll go.” God in turn says, “Son, in order to accomplish all I have planned you to have to lay aside all privileges and rights.” Jesus says, “Daddy, I love You and I love them more than I love Myself. I will be a servant to the point of death.”
This is why the Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched at our pettiness, selfishness, need for reputations, and need for glorification. Anytime we actively seek or even entertain in our minds selfish acts, we grieve the Spirit of the Living God out of our midst. I have given out more plaques, certificates, and pats on the back than you can imagine. Not once did anyone ever say, “Don’t give me this honor. I did it only for the glory of the Lord. My reward is in heaven.” The more we honor people, the more starved they become for fleshly attention.
If you have stuck with me so far, you are a candidate to completely crucify your flesh. Let me give you the biblical definition of being “emptied of self.”
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.” II Timothy 4:6
Paul is referring to the Old Testament “drink-offering” here, which was an offering in which wine was poured out onto the ground as an offering to God. This “poured out wine” may seem like a waste, especially to people like us, who are so careful not to waste. But it’s not a waste at all, because it’s an offering to God. Could there be a more noble use for the wine than to be poured out as an offering to God. Even if it was used to quench a thirst, clean a wound, kill bacteria, or any of the other use, it could not have been as glorious than when poured out to the Lord. You must believe this!
And so it is with our lives. There are so many things that we can accomplish with our lives. There are so many levels of “success” we can try to attain. It’s interesting to me that the Greek word for “poured out” used here is “spendo” which is the root of our English word “spent.”
Could that life be as well spent as a life that was lived to glorify God? It may appear to the flesh that the person poured out to God never really accomplished anything. It may seem like a terrible waste.
The point is not that those things are wrong, but that the measure of a life well spent is not what great things you’ve accomplished or how much success you’ve had. What’s important is whether or not your life was spent for yourself or for God and his purposes. Did you pour yourself into your ambitions, or did you use the things like your career and your success to pour yourself into God’s Kingdom?
The truth is most people want both. They want the flesh to thrive and they want to “satisfy” the Lord at the same time. We give our tithes and offerings to God, but we ultimately neglect to spend it on Him. We think we are being thrifty, but in reality we are being stingy. This is why people would rather “pad pews” than send missionaries. Our spending habits divulge our heart’s motive.
There was a knock at the back door of a certain parsonage. The pastor answered the door. A church member was there with a cake in her hand. She said, “Here is half a cake. We have eaten all we wanted and we thought you and your family would want the rest.” He graciously received the half-eaten cake. He shouldn’t have, but he did. In other words, the lady was communicating, “We did not think you worthy enough to bake a whole cake and give it to you. Our leftovers are good enough for you but not our best.” Listen, we do the same thing to God. We do not give God our sacrifices of praise. No, we give God leftovers from our gluttony. When you only give to God because it is a “left over” or “used up”, you haven’t really given anything to Him. You have only proven how truly selfish you are. When we allow the Holy Spirit to crucify our flesh, God and the Kingdom come first. God doesn’t want your leftovers. He wants your first-overs. Are you hearing me?
Ralph Neighbor, the guy wrote the Survival Kit and other materials was speaking in chapel where I went to college. He shared the most significant spiritual event of his college life. Like most teenagers, he spent his first years in college messing around with no purpose or direction. He goofed off, made friends, and majored in having a good time. Even though he attended a Christian College, his knew his devotion to Christ was not as deep as it should have been. He admitted so. He spent the first 10-15 minutes confessing how he was the quintessential “good ole boy.” As his class graduated, they had a party afterward to sign annuals and say good-bye. One of his friends was a guy named Jim Elliott. He was leaving for Ecuador with four other friends immediately following graduation. They traded annuals and Ralph and Jim signed each other’s annual. Just a few months later he received the news that all five of his college friends had died on the mission field. What a waste, he first thought. All of that time training only to die on the first few days in the field. Immediately, Ralph Neighbor thought about his annual. He never read what Jim wrote. He opened it to learn Jim Elliot had written these words. “Only one life, twill soon be passed. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Ralph Neighbor was shocked. He decided right then to fully dedicate himself for God’s service. It was a life changing moment. He knew while he was selfishly living for himself in college, there were other young people giving their all for Christ. From the Lord’s perspective… We are all in or we are all out! There are no compromises when it comes to the flesh. By the way, this one event in the early 1950’s caused a mass flood of men and women into missionary work. They saw how SELFLESSLY these young people had dedicated themselves to Christ and wanted to do the same.
The truth is some die to themselves early in life, some die late… just don’t be one of those believers who never allow the flesh to be crucified at all! Don’t let the grave be the date when you finally crucify your flesh. It simply doesn’t work this way. Let the date you crawled upon the cross of Christ and died be today!
Blessings,
Pastor
16 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Our Spiritual Process
Tags
believer, church, Ephesians 4:30, fundamental spiritual laws, grieve or quench, offended the Spirit, power, presence of God, relationship, stiffing God, the anointing, Tozer Quote, vulnerable
Can God really trust you with His presence? You are probably answering in the affirmative. We should want it. If He can trust you with His presence, then where is it? You see, the Anointing is the presence of God. It is not a vague reality that only certain “spiritual people” can discern about you. No, the Anointing should be a matter of fact about us. God’s presence can become so THICK in your life that people can’t help but be affected by it.
It is all about the relationship we have with the Lord. Our relationship with God’s Holy Spirit is of primary importance. You might get away “stiffing” God for a few weeks. Some neglect to pray for weeks and months. They put their whole relationship with God in neutral. Afterward they seek and receive forgiveness and are gladly welcomed back into the family of God.
But when you neglect and “stiff” your relationship with the Holy Spirit, He is not so easily found on the back side. It is not that He will never come back. It is not that He will stop filling you. But you have offended the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit takes your neglect personally. You are the one who sought a relationship with Him and now you have bailed out of the relationship. The Bible exhorts us to not “grieve” or “quench.”
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
Do you think the Holy Spirit is going to continue to leave Himself in a vulnerable position so that you can continue to walk in and out of a relationship with Him. It is a dangerous thing for a believer, church, or organization to grieve and quench the Holy Spirit . In many cases, the Holy Spirit has left the building and we do not even know it. This is why many have had to place their trust in “man-made” programs. The Spirit departed long ago.
The Holy Spirit desires a continuous, harmonious, enduring relationship with each believer and each church. “Quench and Grieve” are words no one would want to use in talking about a relationship they might have. Think about the things we have done to other believers that have absolutely grieved the Holy Spirit. Think about the things we have done in churches that have absolutely grieved the Holy Spirit.
The primary question we need to ask before doing any activity or church business is not, “What will old Uncle Harry think?” No, we should be asking, “Will this course of action quench, grieve, or invite the Holy Spirit’s work in my life and the church?”
When I was a mere lad (8-9 yrs. old) I had an old battery in one of my toys go dead. It was a “C” or “D” sized battery. I desperately wanted my toy to work once more. I knew that electricity ran through batteries. I also was aware electricity flowed in the wall plugs. I figured out a plan to get electricity from the wall socket into my battery. My mother was a beautician and had bobby pins all over the house. So I made a V out of the bobby pin and stuck the two ends into the socket while connected to my battery.
REJECTION —- I learned that day there were certain principles that needed to be applied to harness the power of electricity. No matter how I might want to cheat, shortcut, believe, or somehow get around those fundamental laws governing electricity — THE LAWS WERE STILL IN OPERATION AND I MUST ABIDE BY THEM. I eventually learned, if you fail to abide by these laws you can be shocked, caught on fire, or destroy an otherwise working appliance. I was blown across the room and sparks flew all over the place. Those sparks politely burned holes in my bed spread. I FELT THE POWER! The problem was I did not want this type of power. I was trying to invent the battery charger before there were battery chargers. If I had just been a little more persistent, I could have been a millionaire by inventing the first battery charger.
The truth is God wants us to experience and share His power. You must believe this truth. Jesus said, “You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you.“
He is not trying to keep us from power, God is trying to get us to use His power. But there are Fundamental Spiritual Laws at work in the spiritual realm concerning the power and anointing of God. It shouldn’t surprise any of us that the Lord only shares His power with those who can be trusted with it. Can God really trust you with His presence and power?
Blessings,
Pastor
15 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Our Spiritual Process
Tags
activities to be avoided, discernment, have to leave some folks behind, immaturity, intimacy, James 4:17, joy, kappa, let it flow, living of a list of do's and don't, Nehemiah 8:10, peace, permissible but not beheficial, playing cards, relationships with other people, revelational knowledge, right standing before God, righteousness, Romans 14:17-18, Romans 14:23, sensitivity, the anointing, the Holy Spirit, watching movies
There is an axiom I live by in my life. God is not trying to keep information from me… He is trying desperately to get revelational knowledge to me. I believe this with all my heart. God is a good God and desires to share Himself with those that love Him.
Having said this, sometimes it is difficult to discern the will of God, especially when the matter is not black and white. You have probably discovered that some issues in life are not mentioned in the Bible as sins or activities to be avoided. But as you discover afterward, you have actually grieved or quenched the Holy Spirit’s work in your life. Now the presence of God has faded from your life. Ouch!
How are we to know if it is ok to participate in certain activities? The anointing will help you. This scripture from Romans paves the way and reveals three doors for discerning God’s best for us.
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18
First Door: Righteousness
Before pursuing a course of action ask yourself, “If I do this activity will I lose my righteousness?” Your righteousness is your standing before God. In other words, if you choose to participate in this activity will it cause you to forfeit the righteousness you have in Christ Jesus? Will doing this violate your conscience, cause guilty feelings, and bring conviction from the Holy Spirit?
I am sure you know by now that some activities are not necessarily sin for most people. But God has already personally talked to you about those same activities. It may have been two or three years ago, but you already know that God does not want you personally involved. When you choose to participate anyway, your righteousness (right standing) before God is gone. There is a great verse in James which addresses this issue.
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17
(If you can make it through the first door without losing your righteousness, then move on to the next door.)
Second Door: Peace
Ask yourself honestly, “If I participate in this activity will I lose my peace?”
Your peace is the certainty that your relationship with your brothers and sisters is intact. In other words, if you participate in a certain activity will it hurt your relationship with other people. It might be ok with God, but others may have difficulty with you enjoying it.
I have been around certain Christians who thought playing cards was a sin. So while I was around them, I did not play cards. I personally felt it was alright to play cards. God had never convicted me about it. (Now I am not talking about gambling or strip poker, etc) But if I continued to play cards in front of other fellow believers knowing they believe it to be sin, then I will sin as well and lose my peace.
Peace is very important when visiting other cultures. While in I was in Israel visiting the Holy Sites, it was required for women to wear dresses and men to wear kappa’s (domes or skull caps). I would have lost my peace and caused others to stumble if I had just burst through and visited the sites without regard to their customs.
Someone once said, “It may be permissible for you to do it, but it may not be beneficial.” You can do it and be alright with God, but the saints will suffer.
(If you can make it through the first and second doors without losing your righteousness and peace, then move on to the next door.)
Third Door: Joy
The question to ask yourself here is, “If I do this activity will I lose my joy.” Your joy is the relationship you have with you. “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Here is how it goes…You may get an ok from God and other believers may not care if you participate in this certain activity, but as you pray about it you feel the joy of the Lord depart from you. Why? Because inwardly you know it will not build faith in your life.
The Bible says, “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23 In other words, the activity you are questioning is permissible. You can do it before God and man; but the problem is it will ultimately NOT build your faith. You may not realize it at the moment… but the activity will probably deter your faith, at least briefly.
For instance, in the past I have wanted to watch certain movies. It was ok with God and did not bother friends and family, so I went forward and viewed that movie. When it was all said and done…my joy was gone. Why? Because I just wasted two hours of valuable time. The whole activity did not build my faith. On other occasions, the issue was not about the time wasted. I discovered my joy was depleted and I just couldn’t put my finger on what exactly happened. Each believer must determine the activities in life that are neither good nor bad… but are simply “joy thief’s.” If you are a discerning Christian you will understand this issue.
Am I just being overbearing and picky about everything or is there some bigger picture here? We all must understand that if we want to grow deep in the things of God there is one word we are going to have to get accustomed to knowing and experiencing. The word is SENSITIVITY. The goal is to grow more and more sensitive in the knowledge and ways of God. Walking with the Holy Spirit is a very sensitive issue. Because He is sensitive, we are to be sensitive.
As we continue to grow in the Lord, all three doors can be summed up in one phrase, “am I sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life?” The more mature we become the more important your righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit will become. His flow and presence will become your primary importance.
When I was in college I hung a homemade sign over my desk. It read: “Others may, but I can’t.” That little phrase sums up all three of these points. When it is all said and done, we are all at different stages. In order for you to continue to grow in the things of God, YOU WILL HAVE TO LEAVE SOME FOLKS BEHIND. They are not currently ready to be this sensitive to the ways and movements of God. It is not that they are bad and you are good. It is about you and the Lord, nothing more. I used to love to play “patty-cakes” with my kids when they were young. But I was ever so thankful when they moved on to bigger and better things. You and I cannot continue to play patty-cake with God. We must move on to deeper issues in the Kingdom.
Maturity in the Holy Spirit is when you stop living off of a “do’s and don’t” list. A spiritual person learns to flow in the things of God. God allows you to choose what is right and wrong. The Lord wants you to learn to choose on your own the right, Godly, and wholesome choice. He doesn’t want you to continue to reference a list. Lists are for the immature.
Some of you today need to move from the “made to do” stage of spiritual growth to the “let it flow” stage. If God or God’s word doesn’t clearly state “don’t do it”, you will ultimately do it. Why? You didn’t see it written somewhere. Believers usually state this phrase in the positive. “Well, God didn’t tell me I couldn’t, so it must be ok.” This is knuckle-headed faith.
When you talk to people, are you constantly telling others about the things you “cannot do”, instead of the flow of what God is doing in your life? There is a big difference. I am sure you love God, but in your mind and heart is God still a “made to” type of God to you? Are you ready to grow past all this?
Understand… Intimacy with the Lord is something you must pursue. Read my lips…It will not happen unless you get hot-hearted. God is not going to chase you down and force intimacy on you. This is why the Holy Spirit is grieved when we faint in our pursuit of the Lord. If you truly love someone, you will go after and pursue that relationship.
When I started to date my wife I thought she was pretty good gal to be around. In fact, it wasn’t long before she was just head over heals in love with me. No, I was in love. I constantly wanted to be around her.
Now what if……….
Do you think she or anyone else would have I believed I was in love with her. I doubt it.
Is there any doubt today that you love the Lord? Intimacy is intimacy… whether it is physical or spiritual. You cannot be intimate in a robotic way. Intimacy is a flow. God desires not only our obedience but our entire hearts as well. Our pursuit of Him reveals how much we truly love Him. The great thing about pursuing the Lord is that occasionally He lets us catch Him… This is glory!
Blessings,
Pastor
12 Saturday May 2012
Posted in Illustrations/Cartoons/Etc., Our Spiritual Process
Tags
apprecitive, director, home, interview, laundry, mother, Mother's Day, put son through school, wash her hands, young man, young son
One young man went in to apply for a managerial position at a large corporation. He passed the first interview with ease and the department director was enlisted to make the last interview.
The director discovered from the resume that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way from his early educational experiences to his postgraduate research project. He didn’t have a year without excellent marks.
The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?” The young man answered “none“. The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school?” The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old. It was my mother who paid for school.” The director asked, “Where did your mother work?” The youth answered, “My mother worked in a laundry.”
The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect. The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?” The youth answered, “Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”
The director said, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”
The young man felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he sheepishly requested his mother let him wash her hands. His mother felt strange, but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her boy. The youth cleaned his mother’s hands slowly. Tears fell as he performed the menial task. For the first time he noticed his mother’s hands were wrinkled and covered in bruises. Some of the bruises were so tender his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.
This was the first time the young son realized it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes to enable him to pay for school. The bruises on his mother’s hands revealed the price she had paid for his graduation, academic excellence, and now his future. After he finished cleaning his mother’s hands, he promptly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night mother and son talked for a long time about her work in the laundry.
The next morning, the now grateful son went back for the remaing interview. The Director noticed the tears in the young man’s eyes. He asked, “Can you tell me what you have done and learned yesterday at your mother’s house?” The appreciative son answered, “I cleaned my mother’s hands and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes.” The Director asked, “Please tell me your feelings.” The man said, “I learned several important truths.”
The director said, “This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.”
Mother’s Day is a great day to truly honor your mother. Don’t just give her a card. Look at her hands! Love on her for the sacrifice she made to afford you the opportunity to be successful in life.
Blessings,
Pastor
11 Friday May 2012
Posted in Abraham: Life of Faith
Tags
Abraham, Chuck Swindol illustration, Does your personal faith need testing?, Encourage Me, file, furnace, Genesis 22:2, James, James 1:4, Jesus, Martin Luther quote, metal, nail and hammer, Paul, Romans 5:3-5
If I were to take a survey among Christians asking, “Does your personal faith need testing and trials?” Most would tell me their personal faith is in good shape. Yep, most believe they are in very good shape. James, Paul and Jesus paint a different picture for the average believer. In James we are told…
the testing of our faith … produces endurance, and endurance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4 )
Paul tells us that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
Jesus paints a picture so clear, it cannot be ignored.
every branch (or believer) that bears fruit “he prunes so that it may be more fruitful”.
In reality, most of us are like a nail in search of a hammer. A nail would certainly question the value of a hammer. To the nail, the hammer is a cruel instrument. But what it doesn’t see is that each blow forces the nail to bite deeper and hold more effectively. Without the hammer, the nail would have no purpose in life.
If metal had feelings it probably would question being scrapped by a file and being thrown in furnace. Metal doesn’t want to be shaped and is quite comfortable remaining the same shape. The rough scraping of the file would seem tortuous, but it is necessary to fit the metal for its part. The furnace would be met with screams and dread, but the furnace is necessary to purify and strengthen the metal.
Chuck Swindoll has some great words concerning this illustration.
Heartaches and disappointments are like the hammer, the file, and the furnace. They come in all shapes and sizes: unfulfilled romance, a lingering illness, and untimely death, an unachieved goal in life, a broken home or marriage, a severed friendship, a wayward and rebellious child, a personal medical report that advised immediate surgery, a falling grade at school, a depression that simply won’t go away, a habit you can’t seem to break. Sometimes heartaches come suddenly . . . other times they appear over the passing of many months, slowly as the erosion of earth. Do I write to a “nail” that has begun to resent the blows of the hammer? Are you at the brink of despair, thinking that you cannot bear another day of heartache? Is that what’s gotten you down? As difficult as it may be for you to believe this today, the Master knows what He’s doing. Your Savior knows your breaking point. The bruising and the crushing and melting process is designed to reshape you, not ruin you. Your value is increasing the longer He lingers over you. [Encourage Me p. 36]
Abraham certainly wondered “why”. “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” (Genesis 22:2) Perhaps he felt like a nail being attacked by a hammer. But Abraham also understood that the nail and the hammer were both held by the hand of the Lord. He knew that God knew what He was doing and so he trusted him.
Blessings,
Pastor
eisakouo 