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

24 Thursday May 2012

Posted by eisakouo in When the Holy Spirit Comes

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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:

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

Frances Chan Quotes

10 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Quotes

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change, Christian quotes, Chritian, church, Crazy Love, fear, God of the universe, Holy Spirit, inspirational quotes, manure, obsessed, succeding, temptation, worry

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Pastor

Are You Ready To Be Used By The Holy Spirit?

28 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in When the Holy Spirit Comes

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divine appointments, Holy Spirit, insights, new revelation, obedience, prompted, readiness, supernatural movements, wants and desires

Our readiness to be used is important. The Lord knows the truth. The question remains, do we? We have a tendency to think of ourselves in better spiritual shape than we actually are. Here is a six fold test to measure our readiness.

Have you been obedient to what you already know? The Holy Spirit has already been speaking to you in some shape, form or fashion. To assure you hear new information, you must be obedient to what the Holy Spirit has previously spoken.
Are you open to receive divine appointments? Before you get big assignments, you are given small assignments. These small assignments reveal whether you are willing to have your life interrupted for His service.
Are you available to be prompted by the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit doesn’t forecast two weeks in advance when He is going to speak to you. He doesn’t consult with your Daytimer. He prompts conveniently and inconveniently. This shouldn’t test our obedience, but simply prove it.
Are you open to be a part of supernatural movements of the Spirit? The movements of the Holy Spirit are not always neat and orderly. Miracles, deliverances, and healings are often surrounded by commotion. Most will be uncomfortable with the flow of the Holy Spirit, but you must remain in the center of what the Holy Spirit is doing.
Are you open to the insight and revelations of other believers? The Holy Spirit moves in other believers and you must be able to receive from them as well. This knits you into the greater body of Christ.
Are you willing to let God change what you want? If you have been a believer for any length of time, you have some “wants” for yourself and the Kingdom of God. Part of the Holy Spirit’s job description is to take the things of God and make them known to you. As this process unfolds, it changes us. Our wants and desires become the Lord’s wants and desires.

The Holy Spirit Is Your Wing-Man

24 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in When the Holy Spirit Comes

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come along side, enemy, help, Holy Spirit, John 16:11, paraclete, wing-man

“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.” John 16:11

The various Bible translations struggle with this word “Helper“. Some translations use the word “Comforter, Helper” or “Advocate“. The actual word is “Paraclete“. It means to “come along side.” Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to come along beside the believer to help him accomplish the will of God.

So the Holy Spirit is our wing-man! I am not trying to be cavalier. This word Paraclete is actually a greek military term. Greek soldiers fought in pairs. When in the heat of battle, each soldier became the other’s Paraclete in combat. They would back-up to each other so that each man had a rear guard against the enemy. It is interesting Jesus chose this word to describe the type of job the Holy Spirit would have in the life of those who followed the Lord. Is the Holy Spirit your Paraclete today? Are you trying to accomplish the known will of God on your own? Maybe you fancy yourself a “Lone Ranger” type of Christian.

Jesus never intended for you to travel alone without a Paraclete. The truth is we all need help, especially when it comes to spiritual warfare. Ask the Lord for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit in your life today. Treat Him as your Holy Wing-man.

Guide You In All Truth

22 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Our Spiritual Process

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directional information, GPS, guide, Holy Spirit, John 16:13, spiritual GPS, spiritual journey, trust, truth, wisdom

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

Have you ever traveled anywhere using GPS? Insert your own joke here. In reality, we as a society have had to grow accustomed to having a computer voice telling us our next turn. Now that we have gotten used to the idea of using them, we have gotten better at using them. We know when they will be reliable and when it might be better simply following the signs. The point is that a GPS is only as good as the maps inside.

The Holy Spirit works on our behalf like a GPS in this fashion. He speaks to us and gives us directional information from heaven’s perspective. If we fail to follow His directions, it is not His fault. He cannot make our turns or coerce us to choose correctly. His job is to speak what He hears from heaven. Our job is to listen. Just like it doesn’t make good sense to yell back to the GPS, it doesn’t do any good to be in disagreement with the Holy Spirit. He is our Guide, not our consultant. When we choose to treat Him as a consultant, He simply stops speaking.

Jesus was trying to convince His disciples of the benefits and advantages of trusting the Holy Spirit. Jesus trusted the Spirit’s guidance and so should you. If we can learn to trust and use a man-made GPS, we can learn to trust and use God’s spiritual GPS, the Holy Spirit. His maps and guidance of our spiritual journey are not incomplete, but perfect. The Holy Spirit’s mandate is to guide us in all truth. Are you taking advantage of His wisdom and trusting Him with your future?