Most Recent Blog Posts
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Post 22 Going Deeper
Oswald Chambers the great teacher and evangelist said, “Spiritual maturity is not reached by the passing of the years, but by obedience to the will of God”. In other words, it is not how long you have been on the road to spiritual maturity, but how far you have traveled!
Now that we have covered some of the basics of Christ, Christians and Christianity, in Christianity 101- Posts 1-21, it is time to go deeper. Why go deeper you may ask? After all, I am born-again, my sins have been forgiven and the “sting of death” has been eliminated because I know I am going to heaven!
It is important to remember that although God loves you, has forgiven you, and accepted you the gift of salvation is not just for you. The Gospel is good news for all! Your family, relatives, friends, and yes even strangers.
The Bible encourages us to be willing and able to share and defend what we believe. The Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 that we should be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks for the reason for the assurance of Christ in us with gentleness and joy.
A new Christian is like a “Baby” Christian. The Bible uses the word “carnal” to refer to a baby or immature Christian. A baby only thinks about its own needs… hold me, feed me, change me! A baby needs milk because a baby cannot handle meat and potatoes. Spiritual maturity is a process and we all begin at the same place. The natural progression is to go from child to young adult to old.
The Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal…” You see, Paul started a church in Corinth on his first missionary journey and years later he heard that they were not growing spiritually, that was the reason this letter was sent to the Corinthian church.
As in natural life, there is an expectation of growing in spiritual maturity and eventually be in the position of helping others come to know Christ. Hebrews 5:12-14 says the following, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles (or revelations) of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age (or mature) that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (or right and wrong)”. Again we see in God’s Word the expectation of spiritual growth.
When I graduated High School I immediately entered the Marine Corp. The first place they sent me was to “boot camp” at Parris Island, SC. This is where I learned that I was part of something that was larger than myself. I also learned to discipline myself physically and learned to control what came out of my mouth. All of these lessons came at a price because it is difficult to change, but these lessons have lasted a lifetime with profitable results.
When I graduated from boot-camp I thought I was done with the basics, instead, I was sent to another location, Camp Lejeune in NC where I went for further training in military strategy and becoming familiar with the weapons of warfare. When I graduated from Infantry Training I was then sent to San Diego, Ca for further schooling in electronics.
The point is that the end of one stage is the beginning of a new stage of growth as a Marine, the same can be said of life. Spiritual training or growth is no different. As Christians, we are continually growing, maturing coming into a greater understanding of God’s love, and His plan for our lives. Yes, God has a plan for your life! Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”.
In closing let me say this, you can choose to stay where you are in your spiritual walk with God. As a sports figure once said. “I may have to grow old, but I don’t have to grow up”! While as humorous as that quote might be- how sad it is to think that God has made so much available to us and that we should settle for so little.
In every Christian’s life here is a season when we need milk, however, let’s discipline ourselves and learn to chew and digest the meat of His Word and grow into spiritual maturity.
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Post 21 The Grace of the Holy Spirit – Spiritual Gifts
The person of the Holy Spirit is not someone unique to the New Testament. The Holy Spirit has co-existed with Father God from the beginning. We see the Spirit of God at work in Creation- Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”.
In Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit would “come upon”or “be with” someone to enable them for a specific purpose or task, but in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit lives “within” the believer. Christ-followers are the temple or home for the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19).
The grace of the Holy Spirit is especially evident in the New Testament as He comes as a gift of Jesus to be our“Helper, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth”.
The Holy Spirit also comes with power and authority over the devil (1 John 4:4). As we surrender our lives to God, we have the Holy Spirit’s power to conquer our selfish will and He helps us live the Christian life as we learn to be led (guided, directed, influenced) by the Spirit, (Rom 8:11).
As we learn to walk in the Spirit, we will overcome the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16-18). This new life in the Spirit requires a new way of thinking and doing things. The Bible instructs us to “…be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23, 24).
We also have the following promise: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom 8:13, 14).
Putting to death the deeds of the body has to do with putting to death those habits and patterns of thinking that are contrary to God’s righteousness and replacing those habits and patterns of thinking with godly habits and godly thoughts. This is where the Holy Spirit’s help is crucial for He is able to reveal truth, remind us of the Scriptures, and speak encouragement to us.
As if all of that were not enough, the Holy Spirit also made available, to all believers, important spiritual gifts. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul warns us to not be ignorant or unaware of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:1, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant”. In other words, Paul was saying that these gifts are too important for the church to neglect.While I would encourage you to read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, I will be touching, ever so briefly on the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. I will be spending more time on the individual gifts in my next series entitled Christianity 201.
There are nine gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 and they are:
1. Word of Wisdom – A spoken message of wisdom inspired by the Holy Spirit to an individual, dealing with the deep things of God.
2. Word of Knowledge –A spoken message referring to understanding things that could not be naturally known.
3. Faith – Extraordinary faith as opposed to “saving” and “normal” Christian faith. the faith to move mountains.
4. Gifts of Healings -The supernatural ability to administer healing to others. The plural form of the word healings indicates a variety of illnesses common to mankind.
5. The Working of Miracles – Supernatural ability to over-ride or reverse natural laws of nature.
6. Discerning of Spirits -The supernatural ability to discern the source of a spiritual manifestation. The three sources are God, Satan and the spirit of man.
7. Prophecy –The supernatural ability to speak what Jesus is saying at the moment to encourage, edify, exhort by revealing what God will do.
8. The Gift of Tongues- The supernatural ability to speak an unlearned language that glorifies God. When done in public, as in church, it should be followed by the gift of the Interpretation of Tongues.
9. The Interpretation of Tongues -This gift always follows the public speaking of the gift of tongues so that it would be understood by those in attendance. As a side note the Gift of Tongues and Gift of Interpretation when taken together is prophecy.These gifts of the Spirit are nested between 1 Corinthians 12:7 & 11. Verse 7 says, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all”. The “all” is referring to the Body of Christ or the spiritual Church. Then verse 11, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills”. The Holy Spirit sovereignty gives His gifts as He pleases.
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Post 20 The Grace of Jesus Christ Part 3
In the last several posts we have focused on the gift of grace of the Father- Jesus. Then we looked at the gift of grace of Jesus– the Holy Spirit. We will now look at one more important area in which Jesus gave us gifts.
This final gift of Jesus is meant for the Church. Now it is important to distinguish between the physical church and the Spiritual church. The physical church would encompass church buildings and holdings as well as denominations and groups of which there are many. However, there is only one spiritual Church.
The spiritual church is made up of all believers who are born-again, otherwise known as the body of Christ. As Jesus is now the spiritual head so His body (us) is spiritual as well. In Ephesians 1:22-23, the Apostle Paul says, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all”. Spiritually speaking, we are the Body and Jesus is the Head!
The gifts of grace of God are for His body of believers. As important physical churches and organizations are, they are not what Jesus died for… He died for you and me. The original word for church in the New Testament is the Greek word, Ecclesia, or “called out ones”. Those who have been called out of the World into the Kingdom of God, the Spiritual Church on earth!
Jesus empowered the church with spiritual leaders to lead the way in Ephesians 4:11, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers”, these five gifts are often referred to as the “Five-fold” Ministry gifts. Let’s briefly look at each one of these gifts to the Church.
- Apostles– are ambassadors of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ with miraculous powers: a messenger, one that is sent. Apostles go to new places to establish the body of Christ, and to ensure that churches are operating under correct doctrines or teachings. Missionaries are examples of those who are sent to establish works in foreign lands.
- Prophets- are forth-teller not fortune-tellers; they are inspired speakers of and for God. A Prophet speaks forth what Christ is saying to the church for today. A prophet encourages, edifies, and exhorts the Body of Christ.
- Evangelists- are preachers of the gospel. The gift of the Evangelist is to produce new converts with the simple Gospel of Jesus; the message of love, forgiveness, and acceptance.
- Pastors- are shepherds or those who are responsible for the care and health of the Body of Christ.
- Teachers- are instructors who teaches the truths of Jesus Christ and the Bible.
All of these are people who are called by God to equip or prepare the saints (you and I) for the work of ministry or serving. All of this is revealed in Ephesians 4:11-16.
Let me take a moment to talk about a sensitive issue regarding leaders in the church. It is easy to put leaders “on a pedestal” and then to be so disappointed when they don’t live up to expectations. Always keep in mind that ministers are human just like every other believer. They are still working through their own weaknesses and shortcomings as all believers do, even though they may be “anointed or gifted” by God. “God does not call those who are equipped to do ministry but equips those whom He calls”. This means that God is working through the Holy Spirit in bringing to maturity every leader too. Think of the greatest of the Apostles, Peter, and see the failures and disappointments that he experienced before becoming the leader that God ordained him to be.
Now the unbeliever looks at these lapses in Christian leadership and cries out “you see they are all hypocrites!” However, those who are mature Christians understand that all of us including Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers are works in progress! While it is true that the “fivefold ministry” leaders are held to a higher standard by God (James 3:1) it is important, as believers, not to judge too quickly.
Having said that, we should obviously avoid those who preach false doctrines or practice immorality, because there are those who are, as the bible describes them as, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).
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Post 19 The Grace of Jesus Christ Part 2
In the last several posts we have focused on the gift of the grace of the Father- Jesus. “For God so loved the world He gave His only Son…” Then we looked at the gift of grace of Jesus– the Holy Spirit.“ I will not leave you as orphans, but I will send you another Helper like me”. Before we look at the gift of grace of the Holy Spirit- which would be spiritual gifts we want to look deeper at the gift of Jesus- the Holy Spirit and the function of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The entire Old Testament of the Bible clearly points to mankind’s inability to live according to the Mosaic Law, under the Law no one could be “good enough”! Therefore, as far as the Old Testament is concerned it was impossible to live without sin.
Sin has two components, first, it results in eternal death or Hell, second, it separates one from the blessings of God and a wholesome relationship with Him. The Father sent Jesus to deal with the “death” issue by dying on the Cross and His resurrection is the assurance of our own resurrection or life everlasting. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us so that we would be able to live victoriously in a sinless relationship with Him and under His blessings.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead or Trinity, He is not an “it” or some impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is God! When Jesus ascended to Heaven He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The moment we accepted Jesus into our lives our spirit was born-again, and the Holy Spirit came to live in us. The function of the Holy Spirit is to lead or guide us and teach us all truths about God. The Holy Spirit does this by making the Bible alive and meaningful to us. He “illuminates” the Word of God, He brings to “remembrance” the teachings of Jesus and “convicts” us when we go astray. The Holy Spirit is the agent by which we become “transformed” into the image of Jesus. In other words, we become more like Him.
When we first come to Christ our spirit is renewed, but our minds or souls initially are unchanged. Romans 12:2 says, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. In a very real sense, we have been brainwashed by our society and culture and many of the things we have learned are contrary to God’s view of right and wrong.
The Book of Judges in the Old Testament is an account of how the Israelites betrayed God’s faithfulness to them time and time again. God provided a series of Judges or leaders to get them back to the worship of the one true God. An important phrase that is used in Judges to describe the rebellious people was, “They did what was right in their own eyes”. In other words, ignoring what was right in God’s eyes and doing what they wanted. Doesn’t that sound like life today?
Getting back to Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Conforming is a human work, transformation is a Holy Spirit’s work. Conforming means if you talk like a Christian, dress like a Christian, act like a Christian you must be a Christian. Well, that isn’t necessarily true!
A Christian is one who has accepted Jesus and has surrendered themselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Their minds are being changed as they accept by faith the truths that have been revealed by God. They are replacing the old ways with new ways. You see the change must begin with a mind that is being renewed or changed by the Holy Spirit. This transformation process will produce the outward characteristics of a true Christian.
I can’t stress enough the importance of the Bible especially the New Testament, which was written for the Christian. The Holy Spirit can only draw out of you what you put in. The more you put into your spirit the more truths the Holy Spirit can bring to your remembrance, illuminate, and convict- as you face decisions throughout the day.
In closing, let me say that God the Father provided for your salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus provided the Holy Spirit to enable you to live the Christian life as you are being transformed from the inside out and becoming more like Jesus.
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Post 18 The Grace of Jesus Christ
We are continuing in the theme of the Grace of God. In the last post, we mentioned the Trinity and that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are One. All three parts of the Godhead share the same nature and that is the nature of Grace. God’s grace can be described as salvation, mercy, compassion, favor, and kindness. All of these are given by God not because we have earned or deserved grace, but because of Grace.
The Grace of Father God is that He provided a way to restore the broken relationship in the Garden of Eden, between mankind and Himself. The Father did this by providing a “Seed”, a Messiah in Hebrew, a Christ in Greek, a Savior in English, and in any language- Jesus.
The Grace of Jesus Christ is revealed in the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the believer. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live the Christian life in grace and power.
When Jesus walked the earth, His followers had the benefit of His presence. They felt His love, experienced His fellowship, witnessed His signs and wonders that only God could produce. Jesus came to the earth to live as a human being for approximately 33½ years. Jesus made it very clear that when He departed He would leave us “another like Himself” or a “Helper”, but this time instead of a physical person the Helper would come in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
Jesus in the flesh could only be in one place at one time, but in the spirit, He could live in every believer. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that He lives in us.
In Acts 1:4 Jesus appeared to His disciples and commanded them to stay in Jerusalem where they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. They were to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father, of which Jesus had already told them about before He was crucified. Listen to what Jesus said in John 16:7, “Nevertheless 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 depart, I will send Him to you”. In Acts 1:8 Jesus assures his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Power to do what you might ask? Power to live the Christian life and to be a bold witness in words and action of the Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ.
You see, Jesus had to leave or ascend to heaven, in order to send the Holy Spirit to us. In the gospel of John 14:16 Jesus says the following, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you”.
The word “Helper” means intercessor, advocate, or one who is alongside you through thick and thin. Jesus calls Him another Helper, in other words one like Himself. God will never leave you or abandon you. How wonderful it is to know that although Jesus in the flesh is not here, His Spirit lives in us. The Holy Spirit provides the love, the fellowship, the signs and wonders that only God could produce, but now though us!
An important function of the Helper is to guide you into doing what Jesus would do. Jesus says in John 14:25, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Now what are some of the truths that the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance? Here is a list of ten out of hundreds that the Holy Spirit reminds us of:
- The Holy Spirit confirms to us that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16).
- The Holy Spirit is our down-payment or guarantee of the our future resurrection (2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5).
- The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us and in us (John 16:14-15).
- The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray (Rom. 8:26-27; Jude 1:20).
- The Holy Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
- The Holy Spirit reveals to the world what sin is, what is righteousness and the coming judgment(John 16:8).
- The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
- The Holy Spirit fills us (Ephesians 5:18).
- The Holy Spirit empowers us (Acts 1:8).
- The Holy Spirit produces in us the fruit [character] or evidence of His work and presence in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).
As you can see Jesus’ gift of the Helper or the Holy Spirit is actively revealing to us that we are loved, forgiven and accepted by Father God!
