Philippians 2:1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
We all love to hear the song during the Christmas season, "It's the most wonderful time of the year". Can I make a declaration? If you work on a church staff that presents its budget in December, that just simply is untrue for you. Introduce the notion of how to spend money in the church and you get a wide variety of opinions. I have now officially been through it as a pastor 11 times. When it comes to creating a church budget, there are always extremes to be dealt with. Some people are risky, and some are very conservative. Some are for "passing a faith budget" that is far beyond the congregation's ability to reach.....Some are for passing a budget that is less than the previous year's tithes and offerings so the church can "squirrel away money for a "rainy day".
When you are on a church staff you see the potential for division. People with different opinions about how to spend money can get polarized, and the enemy can get a foothold, divide and conquer. It is a stark reminder that if we in the church are going to remain unified, it is not our opinions that are going to do it. The last word of our focus passage for the day is the key to unity. It is the word purpose. Our opinions are not going to unify us....it will be a sharp focus on the purpose. The purpose is to make disciples.
Different people will have different opinions in the church on how to spend the money, but if the ultimate focus is to reach people for Christ, God's people are not going to press their opinions to the point that it divides the body, and thus compromises the church's ability to reach people for Christ. There will be a "big picture" understanding, so that those that do not get their way will not do damage to the body over the fact that their suggestion or budgeting philosophy was not ultimately adopted by the church.
I saw some disagreements and some differences of opinion during the budget process at Bethel this year. I am happy to report that even though the discussions got spirited at times, no one got nasty. Everyone expressed their opinion in a respectful way. When it comes to those that did not get their way, nobody took their marbles and went home.
We are moving forward together....as soldiers of the cross. That's the way it should be.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Spiritual breathing
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
One of the things that we do quite naturally if we are healthy is breathe. We don't have to think about it we just do it.
I want to introduce you to a concept that Campus Crusade for Christ founder the late Dr. Bill Bright called "spiritual breathing". It is a concept that if practiced will transform your spiritual life. Spiritual breathing first acknowledges that people sin even after they are saved. Many Christians are in denial about that idea, but the bible says in 1 John that if we say we have no sin we are liars and the truth is not in us. The idea is to recognize it when we sin, and to confess it right away.
When we sin, we know that we have grieved the Holy Spirit. We often just go on about our business without doing anything about it. We try not to think about it and often just try to suppress it in our thinking until the Holy Spirit reminds us about that sin some time later. Dr Bright suggested that what all Christians ought to do when they sin is confess and ask forgiveness right away. Do not let long periods of time go by with unconfessed sin in your life. When you sin, don't wait until the invitation after the Sunday sermon to get right with God. Confess your sin to the Lord immediately. Sin breaks fellowship with God. You can sense it when you disobey the Lord that your fellowship with Him is broken. Confessing sin restores fellowship with the Lord. Confess your sin, then ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, appropriating His fullness in your life again. Continue walking in the Holy Spirit now that your fellowship with God has been restored. IF you practice this it will become as natural as breathing....thus the term "spiritual breathing".
Let's review the process of "spiritual breathing". When you sin, confess it to the Lord right away. Do not wait. Claim 1 John 1:9 which says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit understanding that it is God's command to be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18). Understand that the bible teaches us that we get what we ask for when we ask according to the will of God (see 1 John 5:14-15 above). So now having restored fellowship with God, walk in the fullness of the Spirit.
Practice this art of "spiritual breathing" and you will have less time in your life with unconfessed sin in your life. As you keep short accounts with God, your fellowship with Him will deepen.
One of the things that we do quite naturally if we are healthy is breathe. We don't have to think about it we just do it.
I want to introduce you to a concept that Campus Crusade for Christ founder the late Dr. Bill Bright called "spiritual breathing". It is a concept that if practiced will transform your spiritual life. Spiritual breathing first acknowledges that people sin even after they are saved. Many Christians are in denial about that idea, but the bible says in 1 John that if we say we have no sin we are liars and the truth is not in us. The idea is to recognize it when we sin, and to confess it right away.
When we sin, we know that we have grieved the Holy Spirit. We often just go on about our business without doing anything about it. We try not to think about it and often just try to suppress it in our thinking until the Holy Spirit reminds us about that sin some time later. Dr Bright suggested that what all Christians ought to do when they sin is confess and ask forgiveness right away. Do not let long periods of time go by with unconfessed sin in your life. When you sin, don't wait until the invitation after the Sunday sermon to get right with God. Confess your sin to the Lord immediately. Sin breaks fellowship with God. You can sense it when you disobey the Lord that your fellowship with Him is broken. Confessing sin restores fellowship with the Lord. Confess your sin, then ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, appropriating His fullness in your life again. Continue walking in the Holy Spirit now that your fellowship with God has been restored. IF you practice this it will become as natural as breathing....thus the term "spiritual breathing".
Let's review the process of "spiritual breathing". When you sin, confess it to the Lord right away. Do not wait. Claim 1 John 1:9 which says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit understanding that it is God's command to be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18). Understand that the bible teaches us that we get what we ask for when we ask according to the will of God (see 1 John 5:14-15 above). So now having restored fellowship with God, walk in the fullness of the Spirit.
Practice this art of "spiritual breathing" and you will have less time in your life with unconfessed sin in your life. As you keep short accounts with God, your fellowship with Him will deepen.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Listening while busy
1 Kings 19:12......and after the fire a still small voice.
I have some more thoughts to add to Tuesday's blog post regarding the small still voice. I mentioned a key to hearing the small still voice is to get alone with God and block out the competing noises. That is true and I do not wish to hedge that thought. Jesus got off by Himself and spent time with the Father and we need to do the same.
However, there is one key idea that I think is definitely worth talking about when it comes to this concept of listening to the small still voice of the Holy Spirit. We can not always stop what we are doing and get off to a quiet place to listen to God. We must be able to hear from God in the midst of a busy, noisy life as well. Most of us are only able to have quiet time in the morning and have jobs that do not lend themselves to taking breaks to go pray. So the question begs asking, don't we still need to hear from God in the busy and loud portions of our life? I would say so. If that is true, then we had better develop our ability to hear the small still voice of the Holly Spirit even when there is a lot of noise, a lot of activity, and many competing voices.
If we are going to walk with God, we must hear moment by moment. That is only done when we learn to sense the Holy Spirit's guidance when life is full of activity and there is no opportunity for getting quiet and still before the Lord. That is why the Apostle Paul taught that we are to "pray without ceasing." We can not constantly stay on our knees with our eyes closed and our heads bowed, but we can live our lives in a constant attitude of prayer. When we live our lives in a constant attitude of prayer, we have listening hearts that hear the voice of God even in those portions of life that are noisy and busy.
Lord help us to block out all the noise and hear you, so that you might order our steps even in our busy day to day routines.
I have some more thoughts to add to Tuesday's blog post regarding the small still voice. I mentioned a key to hearing the small still voice is to get alone with God and block out the competing noises. That is true and I do not wish to hedge that thought. Jesus got off by Himself and spent time with the Father and we need to do the same.
However, there is one key idea that I think is definitely worth talking about when it comes to this concept of listening to the small still voice of the Holy Spirit. We can not always stop what we are doing and get off to a quiet place to listen to God. We must be able to hear from God in the midst of a busy, noisy life as well. Most of us are only able to have quiet time in the morning and have jobs that do not lend themselves to taking breaks to go pray. So the question begs asking, don't we still need to hear from God in the busy and loud portions of our life? I would say so. If that is true, then we had better develop our ability to hear the small still voice of the Holly Spirit even when there is a lot of noise, a lot of activity, and many competing voices.
If we are going to walk with God, we must hear moment by moment. That is only done when we learn to sense the Holy Spirit's guidance when life is full of activity and there is no opportunity for getting quiet and still before the Lord. That is why the Apostle Paul taught that we are to "pray without ceasing." We can not constantly stay on our knees with our eyes closed and our heads bowed, but we can live our lives in a constant attitude of prayer. When we live our lives in a constant attitude of prayer, we have listening hearts that hear the voice of God even in those portions of life that are noisy and busy.
Lord help us to block out all the noise and hear you, so that you might order our steps even in our busy day to day routines.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Small still voice
1 Kings 19:11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
If we are going to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us day by day, moment by moment as believers, we must learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us. So often we are looking for the voice of the Holy Spirit in the miraculous. It is true the Holy Spirit makes the will of the Father known to us through the miraculous at times. The Holy Spirit does speak through signs and wonders at times. However, most of the time the Holy Spirit does not speak through signs and wonders. Most of the time He speaks through the small still voice.
Elijah was in a spot in his life where he was not able to hear from the Lord, because he was listening the wrong way. If you read the story that precedes our focal passage for today you will find that God had just spoken to Elijah through the miraculous as Elijah took on the prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven. In our focal passage for today, God gave Elijah an object lesson to let Elijah know that the normal way God speaks to us is not the miraculous. Those are rare comparatively speaking. The norm is the small still voice.
In order to hear the small still voice, we have to get quiet. When someone is whispering you can not hear them if there is a lot of back ground noise. You can only hear a small still voice when you are in an environment where there are no competing noises. If we are going to hear from the Father through the Holy Spirit, we have to shut out the competing noises, and get still and quiet before HIM. Do you have time each day, when you get quiet and still before HIM listening to HIS small still voice? It is a key to hearing from God.
If we are going to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us day by day, moment by moment as believers, we must learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us. So often we are looking for the voice of the Holy Spirit in the miraculous. It is true the Holy Spirit makes the will of the Father known to us through the miraculous at times. The Holy Spirit does speak through signs and wonders at times. However, most of the time the Holy Spirit does not speak through signs and wonders. Most of the time He speaks through the small still voice.
Elijah was in a spot in his life where he was not able to hear from the Lord, because he was listening the wrong way. If you read the story that precedes our focal passage for today you will find that God had just spoken to Elijah through the miraculous as Elijah took on the prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven. In our focal passage for today, God gave Elijah an object lesson to let Elijah know that the normal way God speaks to us is not the miraculous. Those are rare comparatively speaking. The norm is the small still voice.
In order to hear the small still voice, we have to get quiet. When someone is whispering you can not hear them if there is a lot of back ground noise. You can only hear a small still voice when you are in an environment where there are no competing noises. If we are going to hear from the Father through the Holy Spirit, we have to shut out the competing noises, and get still and quiet before HIM. Do you have time each day, when you get quiet and still before HIM listening to HIS small still voice? It is a key to hearing from God.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Filled with the Spirit
Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
Yesterday I preached a message on Peter's denial of Christ. In the message I pointed out that after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit Peter was a different man. We read in the book of Acts that Peter became a bold witness for the Lord Jesus. When Peter denied Christ, he was operating in the flesh. In Acts Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter went from coward to courageous.
The main idea of the sermon yesterday is that we will be witnesses if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the same way Peter became a witness once he was filled with the Holy Spirit. I wish I had time yesterday to explain how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I did not. So I thought I would talk about it here.
Theologically we must understand that we all receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. It is not another event in the life of the believer, but rather it is simultaneous with salvation. So when Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to understand, the Holy Spirit does not leak out of us. To be filled with the Spirit means to allow yourself to be guided by the Spirit. It is possible even after getting saved to live carnal. That is, to live fleshly. It is possible to deny the Holy Spirit control of our lives. Some would argue that point with me. I would submit to you the notion that those who disagree with me have not carefully studied 1 Corinthians 3. Paul clearly addresses the Corinthians as believers. These were not lost people. They were just behaving carnally. They were not allowing the Holy Spirit who dwelt in them to have control of them. The result was behavior and attitudes that did not glorify God. We need to remember that the Holy Spirit wants to guide us into behavior and attitudes that glorify the Lord. That is the ultimate goal of the Holy Spirit.
Once we receive the Holy Spirit we then must be yielded to Him in order to appropriate His power in our lives. Acts 1:8 says: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you....." I want to emphasize that word "power". With the Holy Spirit comes supernatural "power". Through the Spirit you can do things that are only attributable to the power of God......for example, witnessing for Christ when left to your own devices you would be silent. Add the "power" of the Holy Spirit and otherwise timid people become bold witnesses for Jesus.
I use the word yielded because the Holy Spirit wants to be our "guide". He is the one who communicates to us the will of the Father moment by moment in our lives. We must be yielded in the sense that we are listening to Him. If we are in a state of prayer constantly, asking the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us moment by moment in our lives, He speaks to us in the small still voice...... When we hear the small still voice of the Holy Spirit and follow His prompting, that is when the power surge kicks in!! That which we would not have the ability to do own our own, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do.
It starts with a listening heart...... The Holy Spirit wants to guide you.....are you listening?
Stay tuned for more on being filled with the Holy Spirit on this blog in the coming days.
Yesterday I preached a message on Peter's denial of Christ. In the message I pointed out that after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit Peter was a different man. We read in the book of Acts that Peter became a bold witness for the Lord Jesus. When Peter denied Christ, he was operating in the flesh. In Acts Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter went from coward to courageous.
The main idea of the sermon yesterday is that we will be witnesses if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the same way Peter became a witness once he was filled with the Holy Spirit. I wish I had time yesterday to explain how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I did not. So I thought I would talk about it here.
Theologically we must understand that we all receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. It is not another event in the life of the believer, but rather it is simultaneous with salvation. So when Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to understand, the Holy Spirit does not leak out of us. To be filled with the Spirit means to allow yourself to be guided by the Spirit. It is possible even after getting saved to live carnal. That is, to live fleshly. It is possible to deny the Holy Spirit control of our lives. Some would argue that point with me. I would submit to you the notion that those who disagree with me have not carefully studied 1 Corinthians 3. Paul clearly addresses the Corinthians as believers. These were not lost people. They were just behaving carnally. They were not allowing the Holy Spirit who dwelt in them to have control of them. The result was behavior and attitudes that did not glorify God. We need to remember that the Holy Spirit wants to guide us into behavior and attitudes that glorify the Lord. That is the ultimate goal of the Holy Spirit.
Once we receive the Holy Spirit we then must be yielded to Him in order to appropriate His power in our lives. Acts 1:8 says: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you....." I want to emphasize that word "power". With the Holy Spirit comes supernatural "power". Through the Spirit you can do things that are only attributable to the power of God......for example, witnessing for Christ when left to your own devices you would be silent. Add the "power" of the Holy Spirit and otherwise timid people become bold witnesses for Jesus.
I use the word yielded because the Holy Spirit wants to be our "guide". He is the one who communicates to us the will of the Father moment by moment in our lives. We must be yielded in the sense that we are listening to Him. If we are in a state of prayer constantly, asking the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us moment by moment in our lives, He speaks to us in the small still voice...... When we hear the small still voice of the Holy Spirit and follow His prompting, that is when the power surge kicks in!! That which we would not have the ability to do own our own, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do.
It starts with a listening heart...... The Holy Spirit wants to guide you.....are you listening?
Stay tuned for more on being filled with the Holy Spirit on this blog in the coming days.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Power
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses......Acts 1:8
We began a study last night in Prayer Meeting on the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 is the thesis statement of the book. The book of Acts accounts how the early members of the church were filled with the Holy Spirit. Once they were filled with the Spirit they went about declaring the gospel. They were beaten for sharing the gospel, they were jailed for sharing the gospel, they were threatened for sharing the gospel, yet nothing would stop them. Quite a different bunch from the ones who were hiding out for fear of being discovered. What is the difference? It is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Inseparable in Acts 1:8 are the concepts of the filling of the Holy Spirit, receiving power, and being witnesses. It is the Holy Spirit's power that transformed those in the early church from cowards to courageous.
If we are not being witnesses we must conclude that we are not operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit made witnesses out of wimps in the early church and He will still do that today. As you examine your life ask yourself this question: "Am I really a witness? When is the last time I shared the gospel?" If you are not being a witness, it is probably because you are not appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
More to come in future posts about how to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
We began a study last night in Prayer Meeting on the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 is the thesis statement of the book. The book of Acts accounts how the early members of the church were filled with the Holy Spirit. Once they were filled with the Spirit they went about declaring the gospel. They were beaten for sharing the gospel, they were jailed for sharing the gospel, they were threatened for sharing the gospel, yet nothing would stop them. Quite a different bunch from the ones who were hiding out for fear of being discovered. What is the difference? It is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Inseparable in Acts 1:8 are the concepts of the filling of the Holy Spirit, receiving power, and being witnesses. It is the Holy Spirit's power that transformed those in the early church from cowards to courageous.
If we are not being witnesses we must conclude that we are not operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit made witnesses out of wimps in the early church and He will still do that today. As you examine your life ask yourself this question: "Am I really a witness? When is the last time I shared the gospel?" If you are not being a witness, it is probably because you are not appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
More to come in future posts about how to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Thinking the right way
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
A person's thoughts in large measure determine their life. This is a biblical concept.
The New Age movement has picked up on this concept and twisted it a bit. Much has been written from that philosophical point of view on concepts like visualization, and speaking the reality you wish to create. They teach people to visualize what you want, meditate upon it, and eventually it will become a reality. They teach people to speak what you want and eventually it will manifest itself. As such, a person is able to create his or her own destiny.
The problem with the New Age concept is is that there is something that they ignore. Their philosophy is nothing more than humanism with a new wrapper. Humanism is the philosophy that elevates the efforts of man and makes man the center of the universe, not God. The New Age philosophy of manifesting your destiny by your thoughts and words ignores the sovereignty of God. God is in control, and if HE does not want it to happen it will not, no matter how much you think it or how much you speak it.
1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
The key to it happening.....it must be HIS will. If we think we can "create" a destiny with our own thoughts and words, we place ourselves in the position of God. God is the only creator, and nothing gets created apart from HIM.
Now that I have hedged against the danger of sliding down the slope into new age philosophy, let me say that within the boundaries of the will of God, our thinking will in large measure determine what we are. For example, if we are negative thinkers, we will attract negative thinkers to us. Positive people are not attracted to negative thinkers, they are repelled by them. If we are surrounded by negative thinkers, we will not be in an affirming environment, and thus we will probably not achieve at our highest level. So to some degree in that scenario, our thinking has determined what we become. On the other hand if we think positively, we will attract positive thinkers, and we will be surrounded by an affirming environment, not a bunch of whiners and complainers. We will be encouraged by our relationships to achieve at our highest level. With those kinds of relationships a person is most likely to reach their full potential. In this scenario a person's positive thinking has raised the bar for what he is able to accomplish.
Now to further illustrate what this text means and what it does not mean let me offer this as an example. I can think about wanting to be a tail back for the Washington Redskins all I want ........folks it ain't happening no matter how much I think it. It is beyond the scope of my ability. I am too slow and too fragile. One hit from an NFL linebacker and I would be out for the season. It is questionable whether I would ever walk again. However, if I learn to think the right way, I can become a more effective pastor. That is within my grasp. That is within the boundaries of God's will for my life. If I learn to think the right way I can become a better husband and father. That is within my grasp, and it represents the will of God for my life.
Apply a little positive thinking in your life. It will not make you something you are not called or designed to be, but it will make you the best you that you can be.
A person's thoughts in large measure determine their life. This is a biblical concept.
The New Age movement has picked up on this concept and twisted it a bit. Much has been written from that philosophical point of view on concepts like visualization, and speaking the reality you wish to create. They teach people to visualize what you want, meditate upon it, and eventually it will become a reality. They teach people to speak what you want and eventually it will manifest itself. As such, a person is able to create his or her own destiny.
The problem with the New Age concept is is that there is something that they ignore. Their philosophy is nothing more than humanism with a new wrapper. Humanism is the philosophy that elevates the efforts of man and makes man the center of the universe, not God. The New Age philosophy of manifesting your destiny by your thoughts and words ignores the sovereignty of God. God is in control, and if HE does not want it to happen it will not, no matter how much you think it or how much you speak it.
1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
The key to it happening.....it must be HIS will. If we think we can "create" a destiny with our own thoughts and words, we place ourselves in the position of God. God is the only creator, and nothing gets created apart from HIM.
Now that I have hedged against the danger of sliding down the slope into new age philosophy, let me say that within the boundaries of the will of God, our thinking will in large measure determine what we are. For example, if we are negative thinkers, we will attract negative thinkers to us. Positive people are not attracted to negative thinkers, they are repelled by them. If we are surrounded by negative thinkers, we will not be in an affirming environment, and thus we will probably not achieve at our highest level. So to some degree in that scenario, our thinking has determined what we become. On the other hand if we think positively, we will attract positive thinkers, and we will be surrounded by an affirming environment, not a bunch of whiners and complainers. We will be encouraged by our relationships to achieve at our highest level. With those kinds of relationships a person is most likely to reach their full potential. In this scenario a person's positive thinking has raised the bar for what he is able to accomplish.
Now to further illustrate what this text means and what it does not mean let me offer this as an example. I can think about wanting to be a tail back for the Washington Redskins all I want ........folks it ain't happening no matter how much I think it. It is beyond the scope of my ability. I am too slow and too fragile. One hit from an NFL linebacker and I would be out for the season. It is questionable whether I would ever walk again. However, if I learn to think the right way, I can become a more effective pastor. That is within my grasp. That is within the boundaries of God's will for my life. If I learn to think the right way I can become a better husband and father. That is within my grasp, and it represents the will of God for my life.
Apply a little positive thinking in your life. It will not make you something you are not called or designed to be, but it will make you the best you that you can be.
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