“"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you (John 15:18) . . . When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth,” (John 16:13a). The Holy Spirit is a part of God’s provision for when the world persecutes us, because, one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to give us the answers to those who persecute us. Whether it is a martyr facing Islamic militants or a Bible Study leader confronted with a self-righteous student adhering to false teaching. We can and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the answers to our persecutors. We must rely on the Holy Spirit for the right answers because only the Holy Spirit has the responses that God wants the sinner to hear. In our human wisdom and reasoning we will focus on the wrong “point” the rebel needs to hear. We think in our human reasoning the rebel needs to hear this or that; however, what God wants them to hear is probably a different word, the one that will convict them and lead them to see the truth. Only God knows what word they need to hear and what word He wants them to hear. We will only know what that word is by allowing the Holy Spirit to give us the response we are to give them.
Meditations on Scripture with an emphasis on practical daily living of the Christian life. The goal of every post is to give readers a clear view of God's glory that results in practical action.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Some of the Work of the Holy Spirit
"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). Unless the Holy Spirit bear witness to us of Jesus as our LORD, our redeemer and the Son of God we will never see Jesus as anything more than a good teacher. We are dependant upon the Holy Spirit to see Jesus as our savior and to confess him as our savior. Afterwards we are still dependent upon the Holy Spirit to witness to us the glorious beauty of Christ and the majesty of God the Father. Our veiled eyes are ever darkened to the glorious light shining from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior. Just as sanctification is a process of continuing growth in holiness, so the work of the Holy Spirit continues not just in our sanctification but in witnessing to us the glory of Jesus. Just as the Holy Spirit illumines our minds to the word of truth (1 Cor 1:10) and quickens our hearts to believe on the Lord Jesus (Eph 2:1-5), so also the Spirit illumines our minds to the wonder, the majesty, the beauty, the glories and the joys of our sweet precious Jesus.
Therefore let us all recognize that absences of these revelations in our lives about the nature of Christ are evidence of the Spirit’s inactivity in our hearts, minds and souls (Psa 84:11). Once we recognize the Spirit is inactive in our hearts we must throw ourselves at the mercy seat of heaven and beg for the Spirit’s return. The Spirit’s return will be predicated upon repentance from sin, either known or unknown, that has caused God the Father to withdraw the Holy Spirit from us.
Even this recognition that we are no longer in fellowship with the Father as we have been is a working of the Spirit so that we can be restored in our fellowship. Once we recognize that our awareness of the Spirit’s absence is a work of the Spirit itself, we can confidently and with assurance throw ourselves at the mercy seat of heaven, because the working of the Spirit to make us aware of His absence is the evidence God desires to have us come to him and be restored in fellowship with him. Knowing all this, when we recognize the Spirit is inactive in our lives, let us not hesitate one second to run to the Cross and ask that God lay our sins before us so we can confess them and repent of them. While we are running to the Cross, let us also do so with the confident assurance that God desires that we be reconciled to him and the Holy Spirit restored to us fully again.
Therefore let us all recognize that absences of these revelations in our lives about the nature of Christ are evidence of the Spirit’s inactivity in our hearts, minds and souls (Psa 84:11). Once we recognize the Spirit is inactive in our hearts we must throw ourselves at the mercy seat of heaven and beg for the Spirit’s return. The Spirit’s return will be predicated upon repentance from sin, either known or unknown, that has caused God the Father to withdraw the Holy Spirit from us.
Even this recognition that we are no longer in fellowship with the Father as we have been is a working of the Spirit so that we can be restored in our fellowship. Once we recognize that our awareness of the Spirit’s absence is a work of the Spirit itself, we can confidently and with assurance throw ourselves at the mercy seat of heaven, because the working of the Spirit to make us aware of His absence is the evidence God desires to have us come to him and be restored in fellowship with him. Knowing all this, when we recognize the Spirit is inactive in our lives, let us not hesitate one second to run to the Cross and ask that God lay our sins before us so we can confess them and repent of them. While we are running to the Cross, let us also do so with the confident assurance that God desires that we be reconciled to him and the Holy Spirit restored to us fully again.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Living Life
“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Luke 12:23). This seems like an odd statement. What kind of life do we have if we do not have food and clothing? Almost all of our working life is spent trying to provide food and clothing for our family. In the time which Jesus was on this earth food and clothing, daily needs, consumed almost everyone’s whole day. For Jesus to say something like this he must be crazy, out of touch with reality or know something we don’t. Once again we see the words of Scripture, God’s words, pointing us to a reality which is foreign to our way of thinking; life on this earth is not what life is all about. Jesus is describing a view of life with an eternal perspective, not the temporal one we normally operate with.
Many will read this verse and see Jesus describing a way of living on this earth, an attitude, in which material possessions are not the main focus of life, but the joy of living in harmony with one’s neighbors and with nature. However, even this view of Jesus intended meaning is linked to the temporal not the eternal perspective. It is a view still concerned with life on this earth. Because Jesus links this passage to the rich fool (12:13-21), he is clearly pointing us to view the way we live this life on earth with how it will affect life in eternity. While there is no single verse or passage that says this, we can glean Jesus’ intention by viewing all he is saying in the gospels and the NT. Life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Life is living out your called purpose to do the will of God for your life, so that you may enter into his kingdom after this life is over (Matt 25:14-30, John 4:34). The body is more than clothing because it is a reflection of the glory of God, by being made in his image and the temple of the Holy Spirit (John 2:19-21, 1 Cor 6:19).
Having grasped this truth about our lives and our bodies, let us live with a view of eternity in mind. Let our actions, our plans for each day and our lives as a whole be guided by the will of God for our service to him here and reflecting his glory into the world we live in.
Many will read this verse and see Jesus describing a way of living on this earth, an attitude, in which material possessions are not the main focus of life, but the joy of living in harmony with one’s neighbors and with nature. However, even this view of Jesus intended meaning is linked to the temporal not the eternal perspective. It is a view still concerned with life on this earth. Because Jesus links this passage to the rich fool (12:13-21), he is clearly pointing us to view the way we live this life on earth with how it will affect life in eternity. While there is no single verse or passage that says this, we can glean Jesus’ intention by viewing all he is saying in the gospels and the NT. Life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Life is living out your called purpose to do the will of God for your life, so that you may enter into his kingdom after this life is over (Matt 25:14-30, John 4:34). The body is more than clothing because it is a reflection of the glory of God, by being made in his image and the temple of the Holy Spirit (John 2:19-21, 1 Cor 6:19).
Having grasped this truth about our lives and our bodies, let us live with a view of eternity in mind. Let our actions, our plans for each day and our lives as a whole be guided by the will of God for our service to him here and reflecting his glory into the world we live in.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Understanding Possessions
“And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Luke 12:22). It is very easy to look at this passage that begins with verse 22 and believe the only point Jesus is making is, “trust God to provide for you.” However, that is a result of reading this passage (12:22-34) disconnected from the rest of chapter 12. Notice how verse 22 begins, “Therefore” is connecting this passage to the previous verses (13-21). This is the parable of the rich fool, who stores up great treasures on earth only to die and never enjoy those treasures and also to be held accountable for his self-centeredness and short-sightedness.
How was he short-sighted, didn’t he make plans for long term security? Even in the way we ask the question we can betray our own failure to understand what is short-sighted and what is long term thinking. By earthly temporal standards the rich fool was thinking long term, because he made plans for financial security for many years. However, Jesus sharply points out that long term temporal thinking is short-sightedness. It is short sighted because the focus is about acquiring and having for oneself with no regard for God and what he values. It is a focus on only what happens in this life not what will happen in eternity. Look at how Jesus responds to a question for him to get involved in a squabble between to brothers over an inheritance, “And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Then he starts the parable. Now look at how Jesus summarizes the meaning of the parable, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Temporal only thinking is short sighted because it does not give thought to what God desires and what will happen after this life is over.
Our clue that 22-34 is connected to them also comes from the way Luke records Jesus ending this passage, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Once we see verses 22-34 are connected to and a continuation of verses 13-21, then we can begin to see that trusting God to provide for our needs is manifested in how we handle our possessions.
Let us read the passage on worry and anxiousness with new eyes, eyes enlightened and illuminated by the word of God through the Spirit. Eyes that see we should not worry about our needs while we are being generous to others and God; including fear that our acknowledgement of Christ publicly and doing the will of the Father will lead to losses in our possessions.
How was he short-sighted, didn’t he make plans for long term security? Even in the way we ask the question we can betray our own failure to understand what is short-sighted and what is long term thinking. By earthly temporal standards the rich fool was thinking long term, because he made plans for financial security for many years. However, Jesus sharply points out that long term temporal thinking is short-sightedness. It is short sighted because the focus is about acquiring and having for oneself with no regard for God and what he values. It is a focus on only what happens in this life not what will happen in eternity. Look at how Jesus responds to a question for him to get involved in a squabble between to brothers over an inheritance, “And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Then he starts the parable. Now look at how Jesus summarizes the meaning of the parable, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Temporal only thinking is short sighted because it does not give thought to what God desires and what will happen after this life is over.
Our clue that 22-34 is connected to them also comes from the way Luke records Jesus ending this passage, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Once we see verses 22-34 are connected to and a continuation of verses 13-21, then we can begin to see that trusting God to provide for our needs is manifested in how we handle our possessions.
Let us read the passage on worry and anxiousness with new eyes, eyes enlightened and illuminated by the word of God through the Spirit. Eyes that see we should not worry about our needs while we are being generous to others and God; including fear that our acknowledgement of Christ publicly and doing the will of the Father will lead to losses in our possessions.