Give Me That Old Time Gospel

[Soldier4Christ]

Who or what is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is almost the forgotten member of the Trinity.  Christians know that He is a member of the Godhead.  But, too many Christians know very little about Him.  Is the Holy Spirit a force like radar?  Is He alive?  Or, is He a person like the Father and Son?  Though many think they know, a lot do not.  The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Christadelphians teach that He is a force like radar.  They are wrong.  The Mormons teach that He is a male personage of flesh and bones.  Actually, the Mormons teach that the Holy GHOST is a god, the male personage, and the Holy SPIRIT is the presence of God the Father.  They also are wrong.

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity.  The Trinity is the doctrine that there is only one God in all creation, all time, and all places.  This one God exists as three persons:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Each person is not the same person as the other, yet there are not three gods, but one.  The Holy Spirit is just as much God as is the Father and the Son.  But remember, there are not three gods, but One.

The Bible has many references to the Holy Spirit, and a quick examination of them reveals many interesting characteristics about Him.

    * The Holy Spirit is mentioned on equal level with God - Matt. 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
    * The Holy Spirit is referred to as a person by Scripture - Rom. 8:11, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."
      The Holy Spirit grieves - Isaiah 63:10, "But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. Therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them." And, Eph. 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
    * The Holy Spirit loves - Rom. 15:30, "Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me."
    * The Holy Spirit has a mind - Rom. 8:27, "and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
    * The Holy Spirit speaks - Acts 8:29, "And the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go up and join this chariot.'"  And, Acts 13:2, "And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'"

It should be very obvious that the Holy Spirit has self-identity, is aware, and is not merely a force because a force doesn't speak, love, grieve, and have a mind.  But the cults tend to ignore these verses and tell us that the Spirit is nothing more than some presence or power.  Sure, the Spirit is a presence and a power, but that is not all He is.  He is the third person in the Trinity.  He is the one who applies the redemptive work of Christ to the believer.  He is the one who convicts the world of sin (John 16:, who teaches (John 14:26; 15:26), and who anoints (1 John 2:27).

But, the Holy Spirit is also humble because He points to Jesus (John 15:26).  Therefore, anyone who is truly indwelt by the Holy Spirit will likewise bear witness of Jesus.

Okay, so what is the devotional aspect here?  Simple, the Holy Spirit indwells you and convicts you of righteousness and sin.  The Holy Spirit is very active in working in your lives as Christians to bring you into a closer relationship with Jesus.  We should know more about the One who makes so much possible with our Savior.

[islandboy]

And if my heart and flesh are weak
To bear an untried pain,
The bruised reed He will not break,
But strengthen and sustain.            Whittier

[Soldier4Christ]

What does this verse mean to you?

I was once at a Bible study and the Bible study leader read several verses of Scripture. He then pointed out a particular verse and asked people what they thought it meant. The verse was not particularly ambiguous, and it was not explicitly clear.  So, people in the room began to give their opinions on what the verse meant. Some of the opinions contradicted each other. I waited to see what the Bible study leader would do with these contradictions and how he would handle what the verse might actually mean. He simply said that all the opinions sounded good and that we must find out for ourselves what God's word means. Of course, this bothered me.  Such relativism is dangerous.

The Bible study leader proceeded to go on to another verse where the same thing was done and other opinions were offered. After a few minutes I could no longer remain silent and I spoke up. Not wanting to dominate the study, I tried to remain polite and cautious as I attempted to correct an error that had just happened in the Bible study.

I carefully pointed out that though there are times when certain Scriptures are difficult to understand and that our opinions on these verses might be equally valid, if they contradict each other, they cannot all be valid. Furthermore, I pointed out that we must not subject God's word to our opinions. It is a mistake to have a group of people look at a Scripture and offer varying opinions on what it means, as though God's word means only what it means to us at that time and that we can contradict each other and that's fine.  Instead, we should ask ourselves "what does a text say?" We should work hard at trying to discover the best single possible meaning to the text is -- if that is applicable.  We should not view God's word as a well from which we draw whatever feeling, sensation, or opinion that suits us for the time. Instead, we must do our best to find out what the Word actually says to the best of our ability instead of "feeling" our way through the Scriptures using relativism as a guide.  Otherwise, we would be saying that God didn't actually mean anything specific when He inspired the writers of the Bible.  If we were to say that God's word can mean different things, then the word of God doesn't mean anything at all? The problem here is that relativism was creeping into the Bible study.

The danger in this is that if taken to its logical extreme, verses could mean anything we wanted them to mean.  With no absolutes to draw from, apostasy would begin to creep in. For example, I am reminded of how some major denominations are actually putting millions of dollars into studying the issue of homosexuality to determine to what extent people can be held responsible for this sin... if they determined that it is a sin at all! This, of course, leads down the road to apostasy and needs to be stopped.

So I ask you. When you study God's word devotionally, or otherwise, do you hope to find what it actually means so you can subject yourself to what it says, or do you try and find a meaning for Scripture that suits your needs, your feelings, and your desires? I would hope that you do the former.  We need to check ourselves.

To test yourself, I suggest that you read Romans 9:9-23. This section of Scripture is often difficult to interpret and can even be controversial.  But it is God's word, nonetheless.  In it, there is a text.  As you read the text, see if you find yourself objecting. See if you find yourself complaining the same way Paul did. See if you ask the same basic objections to the arguments that Paul is raising. If you do not, then you are failing to understand the text. If you do raise the same basic objections as you read through the verses, then that means that you understand what it says... not what you hope it means.  Then, see what your attitude is towards what the text says.  It can be very revealing.

Let our devotion to God be a subjection to his Word.

[islandboy]

A guilty sinner needs to hear
The simple gospel true and clear
That tells how Jesus bled and died,
And for man's sin was crucified.        D. De Haan

[islandboy]

God of everlasting glory,
Filling earth and sky,
Everywhere Thy wonders open
To our searching eye.                 Peterson

[Soldier4Christ]

Perfect in Weakness

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9

"Perfect in weakness? Who ever heard of such a thing? Is it really true that this God in whom I place my faith has enough power to shine through my weaknesses?" As humans, we all face these questions at least once in our lives.

We're imperfect, and we ourselves cannot get past this. We all have different weaknesses, but we also have one in common; sin. Sin is a very powerful weakness that only God can break through. Like this verse says, God's grace is enough to wipe away all of our sins and His power is enough to make us strong, despite the fact that we are truly weak. If we allow Him, He can shine through us. He can become even more powerful through our weaknesses.

Salvation is only for the weak, for those who have realized the difference between God and man. He is holy and perfect, and He wants to know us. Though we are lowly and wretched, He still calls us. But He doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.

[Soldier4Christ]

Cnidophobia

The other day, I was laying on my bed when I noticed a wasp flying around my room. Later on, I noticed a second wasp. I am not a fan of wasps, but I didn't want to kill them either (I guess I'm kind of a nature lover like that). And I didn't want them to just stay in my room till they starve to death and die. I had to save the wasps! (Oh yeah, I'm a dork!) So I decided to open my window beside my bed, and hope that they would fly out. But as I lay there and watched these wasps fly around, waiting for them to notice my open window and fly to freedom, I realized that if they ever do fly out my window, they would have to fly right over me, since I was laying next to the window. I always heard that wasps (and spiders and snakes, etc.) are more afraid of me than I am of them. Whoever said that was a moron. I HATE WASPS! But in spite of my fear that a wasp might land on me and decide to sting me, I laid there on my bed and kept the blinds and the window wide open so the wasps could fly right out, no matter how close they may come to me.

Laying there, waiting for the wasps to pass over me and fly out my window, I began to think that evangelism is a lot like this. We see people every day, living in their own little worlds, making themselves at home in this world, blind to the reality that there is only death and destruction waiting for them in this life, and in also in a hellish eternity. If you have any passion for God, then you probably have the God-given desire to show people God's plan for eternal salvation. But we are afraid that if we share our faith with others, we might come up against persecution. Just like trying to help a wasp fly out a window, we are afraid that we might get stung in the process.

It's natural to feel this kind of fear. Even the Apostle Paul felt that fear when he was preaching the gospel to the Corinthians: "I came to you with much fear and trembling." (1 Corinthians 2:3) It is not uncommon to be afraid to tell the gospel to people that need to hear it because we are afraid they may make fun of us, reject us, or make a mockery out of our faith. After all, our faith is unreasonable... in the worlds eyes. "The gospel is foolishness to those that are not saved." (1 Corinthians 2:18) What can we do? Look at what Peter had to say about fear, when he and the other apostles were brought under persecution. "The high priest questioned [the apostles], saying, "Didn't we strictly charge you not to teach in this name? Behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood on us.' But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'" (Acts 5:27-29) Was Peter afraid of what the high priest might do to him? No doubt, he knew that they could kill him just the same way they killed Jesus. I'm sure he was afraid. But Peter had his priorities straight. He said "We ought to obey God rather than men." Another way of saying that is to say that "We ought to fear God rather than men." In other words, we ought to have more of a passion and determination to do the will of God in doing the work of the gospel, and put aside our passion and determination to keep ourselves alive and safe from any kind of harm. Hard to do? You bet! Is it easy to be a Christian like that? Of course not. But don't be discouraged. If you really desire for God's will to be done in your life, and if you really want to be a tool to help lead people to Christ, pray that God will help you over come your fears. Then lift up Christ with your life and with your words. Persecution doesn't last long. But for the people in your life that don't know Christ and will one day experience an eternity in hell, remember that eternity is forever. So go ahead. Get stung. You'll be rewarded for it in the end.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Popularity Hoax

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
- 2 Corinthians 5:11

Craig Brian Larson, author of the book Leadership, tells the story of a man who lived in a forested area and found his home overrun with mice--too many to exterminate with traps. The man bought a few boxes of D-Con and distributed them around the house, including one under his bed. That night he couldn't believe his ears; below him was a feeding frenzy. In the morning he checked the box and found it licked clean. Just to make sure the plan worked, he bought and placed another box. Again, the mice went for the flavored poison like piranhas. But the tasty and popular nighttime snack did its deadly work. In the days that followed, all was quiet.

Certainly God is not pleased when we fall into the popularity trap and devote ourselves to aimlessly trying to please everyone. Like the rodents who scurry from house to house, we sink our little teeth into the poison of believing that pleasing man over God is somehow better. The truth is, however, we can't please everyone. Even when we do follow others, there will always be times when our status as being "popular" will be provoked. The people we once knew and trusted will become just another face in the crowd.

Hiking down God's road in life is a narrow journey--very few ever journey down its path. That's why we must examine our motives as we communicate with other people: Are we trying to get favors from man or serve the living God? Where do you stand?

Faith Lesson: God's way is not the most popular way but it leads to life, not death.

[Soldier4Christ]

Bold-Faced Faith

I have never been a quiet person. I have never been shy or afraid to speak my mind. Even since childhood, this loud tendency was the source of lots and lots of trouble for me. Trouble with my parents, trouble at school, trouble in church...I've been told a million times in my short 18 years, "If you would ONLY learn to keep your mouth shut..."

However, there is one aspect of my life where words sometimes elude me. And that, ironically, is the one aspect of my life I need to be the loudest about.

"And [pray] for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel."
- Ephesians 6:19

My faith is many times the hardest thing for me to give words to. I worry people won't agree. I worry I'll make them mad or they'll think I'm crazy. These worries and an insane number of other things keep me from shouting my faith from the mountain tops.

However, God calls us to be bold about our faith and to tell others of the mysteries of His love and mercy with every breath we take. Not that this is always going to be easy. Millions of believers over time have been injured, tortured, or even killed for the boldness of their faith. But, He promises us that He will be with us if we do everything in His name. Our boldness to speak His name to the world will be eternally rewarded.

[islandboy]

When God asks you to lay aside
Some cherished work you love to do,
Accept His choice of someone else
And let Him give new work to you.     Fasick

[Soldier4Christ]

Rotten to the Core

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
- 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV)

After a violent storm one night, a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park. Nothing but a splintered stump was left. Closer examination showed that is was rotten at the core because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark.

Think of it: A heart filled with disgusting elements and energy--nothing but a lifetime of unhappiness. Such a picture, though, isn't too far from the human heart. Our lives are spent consuming thoughts, ideas, and motives contrary to God's holiness. Whether it is a dishonest business deal, a seductive thought, or a hate of another, we constantly fill our heart--God's temple--with trash.

Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit. He brings freedom, the freedom to experience salvation, the freedom to be secure with God, the freedom to move forward spiritually, and the freedom to serve in whatever capacity we are called. The Holy Spirit also brings conviction to our heart. At that moment when our hearts are the darkest, He "nudges" us to repent, to acknowledge our sin. If we follow His leading, we can experience a new start. But if we fail to listen to His call, we will fall deeply away in our walk with God.

Are you harboring sin? Do you feel guilty about something? If so, then confess both your known and unknown sin to God.

Faith Lesson: Confessing sin is a regular exercise of a healthy Christian.

[Soldier4Christ]

 THE TRUE CHURCH


    Many people have truly come to know Christ as Savior after having been sincere, religious "church members" for years. Though faithful supporters of some earthly church organization they had never experienced the truth of II Cor. 5:17: "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation." It is possible to be a member in good standing of some church organization, yet be outside of the one true Church of which the Bible speaks.

    This is because the true Church is not an organization but a living organism, a spiritual body, with a living Head and living members. Again and again St. Paul, by divine inspiration, calls the Church, the Body of Christ. He says: "We being many, are one Body in Christ..." (Rom. 12:5). "Ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular" (I Cor. 12:27). "We are members of His Body" (Eph. 5:30).

    How do we become members of this true Church, the Body of Christ? First, we must acknowledge ourselves to be sinners in God’s sight, for Ephesians 2 relates how Christ died for sinful men that He might "reconcile" them to God "in one Body" by the cross (Ver. 16). Thus, when believing sinners are reconciled to God by faith in Christ, they are regenerated, given a new life, by the Spirit, and by the Spirit are baptized into the Church, the Body of Christ.

    "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).

    "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (I Cor. 12:13).

    Every one of us should ask himself: "Have I been baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ?" If not, trust Christ as your Savior and become a member of the one true Church. Then associate yourself with some local assembly where Christ is honored and the Bible taught, "rightly divided."

[islandboy]

The Bible will transform our lives
And turn us from our sin,
If we will study and obey
God's principles within.       Sper

[Soldier4Christ]

Riding out the Storm

    Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." (Matthew 8:24-25)

The Disciples cried out, "Lord save us, we're going to drown!" Jesus rebuked their lack of faith. Then He turned to the storm and put an end to it. The storms of life are going to come. But Jesus reminds us that they will not take our lives. We will not perish. Yet we often become overwhelmed and afraid at the immensity of our circumstances. In those times, we--like the disciples--sometimes cry out for God to put an end to the storm and bring the calm into our lives once more. His merciful, loving response is at times to grant our request. But it is out of that same love He holds for us that sometimes He denies our request. He allows us to go through the storm to its finish because the benefits to us are too great for Him to do otherwise.
The storm is a time of tempering, when God works on us to make us a little stronger than before, to build our faith and to bring growth that would not come otherwise. It is part of His patient work He diligently performs in our lives, not just so we can ride out the storm, but so we can hold our eyes steadfast on Him throughout, and be able to rest in knowing we are safe.
How many times do we cry out in fear, forgetting He is with us, only to put a stop to His work in us prematurely? When we cry out for the calm, do we lose the benefits of the storm? Fortunately, though God may stop a storm or two, He does not stop His work on us (Phil. 1:6). Where one building process is ended, another will sometimes begin. Nevertheless, I cannot help but wonder what God could do in us if we would just ride out the storm.
With the beginning of a new year, each of us hopes for a better year than those before. We often hope for the new year to be one full of peace, prosperity and joy. Those are easy things to embrace. Yet perhaps each of us should be willing to embrace the storms that we will face this year, ride them out and allow God's work in our lives to bring the truest prosperity we will ever know--as we are shaped after the image of our Lord.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18)

[islandboy]

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.                          Steeper