RMCM FACEBOOK PAGE

I just wanted to invite all of you to check out the new RMCM Facebook page. Bear in mind that we just put it up, and we will be adding functionality as time goes on. This page will primarily be a place to find information about upcoming events at RMCM, and to join in the occasional discussion. Check it out, and if you have suggestions, please click the discussion tab and leave a comment.

TIMES OF REFRESHING

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:38-40)

As I sit here today listening to the rain falling steadily outside, I am reminded of how often the Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit in terms of a refreshing flow of water. In the passage above, Peter is addressing a very large group of people from a wide variety of cultures. He tells them that if they will change their thinking to embrace the open door that God has provided through Jesus, they will all be filled with the Holy Spirit and experience the power and refreshing of His presence.

A short time later, after the Holy Spirit had worked a great miracle through Peter, he said this to the crowd that gathered:

“But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus.” (Acts 3:18-20)

What an opportunity we have! To be filled, and refilled, over and over, with the Holy Spirit. If you are in need of hope, healing, encouragement, vision, strength, or simple refreshing, I encourage you to take a moment right now and receive a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.

STAYING UPRIGHT AND ON COURSE

If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.

Proverbs 24:10 - NKJV

I think this Scripture from the Book of Proverbs holds an especially important message for all of us right now. The word translated “adversity” here is a Hebrew word that means trouble, pressure or distress. Have you noticed that a lot of people are experiencing some adversity lately? Or, if they aren’t, the media is trying to make sure they think they are. Whether it is financial, marital, or even physical distress, trouble seems to be all around us – even on our doorstep.

But this verse implies that there is a strength available to the people of God that will hold us upright and on course through times of adversity. If we believe what the verse is saying—and we had better—we need not faint or falter when adversity comes to call. The word “faint” here means to relax the grip, drop the guard, abandon our post, or withdraw. If, when pressure comes, we grow weary and give up the fight, then what we have been calling strength, is no strength at all.

We Christians talk quite a bit about our convictions and our principles, and rightly so. We are people who have made Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives. We have let go of our old ways of self-interest and self-reliance to partner with God in the expansion of His kingdom on earth. We have realized that, not only are we incapable of achieving eternal life on our own, but we make a pretty big mess of life in general when we try to live it for our own selfish purposes and in our own human power. We have given up that way of living in favor of walking by faith in God. As we walk by faith in God, we are empowered by His Spirit and His Word in every possible aspect of life.

There is another verse that says; “The Lord will give unyielding and impenetrable strength to His people, the Lord will bless His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11 Amplified Bible) God’s strength is custom tailored for the day of adversity. If there were never a need to resist evil, or overcome temptation, or wrestle with the desire to give up, why would God give us His strength? If adversity comes, and we quit—quit living for God, quit trusting Him to keep His promises, quit relying on His ability to bring His will to pass in our lives, quit standing on the eternal truths of His Word—our “strength” is a small, fragile, human counterfeit of the strength that God possesses and gives—it is no strength at all.

Recently, I have been trying to learn to sail a boat. On Blue Mesa Reservoir, with the winds constantly gusting and changing direction, it has been challenging to say the least. But, my boat is equipped with a large, heavy keel that acts like a pendulum, keeping it on its feet through the changing winds. When a gust hits, this 500-pound keel serves to keep the boat upright, and the shape of the keel works with the sails to turn the force of the wind into forward motion. I believe that God’s Spirit and His Word held deep in our hearts work much the same way. They serve to keep us upright and on course through all the extremes that life can throw at us.

So I encourage you this month to spend more and more time in His presence, and in His Word. Ephesians 6:10 says, …be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him… Don’t give up, don’t faint, and don’t quit. Bottom line, if Christians quit the devil wins. But if we stand, he has no hope whatsoever.