I have found in recent days, that the Lord has been reigniting in me a deep hunger to see Christians receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It’s odd to think that in my seemingly short tenure as a Christian, I have watched the church in America awaken to the baptism in the Holy Spirit, begin to embrace the host of benefits that come with it, only to slowly drift back to sleep in regard to this great gift. Sadly, there are still huge portions of the church today that deny the present day work of the Holy Spirit, and become very nervous at the mention of the gifts. I find that so odd given the amount of time Jesus Himself gave to instruction on the subject, and the fact that the entire New Testament is filled with references to the Holy Spirit’s powerful work in and through His people.
I am fully aware that even as I write this blog, there are those that will feel uncomfortable with the subject for any number of reasons. There are those who have been confused by misinformation, those that have seen some genuinely weird behavior attributed to the Holy Spirit and decided they wanted no part of it, and those who grew up around genuine God-loving people that denied the present day manifestation of the Holy Spirit. There are even some who are just not comfortable with the idea of supernatural things. To all of these I say, please give me a chance to address some of your questions. I don’t intend to cover this in one article, but there are several specific things I believe the Lord has put on my heart to address over time. All I am asking is that you hear me out, take what is written here to Jesus, pray about it, look up the Scriptures, and let Jesus influence your heart. You and I can certainly agree that Jesus will not lead you astray, right? You can trust Him, even if you’re not too sure about me at this point. Fair enough, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
In this article I want to begin to address one foundational issue; what is the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and is it for us today? First of all, Jesus, not some wacky chandelier-swinging preacher, coined the term “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” You can find this in your Bible in Acts 1:5. If you read John’s gospel, chapters 14, 15, and 16, you can’t miss the fact that, at the very end of His earthly ministry, when time was short and only extremely important issues were being discussed, Jesus spent a lot of that precious time preparing His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. In our passage in Acts, after He had gone to the cross and been raised from the dead, He refers back to those discussions and again talks about the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Now, I want you to think about whom Jesus is addressing in Acts 1. He is talking to His disciples. These are men who have already believed on Him as Lord and Savior. We will go into this in more detail in a future article, but suffice it to say, these are people who are already following the risen Savior. They have received Him as Lord; we would say that they are already born again. These are the very ones that Jesus is about to release to carry the message of salvation to the whole world. They know Him; they have eaten with Him, walked with Him, even ministered along side Him. And, they already have the Holy Spirit residing in them because they are born again (see John 20:21, 22). To these people Jesus says “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Notice, the Holy Spirit lives in them, but Jesus wants them to be baptized, that means immersed in and saturated with, the Holy Spirit.
Just one more thought today; if this was the only New Testament example of people who are already born again receiving this second aspect of the Holy Spirit’s ministry, called by Jesus being “baptized in the Holy Spirit,” maybe we could write it off as an anomaly. But we will examine multiple references that ALL follow this same pattern throughout the 30 year period recorded in the Book of Acts. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is something that Jesus Himself gave to His own disciples to equip them for the Christian life and ministry. I believe it is for every Christian. Thanks for reading, and I hope you will watch for upcoming articles.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
God Measures by Potential
When we moved into our house 15 years ago, there was a little Blue Spruce out in the front yard just off the deck. It was just a few feet high, and we wondered if it would survive the harsh winters and dry summers when some unnamed person neglects the watering.
A couple of winters later, the tree was badly mauled by vicious Rocky Mountain rabbits with big buck teeth. The poor thing was pretty deformed, but finally recovered. Then, one year on June 10th, it snowed a foot and froze hard the next morning. Of course, the silly tree, thinking that June indicated summer, already had its sap up and the tips of all its branches died from the frost. This led to another several years of deformation, and our wondering again if it would survive.
Today, that tree is around 15 feet tall and 8 or 10 feet across at the bottom. It has gotten so large that it crowds one of our parking places in the driveway, and threatens to overtake the deck. It has become very evident that whoever planted that tree did not take into account its potential size when they chose a place in the yard for it.
This begins to get to my point. We tend to measure things by their size. As a culture, we disdain the small things, and admire the big things. The bigger the better. Big means powerful, strong, healthy. We are drawn to crowds. Big concerts, big games, big churches, big companies – we assume that if it is bigger, if more people are there, then it must be better.
There are a couple of problems with this line of thinking. First, as far as big crowds go, it is simply not always true. People are drawn to all kinds of things, some healthy, some not so much. Jesus at times did specific things to challenge the crowds that followed Him. The result was that those who were following His popularity, or following for a show, left and those who were really committed to Him stayed. In this way, Jesus thinned the crowds that followed Him and increased the overall level of devotion in His followers.
Another flaw in our bigger is better mentality is the fact that although people measure things by size, God measures things by potential. Examples? Here are just a few: God looks at the heart of a person, and weighs the invisible motivations of the inward man when He evaluates our actions. Sometimes, in our haste, we only look at the outward part of a person, a life, a community, and misjudge it.
Another example – God designed the earth to work on a seedtime and harvest principle. Seeds by nature are outwardly unimpressive in comparison with the fruit and multiplied harvests they can produce. If we judge a seed by its size, we might never put it in the ground and receive the benefit of its inward life. Within every tiny kernel of corn, there are many fields of abundance–the same is true of human lives.
This principle works in reverse too. Many times we allow seeds, whether thoughts, ideas, attitudes, habits, or influences to enter our hearts because they look so small and innocuous. We will go to movies, read books, have conversations that sow negative seeds into our hearts.
The Bible also tells us specifically that bad company corrupts good character, and yet we will build relationships with “bad company” at times because it doesn’t feel like a big deal.
The point is that God does not measure things by size, but by potential. When He looks at you and I, He does not merely see what we are today; He sees our potential in Jesus Christ. Did you get that? Not just our potential, but our potential IN JESUS CHRIST. That is an entirely different picture than we get when we look in the mirror. This is why He gives us such a big vision, why He encourages us to big things, Why He believes in us so much more than we do. He isn’t just looking for big, but for multiplied harvest from the life that He Himself has sown in us.
So when we look at one another, when we choose places to go and things to do, it is always wise to look for the long-term potential outcome of a choice. What can the small decision I make today do in the long run? Like that Blue Spruce, the little choices that we are making today will probably be with us for a very long time. They will grow and take over more of our lives. What are we allowing to be planted, who are we hanging out with, what priority are we giving to the various aspects of our lives? Potential – it’s a big deal.
A couple of winters later, the tree was badly mauled by vicious Rocky Mountain rabbits with big buck teeth. The poor thing was pretty deformed, but finally recovered. Then, one year on June 10th, it snowed a foot and froze hard the next morning. Of course, the silly tree, thinking that June indicated summer, already had its sap up and the tips of all its branches died from the frost. This led to another several years of deformation, and our wondering again if it would survive.
Today, that tree is around 15 feet tall and 8 or 10 feet across at the bottom. It has gotten so large that it crowds one of our parking places in the driveway, and threatens to overtake the deck. It has become very evident that whoever planted that tree did not take into account its potential size when they chose a place in the yard for it.
This begins to get to my point. We tend to measure things by their size. As a culture, we disdain the small things, and admire the big things. The bigger the better. Big means powerful, strong, healthy. We are drawn to crowds. Big concerts, big games, big churches, big companies – we assume that if it is bigger, if more people are there, then it must be better.
There are a couple of problems with this line of thinking. First, as far as big crowds go, it is simply not always true. People are drawn to all kinds of things, some healthy, some not so much. Jesus at times did specific things to challenge the crowds that followed Him. The result was that those who were following His popularity, or following for a show, left and those who were really committed to Him stayed. In this way, Jesus thinned the crowds that followed Him and increased the overall level of devotion in His followers.
Another flaw in our bigger is better mentality is the fact that although people measure things by size, God measures things by potential. Examples? Here are just a few: God looks at the heart of a person, and weighs the invisible motivations of the inward man when He evaluates our actions. Sometimes, in our haste, we only look at the outward part of a person, a life, a community, and misjudge it.
Another example – God designed the earth to work on a seedtime and harvest principle. Seeds by nature are outwardly unimpressive in comparison with the fruit and multiplied harvests they can produce. If we judge a seed by its size, we might never put it in the ground and receive the benefit of its inward life. Within every tiny kernel of corn, there are many fields of abundance–the same is true of human lives.
This principle works in reverse too. Many times we allow seeds, whether thoughts, ideas, attitudes, habits, or influences to enter our hearts because they look so small and innocuous. We will go to movies, read books, have conversations that sow negative seeds into our hearts.
The Bible also tells us specifically that bad company corrupts good character, and yet we will build relationships with “bad company” at times because it doesn’t feel like a big deal.
The point is that God does not measure things by size, but by potential. When He looks at you and I, He does not merely see what we are today; He sees our potential in Jesus Christ. Did you get that? Not just our potential, but our potential IN JESUS CHRIST. That is an entirely different picture than we get when we look in the mirror. This is why He gives us such a big vision, why He encourages us to big things, Why He believes in us so much more than we do. He isn’t just looking for big, but for multiplied harvest from the life that He Himself has sown in us.
So when we look at one another, when we choose places to go and things to do, it is always wise to look for the long-term potential outcome of a choice. What can the small decision I make today do in the long run? Like that Blue Spruce, the little choices that we are making today will probably be with us for a very long time. They will grow and take over more of our lives. What are we allowing to be planted, who are we hanging out with, what priority are we giving to the various aspects of our lives? Potential – it’s a big deal.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Everyone Needs A Good Soaker Now And Then
A few days ago, I had the opportunity to go out for a short mountain bike ride early in the morning before work. It had been a week or two since I had gotten out on our local trail system at Hartman Rocks. The last time I was out, the weather had been hot and dry for some time and the trails showed it.
With our rocky, sandy, soil, it doesn’t take very many days of hot dry weather to cause the trails to get very loose and dusty. Loose soil makes for poor traction. Each little steep uphill section becomes a challenge to ascend without your rear wheel spinning out. And, the downhills become a slalom ride that feels at times like you are riding on marbles.
On this particular morning however, we had just enjoyed about three days of monsoon moisture. The summer monsoons bring thunderstorms to our mountains in the afternoon, and often just a nice steady rain through the evenings and into the night. That morning the valley and the surrounding peaks were draped in fog and low clouds. It was cool, damp, and green, and the air was filled with the smell of wet sage. I noticed immediately that the trails had tightened up. All it takes is a little soaking to consolidate the surface of the trail, and restore traction. Damp trails become tacky, making climbing and descending a joy. The more important benefit is that the land gets a drink, everything is rejuvenated, and the danger of wildfire is eliminated.
I couldn’t help but think that we too need that kind of drenching in God’s Word and Spirit on a regular basis. The Scripture says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10, 11 NIV).
Life itself tends to dry us out, and we can become scattered and scratchy. We can easily lose direction and focus when we just do the daily grind day after day. We need to develop the simple habit of spending a little time with God and His Word every day. It doesn’t have to be a huge deal, but we do need to make a connection with His Spirit around His Word. But then, once in a while, we need a good soaking. We need some extended time to allow the Lord to really penetrate our dry spots and heal us up. We try to have that kind of time during worship every week here at RMCM. But I think we, as individuals need to build in special extended times of worship, prayer, and soaking in the Word.
The good news is that it’s so easy to do these days. The hardest part is setting aside the time and actually getting off by yourself or with your family for a time with God. Like anything else in your life, if you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. But, we have wonderful, anointed worship music in multiple forms to help us worship. We have the bible on paper, on CD, on MP3, and streaming from the internet to help us soak in the Word.
So I say, plan some time to soak in God. Take a long drive to a favorite secluded spot. Spend both the drive time and the afternoon just soaking in His presence. Or, next time there is an evening thunderstorm, turn off the TV, the computer, and the phone, gather the family up and take some time to worship the Lord and read His Word together. Read the Old Testament stories while the lightning flashes, and talk about the greatness of our God. Or, take the kids on a Saturday afternoon, go somewhere that you can look out at creation, and spend an hour or two thanking God for your blessings, and talking to the kids about real life examples of His faithfulness. Then have s’mores or stop for ice cream - your kids will never forget it.
The main thing is that you will come out of these times refreshed. Those loose, dry areas will be restored. New life will begin to spring up, and the danger of wildfires of the heart will be quenched. You will come out green and healthy, and at peace again. You will gain traction that will propel you into breakthrough. We can’t wait for these times of refreshing to present themselves, or always expect the church to create them for us, we have to schedule them, and make them happen.
With our rocky, sandy, soil, it doesn’t take very many days of hot dry weather to cause the trails to get very loose and dusty. Loose soil makes for poor traction. Each little steep uphill section becomes a challenge to ascend without your rear wheel spinning out. And, the downhills become a slalom ride that feels at times like you are riding on marbles.
On this particular morning however, we had just enjoyed about three days of monsoon moisture. The summer monsoons bring thunderstorms to our mountains in the afternoon, and often just a nice steady rain through the evenings and into the night. That morning the valley and the surrounding peaks were draped in fog and low clouds. It was cool, damp, and green, and the air was filled with the smell of wet sage. I noticed immediately that the trails had tightened up. All it takes is a little soaking to consolidate the surface of the trail, and restore traction. Damp trails become tacky, making climbing and descending a joy. The more important benefit is that the land gets a drink, everything is rejuvenated, and the danger of wildfire is eliminated.
I couldn’t help but think that we too need that kind of drenching in God’s Word and Spirit on a regular basis. The Scripture says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10, 11 NIV).
Life itself tends to dry us out, and we can become scattered and scratchy. We can easily lose direction and focus when we just do the daily grind day after day. We need to develop the simple habit of spending a little time with God and His Word every day. It doesn’t have to be a huge deal, but we do need to make a connection with His Spirit around His Word. But then, once in a while, we need a good soaking. We need some extended time to allow the Lord to really penetrate our dry spots and heal us up. We try to have that kind of time during worship every week here at RMCM. But I think we, as individuals need to build in special extended times of worship, prayer, and soaking in the Word.
The good news is that it’s so easy to do these days. The hardest part is setting aside the time and actually getting off by yourself or with your family for a time with God. Like anything else in your life, if you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. But, we have wonderful, anointed worship music in multiple forms to help us worship. We have the bible on paper, on CD, on MP3, and streaming from the internet to help us soak in the Word.
So I say, plan some time to soak in God. Take a long drive to a favorite secluded spot. Spend both the drive time and the afternoon just soaking in His presence. Or, next time there is an evening thunderstorm, turn off the TV, the computer, and the phone, gather the family up and take some time to worship the Lord and read His Word together. Read the Old Testament stories while the lightning flashes, and talk about the greatness of our God. Or, take the kids on a Saturday afternoon, go somewhere that you can look out at creation, and spend an hour or two thanking God for your blessings, and talking to the kids about real life examples of His faithfulness. Then have s’mores or stop for ice cream - your kids will never forget it.
The main thing is that you will come out of these times refreshed. Those loose, dry areas will be restored. New life will begin to spring up, and the danger of wildfires of the heart will be quenched. You will come out green and healthy, and at peace again. You will gain traction that will propel you into breakthrough. We can’t wait for these times of refreshing to present themselves, or always expect the church to create them for us, we have to schedule them, and make them happen.
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