The Miracle of our Salvation

"Not all who say to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is heaven." Jesus says this at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. He would recognize during his short ministry what true belief in God is, and what is not true. He would speak to the reality that there are believers and unbelievers - a doctrine many take offense to. Some teach that you can come to belief in Jesus on your own will and by your own standards. That certain rituals or performance commitments ensure your salvation.

But is that Biblical? Does the revelation of God - His Holy Word - support that premise? Sadly, no. For if we believe we can save ourselves through sheer determination, what was the purpose of Jesus' horrific death on the cross?

A question was raised recently on salvation and what the Bible says about it. Following are some thoughts I shared.

When Romans 1:16 and Ephesians 1:13 refer to God’s Word – which as we believe was written by the Holy Spirit and is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) – when he refers to God’s Word as the ‘gospel of your salvation’, that is exactly what is meant. It is the Spirit’s role to move in our lives – those of us who have been predestined for salvation - before we come to the promised moment of salvation, that initial act of sanctification, to, as it were, plow the path for us who have been chosen by God before the foundation of the world towards our salvation. Everything that happened in our lives before we believed has happened at God’s direction to lead us to that moment. At God’s appointed time He introduced to us the saving message from God’s Holy Spirit-written word. He created the circumstances for us to hear it for what it truly is. We may have been blessed to have heard God’s Word read to us while growing up, or we may not really have heard the Word or read it until we got older. Everyone’s experience is unique. However God plans it, the Spirit carries out that implanting of the salvific Gospel into the person’s heart. This does not mean the person is indwelt at that point, because God cannot live in unbelievers (persons who have not yet accepted Christ – e.g., see Psalm 15). Yet, Almighty God is not limited in how He executes His plans (Isaiah 55:7-11): He is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent and He wills what He wills. So at the right time, the Spirit-written Word of God begins action in and on our hearts – the center of our wills, and makes it possible for us to come to a saving knowledge (which implies that anyone can read the Bible, but if the Spirit is not active in causing a change in our hearts then there is no saving knowledge). See Romans 10:8-10, 14-17. The scripture we read the other night at John 1:12-13 confirms that same transaction as illustrated in the Romans passage – we receive the Word, then by the power of the Spirit-written salvific Gospel, we can believe on Jesus’ name, i.e., His personhood and all that He represents as the Gospel of our Salvation. When we ask God to save us based on the blood of Christ and repent of our sins and especially the sin of rejecting Christ, in that instant our salvation transaction takes place. We become the true children of God in that instant, in that moment. The Holy Spirit is then placed within us – and because the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, all of whom God is lives in us (see Jesus’ words at John 14:10, 15-24).    

In Acts we see affirming accounts where persons only became sealed with the Holy Spirit after they believed. In Acts 8:4-8, 14-17 Philip has been sent to Samaria to proclaim the Gospel and several believed. Note that, within the couple of decades following Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit made Himself manifest or made others aware of His presence and power and deity often in dramatic ways to prove to those watching that God has shown His saving favor on certain individuals. In this account of the Samaritans, God chose to have Peter and John visibly lay hands on the Samaritans as a means of indwelling His Spirit within those believers. A similar account is in Acts 10 and 11 concerning the salvation that came to Cornelius and his household. Cornelius was a devout Gentile believer through Judaism – he followed the Jewish worship practices and read the prophets, and showed mercy and grace to many. At God’s appointed time, the time for ‘grafting’ in Gentiles into the family of Christ, God sent an angel to confirm Cornelius’ prayers of seeking the true God and had him send for Peter. He obeys and after God has retrained Peter about His plan of salvation of the Gentiles, the messengers arrive to bring Peter to Cornelius, at which time Peter shares the Gospel with him and his household and when God ‘hears’ the conviction in Cornelius’ and the others’ hearts, immediately they receive the baptism and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Peter retells the story in chapter 11 and specifically notes: “¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?”   

Thus, that moment, that instant, when our hearts believe and confess Jesus as our Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit who comes to live in us and makes His home in us so that we can become transformed into the image of Christ, we can live Christ’s life in us, to draw us closer and into greater intimacy with God (Romans 8:9-10, 14-17). Only God knows what it took Him doing in our lives to bring us to that moment. Some of us have had to go through traumatic events or circumstances, or have been deceived into believing we can become free through sexual immorality and other lusts, or may have been defining our lives as good because of the nice things we do, or our church attendance and giving, and the like (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). At God’s appointed time for us – each of us individually – at a point in our lives that He brings us to, He has made it possible by His grace – His riches through Christ to bless us though we deserve His curse – for us to willingly believe on Christ and be saved and sanctified. Then seals that transaction (Christ’s blood for our believing faith which we receive from Him) by indwelling us with His Holy Spirit as a guarantee and a Guarantor of our salvation. As we are seeing and will be seeing in the study guide (Relying on the Holy Spirit) in the present Lesson, the sanctification process begins with the indwelling of the Spirit and continues on throughout our earthly life.

This is a story I love telling, and like retelling to myself because it so reaffirms who I am in Christ – thank you for that opportunity. So I hope this was helpful to you, too. Please feel free to ask me any questions

Shaped by God

(This was a message given to Bible students recently. It was shared in part to impart encouragement to the students, and to honor the memory of Dr. R. C. Sproul and his faithful ministry. Hope you find this as meaningful as I have.)

Dear students,

A while back, we were treated to a study published by R.C. Sproul on the spiritual disciplines every Christian should adopt – the little green 5 Things book. It packs a wallop of theology for Christians to help us submit to the shaping and molding that the Holy Spirit must do in our lives. A key focus of Pastor Sproul’s, and all grounded-in-Christ ministers is theology. Simply put, theology is a study of God and His ways, thinking, actions, Word. It is the grounding that all followers of Christ must have. You cannot be a Christian without knowing the Triune God and believing in the authority of His Word – His transformative Gospel – in which He reveals Himself to us.

One of the chapters in the Bible which we are told that Pastor Sproul found exceptionally valuable because of the total of theology it expresses is Romans 8. Here is what he and others of us who are Bible students know - as excerpted from Derek Thomas’ new teaching series on Romans 8:

      "Romans 8 has almost everything. It begins with our justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (vv. 1–4), continues with sanctification and the work of the Holy Spirit (vv. 5–13), and then speaks about our adopted sonship with the Father (vv. 14–17), the significance of suffering (vv. 17–18), the prospect of glory (vv. 17–18), the final redemption of our bodies (vv. 17–25), and the restoration of all creation (vv. 19–21). It reassures us that as we wait for our resurrection and final transformation (vv. 23–24), the Spirit helps us in our weakness (v. 26) and intercedes for us (vv. 26–27).

      It teaches us about the good and sovereign providence of God in our lives (v. 28), and that His goal is to transform us into the likeness of Christ (v. 29). Indeed, Paul says, nothing can stop God from bringing that to pass (v. 30). No one can successfully oppose us, bring any charge against us, condemn us, or finally separate us from God’s love for us in Christ (vv. 31–39).

      This is breathtaking theology!

      That is the point, isn’t it? Romans 8 is not merely breathtaking eloquence. It is the theology of these verses that puts backbone into Paul’s life—and it can put backbone into our lives too."

Doesn't the above reaffirmation make you want to grab your Bible and read Romans 8? And grab your Bible journals and write your reactions as you read!

In our next Bible Study, we will have an opportunity to learn and be reminded of all God the Holy Spirit is and what He does in our lives to accomplish all God’s purpose in us. We will use the publication by Dr. Charles Stanley, Relying on the Holy Spirit. . . .

... Be blessed with the joy of the Lord today!

Anger!

Anger - We have all been there, right? Is there anyone of us who has never been angry? 

Not too long ago, I was talking to a Christian who works for a public agency that deals with individuals of all sorts and kinds daily. I offered that her job sounded like it could be stressful. She said that she does not get angry, nor does she feel stressed. I asked her how does that work? She said that she just explains to persons what she is able to do for them and what she cannot do for them, and even if they balk, she says it doesn’t bother her. I blessed her, thanked God for that, and let her know that I was glad she was able to keep calm. I’m sure, though, that I scrunched up my eyebrows at some point in our conversation as I have been in places like where she works, and there are a lot of hurt persons and angry persons that pass through the doors. Desperate persons who feel cheated by the system and by life.

Some weeks later, I ran into her again for a few minutes. We began chatting and she mentioned that she was stressed out and tired of the challenges at work. I got her to talk about what she was facing, and tried to offer some comfort, suggestions, and prayer for her as much as I could in the short time span we had.

Every one at one time or another gets annoyed, upset by, or angry with others. Why do you think that is so?  

Perhaps explaining what Anger is can help us figure it out. Anger is a strong feeling or response to a circumstance - a very strong emotion that often fuels a physical response that can be mildly to extremely tense and even verbal. This is because anger happens when a person feels that: his or her convictions about a thing or person have been violated; that his or her trust has been violated; or, that one's person and/or personhood has been violated. 

Do you recall the very first demonstration of anger by a person in the Bible?

Two Masters

For economic reasons, many persons must take on a second job (or even a third!) to make ends meet. Even basic things, the necessities, come with a hefty price tag nowadays. The two jobs are scheduled so that both can be done without too much hassle. Then work picks up at the primary or main job, requiring longer hours. And the second job schedule goes haywire because someone is out sick for an extended time. What a challenge! Which job will the worker miss a day on to keep up with the other job? The worker continues to juggle them as long as he or she can because, well, housing and food security are costly needs.

However, when it comes to worship, two ways to the same place is a non-starter. Jesus, speaking to the leading religious leaders of His day warned them, recorded in Luke 16:13-14: “'No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.' The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus."

The Spirit would later expand on this statement in 1 Corinthians 10:21: "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons." Jesus affirmed that there was only one way to God, and that was through Him. John 14:6 quotes Jesus: "I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." There is no mystery or hidden message there; the statement is very clear.

Humans who do not know God find this statement of Jesus offensive, though, preferring the old proverb - "all paths lead to God," as their gospel. That gospel or good news appeases them now, and is nonthreatening to any lifestyles persons may choose to follow that comforts them and gives them the confidence that they are the 'masters of their souls.' But in the end, it will prove to be an empty trust, a misplaced faith. Jesus pleads for us to shun "the wide road that leads to destruction," that many are on, where self-will is the master. A time of judgment will come, whether we believe it or not. Jesus will tell those who chose to reject His Way, "Get away from Me, I never knew you!" (excerpted from Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23)

We cannot hobble from one god or idol to another and expect the Only True God to find this acceptable. We cannot partake of demon-influenced fortune-telling, astrology and horoscopes, numerology, Ouija boards, witchcraft, wicca, and Harry Potter-sorceries and magic, nor idolize material things or persons on the one hand, and then try praising Jehovah and seeking communion with Him on the other. In Isaiah 42:8 Almighty God declares: "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another, or my praise to idols."  (also see Deuteronomy 4:19) He does not consider worship a game or a half-hearted pastime, or the use of a person's mouth to utter both praise to Him and to curse His ways at the same time as acceptable worship. Those who try to play the one foot in, one foot out game with God are deceiving themselves. There is no such thing as a half-Christian.

I cannot sugar-coat this doctrine, or take the sting out of it by relating only part of the message so that you do not feel threatened or offended. To do so would be to give you a false gospel. Jesus did not soft-pedal the truth so that people's feelings would not be hurt. For Him to do that would be to compromise and negate His own mission, His first advent. He cannot be The Truth and lie like the devil, nor can those who proclaim His gospel give permission to the hearer - to advocate to him or her - to serve two masters.

So Christian, please take heed. "Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?" (2 Corinthians 13:10 AMP) In this world, there are only two masters. One is the Almighty Triune God. The other is the god of this system, satan the devil, who uses his world and its elements, and our own sin nature to entice into serving him even those who may acknowledge God. He tried that with Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 4: "Again, the devil took [Jesus] to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,' [the devil] said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.' Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, satan! For it is written: "Worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only.”'" Jesus makes it very clear: You can serve only One Master. Whom will you choose?

"Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) "Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." -Hebrews 3:12-13

The Spirit at Work in Believers' Lives, Part 7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Pray in the Spirit at all times

A key part of a believer's spiritual armor is prayer - prayer in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18 speaks about this defensive/offensive weapon in our spiritual armory, "Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints."

Let us pray.

Holy Spirit God, attend our prayers and make this house and our hearts Your home. Lord, descend with all your gracious powers, we pray, Holy Spirit come!

Come as light, teach us, and reveal our need – our hidden and secret weaknesses show us. Stir within us a desire to have peace with You, to turn from darkness and to become light. Lord lead us in that narrow path of life where all the righteous go.

Come Holy Spirit fire! Purge our soul with your Spirit-wrapped Gospel. Cause our hearts to burn with desire to know You and worship You in truth, so that our soul and body may be a holy offering in our Redeemer’s name. O Spirit, shape us to look and be like Christ, and empower us to do His will always.

O Spirit - Come as the dew and refresh us with a fresh anointing of You. O Emmanuel – Spirit of God with us and in us, may Your life-creating power move freely in this place and through us, and unify us in Your purpose.

Holy Spirit come as the dove of true peace founded in Your precious love. Produce in us Your Love, so that it flows into us deeply and teaches us how to be a humble community ready and eager to do Your will and glorify Your name in our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds.  May You draw us nearer to the Father and the Son, may you speak your Word into us and sanctify us with your truth.

O Holy Spirit, come. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

                                                         Adapted from Hymn #509, 1982 Hymnal.

The Spirit at Work in Believers, Part 6

~~~~~~~~~In The Last Days, I Shall Pour My Spirit Out on Men and Women and They Will Prophesy

Acts 2 - the account of that first Pentecost two thousand years ago following Jesus' ascension to heaven - the startling outpouring and indwelling of The Holy Spirit on worshipers at Jerusalem recalls God's promise from Joel that He would bathe believers - men, women, sons and daughters, in His Holy Spirit and empower them to prophesy and carry out God's will. When believers became moved by the Spirit, lives were changed and people were saved.

Our last story also comes from Laurie Kehler's book, This Outside Life - Finding God in the Heart of Nature, chapter 5, "Wind". She ends the chapter with a story from 1949 in The Hebrides. She describes The Hebridean islands as a "remote, wild, and wooly place" located off the northwest coast of Scotland. She says that they are "battered by the bitter North Atlantic weather," causing those who live in the islands to be of resilient character and not easily impressed. Yet, she talks about two senior citizens - sisters - who had "soft hearts." They had lived in their community during their lives and were at that time in their 80s - one of them blind, and had seen their community change and not for the better. The youth were drinking and partying as a lifestyle. The once Christian community was living outside of who they were - the sisters remarking that they had even abandoned the practice of regarding the sabbath day. Compared to today, Laurie notes, the 1949 era community seems kind of not so bad, maybe even typical. "But," she adds, "that doesn't mean it didn't concern God." 

Being stirred and moved by He who is in them, the sisters began praying in earnest. These elderly women would get down on their 80+ year-old knees twice a week from 10pm to 2am and pray for God to restore the people in the community. Just two old women who in the scheme of things were powerless. Yet they believed and trusted God to act.

And act He did. He poured out His Spirit upon that community in an awesome way. Laurie says that "people who had never darkened the doors of a church" were now compelled to come at all hours. These revived believers would worship hours at a time (and we balk when our service goes over 90 minutes!). The church would be filled to the rafters with persons at three o'clock in the morning, and those who couldn't fit into the small building worshiped outside. She says that even people gathered "in the fields or walking along the road" were overcome by the presence of God. Even those who were unable to travel to church were bathed with the Holy Spirit. (Like in the camp in the wilderness as recorded in Numbers 11:16-29, when God poured out His Spirit and anointed the leadership) The work of the Spirit in the community was true revival, restoration, and sanctification. Their lifestyles changed willingly, they repented and returned to the God who saves, and the results were in closing of the bars and changed habits, behaviors, and commitment to God's purpose. Some members of the community even became missionaries or 'ambassadors' of God's grace throughout the world.

Laurie tells that the minister who was called to preach when the Spirit was changing hearts and minds confessed that he had nothing to do with bringing revival to the island, that God the Holy Spirit was the One moving in the community. He reports, that "he knew it was God's work, not his. He states, 'The Spirit of God was moving in such a way that I couldn't preach. I just stood and gazed upon the wondrous movings of God.'"

The people of the Hebrides were not clergy people, they were not Bible scholars, no – they were teenagers, they were young adults, they were middle-aged adults, they were elderly people living from day to day. Just regular people. But upon being filled and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they willingly surrendered to the awesome work He had purposed to do in their lives, and in the lives of countless others around the world because of the obedience of the Hebridean people to the Spirit’s call.

Can God the Holy Spirit move in our lives like He did in the lives of first century Christians? Like He did in the lives of the Ten Boom sisters? Like He did in the wealthy businessman’s life? Like He does in the lives of the pastors and Christians under trials and persecution? Like He did in the lives of the wayward community in The Hebrides?

As He has in the lives of persons in our own worship community?

His promise is to lavish the Father’s children with love and spiritual riches beyond our ability to comprehend, yet He will not force His way. Now seriously, pause and think.

 But what if many, if not most, within a worship community like ours were to invite the Spirit into their hearts and humble themselves like Jesus did in willing surrender to the Spirit’s ministry, what if? Can you just imagine what He could do in such a community as that?   

The Spirit at Work in Believers, Part 5

~~~~~~~~~~~You Will Do Greater Works than These When the Spirit Comes Upon You

John 14:12-17 assures us that we will be empowered through Christ and the Spirit to do great works in Christ's name. Verse 12 says: " the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." 

Christian author Laurie Kehler, in her book, “This Outside Life--Finding God in the Heart of Nature,” in chapter 5, talks about Jesus’ reference to the wind in speaking about the Holy Spirit as recorded in John 3:5-8, as well as the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost described in the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 2. She says with regard to the acts of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in individual Christians’ lives, “Our Western minds are uncomfortable with things we cannot explain or control… we think that if we cannot wrap our minds around something completely and put a tidy label on it, it must not be true.” 

She goes on to say that she had only been a Christian a few years when this man named Rick had just returned from the mission field in Africa. As he was telling his accounts of what took place there, many persons within listening distance edged farther away. But Laurie got closer. "Rick was saying, 'It’s incredible! The blind are seeing and the lame are really walking!'” The listening crowd became even more thin. He was reporting on events and circumstances in villages where he had been. To his surprise, and despite "his pre-conceived notions about theology and the r God moves, he was a witness to the movement of the Holy Spirit and the healing power of Jesus’ name." Laurie continues, "It didn’t matter how he thought things should be like in the kingdom of God or what his theology was. What mattered was the Spirit was moving with or without him. Yes, the wind blows wherever it pleases!"

In another story, a woman named Suzanne on vacation with a group of Christian travelers happened upon a village. The people of the village asked them, “Are you Christians?” The travelers replied yes, and the villagers said, “Oh good. We will get the sick now.” The travelers looked back and forth at each other in "shock and surprise," and "a lot of discomfort." The villagers lined up and said, “You can pray now and we can be healed, right?” Suzanne confesses that they did not know what to do, and that their faith was not a whole lot, "but with their little bit of faith, they started placing hands on people and prayed for them." As she is recalling this years later, she says she is "still in shock, as it was so surreal and out of our control. It wasn’t about what we said or did – it was all about the power of Jesus’ name. We prayed for those people and they were healed. Right before our eyes."

The Spirit at Work in Believers, Part 4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Not by Power, Nor by Might, But by My Spirit, Says the Lord

Christians do spiritual battle every day in many ways. Therefore God, in Ephesians 6 commands believers to put on spiritual armor, the protection of the Holy Spirit daily because, as verse 12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” John 14:16, 17a, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth…” 

In Sudan a few years ago, several church leaders and pastors had come together, and during their worship rebels came in and captured and beat them, dragging them off to the bush where they could do their evil deeds under cover. However, they did not know the Lord and His love for His anointed ones! From out of nowhere a swarm of wild bees came and attacked the soldiers while the imprisoned pastors looked on. The bees never came near the believers, but instead chased after the soldiers as they ran away, allowing the pastors to free themselves and escape. 

Through yielding to the Holy Spirit, we, too, will see God’s power and authority, as Zechariah 4:6 promises, “Not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”  

You can hear of this miraculous deliverance on youtube – search for Sudan – A Swarm of Wild Bees.

The Spirit at Work in Believers, Part 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Putting on Christ

Romans 13:14 says “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Colossians 3:5 instructs “Put to death therefore, whatever in you is earthly…these are the ways [the lifestyles] you once followed.” And John 3:5 is clear: ”Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”

There was a gentleman whose life was spent 110% with the business that made him wealthy, powerful, and arrogant. He engaged in ruthless practices just enough within the law to achieve success. And by the standards of many he really was a very successful man, even though on the inside his heart was not right. He was living what some of us might call “the dream.” He was kind of like the immoral businessmen in shows like “Mad Men.”

But–God had purposed from before time to make him one of His children. It was not because the man was smart, looked good in a suit, or because of his impressive resumé. No, it was God’s grace being worked out through the Holy Spirit that would cause the man to become aware of his sinful life and pride, and the need for God’s forgiveness. The Spirit created in him the desire to repent and bow down before God’s throne of grace. In that moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit sealed him for God. The change he sensed in himself was powerful and compelling.

When he came to church on the day of his baptism (his church immerses believers in a baptismal pool), he chose not to wear a baptism robe for the ceremony. Instead, he chose to be baptized in one of his ‘power suits’ because for him it no longer held the power and significance of his former life. He wanted to die to that former self and put off ungodly practices such as greed, idolatry, and immorality – all those things he associated with his past life, taking them down into the baptismal waters to show the change the Spirit had created in him. And then to be raised up from the water to show he was being raised to new life, reborn spiritually and clothed instead with Christ. Only the Spirit of God can raise us from spiritual death to new life in Christ, and testify to our hearts that we are God’s.

This man was not a priest or special clergy – he was like any person in our family, in our jobs or schools who is in need of the Savior. A businessman who would come to know true wealth in Christ. Romans 8:11: “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you; He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you.”

The Spirit at Work in Believers, Part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You

John 14:18a,26 says “I will not leave you orphaned…The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all I have said.” … 
Our first story comes from The Hiding Place, the biography of Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian whose family saved a number of Jews from the Nazis, and were themselves arrested and put in concentration camps. In telling about their lives under Nazi persecution, Corrie shows how God the Holy Spirit was with them and comforting them, and performing miracles that were seen and experienced not only by them but also by their fellow prisoners. God protected the precious little Bible that they with God’s help were able to keep with them for some time in their captivity, and He made it possible for them to hold Bible study and worship – turning the circumstances of evil into a sacred place. 

God dwelt with Corrie and her sister, and though sometimes Corrie became overwhelmed by the difficult trials, her sister would always speak the Word into her and pray. 

At the women’s concentration camp at Ravensbruck, one of the miracles the Spirit used to confirm Christ’s presence with them relates to a small bottle. Betsie, Corrie’s older sister, was sickly during much of her life, and required daily infusions of vitamins to help strengthen her physical frame. Under the Spirit’s watch, Betsie’s vitamins had been smuggled in and preserved. Corrie would put a drop or two of the liquid vitamin onto Betsie’s daily black bread ration. 

It would be daily that The Spirit moved more of their fellow prisoners to thirst for Bible study and worship. Hearing their prison mates from different nationalities translate the Bible words being read so that others could understand was like divine music. 

And it would also be daily that Betsie was moved to share her small bottle of vitamins with other ill women, starting with one or two women, then the number kept growing. Corrie was worried that all of the vitamins in the small vial would be used up, leaving her sister without. Yet, the more generous Betsie was with the drops, the more the bottle filled. Corrie was amazed! The small bottle should have given up its last drop after only a few days, but the more the medicine was needed, the more it would come from the bottle. 

Like with the widow of Zarapheth who gave the prophet Elijah a room in her home, whose oil and meal were almost gone but by God’s miracle through Elijah, she never ran out of meal and oil, and survived the famine in the land. 

The miracle of the never-ending vitamin drops were a source of awe to the women being helped by them and a turning point for their faith. That divine delivery continued for a while until one day a fellow prisoner obtained a large supply of vitamins and yeast compound, sharing it with Corrie. Corrie was grateful to God for this windfall. She happily took enough for Betsie, thinking maybe they should finish the small bottle of vitamins first. 

But, when she got back to their bunk and Corrie took out the small bottle and tipped it, nothing came out. No matter which way she turned it or how hard she shook it, not another drop appeared! 

In many such ways the Spirit continued to move in their lives even in those persecutions, working in & through them to save others for Christ, even enemies. They were just regular people, old women who had given themselves to Christ, learning how when younger to submit and depend on the work of Christ’s Spirit. They and their family are now with the Lord, but the accounts of their living by the Spirit still lead others to Christ.

The Spirit at Work in Believers, Part 1

I am posting the sermon/response to the Word that highlighted the June 30 youth/young adult service at church. The final stories are in Laurie Kehler's book, "This Outside Life - Finding God in the Heart of Nature." They are summarized here for legal issues or are directly quoted in excerpts. I highly recommend this resource as a must have in your faith library.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Who is The Holy Spirit?

The reading from Galatians 5 tells us that the Holy Spirit produces fruit – love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, long-suffering and patience, faithfulness, self-control. We are commanded in this passage to live by the Spirit if we are to be successful in our faith walk. So, like, Who then is this Spirit? Who is the Holy Spirit? Briefly:  He is God, part of the Trinity, co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and The Son. He has always been God, is sentient, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. In the personhood of the Holy Spirit, God relates to believers intimately, living inside us. He gifts the Church, the Body of Christ with Himself to build it up and to empower the members of the Body to live for Christ. He further endows the Body with special gifts to glorify God, serve others and to bring Christ to others. The Holy Spirit is a ‘He’, not an ‘it’. God the Holy Spirit is the living personhood of God. He is not a ghost; older translations of the Bible refer to the Spirit as a ghost because in the 16^th and 17^th centuries the original Hebrew and Greek words for spirit were often translated as ‘ghost’ reflecting the common language of the time describing an unseen person. In modern English the meaning and use of the word ghost has  differing implications. Thus, the better translation is God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Jesus and/or Christ, which further confirms His Godhead. Holy Spirit God exalts the Son and teaches about Him and the Father as Jesus promised in John 14-16. He is life-giving – as Paul tells us in Romans 8, and Ephesians 2. His fruit described in Galatians is a picture revelation and description of the essence of God’s character. When we yield ourselves willingly to His creative power in us, the Holy Spirit endeavors to imprint that character in us as He works through us and in us to shape us into Christ’s very image. Without the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, it is impossible for us to be faithful followers of Christ as He says in Romans 8:9-11. 

Today, we want to share a some stories with you about how God the Holy Spirit living in believers, and poured out upon the Body of Christ works out God’s purposes and proves to be the Advocate and Helper for all who believe.

The Mystery of Salvation

Romans 10:9 “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”                                    

Ephesians 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”                       

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The Mystery of Salvation. At first glance, these scriptures appear at odds with one another. Yet when we consider the work of the Holy Spirit, His deliberate involvement in our lives before we have fully formed or have been fully informed, it makes sense – yet it is still a Divine mystery. John 16 tells us that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will convict the world of sin and of righteousness, and that when He comes, He will guide those predestined by God into all truth, speaking on the authority of the Father. Through God the Holy Spirit’s work in us as the truth speaker, and the author of the gospel of our salvation, we are sanctified – set apart for God’s use. (2 Peter 1:21; John 17)

By God’s plan, the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts (that is, those who God has predestined for salvation) and makes us ready to receive the gospel of truth, the gospel of our salvation (Romans 1:16). And by His grace implants the seed of faith within us and moves in such a way that we can declare with our mouths, or the better word, confess with our mouths Christ as Savior and Lord, since we are regretting our sinful lives and desire to repent or turn around from that life. Part of the mystery is that with each individual who has been saved, there is a uniqueness in each instance of salvation. We don’t all experience that moment of salvation at the same age, in the same place or circumstance, etc. Salvation does not result from a confirmation or catechism class, or even a baptism, but by God’s will. Otherwise, it is a human intervention or effort -- not God -- doing the saving. And, yet, in His grace and goodness, He allows us to choose or affirm what He has worked in us. He allows us to covenant with Him. In the very best sense, we put ‘skin in the game’, that is, we surrender ourselves to His sovereignty and Lordship over us in our confession. We are allowed to make ourselves a living sacrifice to God, based on the work of the Cross – Christ’s sacrifice that covers us. (Romans 12:1; Ephesians 2:15-17)

The greatest mystery in salvation is that God has chosen us – as the Spirit has Paul write so well at Ephesians 2, we who “were dead in [our] transgressions and sins,  in which [we] used to live when [we] followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” I cannot comprehend that, but accept by faith what He has done in me, what He has done in all of us whom He has called. A great mystery, indeed.

Healthy Lives, Healthy Hearts

What is the condition of your hearts –your physical hearts? What does your health lifestyle look like? This isn’t a trivial question! As the Pastor’s sermon on January 27 iterated, our health condition can either add pleasure or angst to our lives. Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about being careful of our physical health?* 

I was reading health news and learned that heart disease is not a respecter of persons at any age. That is why we are always being told to drink a whole lot of water – 64 oz. at least per day (I get a failing grade on this most days!). Why we are told to eat a fiber-rich diet (even desserts!) – but be sure to drink a lot of water or otherwise you set yourself up! Why we are told to keep our cholesterol low and avoid a diet of fried foods and foods that have a high fat, sugar, and sodium content – without a doubt too much fast food and pre-processed food slows our health. Exercise at least 3 days a week. Avoid alcohol (youth and young adults particularly) and avoid smoking anything – including vaping. Getting proper rest – I saw a report recently which shows getting proper rest is more challenging nowadays with all the digital distractions that research has shown to actually make us more tired due to how the light affects our brains and robs us of necessary sleep. Believe it or not, our surroundings and sometimes the folks we hang with can impact our health or health perspectives particularly if the friendships are toxic, or we subscribe to a negative lifestyle they may practice. And the list could go on.  

We especially know – perhaps more than our non-Christian colleagues, that as Christians, our bodies are not perfect due to the damaging effects of sin we inherited from Adam, and that there is nothing we can do to make them perfect or impervious to sin’s effects. Each new generation feels its detrimental impact more than the previous one. That is why we as humans are prone to sickness of some kind – and the kinds seem to never end, why we have to have vaccinations or inoculations to help us ward off viruses that do harm, why we take vitamins and supplements because the food we eat lacks all the complete nutrition we need, and our lifestyles are demanding. Sometimes the environments in which we live can contain toxic elements that impact our health. (Think Flint, Michigan) We go to the doctor to get a checkup to make sure all the parts are working, or to learn of those which are not so that they can be treated. And be reminded again about how to best take care of our bodies, especially our hearts. 

  

Yet, even when we take care of ourselves, because of Adam’s original sin, which I refer to as ‘sin DNA’, we can develop health problems due to contagions in the environment, or something in our family’s genes that no one knew about. Including heart disease. As a result of the thousands of years of sin’s damaging impact on our bodies, heart disease leading to heart attack or stroke continues to outpace cancer as a leading cause of death from disease; however, cancer is not that far behind. Various cancers plague humankind. Almost everyone knows someone who has had to deal with some kind of cancer or even pre-cancer conditions. And you don’t have to have exceedingly bad habits to contract it – as noted above, sometimes it just shows up. 

Did you know that in the Bible there is a scripture passage that tells about how our bodies are impacted by Adam’s ‘sin DNA’? While it is illustrating natural aging, it is indicative of how our body parts can fail at any age. It’s found in Ecclesiastes 12. The speaker of wisdom uses symbolism to describe the age/wear/health loss process. At verses 6 and 7, he speaks concerning the heart: the pitcher be broken at the fountain – which refers to the vena cava which returns blood back to the right ventricle of the heart, and the wheel broken at the cistern or the great aorta which receives the blood from the left ventricle of the heart. Being broken means that they have ceased to function properly. Per the examples at the link below, the brokenness can occur at any age.  

This information is not meant to frighten you or, like someone I know does, make you think that every twitch, itch, or pain is an indication that you have some kind of terminal disease! Rather, this is meant to serve just the opposite, to encourage us to be practical about our health and become intentional about being the healthiest we can be. Christians have an extra incentive to take care of their bodies, because for those who have been saved and who have made Jesus Lord of their life, their bodies become a temple of God the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  

On Friday, February 1, 2019 the American Heart Association invited people to wear red in support of women’s heart health, and to check up on their own heart health. 

*Here are some other Bible passages about caring for our health: 

Proverbs 4:20-22 – advice of the Proverb teller 

Proverbs 17:22 – cheerful heart 

Proverbs 16:24 – words and attitude 

Ecclesiastes 11:10 – anxiety can impact us 

Proverbs 20:1 – deception of alcohol 

Proverbs 14:30 (NLT) – stress and envy   

Psalms 38:3-8 (NLT) – pursuing and maintaining a strong moral core vital to health 

Proverbs 12:25 (NAS) – impact of anxiety and stress 

3 John 1:2 (NIV) – the impact of a positive, Christ-like friend 

Psalm 28:7 (NIV) – praising God is good for one’s health!! 

Daniel 1:3-16 – impact of a healthy diet 

Proverbs 23:29-35 – impact of drinking 

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – physical exercise and self-control in diet, activity, and what we rest our eyes upon are practices of a healthy lifestyle 

  

https://www.acsh.org/news/2012/10/12/should-all-young-athletes-get-screened-for-heart-condition-2   

https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/02/18/heart-attacks-can-strike-young-adults-so-know-the-signs 

   

https://www.cardiosmart.org/Heart-Basics/CVD-Stats   https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/Teenagers-and-healthy-eating - excerpt from an Australian government publication on health 

https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body#1   

https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0601/p721.html