The Fellowship

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

-- 2 Corinthians 3:17 & 18

A recent sermon . . .

          Me: “Point to where the Father is.”

                  Congregation points straight up

          Me: “Point to where Jesus is.”

                  Congregation points straight up

          Me: “Point to where the Holy Spirit is.”

                  Congregation points to their own chest

Why are we so uncomfortable with the Holy Spirit? 

He’s Lord.  He’s God.  He lives in us.  You can’t get to heaven without him.  He’s the Spirit of Jesus, and aren’t we supposed to love Jesus?  So, why are we so uncomfortable with the Holy Spirit?

There is a deeply human reason that we don’t want to have anything to do with the Holy Spirit, and no matter your denomination/non-denomination the answer is the same.

We are afraid of God. 

We are afraid.  Like the Israelites were when the presence of God descended upon the mountain in smoke and fire and they told Moses to talk to God for them.  Like those Israelites . . .

We are afraid of what God will say to us. 

We are afraid of what he will require of us. 

We are afraid of losing the illusory control we have over our lives. 

We are afraid of his real intentions towards us. 

We are afraid of who God really is. 

We don’t trust that who God is is good.

I learned that I really didn’t know the Holy Spirit as well as I thought I did until early one morning during my quiet time with the Holy Spirit.  I was deployed on the USS Bonhomme Richard, and I came boldly before the throne of God with all of God’s armor on.  I came before God ready to charge into battle not against him but by his side.  Well, before I got 8 words out of my mouth, the presence of God welled up from inside me, and I was captured.  In that moment, he wasn’t interested in the troubles that the day would hold or the victories that would be won -- God was wooing me. 

He made me feel loved.  He was “warm breezes”, smiles, and tenderness.  I could feel him restraining his endless power, and I knew that he was pleased with me. 

The reason I write this blog is out of love for the one who loved me first, and so you too can know with your spirit, soul, and body the glory that you have living on the inside of you -- the Spirit of Jesus himself.

Next time, we’ll begin to take a look at how you too can move beyond the fear and know more about the Spirit of Jesus living inside of you.

Let me close in prayer:

Daddy, I come to you in Jesus’ name, and I ask that you would reveal to everyone that reads this post the barriers that block them from knowing and experiencing the Spirit of Jesus that lives inside of every believer.  Lord, show them who you really are – show them your love.  I receive all of this from you in Jesus’ name – Amen.

Back to the Beach

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Mark 1:35

“Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

Mark 1:36 & 37

A resent conversation with a brother in the Lord . . .

          Me:     "What should a Pastor do on a Monday morning?"

         

Him:    "He should pray, read the Bible, spend time with God."

         

Me:     "What should a Christian do on a Monday morning?"

Him:   awkward silence . . .

I honestly don’t want that conversation or the previous post about the early morning praying on the beach to be condemning.  Some of us just aren’t morning people and that’s ok.  But, I want to go back to that beach for just a second and show you something.

Again, there you are standing on the beach.  As you stand there, the waves are getting further and further from your feet – the tide is going out.  And, with the energy of each crashing wave, the outgoing tide is taking with it the sand right in front of you.  You can see the change right before your eyes. 

Where does the water go when the tide goes out? 

It goes out to the deep.

What happens in the deep? 

Refreshing!  The waters are refreshed with nutrients, cleansed of impurities, and filled with living organisms until the tide sends the waters back upon the shore.

In our verses from Mark, Jesus is acting like the tide.  In his morning solitude, Jesus is refreshed in the depth of prayer and presence of God, and then he spends his energy out in the world doing the Father's will.  The result is our world changed, sins forgiven, and eternal life for those who believe.

No matter what time of day we are alone with God in the depths of his presence, we all need the refreshing that comes from that time with him.  And, in his presence, we see that Christ in us is glorious!  Then we can go forward imitating Jesus and changing our world around us.

Let me close in prayer:

Daddy, I come to you in Jesus’ name, and I ask that you would move everyone who reads this post to spend a time of solitude with you everyday.  Further, I ask that in that fellowship you would reveal yourself to my brothers and sisters so they would know you better.  I receive this, gracious God, in Jesus’ name – Amen!

                   

If It Quacks Like a Duck

“¹³For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

      --Romans 8: 13 &14

                           (NIV emphasis added)

“³⁵Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

--Mark 1: 35

Let’s imagine that you are sitting on a dune at the beach.  It’s a chilly, windy, winter morning.  You are all alone sipping a cup of coffee.  You are enjoying the sound of the waves pounding the shore and the seagulls crying overhead when someone slowly walks past you on the way to the water.  It’s a man wearing a wetsuit and carrying a surfboard, and before he even gets into the water you know that he’s a SURFER.

But, what does a CHRISTIAN look like?  Mercifully, there aren’t the same dress code requirements as the SURFER, but a CHRISTIAN should still look different from the world.  Where does that difference start?  It starts in the spirit. CHRISTIANS are first and foremost spirit people, and the Holy Spirit should lead our lives.

Now, this may seem like a silly question but when you rolled out of bed in the morning did you leave your spirit under the sheets?  No, your spirit came with you.  Did you leave the Holy Spirit warm and toasty under the covers?  No, God came with you, and he should be in charge of ALL of our days.

Let’s go back to our dune on the beach for a moment.  What do you suppose a spirit person is doing alone early in the morning on the beach?  Hopefully a spirit person is praying, worshipping, reading the Bible, and listening to God.  So, when the SURFER walks by he sees a CHRISTIAN.

Let me close in prayer.  Daddy, I come to you in the name of Jesus, and I ask that you would help everyone who reads this blog to grasp the reality that a CHRISTIAN looks different from the world and that difference starts in the Spirit.  I receive this in Jesus’ name – amen. 

GLORIOUS 2

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, . . ." 

-- Ephesians 1: 18 (NIV; emphasis added)

  Q: "Why don't I feel glorious or see the glory in other believers?"

  A:  God didn’t save your feelings or your eyeballs – he saved your spirit. 

God expects that we order our lives like this:

1. SPIRIT

2. WILL, MIND, EMOTIONS

3. FLESH

(go read Romans 8:12-16 for more details)

The will, mind, and emotions are located in-between your ears.

Paul is praying that the Ephesians would have a spiritual understanding of this glory.  When you have that understanding – you’ll treat other believers differently.

I’ve had a revelation of this glory in others for years, but this is what the Lord showed me this past Sunday.  He gave me a vision.  We were in the middle of praise and worship, and I had my eyes closed.  I opened my eyes for a moment, and had a vision of the entire congregation for a split second.  In that vision I saw that everyone had inside of them what looked like a crucible of molten gold – God’s presence in their hearts! 

Now, I know that the Holy Spirit is NOT a pot of gold.  The Holy Spirit is a person.  The Holy Spirit is God.  What I was shown symbolizes the glory of God in those believers, and that very same glory is in YOU!

Let me close with this prayer for you:

Daddy, I come to you in Jesus' name, and right now no matter when or what day this blog is read, I pray that you would enlighten the eyes of the reader’s heart to see your glory in themselves and your glorious inheritance in other believers too.  I receive this from you, gracious Father, in Jesus’ name – Amen!

GLORIOUS

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, . . ." -- Ephesians 1: 18 (NIV; emphasis added)

A recent conversation:        

     Me: "Did you know that every believer is glorious?  And, that every church full of those believers is glorious?"

     Sister in the Lord: "I don't know if I experience that."

I can relate to what my sister said, but why don't we experience that glory?  I believe that the reasons are right here in this passage in Ephesians.  And, over the next days and weeks, we'll take a look at this passage in its entirety and find out what's up and how to change it all for the better. 

The entire purpose of this blog is to encourage YOU to see and experience the glory that is the Spirit of Jesus living on the inside of YOU and every other person on the planet that names the name of JESUS CHRIST!

Thank you for reading today, and until tomorrow -- remember, JESUS IS LORD!