Category — Holy Spirit

A core teaching of biblical Christianity is the fact that our salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). We understand that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work through his death, burial and resurrection. An equally important truth is not so well known, or at least understood. For not only are we saved by grace through faith, but our sanctification is also a work of God’s grace by faith.

In Romans, chapters 6, 7 and 8, Paul explains that in Christ we can now “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4); we are “no longer enslaved to sin” (6:6); we are to present the members of our body as instruments of righteousness to God (6:13); God’s plan for us in Christ is “that we may bear fruit for God” (7:4); and God’s design for us is “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (8:29). [Read more →]

Jesus promised his disciples (and that includes us), “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) This dynamic power that the Holy Spirit endows us with evidences itself in several ways. First, the Holy Spirit prompts us to talk to specific people at a specific time.

A number of years ago, I was standing along the railing on the upper level at a shopping mall. I looked across and saw a young man also just waiting there. The Holy Spirit impressed on me to go introduce this guy to Christ. I was scared, but I obeyed and this guy literally told me he had been waiting for someone to tell him about Christ! He gave his life to Jesus then and there! [Read more →]

Many of us have wrestled with questions about what constitutes a spiritual gift, what our spiritual gifts are and how we discover them. Based on Scripture a spiritual gift appears to be simply an ability or skill endowed on us by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the church family. (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-7.)

My personal understanding from Scripture is that the Lord does not provide for us a complete list of spiritual gifts. The lists given in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4 contain both similar and unique spiritual gifts. None of these lists neatly overlap. This leads me to the conclusion that these lists provide examples of spiritual gifts, but are not intended to give us a complete inventory of them. [Read more →]

In the Gospels, Jesus’ challenge for others to follow him became synonymous for becoming his disciple. Matthew tells us in very simple terms how Jesus called on him to follow him. The account explains, “Jesus . . . saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

A disciple of Jesus literally followed him around in order to observe him in any and all situations with a view to becoming like him in his teachings and way of life. In those days, becoming Jesus’ disciple meant leaving all other pursuits in order to shadow and imitate him. His disciples had left all else behind in order to follow Jesus. [Read more →]

Values are life-guiding principles. Values are not behaviors, but they provide the motivation and drive for action. In Romans 8:5 Paul talks about “living in accordance with the Spirit of God and having our minds set on what he desires.” Right-valued living is living in concert with God.

Another great passage in which Paul deals with this issue is Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” [Read more →]

Sometimes we never know how people will speak into our lives.  And if we are willing to listen and consider the words, God can drastically change our lives. It happened to me this morning while enjoying a piece of toast with my daughter.

I had her perched on our kitchen island and I asked her the question (not knowing what kind of answer, if any, I was going to receive), “Hattie, what are YOU going to wear to church today?”  She looked up at me with her beautiful, big brown eyes and peanut butter and jelly spread all over her face and emphatically replied, “JESUS!”  I stood there stunned, speechless, silent.  Then it hit me – was I going to “wear Jesus” today?  Conviction rolled over me, because I don’t “wear Him” everyday.  Was I going to wear Jesus today?  Not just at church where it is easy.  What about the rest of the week, where it is not easy? [Read more →]

Values are like a compass showing us due north. Values give us direction. Values make our lives easier, because they’ve already settled issues for us that we don’t have to wrestle with every time they come up. Values help us focus on right-living.

In 1 Peter 4:7-11, the Lord provides us with five values to guide us as we employ our spiritual gifts in the family of Christ:

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:7-11) [Read more →]

God is good.
God is great.
Thank you for our food. Amen.

The second stanza of this children’s prayer affirms, God is great. If God were only good, but not great, he could not be God. If God were great, but not good, he would be most terrible, unpredictable—a being to fear and cower before. But our God is both good and great! God’s abundant goodness and amazing greatness combined to bring about our salvation:

“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, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 1:18-20) [Read more →]

We don’t typically view the study of the Word relationally, but more intellectually, scientifically, grammatically, culturally and historically. To be sure, all of those disciplines come to our aid in understanding the meaning of the text for the original reader and then for us. However, because the Bible is God’s Word—his communication to us—we cannot rightly approach the Bible apart from relationship with its Author. This viewpoint is not optional but foundational for studying God’s Word.

I would further add, that if we come to God’s Word with a purpose other than getting to know him better, we may be studying it for the wrong reasons. Even a life time of study will not unearth all the gems that God’s Word has to offer us. But those gems are not merely “nuggets of knowledge” but jewels of God’s character and works through which we can know, love and enjoy him better.

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Discipleship is a Relational Process. God’s desire and plan for us as his children is to become like him. The true child of God desperately wants to please his heavenly Father and become like him. This is what we mean by “growing in him.” Discipleship is a life-long process of drawing near to God through Jesus Christ and inviting him to change us. In fact, we cannot draw near to God and remain unchanged! Being in his presence is what changes us. To this end Jesus said, “Follow me.”

Rightly seen, discipleship is a relational process between the follower/disciple and Jesus Christ. When we see someone who relates well with others—tactfully, appropriately and courteously, we say that individual possesses and displays social grace. The word grace provides us with a great mind picture of traits that are both bestowed by God and cultivated by us. In this context, Webster’s Dictionary defines grace as: “A virtue coming from God; a disposition to kindness and courtesy; a sense of propriety or right; and the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful.”  [Read more →]