“…do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free.” Ephesians 4:30
View from tower window - Chateu de Chillon, Switzerland
View from tower window - Chateu de Chillon, Switzerland
Except for a few atheists out there most of the world’s population would agree that there is a “God” – some may refer to him as a “higher power” or Buddha or Allah or one of the 1000 of Hindu names. But I think a lot of us believe there is a being outside of ourselves, outside our universe, bigger than us, watching over things.
Saying “God,” typing “God,” praying in “God’s name” is acceptable – in most parts of the world. It gets a bit more tenuous when you bring Jesus into the picture.
Jesus. God’s son, the redeemer, the messiah, the one the Israelites were hoping, wishing, and pining for. Jesus whose birth is so important most of the world has a dedicated holiday (yep, that’s right…Christmas). The observance may be fact but weight of relevance has diminished. Jesus’ name is used more of a swear word than a declaration of power. And when his name is used appropriately (like at the end of a prayer “in Jesus’ name”) wars break out – from offense to full scale onslaught.
To be considered a “Christian” you must have admitted your sin to God and accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross atoning for your wrong doing. Most of today’s Christ-followers are kosher with that. The rub comes when Holy Spirit is added to the mix. Holy wars, grievances, church splits, denominational divides, and familial severances occur when he, his gifts, his power, his miraculous doings are mentioned.
Why is that? Why is it Holy Spirit is banned from most churches, lives, businesses, ministries and outreaches? Why is it God is feared, Jesus is claimed and Holy Spirit is grieved and left out?
The Bible states that God is triune – three-in-one. You can’t have God the Father without Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit at the same time. It is impossible to worship one without the other two. But I think that is what people do - and miss the full experience.
It is like using a flashlight that’s top isn’t screwed on tight - one third or two thirds attached and you only get partial or no power to the bulb…fully tightened equals full-illumination and power.
Holy Spirit is the least understood or called upon – but the most active. God and Jesus are in heaven sitting next to each other, but Holy Spirit is here - now. He is the one that hears your prayers and advises you what to do. He is the one who convicts your conscience when you aren’t quite “in the right.” He is he one that provides the supernatural abilities – like “knowing things” you shouldn’t know, understanding stuff that is way above your educational knowledge, and being able to detect when things aren’t “quite okay” so you avoid the situation, etc.
Think of it this way, God the father is sitting on his throne, Jesus’ death opened the door to the holy of holies – and Holy Spirit is the escort or guide. He helps us find the door and ushers us into God’s presence.
Are you lost and having difficulty “finding God”? Are you lacking the peace that God’s presence brings? Are you wandering around aimlessly trying to find your “purpose”? Ask Holy Spirit to help you. It is his job!
Updates:
Condo – Still for sale but my realtor tells me there is a prospective buyer….PRAY HARD!
Work – Back in California and getting ready for the upcoming training cycle (ie recruiting, ordering, calling, prepping, praying)
Friends – Jodie and Jamie were here for a short visit over the weekend. We went down to Monterey and Carmel and enjoyed the sunshine and scenery…sigh…I love my friends!
Requests:
Condo – It needs to sell and I need the monthly mortgage payment to come in.
Work – for the undecided recruits, for volunteers to staff the training cycle, and for the training materials to arrive on time.
Websites - If you would like to RSS my update vs. getting them by email visit my blog site http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/. To find out more about rēp visit http://www.repurposing.biz/ for information.
Saying “God,” typing “God,” praying in “God’s name” is acceptable – in most parts of the world. It gets a bit more tenuous when you bring Jesus into the picture.
Jesus. God’s son, the redeemer, the messiah, the one the Israelites were hoping, wishing, and pining for. Jesus whose birth is so important most of the world has a dedicated holiday (yep, that’s right…Christmas). The observance may be fact but weight of relevance has diminished. Jesus’ name is used more of a swear word than a declaration of power. And when his name is used appropriately (like at the end of a prayer “in Jesus’ name”) wars break out – from offense to full scale onslaught.
To be considered a “Christian” you must have admitted your sin to God and accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross atoning for your wrong doing. Most of today’s Christ-followers are kosher with that. The rub comes when Holy Spirit is added to the mix. Holy wars, grievances, church splits, denominational divides, and familial severances occur when he, his gifts, his power, his miraculous doings are mentioned.
Why is that? Why is it Holy Spirit is banned from most churches, lives, businesses, ministries and outreaches? Why is it God is feared, Jesus is claimed and Holy Spirit is grieved and left out?
The Bible states that God is triune – three-in-one. You can’t have God the Father without Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit at the same time. It is impossible to worship one without the other two. But I think that is what people do - and miss the full experience.
It is like using a flashlight that’s top isn’t screwed on tight - one third or two thirds attached and you only get partial or no power to the bulb…fully tightened equals full-illumination and power.
Holy Spirit is the least understood or called upon – but the most active. God and Jesus are in heaven sitting next to each other, but Holy Spirit is here - now. He is the one that hears your prayers and advises you what to do. He is the one who convicts your conscience when you aren’t quite “in the right.” He is he one that provides the supernatural abilities – like “knowing things” you shouldn’t know, understanding stuff that is way above your educational knowledge, and being able to detect when things aren’t “quite okay” so you avoid the situation, etc.
Think of it this way, God the father is sitting on his throne, Jesus’ death opened the door to the holy of holies – and Holy Spirit is the escort or guide. He helps us find the door and ushers us into God’s presence.
Are you lost and having difficulty “finding God”? Are you lacking the peace that God’s presence brings? Are you wandering around aimlessly trying to find your “purpose”? Ask Holy Spirit to help you. It is his job!
Updates:
Condo – Still for sale but my realtor tells me there is a prospective buyer….PRAY HARD!
Work – Back in California and getting ready for the upcoming training cycle (ie recruiting, ordering, calling, prepping, praying)
Friends – Jodie and Jamie were here for a short visit over the weekend. We went down to Monterey and Carmel and enjoyed the sunshine and scenery…sigh…I love my friends!
Requests:
Condo – It needs to sell and I need the monthly mortgage payment to come in.
Work – for the undecided recruits, for volunteers to staff the training cycle, and for the training materials to arrive on time.
Websites - If you would like to RSS my update vs. getting them by email visit my blog site http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/. To find out more about rēp visit http://www.repurposing.biz/ for information.
No comments:
Post a Comment