Biblical Living 101 - The Holy Spirit - Part 6 - Faith
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"And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.’
Then Jesus answered and said, “O -faithless- and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.”
And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, “Why could not we cast him out?”
And Jesus said unto them, “Because of your -unbelief-: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
-Matthew 17:14–21 (KJV 1900)
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from -faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. ...
...... So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
- Romans 1:16–17 (AV), Romans 10:17 (AV)
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BIBLICAL LIVING 101 - The Holy Spirit - Part 6
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If you haven’t already guessed - Faith - is the Gift of the Spirit we will be looking at this week. If you are just joining us, we highly recommend reading our prior posts on tongues and prophesying, and even The Who, Why, What, How of The Holy Spirit and His mission to get the full benefit of this week’s discussion!
Last week we saw that Prophecy is best, and most simply understood, as speaking Truth - human language ( or tongues ) being just one vehicle to do so. It encompasses predictions of Future events, images, visions, messages and warnings from God, parables and proverbs of wisdom and knowledge, the Gospel , Gods love for us, Jesus the Word Himself revealed to us as Grace & Truth incarnate - Revelation 19:10 (AV): “for the testimony of Jesus IS the spirit of prophecy!”
This testimony - the knowledge and revelation of Christ - we saw, is also a Gift from God... Who, sovereign in His Electing Grace, has chosen to redeem for Himself a people by His own blood. No man can come to Christ unless it is given to Him by the Father...
we saw that last week, and that links us seamlessly to this week’s study..... via a familiar text from Ephesians 2:8–10 (AV): “ For by -grace- are ye –saved- -through- -faith-; and that not of yourselves: it is the -gift- of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are –his- workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath —-before ordained—- that we should walk in them. “
This week’s takeaway:
Understanding the Spiritual gift of Prophecy brought us to the truth of Christ & Election, but a comprehension of the Spiritual gift of Faith brings us to the very mechanism of Salvation itself (Justification by Faith), the source of Faith itself (hearing the Word), and the reason for/& benefit of, Faith - growing up to be all Man can be!
Now before we dive off the deep end, you might say that all this is either really esoteric ( weird, spirit-y, abstract... ), or all too basic Christian-doctrine-familiar.... and you really can’t see ANY linkage -at all- to the day to day grind most of us are stuck in.... wasn’t this series supposed to be about practical, hard headed living? Have no fear, we have you covered with real sound consumer-grade advice!
A. Our starting assumption - The Bible is true.
-IF- this assumption is false ... (as so many atheists keep telling us) we can immediately KNOW it, if any ONE thing the Word says is -proven- to be wrong... or UNTRUE! Logical?
So far, historically, archaeologically, morally, the Bible has exceeded the burden of proof by handsome margins. We will come to the 6 day creation in a moment.... just picture the following –imaginary- scenario in your mind...
…Extraterrestrials have shown up, and the world is really excited! These are cosmic spiritual beings that travel inter-dimensionally and live in higher dimensions! They are about to give Man a manual on how to evolve to that “next “level! Wow... cool...!! We finally receive the transmission, but the message is in an alien language and being able to decode it is part of the puzzle.... do you think every scientist and government agency in the world would be 24/7 all over that message, trying to decode it? You know they would!
Well, the Bible was not just written by –any- “extra-terrestrial”, it claims to be (and we believe it is) written by the creator of this universe, and it’s a manual for Man on exactly how to do life, evolve to the next level, know what next level means... :-), and the process of how it’s going to happen, and it’s been around since ancient times, and been updated... do you see an incentive to read it now?!!
B. Now, this manual, The Word, says ( and implies ) some pretty far out things - A 6 day creation is really tame , compared to what -it says- Man really is.
A human is a being made of Spirit, individually unique in possessing a soul (a thinking, feeling, and willful/intentional - unique identity -) that grows in character, personality and knowledge, by virtue of possessing a body/senses/brain by which this soul can experience Creation and interact with other souls. Man is different from the animals because He reflects the tripartite nature of God Himself, and can enter into a relationship with God Himself! This soul is also affected with a spiritual disease, which causes Man to be at war with himself, and God. Deep down, every person knows that they are “sick”, but only the Bible, gives you the REAL story behind it!
It is the only book that explains mankind’s schizophrenia ... each individual human being ( regardless of creed, color, culture ) may WANT to live in peace and quiet, love each other - but humanity, in the aggregate, makes hate, and war in huge quantities ! .... Huh? It’s like we filled a basket with individual pieces of chalk, but when we look, the basket seems to be filled with... cheese?? Why and How are such smart human beings so dumb? Well, only the Bible tells us, what’s really going on behind the scenes!
Look at our first text this week and just process what it implies!!!! Possession/ infestation by other spiritual beings.... and Jesus says the pesticide is prayer and fasting for that particular species (..... there are more than one?!....)
We have often said, the Bible is a package deal.... you deal with all or none, of the Truth in it, because every word is there for a reason, and it all fits together....
we will happily debate atheists who have studied the Bible, but will not entertain persons who merely hold to an opinion, without the benefit of facts/logic/history/ethics/reality(!) to back up their arguments.....we are not dumb.. we believe SOMEONE created something from nothing... it takes less Faith for us to believe that, than trying to figure out how the universe, physical order, physical laws, sentient intelligence, emerged by “accident” from “nothing”.... we read the manual, you should too!
Net net, if you believe the Bible is True, you need to seriously investigate what it says, because what it says is pretty amazing! Scientists and very hard-headed intelligence agencies, are just beginning to study parapsychology, remote viewing, and other psychological phenomena very seriously indeed --- but prophets and mediums have been around for centuries - and the Bible makes no great hoo-ha about it - just very plainly tells you - yeah - this is true (even our text this week).
C. The BEST part about Faith is that it connects you to The Person from whom all good things... including pain and suffering (that test, refine, and grow your faith) come!
The prime concern of the Bible is the growth and maturity of the -mind and soul- of every spiritual Human Being.
It’s why the Prime Directive is LOVE (God/Man), and OBEDIENCE to TRUTH and GOOD. Not going to another galaxy, or another dimension. Pain and suffering are part of the growing up process, just as falling off a bike is key to learning to ride it! Growing up means realizing who, and what you are (a child and heir of God Himself), and what you are called to DO...
GLORIFY HIM WITH YOUR THOUGHTS,WORDS,and yes, finally deeds that flow OUT of Him, that are foreordained by Him - hallelujah! Grace, through Faith, and not works. Do you see how it’s all mental transformation FIRST?
There is an old Sunday school song, “ Every promise in the book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line, all the blessings of His Love divine..., every promise in the book is mine!”
“ ..... whosoever believeth on Him, should not perish, but have ETERNAL LIFE! “
“....I will never leave you or forsake you”, “ nothing...can separate us from the Love of God through Christ Jesus”
“Greater is He that is in you ( Christ ), than he that is in the world ( Satan )”
“My God shall supply all your needs, The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want”
God as revealed in His Word, is True promise keeper. These are things we can take to the bank!
And this week....is the BIGGEST ONE OF ALL.... “nothing shall be impossible unto you. !”..... What? Are you serious?
And here’s where the “consumer” advice / practical living part comes....Every modern convenience we enjoy today, air /auto/ space travel, electrical appliances, every modern invention- is based on faith!
Faith, via experience, that there are Laws (/ Truths!) that will always hold good in this universe we live in. Air flowing over a wing will lift it, a rocket can work even if there is no air to push against in space, electricity and magnets can be used to make motors and engines running factories or dishwashers, these specific plants can be used for medicine for these illnesses... etc.
As we “use”/ “experience” / “consume” the world around us, we do so every moment by faith. You have faith that the airline will get you from A to B, the chairs you sit on in a restaurant will hold your weight, the car will start when you turn the ignition on, the product will do what it says on the packaging, that the drug/surgeon you are trusting to help you will be effective.
This Faith is borne out and strengthened by EXPERIENCE - even when there are exceptions to the usual rules (planes crash, chairs break, the patient dies). We do not throw the baby out with the bath water in these cases, but look to understand why there was a deviation from the norm!
Finding these truths, “promises” is HUGE (commercially/scientifically/for humanity in general) in the physical world, how much more so in the spiritual!!
We have been EXPERIENCING the Bible for at least 3500 years in written form. How has it done so far, historically? You know the answer to that....prophecies fulfilled, lives changed, miracles done..... In spite of all the misunderstanding, lies and confusion (mankind’s schizophrenia) that the enemy has sown in this wonderful field of truth and experience!
D. We THINK the difficulty is having Faith in something you don’t understand or can’t see. But even that, is something we do all the time!
While we may not all know how an aircraft works, we don’t have a problem with flying in one. That’s because we see it being done safely, in large numbers, by others, who don’t need to know either.
The Pilot certainly does, but even he has faith that the engines, instruments and controls will work as normal, even though he can’t see the insides of the engine. You, back in economy, are happily watching a movie and enjoying your free soda and chips, confident that the pilot is going to get you safely home. If s/he never stood to wave bye as you left, you wouldn’t even know who it was that got you there!
Read Hebrews Chapter 11 for examples of people trusting God - even though they never saw ALL His promises fulfilled in their lifetimes they saw ENOUGH to keep them going! And that is what Faith is - Not a BLIND BELIEF IN ANY MADE UP STUFF... as Christians are accused of, but FAITH developed by UNDERSTANDING TRUTH, and then TRUSTING it, based on real life confirmation through our sense/life experiences!
We'll give you the abstract right up front... "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. --Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."-- - Heb 11: 1-3(KJV)
Through Faith we - understand - the way things really are, and not just what we see on the surface - Hallelujah!!! You've never seen an individual atom but you know they are part of everything, including you -- that "physical" understanding has morphed over the ages, and continues to morph into quantum physics and other things, but God's word is still holding true!
Faith, or our EXPERIENTIALLY BUILT UP MENTAL FRAMEWORK OF TRUST is a key means for us to interact with, and manipulate, the WORLD WE LIVE IN!
Your brain makes sense of all the energy being directed at your senses, and helps you put things into boxes. Dog, cat, table, toilet - so you can live in this world. If one or more senses are gone, your map may be different, but the brain works to compensate. It’s like the Windows or Mac Desktop. Those aren’t actually little cute little "file"-y things. They are a picture to help you understand that there is some data that is sitting on a disk in a particular place! Seeing it as a file, helps you to work with it in terms of the paper stuff you already know!
E. Conclusion therefore: How you think, LITERALLY defines the World you live in (within the overarching rules of the Universe).
You want to be loved? Go out and love others! You want to have new experiences? You won't get them sitting in bed... you have to get OUT THERE! Nothing is impossible!!!!
You are the only person that limits you.... you WILL have to WORK to realize your dream, but it always pays off - go read the biography of any successful person. All had one characteristic - they BELIEVED in what they were doing, and themselves!
You want to move a mountain? Sure ... enough dynamite, dump trucks and a crew (depends on the size), but, yeah, we BELIEVE we can move it. (See - that experience thing again).
You want the mountain to move itself? Well. It won't do it for you, but God, who can do all things, can happily do that FOR you, if it’s in line with HIs will! That one is a little more difficult to BELIEVE, but it is AS TRUE as the first statement! ... Per the Bible :-)
Of course, He won't do it to show off - that’s not in His Nature (nor will it be in your prayers)... but when it comes to His Mission, and His Plan for Humanity - yes - if it’s in line with HIs will He promises HE WILL DO IT!
In between the longest and shortest chapters of the Bible (wink wink, nudge nudge, hint,hint), in Psalm 118, verse 8 reads - "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Not that man cannot be trusted, but that God can ALWAYS be trusted, that is BETTER!!!
All the Promises can be trusted. God can be trusted to not change His Word, or break His oath, because that is what He has written down, and faithfully committed to keeping throughout human history. All the treasures for His children are in there. All the wisdom, knowledge, experience, future events, practical living, how much to pay for an ox that is stolen, even your food and diet... He cares so MUCH about every little detail! For your BENEFIT!
Hebrews 12:1-6: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the -author and finisher- of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your mindstyle have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
For this is the victory that overcomes the world, our Faith!
This Gift of the Spirit, given to us, mighty for us to use in our daily lives, tapping into the power and counsel of God, helping us walk this world as the cosmic beings the Bible tells us we are!
Hallelujah!!!
Biblical Living 101 - The Holy Spirit - Part 7 - Miracles
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" Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but -the Father that dwelleth in me, -he doeth the works-.
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me --for the very works' sake.-- Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
- John 14:10-12 (KJV)
" Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
- Matt 11:20-24
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, --a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs--, which --God did-- --by him-- in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."
- Acts 2:21-23 (KJV)
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
- 2 Thess 2: 8-10
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BIBLICAL LIVING 101 - The Holy Spirit - Part 7
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Miracles! ... it's a word that always deserves an exclamation point after it ... and it's our topic for this week, continuing our ongoing study on the gifts of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12 is where you can find the full list of gifts, (and so far we have already covered, Tongues, Prophecy, and Faith in our weekly posts)...
When it comes to miracles - the specific term used for the Gift that is granted is.. "and to another the working of miracles" ... (1 Cor 12:10) ...the ABILITY or POWER to make miracles happen... now why would the Lord need us to have something like that , how do we know we have it, what kinds of miracles are in view, how do we use this gift if we do.... these are the questions we will explore this week!
THIS WEEKS TAKEAWAY : Miracles are a means to an end, and not desirable in and of themself. The power to do miracles must be viewed as one that coexists, and aligns with, the Holy Spirits mission of testifying of Christ, edifying and empowering the church.
Miracles authenticate a message and a messenger, they were used by God to let the people know that the person doing them was a genuine prophet. In the Last Days, the enemy will be allowed to fake things only God has done in the past, to delude those who do not want to receive the truth.
Lets look deeper...
1. WHAT IS A MIRACLE?
This is easy, and we hope we don't have to consult a dictionary for this one. We are going to exclude anything that "looks like" a miracle, but is based on physical laws (modern inventions, magic tricks, sleight of hand etc.) . An "according to Hoyle" miracle is one that transcends the Laws of physics and the universe, and is the exclusive prerogative of God, who is the one who made these Laws in the first place.
In the OT -"impossible" examples are of course - the Exodus - sticks dont -truly- become snakes, water doesn't turn into blood, plagues of locusts, lice, frogs etc. don't appear on demand ... the sea has never parted for a people in human history since Egypt!!! ... Manna from heaven.... healing from snakebites by looking on the serpent on a pole..., miracles of Elisha, Elijah etc.. you get the idea.
In the NT, the miracles that Christ did were of the same category. People who were deaf, dumb, lame, and blind from birth were not only healed, but were functional immediately! This is very impressive considering that their brains, were NEVER equipped to perform these functions all their life, but once healed miraculously connected all the dots, enabling these people to do things that they NEVER could have done! In addition, there were miracles like quieting storms, feeding the multitudes, resurrecting the dead!
All these miracles dealt with impossibilities - dead kids don't usually come back to life, pots of oil don't automatically replenish themselves in a famine, fire doesn't usually descend from heaven on command to a very specific spot! .... So when we say miracle we are talking truly un-faked supernatural events/happening!
2. WHY DO WE HAVE MIRACLES
We summarized it on our takeaway, but it's also clearly demonstrated in our texts this week.
In our first text, and second text, we have it from Yashuah's lips directly. The Works He did were to convince His people that He was indeed THE PROPHET sent by the Father. He is almost pleading with them to look at the vast evidence in front of them - saying the evidence should lead you to believe in Me... if you don't believe Me/My Words, at least believe the evidence that tells you that the Father is alive and active in Me, DOING THE WORKS!
This is a HUGE TAKEAWAY for us, when we think that as disciples of Christ, we are INDWELT by God the Holy Spirit. Its why Christ says, His disciples will do GREATER Things.... not because of what they are (normal human beings), but because of Whom they are aligned with.. God Himself who does the works on our behalf (recall our post on Faith last week and advice on moving mountains...)
Our second text adds a note of warning. God, the Spirit, and Christ, testifying to the people of Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida - and indicting their disbelief in view of the miraculous works done in front of their eyes. He goes so far as to say, if Sodom and Gomorrah had had an opportunity to witness or be warned via similar mechanisms, they would have repented long ago, and been spared the awful judgment.
The really chilling words follow that... it will be more tolerable for people from Sodom in the final judgment, than those that were Christ's contemporaries in these named towns. Brrrr.................
So why do we need miracles in this modern day and age? Well, we need less of them to be sure... (a) because we have the Word (b) we have advanced in technology.
Healing is one area that comes to mind. We will talk more about this as a specific Gift of the Spirit later, but suffice it to say that when Christ says "greater works than this shall he do".. He is not kidding.
Man today can replace almost every organ and bone in the body, has invented numerous drugs and procedures. ALL OF THEM - either help the body's natural processes of healing or AUGMENT them. Now, they do things that Jesus never did - so in one sense - they are greater - but as per our definition - we will not classify this as "miraculous"....
Miraculous is when a doctor looks at CT scan and sees the impossible tumour gone, the declared barren conceives, the dead revives....
- so a quick note on Healing is that regular - modern medicine-based healing is strongly recommended for regular maladies, because it rests on Truth (Science/Biology/Laws of the universe) and Faith (that what Science says will usually hold true). We should pray that the medical procedures effectively supplement and augment our God-given ability to heal naturally.
There is miraculous healing which scientists CANNOT explain... we should seek that in cases where the medical community has raised their hands in despair - however let's be a little careful to make sure that we are aligned with the will of God...
e.g.. If we are praying to extend the life of a loved one, we may be holding them back from heaven.... 
:-) ... but like Hezekiah - who knows if the Lord will be merciful to let us selfishly have them with us here on earth for a while longer! ....
Sometimes sickness and disease are trials designed to drive us into His arms. In that case, our prayers for healing may be at cross purposes with His will. ALL Prayers are answered, but sometimes the answer is NO and we have to learn to trust Him even then.
3. CAN WE DO MIRACLES BY OURSELVES?
The answer is NO.
Even Christ Himself, in His human incarnation, tells us (as a Human) - " the Father that dwelleth in Me, He does the works" & Christ is the pattern for us to follow.
In all circumstances, when asked by what Power He did this miracles either answered the question directly ("I cast Spirits out with the finger of God" Lk 11:20) , or refused point-blank ("if you aren't willing to tell me that Johns Baptism was from heaven, I am not willing to tell you by what authority I do these miracles" - Mt 21:27) - but we ALWAYS see Him praying to God (e.g. over loaves and fishes) and making His requests known.
All prophets etc. even in the OT, "worked miracles" by simply praying to God. Elijah prayed with his head to the ground, asking his servant to go 7 times to check on rain (a small cloud was seen at the 7th time.. 1 Kings 18:41-). Moses stretched out His stick at God's command, but it was God that parted the sea.
Takeway : If God is with you, you can part a sea with a stick and a prayer! :-)
4. HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THIS POWER?
Our answer is in the form of a question - Why do you need it?
God did the Exodus miracles to glorify Himself as He delivered His people.Christ needed them to make a impact in the 3 short years He ministered and to authenticate His witness. The Spirit gifted the early church with these powers so that they could spread the Gospel.
What are you lacking here in this country that you need miracles to authenticate the gospel and testimony of the Lord? Switch to a country or a continent where people are being martyred or killed for their faith... the amount of genuine prayer and genuine miracles in that country will definitely be more than in countries where they are not necessary.
Peter, Paul and Silas were miraculously delivered from prison. We did not see that happen all that much during -for example-. the early Christian Martyrs, the Spanish Inquisition, the Holocaust. Yes - certain people might have been miraculously delivered, but by no means the large number we would expect if all the prayers had been answered....
And this is why, as we learn to work in tandem with His Will, knowing Miracles are a need based gift is so important!
They are NOT an EASY BUTTON, an ESCAPE HATCH or parlor tricks to be performed for entertainment. They are a tool for the servants of the LORD and are given to be used for His purposes, @ His timing.
Gideon prayed for a impossible miracle (Let the fleece be dry while the ground all around is wet). He didn't do it just to be funny. He wanted to be sure he was hearing from God... and God honored that, because it was in line with His mission to deliver the Israelites.
So, if the Spirit sees a need, He will grant the power as appropriate.
5. BEWARE OF AN EXCLUSIVE DEPENDENCE ON MIRACLES FOR YOUR FAITH
Humans are very easily conned by charlatans. Our last text this week brings us face to face with a startling fact. In the very last days, (times of the Antichrist, 7th trumpet), he and the false prophet will be -allowed- to conjure 'miracles'. This is the final judgment of almighty God against people that have remained stubborn till this point.
Christ warns against looking for signs and wonders -
"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."
The One Sign and Wonder He DID give was His Resurrection- and again Peter tells us in our text above - "God raised Him from the dead".
We have the complete and inerrant Word & the indwelling power of the Spirit. We do not NEED miracles, except where we gratefully accept Gods intervention in our affairs to authenticate, protect, and uphold the words of His servants.
Hallelujah!
Biblical Living 101 - The Holy Spirit - Part 9 - Healing
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So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.”
- Ge 20:17–18
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and –healing- -all manner of sickness and all manner of disease- among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; --and he healed them.”
- Mt 4:23–24
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Then shall we know, if we follow on -to know the LORD- : his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” - Ho 6:1–3
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BIBLICAL LIVING – 101 – Healing
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We have previously lightly touched upon Healing as a gift of the Spirit – we say lightly – because we focused purely on the medicinal aspect. There we recommended the use of modern medicine and wisdom, but also said we should be diligent to seek God’s favor and will for medical healing.
THIS WEEKS TAKE AWAY :
All of what humanity has been suffering for millennia, is a drop in the bucket compared to God’s eternal plan for Man. Man, and Angels, must learn that obedience to God’s Laws IS the best way, and seeking His honor and glory IS the BEST, and only appropriate, course of action – because He is a being who is PERFECT in all of His Ways.
Unfortunately, the only way to appreciate this lesson is through the path of disobedience, and its inevitable consequence – pain and suffering. God in His Mercy, has ordained that this period should be brief (by His standards) – but the pain is necessary, and the work of HEALING --- very very real!
It is the will of God, and We are all called to heal the minds, bodies, and spirits of human beings with the power of His word, the Love of our actions, and the gifting’s of the Spirit.
WHAT IS HEALING?
“ --- Heal, rapa/rapha (רָפָא, 7495), “to heal.” This word is common to both ancient and modern Hebrew. It occurs approximately 65 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, appearing first in Gen. 20:17: “… God healed Abimelech. ” (text 1). “To heal” may be described as “restoring to normal,” an act which God typically performs. Thus, appeals to God for healing are common: “… O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed” (Ps. 6:2); “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed …” (Jer. 17:14). Not only are human diseases “healed,” but bad water is restored to normal or “healed” (2 Kings 2:22); salt water is “healed” or made fresh (Ezek. 47:8); even pottery is “healed” or restored (Jer. 19:11).
A large number of the uses of rapa˒ express the “healing” of the nation—such “healing” not only involves God’s grace and forgiveness, but also the nation’s repentance. Divine discipline leads to repentance and “healing”: “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us …” (Hos. 6:1) (text 3). God promises: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord …” (Jer. 30:17). Even foreign cities and powers can know God’s “healing” if they repent (Jer. 51:8–9).
-- Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 1, p. 107)
Healing, as a larger concept of RESTORATION, is something we have not addressed in depth…. Why do we NEED healing? Why do we have pain and suffering and disease at all? …. Even atheists must acknowledge (if they are truly seeking the truth) that evil exists. Where did it come from and what is the cure?
The Garden of Eden story smells like, reads like, and actually implies a complete setup!….God KNEW Man would fail, and He ALLOWED it to happen. God is telling us… “he hath torn and he will heal us”! He even -wrote it down- for us so that we would have the answer when we wonder… why? Why is there suffering?
The sufferings of Christ were in view of God before the world was created. His plan of redemption was already laid out before Satan was allowed to whisper into Eve’s ear! God Himself participates in our suffering – not just in the sense of His omniscience (He knows every bit of our suffering), but He “hears” (our cries go up to Him), and He “sees” – and He lovingly regulates every trial we go through, so that it may strengthen and not destroy us – His eternal children!
His ultimate will is to Heal, and through the Spirit, He gives us a down-payment on this inheritance! “… Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed)…. “
Healing and Restoration go hand in hand… Healing is not only restoring that which was lost, Healing (cf… our second text from Matthew) it covers a very broad spectrum ranging from physical, to spiritual issues – sick, diseased, tormented, oppressed, possessed – to the ultimate plan of REDEMPTION for all things in Heaven and Earth.
“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he –reconciled- In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (Col 1:19–22)
WHY DO WE NEED HEALING, HOW DO WE GET IT?
How do you feel about fakes? We don’t appreciate them because their very existence is a lie… they are typically not even close to the genuine article in terms of quality or features, despite visually appearing to be just like it! At worst, they dupe people into a false experience of the actual “brand” – thereby either making them useless as brand ambassadors (they don’t know the product), or being just the reverse (they bad mouth the genuine article based on experience with a fake).
How would you like to have gone through life thinking that you are experiencing an ABUNDANT life, but wake up in heaven and find it was all FAKE? Not good right….. What are the “products” you must test?
a. Individual Healing from Sin :Salvation :
“Make your calling and election sure” – we can’t emphasize this enough. Confession, Water Baptism, Spirit Baptism, and evidence of Spiritual Fruits, Repentance (Changed Life), and Gifts are the hallmark and stamp of true believers – as is a focus on LOVE, COMPASSION, MERCY … not judgement, hate, condemnation, legalism…. Settle for NO SUBSTITUTES ON THIS ONE!
b. Corporate Healing of Relationships : “Church” :
A GENUINE Church will focus on building up of the body of Christ through (i) renewing the mind – building up believers in faith through the apostles doctrine/ preaching of the word (ii) meeting to break bread (food AND observe communion), and have genuine fellowship (koinonia) with each other by praying for each other, encouraging each other, helping each other with their substance. (iii) Focus on the church is to love one another, and then share that joy with the greater community they live in, personally, as individuals, and corporately, as a unified body, walking in truth.
That is the genuine article folks, and anyone can do it. If this is not what you are experiencing, you are SETTLING for a FAKE, and sadly, depriving yourself of the company of GENUINE, LOVING, JOY FILLED, HAPPY individuals – who are not focused on roles or titles, rank or recognition – but who cheerfully do good all their waking hours – as opportunities present themselves!
It is the mission of this Page, and attendant website to take this message to all believers – empowered by the Spirit and modern knowledge – YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Your little Home Bible study can be the medium for your life to be changed, to change others, and to educate and grow all on how to live together as sinful humans, walking out the grace and truth of God!
c. Regular Healing/Cleansing from Sin, Accessing the Gift of Healing:
The Lords Supper is A key ingredient for accessing the benefits of Healing. The Will of God is to heal (Our second text), and we heal by bringing people to Jesus. One of the ways we can directly access Him is through His Body and Blood, broken and bruised for us to give us access to spiritual AND physical healing.
We highly recommend frequent and even private observation of the Lord’s Supper to cleanse your body, soul, and spirit from the effects of evil, and to supplement modern medicine with it (where allowed). It is a God-provided ordinance for us to escape the deleterious effects of sin.
God doesn’t heal everybody instantly right now, because that is not in alignment with the overall plan laid out for us from Genesis to Revelation. However, to those that ask in alignment with His will, He has provided the means of grace (Communion, Prayer, the Intercession of the Spirit) to help with our infirmities.
d. Healing our Minds
Walking in Truth and Love. Speaking words of comfort and encouragement to souls that have been battered, bruised, and savagely scarred by abuse, hate, misconceptions, misunderstandings --- We are talking about church goers here , ok ok… and the broader human community too !
False prophets are condemned because they dealt only with the symptoms and not with the deep spiritual hurts of the people: “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14; also 8:11). --- ”
The Church (Should be a TRUE PROPHET, from the Spirit of TRUTH!) ---Cannot--- be an ostrich that is blind to the real and practical needs of the congregation in this day and age. It is responsible to address the moral, social, political issues and questions of the day, head-on through the prayerful study of the Word, with the Wisdom and Illumination of the Spirit. People should be beating down the doors of churches to hear what Christians have to say regarding X,Y,Z because of the WISDOM…. If they aren’t – that means we are doing something wrong!!!!!
Let’s take an example:
A person representing << Any denomination/sect/cause/belief system/dress code… You despise>> wishes to attend church with you. Does the congregation welcome them… GENUINELY? Or do you ‘tolerate’ their presence in the name of “inclusiveness” – and keep apart, lest you be tainted/infected by their color, culture, the gay gene…...their filth? If what your church has, is all that GREAT, shouldn’t it be attractive/infectious TO THEM as well? Why isn’t it?
The people you hate have broken God’s Laws, not yours, He is the injured party, and He will deal with their sins with –them- -individually-. Judging them is not our job. You just need to love them (wisely – don’t be taken advantage of, or enable bad behavior), pray for them, speak the Word to them, and let Him sort it out! You don’t have to subscribe to their beliefs, but you are ACCOUNTABLE to ACCURATELY and LOGICALLY represent yours!
If you are being nice to a person just to “sell” him/her on Jesus – well it doesn’t take too long for that person to sniff out that you don’t REALLY care for him/her, you just want another notch on your belt for the evangelistic outreach numbers. Why would that person give ANY credibility to the words coming out of your mouth? Love them first….. they will figure out who Jesus is without you having to open a Bible!
People are hurting, tired, despairing, lonely, depressed, because they seem to be surrounded on all sides by blackness and destruction --- nothing could be further from the truth – Every Day is A GIFT! How can we withhold words of healing to those hurting so badly? Well, it’s because we have a difficulty….
e. Understanding and applying truth – Doctrine.
Doctrine is difficult. What it says is usually at odds with man’s understanding of things – the necessity of evil, Christ’s sacrifice, God’s electing of those that receive the free pardon….only He can reveal Himself to us… but we know ENOUGH… Love God, and Love my Neighbor is the TRUTH we have to live out, and in this doctrine is all the LAW, and every PROPHET.
The Bible never says the Law was negated. Christ Fulfilled the Law, and Love fulfills/summarizes it completely. What we --are FREE of-- is the PENALTY of failing to obey the Law! In the OT - The blood of 100% obedient (internally law-abiding) and innocent animals was the -only acceptable substitute – that would not pollute His altar. In the NT – Christ died ONCE, and for ALL TIME for EVERYONE… that is a KEY DOCTRINE and one Satan HATES… it robs Sin of all its Power….Until you –understand- why God does not condemn you any more for anything you do, you cannot break the chains of self-scorn, self-condemnation, or the cycle of backsliding.
God cannot change His Own Rules and still be called Righteous! If HIS JUSTICE has been satisfied by Christ’s sacrifice, it would be UNJUST of Him to punish you for those sins or take away your salvation, once He has said He will remember them no more! The Justice that inspires Fear (God is Light and cannot abide any form of darkness at all), is the Justice that is the bedrock of our Salvation – He cannot lie and does not change the Word that has gone out from His mouth!
Since He is the author of your Salvation, He is the guarantor of it, and therefore you can’t lose it.What He does do now, is help you understand His truth, so that you can start to walk in truth Love, which is HUGELY BENEFICIAL to you and the people around you…. And He will change your bad habits over time.
You are free!!! It’s just that we are not used to being out of prison, are too used to being told what to do by someone all the time, and are scared to realize that we ourselves have got to commit to, AND start on the journey to rehabilitation. Well, that’s what a church is for – to help you meet people who have walked that path, and can walk WITH you – (not FOR YOU, or FIX YOU…)….
The offices of healer are so wonderfully illustrated in the Tale of the Good Samaritan. He bound up the travelers wounds, and took him to a hospital where he could be cared for.
God’s Heart is for people who know His Word (the medicine), to help those who have been beaten, robbed and hurt – the Church should be the inn where they can go. His House should always have food in it, and be a place of prayer, where as we see in Genesis – prayer moves the Hand of God to Heal!
Hallelujah!
Biblical Living 101 - The Holy Spirit - Part 8 - Wisdom
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“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the -same- Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the -same- Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the -same- God which worketh all in all.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to -one- is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to -another- the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To -another- faith by the same Spirit; to -another- the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To -another- the working of miracles; to -another- prophecy; to -another- discerning of spirits; to -another- divers kinds of tongues; to -another- the interpretation of tongues:
But all these worketh that -one and the selfsame Spirit- , dividing to every man -severally- as he will.”
- 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 (AV)
“If ye abide in me, and -my words abide in you-, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” - John 15:7–8 (AV)
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BIBLICAL LIVING 101 - The Holy Spirit - Part 8 - Wisdom
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Look at this picture of a Tree.
The 4 Bible references in the corners are the sources of the elements graphically represented in that picture - in total, showing us a representation of Jesus, our model and template, The Perfect Human being. It shows us the source and attributes of His Power ( roots and things underground, the trunk of the tree ) , the loveliness of His character ( the Fruits on the tree ), and His “ministries” on Earth.... the oxygen from the leaves if you will....
In our posts thus far, we have covered the items in Black ( the 7 fold nature of the Holy Spirit Himself and His mission here in the Age of Grace ) , Red ( Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, Prophecy ) - the “speaking gifts”, and Green ( Faith, Healing ( briefly ) and Miracles ) - the “ power “ gifts. This week we are Blue ... wisdom, knowledge, and discernment of Spirits.
Please note that the External manifestations of these gifts ( fruit is expected of all ), depend on the mixture or degree to which they are present in any person, and it is a highly complex interaction of all these diverse elements - that give us the iridescent hues of each individual member of the Bride of Christ... that manifest as fragrances in the world... a deep, rich, and lustrous bouquet! Some bring a harvest of 10, some 50, some a hundred times!
For all their diversity, all these elements stem from the One Source. God almighty, 3 Persons, yet One even then!
This is the starting point of all wisdom... the KNOWLEDGE of Him. Said both ways in scripture... Psalm 111:10 (AV): “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. “ and.... Proverbs 1:7 (AV): “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Don’t be offended, because it’s - if A,then B. If knowing God is wisdom, then rejecting Him is by definition......CHOOSING to be foolish...ignoring the evidence of our eyes, our minds, Biblical and secular history, our own faith experiences.. ( Ebenezer... “hitherto hath God helped us” ), and ultimately, choosing to believe that the evil we see in this world is inexplicable. The Bible pulls back the curtain on all of that....
If you are wondering why we have lumped discernment of spirits with the other two, it’s because these 3, ( and indeed all the “underground/hidden” gifts ) - share one Word that embodies Him - and that word is TRUTH... because they flow from the Spirit of Truth.
Wisdom discerns truth through experience, and knowledge - which collects it. Faith ( grows through hearing, testing, and experiencing truth ), miracles and healing attest to the Word of Truth, tongues and prophecy communicate it. The Spirits work of Sanctification means opening our eyes to the truth, and empowering us to walk in it! .... it is helpful , therefore, to understand Discernment of spirits, as being a means to accurately understand the heart/intent of a matter or person.
A half-truth ( “ You shall not surely die “ ) was mixed with the truth ( “ you will become like God, knowing good and evil “ ) to engineer mankind’s fall from grace. In our second text, Christ says... IF His words abide in you, God gives you anything you ask(!), because you will ask according to His will... which is to glorify Him by bearing much -fruit- as His disciples. Trees are a very important image in scripture for a reason...
Words have TREMENDOUS power! ( .... feel that wisdom burn beginning... https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4c/1/16/1f642.png");">? )
What brought the World into existence? The spoken Word. What upholds it? The same....(Hebrews 1:3 (AV): “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and —-upholding all things by the word of his power—-, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”) We can view our entire universe as made up of patterns of information, that obey physical laws /words ( for e.g. matter is defined by patterns of protons and electrons that arranged certain ways, give us everything we see, hear, touch, feel..etc ) ... our spiritual souls though .... are different.
What did the LORD choose to communicate with man and build faith? His Word. What did Christ ask His disciples to do? TEACH people to obey all the Words ( commandments ) He spoke to them. What emerges from Christ’s mouth to slay the wicked at His coming... ?...the double edged sword of the breath of His mouth, the Word of God! We use words to describe and experience our world. How does Christ sanctify the church? Ephesians 5:25–26 (AV): “ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; —-That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water —-by the word—-, “)
Our outlook / concepts through which we understand life ( our Worldview ) define the world we choose to live in... despairing or joyful in hope! Our minds grow and develop by hanging ideas and concepts on sounds and letters, and it is these “ideas” that begin to grasp at, and touch the very very abstract concepts of wisdom, knowledge, discernment and the great-granddaddy .... TRUTH!!!! Stop and think about it... you are what you believe you are, and do, what you think you can do.
Now someone say that’s a miracle right there......!!!!
Humans ( and all beings we see in the Bible) are Word-processors...thinking...information processing... feeling, and willing ( intentional ) beings. Your body defines what you look like, but it’s your soul that is really you! Your character, emotions, intentions ( which then lead to choices and consequences of action, results feed back into your learning loop ) are what define you.
That’s why getting the right Words into your brain ( yes... we are not ashamed to call it brainwashing https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4c/1/16/1f642.png");">? ) is so vitally important - the Word ( TRUTH ) is what Christ used to defeat Satan, and it’s what he hates with a passion ( Jesus Himself, AND the written Word ). Satan has spread lies, misinformation, and confusion about the Word , removed it from a LOT of pulpits (and schools , courts, government https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t22/1/16/1f61e.png");">? ), actively removes it from peoples minds, and has even twisted and used to attack us with! ( Garden, Sin slaying by the Law , Fake Religion ). The fight on this planet is for the dominance of Truth!
Words contain knowledge and wisdom, and -are- how we DO Life, how much more should we value the wisdom and knowledge contained in the Words of He who is Light and Life itself! ( *** this series *** )
The Word is beautifully rich and complex. Our first text this week is one we have quoted so many times in so many contexts, as the anchor for our study. When we shift our emphasis from the ..enumeration / naming of the gifts, to the words we have highlighted , like a kaleidoscope, a new pattern emerges... the reason for diversity, and the fundamental underlying unity of Truth!
The text outlines, and we have already remarked on the diverse one-ness of the Trinity, in giving —— gifts/graces ( charisma- from charis... Grace .. the Spirit ) , administrations or ministries ( diakonia... deacon.. service - Jesus Christ ), and operations ( energema... energy,power ) God Almighty.
Wisdom is noticing that all gifts are not given to one person.... but to ANOTHER, ANOTHER,ANOTHER... you get the point.... however... they are designed to be COMPLEMENTARY... so that (a) no one person gets a swollen head (b) together , they reflect the unity of the LORD , and His Body. .... just see where the apostle goes immediately after this...
1 Corinthians 12:12–22 (AV): “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased —him—-.
And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:”
Unity in diversity... united by a common bond of gifts of Truth. IMPORTANT : We believe EVERY CHRISTIAN has ALL of these gifts to -some degree- ( reasoning.... All humans/non Christians display -some- of these gifts and fruits too in the secular world.... why... because God breathes His Spirit into every human... therefore ... there is nothing preventing a water and Spirit baptized child of God from completely experiencing the Spirit in some measure in all these areas....) however most Christians will have some gifts MORE THAN OTHERS IN PROPORTION... designed for his/her calling in life.
Christ commended many people for their faith... a Roman centurion, a Syro-Phoenician woman, the friends who lowered their crippled friend in front of Him... but He genuinely commended only —one— man for being —truthful—-.... can you tell us who it was? ..... none of the usual suspects....
John 1:47 (AV): Jesus saw -Nathanael- coming to him, and saith of him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! “ What a compliment... to be called one who is so TRUTHFUL he is transparent! We see Nathanael mentioned only in this passage, and in the boat with Peter after Christ’s resurrection... where we are told he was from Cana in Galilee ( John 21:2 )... tradition identifies him as the same as Bartholomew, by which name he is identified in the synoptic gospels ( Matt/ Mark/ Luke ).
The fact that this was indeed a compliment is given by the prophetic statement that emerges from his mouth.... John 1:49 (AV): Nathanael answered and saith unto him, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” He was the first person , not counting John the Baptist, to “Get” the KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, and DECLARE IT, ONE DAY after Christ was baptized in the Jordan and with the Spirit!
So Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment in its purest form is coming to appreciate the True Light of the world, full of grace and Truth - and we do that by His gift to humans of Word, which defines thinking, and ultimately, guides us to make wise decisions. Practically, these gifts help us to get to the “true spirit “ of a matter, Word, or person, for the benefit of the work of the church.
God calls us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. We must walk in truth... no lies, false promises, convenient excuses ( we may have to dance to accomplish those ) , no gossiping , IN ALL SPHERES OF LIFE ...work, play, family, and your relationship with God ( be truthful with Him )... trust His Word, act on it, and watch your life change!
1 John 3:18–24 (AV): “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we -know- that we are of the -truth-, and shall assure our hearts before him.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, -because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.-
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we -know- that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. “
Hallelujah!
Biblical Living 101 - The Holy Spirit - Summary and Application
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BIBLICAL LIVING 101 -
The Holy Spirit - SUMMARY & APPLICATION
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This week, we are going to wrap up our discussion on the Holy Spirit, closing out this study series on practical living - by attempting to boil it down and summarize it for you, taking as a PRACTICAL example, the current political controversy now roiling these United States.
We do this to demonstrate the very real world application of the wisdom in scripture to real life, to put our money where our mouth is (we have said the Church cannot be an ostrich but we have to apply ourselves) and also to encourage you... and for space reasons have not opened with scripture this week (its all in-line).
This short series on the work of the Holy Spirit can be found here...
http://tabernacleoftheholyspirit.org/spiritual-gifts
The overall series on Biblical Living covering a wide ranging array of topics here ..
http://tabernacleoftheholyspirit.org/…/bible-study-bibl… ..
We really encourage you to visit the website where you can find material more easily organized than forever having to scroll on Facebook.
Our anchor passage for this week is in Isaiah, Chapters 61-66 where God almighty Himself summarizes His Work on the planet. We will walk through most of Chapter 61 together today, but we highly commend your reading that entire portion off scripture to get the full impact of what we are attempting to communicate below.
1. Is 61:1. "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me..."
" And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he -taught- in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as -his custom was-, -he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day-, and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 'And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.
And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." - Lk 4:14–21 (KJV)
Summary points:
a. In the Gospel of Luke, we see that Christ's first action after being anointed by the Spirit was to go into the wilderness and be tested by Satan. Having passed that Test, His FIRST work on His return to Galilee was TEACHING!! Prior to His anointing, He always FULFILLED the Law - we are told that it was 'his custom' to go the synagogue every Friday (!) - as an observant Israelite. This Friday, He stood up to read, and essentially revealed Himself to the congregation!
b. It is important to realize that Christ, here and in Isaiah, is speaking of ---the Spirit's mission---(not His!), and He identifies Himself as a normal Human Being - anointed with the Spirit of God! Son of Man, was His favorite title for Himself, and as a Human, He is telling the congregation that He has been anointed to carry out God's will on this planet!!!!! SO ARE YOU!!
THE TAKEAWAY FOR US : Christ told the disciples not to minister in their own strength, but to WAIT for the Spirit. He Himself EMBODIED that, waiting for 30 odd years for His Time to come! WE, as HIS DISCIPLES, anointed with the SAME EXACT POWER and AUTHORITY, can DO - whatever HE DID! - not because of how cool we are, but its because it's GOD that does these things (as we have repeatedly said). YOU CAN DO IT - BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DEPEND ON YOU! (now that's a test of logic right there...) GOD is the one who appoints and anoints, and its GOD's plan & purpose, carried out in GOD's power, THROUGH His Servants! Hallelujah!
Application : Kings and rulers rule at God's pleasure. He sets them up, He tears them down at His Will for His purposes and glory. If God puts somebody in a position, no one can take him/her down by their own strength, it is God who oversees it all. Those who are mourning can take comfort from that, those who are rejoicing, be sober and realize this fact! :-) In the end, all things work together for good to the benefit of Gods' elect.
2. "...to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,..."
The mission of the Spirit is explained in detail now, and we have gone through these areas in our series on spiritual gifts. Healing for the body, Renewal of the mind, the breaking of mental strongholds, healing those who have been emotionally tortured, imprisoned and scarred by acts of evil. He gives us beauty to replace ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of -praise- to combat the spirit of heaviness and depression, that we may look like the TREE's (remember the photo of the Tree) of righteousness that HE (Doctrine of election) HAS PLANTED. (Done deal)
Summary point:
The Gospel is deliverance from the FEAR of Sin, Death, and the Penalty of God's Justice against our transgressions of the Law. God's WORD is the Light that reveals Him to the spiritually blind. His commands and statutes tear down mental strongholds and man made institutions of race, gender bias, ethnic hatred, false religion - by directing us to TRUTH, and away from lies and confusion! The work of the SPIRIT is to TESTIFY OF CHRIST, and enable HIS DISCIPLES to be SALT & LIGHT in the world, showing forth the fruits of the Spirit, and dedicate their lives to worshiping God in SPIRIT & TRUTH, walking in Love, and subjecting every daily decision and action to His Lordship (obedience and doing what is right instead of what your flesh, or convenience would have you do).
Application: Apply Wisdom and Discernment of Spirits to get to the heart of a matter. Seek Truth (Facts) not opinions. Look for evidences of either (a) the fruit of the Spirit (gentleness, patience, long-suffering etc.) or (b) examine conduct for lies and deception. Its very simple. What have we seen so far? Here are the FACTS:
a) A republican president was elected that did not get a majority of the popular vote. This has happened before, its part of the process.
b) What is new, is that this process was influenced by multiple political agendas (as is typical). The President's campaign was accused of collusion with Russia to influence the electorate, and hence the election process. The Mueller report, an investigative document prepared by the DOJ & FBI , while stopping short of FORMALLY indicting the President on criminal charges (due to legal technicalities),uncovered enough evidence of questionable behavior, that resulted in prison terms / fines for some members of the campaign team.
c) This same alleged behavior, was most recently evidenced in a document released by the White House (the infamous "not a verbatim" call transcript with the President of Ukraine), and now, a public invitation to the Govt. of China to do the same.
What has been the response to this, and what comfort or joy can we derive from this tragic situation?
1. The Rule of Law still prevails. This country was founded on Biblical principles, the FIRST of which is : God doesn't really like KINGS who are less than perfect - Israel was to be guided by His Law, and Priests who could interpret it correctly for His People. The Rule of LAW is what defines -this- country... and nobody is exempt.
2. The ideals enshrined in the Constitution (including the right to bear arms) were put in the Constitution for a purpose. We do not live in a dictatorship. We live in a republic, where WE, the PEOPLE, choose our elected representatives to WORK FOR US, under the terms and conditions of the Law, and their OATH of office. An oath sworn on the Bible has significance. IF we don't like the Laws, we can change them, but NO ONE PERSON, by DESIGN, can do that. It is heartening to see the Old Institutions come to Life and STILL PROTECT US TODAY!.... let us raise up and rebuild the "former desolations", the "desolations of many generations"... let us let the process work out. It will triumph over individual personalities.
3. The dedication to truth. A whistle-blower (regardless of his/her political motives) is going to be judged on the -facts- of his/her allegations. The right approach is to uncover the facts. We applaud the Administration for releasing the transcript (maybe they had no choice), we applaud the oversight committee process for allowing participants on both sides of the House to present their views, and question witnesses. We applaud the career public servants dealing with Finding the truth, however,painful - is to be prized. Some demonstrations of this Administration (Sharpie on a NWS weather map and the consequent brouhaha...) are to be deplored.... it is a bad sign when truth (emergency reports from a responsible government body) are devalued and a lie needs to be put on artificial support.
One warning sign from experience is when people attack the person or anything else, instead of the real issue. This is a typical strategy to deflect and confuse. Lies are always a bad sign -- we have grown to expect (!) , & ignore those (!) from our leaders and statesmen. This is troubling! Lies in the Media (TV/Social Media/Print press with limited ethics) are troubling. Journalism (remember that term?) is a quest for truth, and it was a journalist that uncovered wrong-doing in the Nixon administration. Let us take joy in the courage of these people who put their own lives in jeopardy to bring us the truth that topples regimes and dictators!
"Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come." - (Nu 5:13–14). God is not a Republican or Democrat or Liberal or Conservative. He is for Truth!
4. Is the focus of our Administration what you see listed as goals of the Spirit? Let us pray for Statesmen and not politicians to lead us... but it's also our fault. If we pick people that are focused on staying in office, as opposed to working for us, we only have ourselves to blame!
Regardless of how the current process works out, we must be reconciled to the fact that foreign and domestic interests will be trying to influence the upcoming elections by means -both- legal -and- illegal.
It behooves -us- therefore, to apply Biblical principles to evaluate those that are seeking our vote for public office ... and not vote for candidates who just SAY they believe in the Bible. It is the only way to effect lasting change. The best way is to examine their stand on issues - here's the key ones and our stand on them for your convenience:
1. Abortion : No. BUT... education, exemptions, and the rights of the individual must be respected. God gives us all choices, and the accountability that goes with them. You may not respect a choice some one makes, but you may not interfere with their freedom to make that choice! Love instead of hate, and try to find ways to save those lives.
2. LGBTQ .... : Fellow humans. Some given over by God Himself to make a point. You are called to love them, pray for them, and view them as also made in Gods image, and as much deserving of Grace as you are. We have addressed marriage, gender and homosexuality in our posts in this series and we commend them to your attention.
3. Socialism. Helping the Poor and Needy is not socialism. Wealth is a tool to glorify God. Riches are a snare causing you to trust in them instead of God almighty. We have discussed Money, Taxes, Riches... you don't need to be a socialist to love your fellow man as yourself. Just think about what that means and how a billionaire can hoard his wealth when he sees needs around him/her. How can we help our fellow citizens be -as successful as others-, as they pursue life, liberty, happiness? America is the land of opportunity - even overcoming historic racial biases to elect a black President.
4. Healthcare. God is a Healer, and His will is to heal everybody. Enough said.
5. Medicare. Honoring your father and mother means providing for them as they provided for you. Stealing from Medicare is wrong.
6. Gender Equality/Wages/Equal Opportunity. God created Woman to be an equal companion to Man... a help fit for him. As humans, either of them can do anything they want, but will be happiest doing what they were created to be.
7. Immigration. The OT Laws, and the NT Laws say we are to love those that are truly hurting. It does not ask us to turn a blind eye to malicious actors. We can apply technology, and Laws on the books to this problems.
8. Guns. The NRA has a commercial interest in the sale of firearms. Since we (as citizens) cannot overthrow the government with these weapons, they are useless (per the original intent) other than for sport and self defense. Other than thrills, tactical firearms have only one goal. To kill and destroy as many, as effectively as possible. Is that biblical?
3. "But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God........ "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God;For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
This is who we are. Kings and Priests that know His Law, and Live by it! Saved by His Grace, covered with His Righteousness, glittering with jewels and ornaments of good works! Hallelujah!!
Let this cheer you, as you walk through these events, and through life in general. These sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us!
Don't let the enemy lie to you that you are NOT GREAT! Purchased by His blood, made in His Image, and destined for Glory...
America was great long before people tried to "restore" it. Founded on the Bible, and supported by God, we are the Light on the Hill that cannot be hidden. If this Light is in darkness, what hope can we hold out to the world? The comforting fact is that the MAJORITY of Americans are honest, decent people, that have been lied to for centuries. We need Godly discernment, and it is our own ignorance of the Word that has brought us to this pickle... but God is faithful, He will deliver us!
"For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." (Is 61:11)
He has sworn it, and will perform it. He has torn, and He will bind up. He put us to death, but has revived us again with Christ on the third day, and as Christ came at the end of the Former Rain (Word of the OT), so will He COME at the end of the Last Days, as the Latter Rain of the Spirit (NT) keeps falling upon the earth.
We may have trials and tribulations, but we do not FEAR. An arrow that flies by day may injure us, but we are not AFRAID of it! We have the Spirit of POWER, LOVE, and of a SOUND MIND. We must put on the whole armor of God to stand against the enemy in this evil day, knowing that if we resist him, he will FLEE! We are not to try to use his stratagems of deception, lies and false promises - but speaking the truth in Love, are to grow up (like trees!) into Him who is our HEAD, our BRIDEGROOM our GOD!
We leave you with these words of encouragement as you start to do life with the Spirit...
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from -the LORD-, which -made heaven and earth-.He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." - Psalm 121
"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." (Nu 6:24–26)
Shabbat Shalom .... and Hallelujah!
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We will be taking a brief break to consider what we should study next - your input is most welcome!
Solomon says the reading/writing of many books is wearisome.
We agree! :-) Having walked through the Law, Parables, Revelation, and this Series + the Holy Spirit teaching + Apostolic guidance on REAL church... - truly there is nothing more to say to you than start to walk in Love :-).
All of that content is on the website, and we are a planning a redesign to make it easier to find what you are looking for. We would be interested to know if you think a free ebook (PDF) that condenses the teachings would be valuable to you. Let us know!
So we are done with doctrine, but are very much looking forward to walking in the Word with you! If you need your weekly read, we recommend checking out the articles on the website till we return. Something for everyone :-). May God richly bless and keep you, and we will be back soon! Pray for us! :-) (probably stirred up a hornets nest with this one :-0)
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