Acts 2: 1-4 : When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (languages) as the Spirit enabled them.
I visited a church Sunday (Pentecost Sunday) and heard a sermon in which I cannot recall the name of Jesus being used or mention of the Holy Spirit. Now in fairness to the preacher, he did mention both in the children's story time and told them about Pentecost being the fiftieth day after Easter, but the sermon to the adult congregation focused on the relevance of the church today. The pastor cited the dropping attendance and membership of the mainstream churches, Methodists, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of Christ, Catholic, etc. and posed the question of why. He proceeded to speak about the need for the church to be relevant in today's world and spoke of several social issues where the church needs to have influence and impact. He spoke about gun control, the environment, tolerance; specifically gay and lesbian rights, and government social programs.
If we look at the Scriptures we find that the birth of Jesus' church was not because of its impact on society but was entirely the work of the Holy Spirit. In Peter's first sermon, Acts 2: 14-41, we see the birth of the church was built on the acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah, born of a virgin, crucified dead and buried, and raised from the grave by His Father, God in heaven, and that all who turn to Him in repentance of their sins, will be forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Verses 38-39: 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
I was speaking to a pastor who is a personal friend, and as we discussed the relevance sermon last Sunday he pointed out that too many churches have lost sight that all relevance for the church must be defined by the Holy Spirit and it all begins with "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2: 2). The church will have an impact and influence within society, but it will be the work of the Holy Spirit working through believers who have repented and received His Spirit, and more often than not it will be God's people sharing His love one on one...feeding a hungry person, providing shelter to the homeless, touching and loving the unclean, giving Godly counsel to the hopeless. The work of the Holy Spirit will not look like or be mistaken for any political social programs which are filled with pride, waste, corruption, and prejudices. When the Holy Spirit is involved, God will be Glorified!
The work of the Holy Spirit is to share God's Love, Jesus Christ, so that salvation is received by all who come to know Jesus.
Discover and Proclaim the Truth of The Bible which is: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." (John 3:16 NRSV). Jesus came to humanity to proclaim and give evidence to that love and He has commanded us to do the same. We, who believe, must not merely be followers, but we must be proclaimers of the Gospel Message and we can only do that by being filled with the love of God.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Luke 4: 43..."I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God..."
Jesus began His ministry teaching in the synagogues unlike any other teacher. He read words from the prophet Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor..." Jesus understood and embraced this anointing. The crowds did not want Him to leave because they knew they were being taught by someone appointed by God. His response:
Luke 4: 43-44 43 But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.
How many people attending churches...pastors and laity alike, really understand the singularity of God's purpose for us? Jesus defeated Satan and overcame our sins so that we will receive, as adopted children, the riches of His kingdom. I sit through sermon after sermon getting the "How to be a better (blank)" message. Fill in the blank with all sorts of Christian labels: servant, leader, teacher, preacher, prayer warrior, father, mother, wife, husband, son, daughter. I look at our church bulletin and see color ads announcing Diet or Exercise programs, Celebrate Recovery and Recovery International programs available in our church and then if I look real hard in the black and white plain-text section I find out that we also have Bible study groups that meet as well. I believe that this pretty much highlights where we are focused...on ourselves and our wellness.
Jesus' message was that God loves us and sent Jesus so that we could be with Him in heaven for eternity. Jesus revealed God's nature by contrasting it with our human nature, but I find that far too often, we are trying to get comfortable with a better and improved, more acceptable human condition instead of allowing Jesus to transform us. The self-help programs keep us in control and we can receive the praise for our progress.
The good news that Jesus proclaimed is the same today as it was when He was teaching. God loves us and wants to save us. He sent us Jesus to teach us and reveal His love and He anoints us with His Spirit to proclaim the message that Christ proclaimed. The message is found in God's own words and we don't need to add our own techniques and slant to make it more effective. Jesus had faith in His Father's love and His Father's word. Faith is trusting, believing, and having confidence in whom we place our faith, and if we put our faith in God, His anointing will be all we need to see His purpose for us. His Spirit leads us in Holy devotions and Holy living so that the Good News is revealed in our living and in our speaking.
Luke 4: 43-44 43 But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.
How many people attending churches...pastors and laity alike, really understand the singularity of God's purpose for us? Jesus defeated Satan and overcame our sins so that we will receive, as adopted children, the riches of His kingdom. I sit through sermon after sermon getting the "How to be a better (blank)" message. Fill in the blank with all sorts of Christian labels: servant, leader, teacher, preacher, prayer warrior, father, mother, wife, husband, son, daughter. I look at our church bulletin and see color ads announcing Diet or Exercise programs, Celebrate Recovery and Recovery International programs available in our church and then if I look real hard in the black and white plain-text section I find out that we also have Bible study groups that meet as well. I believe that this pretty much highlights where we are focused...on ourselves and our wellness.
Jesus' message was that God loves us and sent Jesus so that we could be with Him in heaven for eternity. Jesus revealed God's nature by contrasting it with our human nature, but I find that far too often, we are trying to get comfortable with a better and improved, more acceptable human condition instead of allowing Jesus to transform us. The self-help programs keep us in control and we can receive the praise for our progress.
The good news that Jesus proclaimed is the same today as it was when He was teaching. God loves us and wants to save us. He sent us Jesus to teach us and reveal His love and He anoints us with His Spirit to proclaim the message that Christ proclaimed. The message is found in God's own words and we don't need to add our own techniques and slant to make it more effective. Jesus had faith in His Father's love and His Father's word. Faith is trusting, believing, and having confidence in whom we place our faith, and if we put our faith in God, His anointing will be all we need to see His purpose for us. His Spirit leads us in Holy devotions and Holy living so that the Good News is revealed in our living and in our speaking.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Joshua 1...."BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS"
We read these words four times in Joshua 1. God is about to give the Jews the promised land as Joshua leads the Israelites through the Jordan River and God's words of encouragement are "Be Strong and Courageous". God is telling Joshua to put his faith in Him. Jesus tells us the same thing in Matthew 6 when He tell us "do not worry about your life...."
As I look back over my "Christian Walk" it looks like a roller coaster ride. I have the highs followed by the lows, and I believe that those lows are times when I took my eyes off Christ, put my faith in myself or someone else instead of God, and worry, fear, and discouragement took over. God does not want us to be on this roller coaster ride after we receive Christ as our Savior.
Because I have received Jesus and His Spirit lives within me, I do not have to fall from the highs every time life throws me a challenge. It is in the midst of the challenges that God's grace can be most apparent and His power and love experienced. By keeping my eyes on Christ and putting my faith in God, every day can be another day of being raised higher and higher with God's glory shining brighter and brighter.
As I look back over my "Christian Walk" it looks like a roller coaster ride. I have the highs followed by the lows, and I believe that those lows are times when I took my eyes off Christ, put my faith in myself or someone else instead of God, and worry, fear, and discouragement took over. God does not want us to be on this roller coaster ride after we receive Christ as our Savior.
Because I have received Jesus and His Spirit lives within me, I do not have to fall from the highs every time life throws me a challenge. It is in the midst of the challenges that God's grace can be most apparent and His power and love experienced. By keeping my eyes on Christ and putting my faith in God, every day can be another day of being raised higher and higher with God's glory shining brighter and brighter.
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