As I look out my window at the snow falling from the sky and covering the earth, I'm reminded that Jesus washes away our sins and makes us white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). What a beautiful truth, that no matter how dirty, we can be made clean again by the grace of God (Ephesians 2)
Because of needing to cancel group tonight, I wanted to throw out a few thoughts and questions for open discussion and contemplation.
Acts 3 describes the healing of a man who was lame from birth. Not lame like your friends from high school, but unable to walk. Now that is in itself miraculous enough. It's not like this guy just had a broken leg for a while and was limping around. He had been unable to walk AT ALL for his entire life. Think about that. The utter and absolute atrophy of any potential muscle in his legs. Not just the inability to balance, but the completely unawareness of what balance involves. Never knowing the feeling of running, jumping, skipping, or even sauntering or strutting.
But Peter & John, empowered by the Holy Spirit and authorized by Jesus audaciously tell this lame man to walk...and he does. Verse 8 says "walking and leaping and praising God" he entered the temple. So follow me here, this man who would not have had any usable muscle left in his legs, is now leaping.
Q1. What does this tell you about the power of Jesus?
Q2. This same power is at work in us through the Holy Spirit, but most of us still walk with a limp and feel not completely healed of our spiritual ailments. Why do you think this is?
Acts 4 continues with Peter & John being arrested and interrogated by the Jewish governing body, the Sanhedrin.
The question asked of Peter & John is in verse 7 - by what power or in what name did you do this?
Their answer in a nutshell is - by the name of Jesus.
Q3. What does it mean to live day to day in the name of Jesus?
In Acts 4:13 - Peter & John are called simple, uneducated men. Not really kind words. Basically translated, they're a bunch of dumb dumbs. But yet everyone just witnessed an incredible act of power, followed by a very well articulated explanation of the gospel, from a bunch of dumb dumbs.
Q4. What do you let get in the way of God working through you?
Finally, in Acts 4:18 Peter & John are commanded not to speak of or act upon any further the name of Jesus.
Their reply is basically, we're just telling you what we've seen and heard.
I believe it is extremely important for us to being sharing our stories of what we've seen and heard of God doing in and among and around us.
Q5. What have you seen God do in your life, or the life of someone around you?
Leave your comments below.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Where's our power?
It's easy to jump into the book of Acts and think that this is the first time we're meeting the Holy Spirit. So much focus in the Old Testament is given to God the Father, and in the Gospels to Jesus the Son, that it can feel like this is the first revelation of the God the Spirit. But it most certainly is not.
The Holy Spirit is woven throughout all of Scripture, like a shadow. Always there but rarely noticed or appreciated.
We really first encounter the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:1-2.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
From the very beginning the Holy Spirit it intimately involved in the application of the Fathers will through the Son's word.
And from that point on we see over and over the indwelling application of the Father's will by the Holy Spirit.
In Genesis 41:38 Pharoah speaks of Joseph who just miraculously interpreted his dream.
And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
Exodus 31 speaks of the Spirit filling the craftsman tasked with constructing the tabernacle.
Number 27:18 speaks of Joshua being chosen as the next leader of Israel, because the Spirit was upon him.
Gideon and Samson and the judges of Israel were filled with the Holy Spirit and given wisdom and power through him to accomplish God's will in Israel.
Throughout the prophets, they are given the Words of God through the Spirit of God, to speak to the people.
There are many, many more examples of the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament.
But I think the most fascinating case study of the activity of the Holy Spirit is in the life of Jesus.
Luke's gospel does a great job of pointing this out to us.
Mary is told that she will be the one who bears the Son of God into this world. Rightly she asks how his will be possible. Luke 1:35 answers with 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you'. So the very beginning of Jesus' life on earth was begun by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:21-22 - Jesus is baptized and annointed by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 4:1 tells us the Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was led by Him into the desert to be tested. (Side note, notice who led him towards the trial, easy paved roads have never been promised while following Jesus)
Jesus, in Luke 4:14 returns from the desert in "the power of the Holy Spirit" and goes on to say in Luke 4:18 - 18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
This is my point. Jesus came to forgive us of our sins. Absolutely He did. He came and lived a sinless life on our behalf, in our place, and died an awful death that we deserved, on our behalf, in our place, and rose from the grave, in our place, on our behalf.
But that's not all that He did. Certainly it is enough, but it is not all.
The sinless life He lived was not just a display of, "See I can do it, why can't you". It wasn't just to make a point, or go through the motions. No the life He lived, was lived on purpose. The way He lived it was on purpose.
He live that way to give us an example of how we too can live.
You see He doesn't just forgive, wipe clean and then leave us at square one again, with no way of knowing which way to go, or how.
No he leaves us with not only His example, but also His power.
He leaves us with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:11 says,
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."
You see, Jesus lived his life in reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit, not because He had to, He's God, he could've done it in His own power. But He did it in reliance and dependence upon the Holy Spirit, because He knew we were going to need that. If we were going to be made like Him, we were going to need the Holy Spirit to apply The Father's will, through the Son's word. And so just as we were created in the beginning, we are being recreated even now.
The Holy Spirit is woven throughout all of Scripture, like a shadow. Always there but rarely noticed or appreciated.
We really first encounter the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:1-2.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
From the very beginning the Holy Spirit it intimately involved in the application of the Fathers will through the Son's word.
And from that point on we see over and over the indwelling application of the Father's will by the Holy Spirit.
In Genesis 41:38 Pharoah speaks of Joseph who just miraculously interpreted his dream.
And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
Exodus 31 speaks of the Spirit filling the craftsman tasked with constructing the tabernacle.
Number 27:18 speaks of Joshua being chosen as the next leader of Israel, because the Spirit was upon him.
Gideon and Samson and the judges of Israel were filled with the Holy Spirit and given wisdom and power through him to accomplish God's will in Israel.
Throughout the prophets, they are given the Words of God through the Spirit of God, to speak to the people.
There are many, many more examples of the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament.
But I think the most fascinating case study of the activity of the Holy Spirit is in the life of Jesus.
Luke's gospel does a great job of pointing this out to us.
Mary is told that she will be the one who bears the Son of God into this world. Rightly she asks how his will be possible. Luke 1:35 answers with 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you'. So the very beginning of Jesus' life on earth was begun by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:21-22 - Jesus is baptized and annointed by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 4:1 tells us the Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was led by Him into the desert to be tested. (Side note, notice who led him towards the trial, easy paved roads have never been promised while following Jesus)
Jesus, in Luke 4:14 returns from the desert in "the power of the Holy Spirit" and goes on to say in Luke 4:18 - 18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Jesus prayed in the power of the Spirit Luke 10:21
Jesus often healed in the power of the Spirit Luke 5:17 - "and the power of the Lord was with Him to heal"
I find it interesting that it doesn't just say and the Lord was powerful and healed. He is powerful and He does heal. But Luke seems to go out of his way to point out that the power, in this case was not Jesus himself, but rather was with Jesus.
This is my point. Jesus came to forgive us of our sins. Absolutely He did. He came and lived a sinless life on our behalf, in our place, and died an awful death that we deserved, on our behalf, in our place, and rose from the grave, in our place, on our behalf.
But that's not all that He did. Certainly it is enough, but it is not all.
The sinless life He lived was not just a display of, "See I can do it, why can't you". It wasn't just to make a point, or go through the motions. No the life He lived, was lived on purpose. The way He lived it was on purpose.
He live that way to give us an example of how we too can live.
You see He doesn't just forgive, wipe clean and then leave us at square one again, with no way of knowing which way to go, or how.
No he leaves us with not only His example, but also His power.
He leaves us with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:11 says,
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."
You see, Jesus lived his life in reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit, not because He had to, He's God, he could've done it in His own power. But He did it in reliance and dependence upon the Holy Spirit, because He knew we were going to need that. If we were going to be made like Him, we were going to need the Holy Spirit to apply The Father's will, through the Son's word. And so just as we were created in the beginning, we are being recreated even now.
Jesus said is John 16 something that seems ridiculous. He says that He is going away, but that that is a good thing. Now it seems to me at first blush that the best things would be for Jesus to just stay put, and remain with us forever. But no, He says it is best for you that I go, cause when I go I will send to you the Holy Spirit, and He will empower, convict, lead, guide, comfort, counsel, and glorify Jesus.
He's saying I'm sending you exactly what you need, and not a drop less. I'm sending you the Holy Spirit to enact the The Father's will, through my Words.
And so I leave you with 1 thought, and 2 possible answers.
If we've been given everything that we need to live and walk in power, boldness, holiness and joy though the Holy Spirit, why aren't we?
I don't mean that to be accusatory. I think we all experience glimpses of it from time to time. But why isn't it what we all believe it could and should be?
Here's 2 possible options, and maybe both apply.
We're drinking from the wrong well. Feeding at the wrong trough.
To say it plainly, we're walking in the wrong power, or no power at all.
I think we either are trying to do it on our own or we're living off past victories, like Moses with the rocks in the desert. And while God may have worked in one way before, He's working in a different way now. Jesus healed several blind men as recorded in Scripture. They are all very different. My mind would love for it to be a simple prescription. Spit + dirt + rub it in the eyes = blind man sees. But Jesus does it different each time, because He relied on the Holy Spirit, and what He was hearing from His Father.
The second option is that we're no on God's mission.
We all go through times where we feel very distant from God. Like He's a million miles away and no where to be found. No we know very clearly that He has not left us or forsaken us, and that nothing can separate us from His love. So it's not an issue of being saved or not. The distance we feel, may not just be a feeling, it may be the Spirit allowing us to feel the gap between His mission and ours. While we're chasing comfort, success, or even "religious activity" He's chasing our neighbor or our co worker. While we're trying to figure out finances, or stressing over provision, He's trying to bless others with what He's blessed us with.
I think a reason we don't feel like we're walking in his power, is because we're not.
His power is found where He is, and it's given for the accomplishment of His purpose.
And if we're neither where He is nor after His purpose, than we remain powerless.
If Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit throughout His life, how much more should we?
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Remember to Remain
Remain in me Jesus said. Remain in me.
I don't know if it's the somewhat confusing way in which John 15:1-11 is written, looping back and forth, stating and restating forwards and backwards, that makes this simple statement seem so difficult to understand.
Jesus, in some of his final words to his closest of friends before he heads to the cross to suffer for the sins of the world, tries to layout for them some simple facts. He says things like 'if they hated me they're going to hate you'(vs 18, 19), and 'if you follow me, you're going to experience pain'(v 2). The speech he's giving that's recorded here in John 15, is also recorded in a different way in Matthew 26, where he tells his disciples that they're all going to abandon him. Peter of course says he would never, but he ends up denying Jesus to his face as recorded in Luke 22:60-62.
In the midst of all of this seeming negativity, Jesus introduces this simple, beautiful statement. Remain in me.
When you fall on your face right in front of me. Remain in me. When you're battling cancer. Remain in me. When you're struggling against sin with all your might. Remain in me. When you're chasing after me, and they hate your for it. Remain in me.
Note that he doesn't say, when you fall on your face, love me more. He doesn't say, when you're battling cancer, try harder to remember all the good things I've done. He doesn't say when you're struggling against sin, pull up your boot straps, put on your big boy pants and do your quiet time.
No he says remain in me, remain in my love. Don't rely on your love for me, rely on my love for you. It's my love that chose you, you did not choose me. It's my love that saved you, you did not save yourself. It's me that is the author and perfecter of your faith, it's me that is at work in you both to want good and to do good.
We all know that we can be easily tossed around by mood, circumstance and the direction the wind is blowing. Isn't it refreshing and reassuring to hear Jesus say that your ability to stand firm and withstand whatever might come your way, through failure, sickness, loss and pain, is not dependent on your effort or consistency of love, but rather on His unwavering, unfaltering, ever constant, ever present, ever flowing love for you.
I don't believe this means we don't try, or put effort into growing and learning and pursuing him. I just think it means that we let his love for us spur us on to love him even more every day. When he prunes us, and it hurts we remember his love for us is constant and true. When we suffer for his sake, we remember that his love for us never changes or wanes. When we fight the good fight against the sin that so easily entangles, we remember that his love for us is not dependent upon how much we love him, but solely on how infinitely loving he is.
As you walk forward in another day, week, month, and year, remember to remain.
I don't know if it's the somewhat confusing way in which John 15:1-11 is written, looping back and forth, stating and restating forwards and backwards, that makes this simple statement seem so difficult to understand.
Jesus, in some of his final words to his closest of friends before he heads to the cross to suffer for the sins of the world, tries to layout for them some simple facts. He says things like 'if they hated me they're going to hate you'(vs 18, 19), and 'if you follow me, you're going to experience pain'(v 2). The speech he's giving that's recorded here in John 15, is also recorded in a different way in Matthew 26, where he tells his disciples that they're all going to abandon him. Peter of course says he would never, but he ends up denying Jesus to his face as recorded in Luke 22:60-62.
In the midst of all of this seeming negativity, Jesus introduces this simple, beautiful statement. Remain in me.
When you fall on your face right in front of me. Remain in me. When you're battling cancer. Remain in me. When you're struggling against sin with all your might. Remain in me. When you're chasing after me, and they hate your for it. Remain in me.
Note that he doesn't say, when you fall on your face, love me more. He doesn't say, when you're battling cancer, try harder to remember all the good things I've done. He doesn't say when you're struggling against sin, pull up your boot straps, put on your big boy pants and do your quiet time.
No he says remain in me, remain in my love. Don't rely on your love for me, rely on my love for you. It's my love that chose you, you did not choose me. It's my love that saved you, you did not save yourself. It's me that is the author and perfecter of your faith, it's me that is at work in you both to want good and to do good.
We all know that we can be easily tossed around by mood, circumstance and the direction the wind is blowing. Isn't it refreshing and reassuring to hear Jesus say that your ability to stand firm and withstand whatever might come your way, through failure, sickness, loss and pain, is not dependent on your effort or consistency of love, but rather on His unwavering, unfaltering, ever constant, ever present, ever flowing love for you.
I don't believe this means we don't try, or put effort into growing and learning and pursuing him. I just think it means that we let his love for us spur us on to love him even more every day. When he prunes us, and it hurts we remember his love for us is constant and true. When we suffer for his sake, we remember that his love for us never changes or wanes. When we fight the good fight against the sin that so easily entangles, we remember that his love for us is not dependent upon how much we love him, but solely on how infinitely loving he is.
As you walk forward in another day, week, month, and year, remember to remain.
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