Do You Know Your Place In The Church? ...

Many believers do not recognize their place or gift in the body. One needs to experiment and try different services or opportunities to see how God uses or blesses you. You do not tell God that you refuse to serve in an individual capacity because you do not think you have that gift. You also should not have gift envy and wonder why you are not gifted like someone else nor even expect others to have your gifting and be able to walk in your shoes. You don't need this gift projection either; i.e., gift projection.  Remember, we are all on the same team with one mission statement and vision of fulfilling the Great Commission with a great commitment. 

We must show faithfulness in little to be faithful in much and rewarded. God the Holy Spirit equips each believer as He sees fit and enables each to do God's will effectually. What it boils down to is not ability but availability! We will be judged by our faithfulness in what God has gifted us, not its success. Note: we all have different gifts but the same Spirit! And we aim and strive for the greater gifts with the spiritual ambition of a noble thing, such as to prophesy or edify the church. 

You must decide whether you want to be a part of the solution or part of the problem. That is the dichotomy! A Christian who will not serve is a contradiction in terms and only those who serve Christ know true peace and fulfillment. There may be two types of Christians questioning their church body's functionality or effectiveness. One says, "What is wrong with this church?" and says, "You are wrong!" Another one says to God, "God can you fix the church?" and God replies, "That is why you are in it!" Either way, we must learn to serve God and labor in the Lord trusting in what He tells us and taking it to heart. Let us be faithful to our heavenly vision and calling and fulfill our ministry. 

We must be the reason people believe in God and be positive witnesses and be the only Jesus some may ever see or the only sermon they may hear! What they see ought to be what they get! We do much harm to our witness and jeopardize our testimony's credibility if we do not live up to it and live it out faithfully! Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?    Soli Deo Gloria! 

Not By Might!

 "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing," (cf. Isaiah 49:14). 

"Everything got its start in Him and everything finds its purpose in Him," (cf. Col. 1:16).

Too many Christians are doing the busy work of God's kingdom as it were and missing out on the spiritual aspect. Now, whatever we do, can be to the glory of God when it's done in His name (cf. Col. 3:17, 23; 1 Cor.. 10:31). Martin Luther said that dairymaids can milk cows to the glory of God.  Work had been considered a curse till the Reformation.  We must be convinced that we are engaged in doing God's will and fulfilling the ministry He has given us and the mission that we are called to do: Paul said that he desired to complete his mission with joy  (cf. Acts. 20:24). 

I like particularly what he said in Romans 15:18, "I venture not to speak of but what Christ has accomplished through me." We must realize that human do-goodery or do-goodism doesn't avail much in God's economy and will be counted as wood, hay, and stubble (cf. 1 Cor. 3:15).  We must work as the LORD works through us as His vessels of honor, being inhabited and controlled by His Spirit. All our fruits are from Him (cf. Hosea 14:8). All we have accomplished is from Him (cf. Isaiah 26:12).   We must not boast of our achievements but trust in God's accomplishment on our behalf.  As Martin Luther's hymn, Mighty Fortress, goes, "Did we in our strength confide, our striving would be losing." 

We ought to boast in our infirmities (cf. 1 Cor. 12:19).  Micah condemned Israel for accomplishing what amounted to nothing and then taking all the credit for it (cf. Amos 6:13): "You who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, 'Have we not taken by our strength captured Karmaim for ourselves?'"   Zechariah warned us not to trust in the flesh in Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit...."   David wrote: "My soul makes its boast is in the LORD," (cf. Psalm 34:2).

Faith is dead without works and they authenticate and validate it but we are saved by faith alone, but only by the kind of faith that isn't alone.  True faith produces fruit, not the foliage. And we will be known by our fruits in the eyes of men. We are not saved by works, but not without them either!  God has ordained certain works for us to perform in His Spirit and time and we are called to be faithful in doing them.  (cf. Eph. 2:10).

A Christian is to be engaged in being "zealous of good works," as Titus 2:14 says, but not in the flesh. That only encourages self-righteousness and self-esteem, not true righteousness and God-esteem.  This means ultimately that God uses weak instruments to accomplish His will and to His glory and we should be like Paul who said he'd rather boast in his weakness that Christ may be glorified, for not many powerful, mighty, wise, nor famous are called, but God uses ordinary vessels.  When our work is done if we aren't taken before our time, God will call us home to be with Him in glory, as David was after he had completed all God's will (cf. Acts 13:36). May we all check out after proclaiming, "Mission accomplished!" 

In the final analysis, God bestows blessings as a gift to us; what we do with them is our gif to God; we must come to the awakening that our righteousness isn't our gift to God, but His gift to us  (cf. Isaiah 45:24); no man will be able to boast in God's presence (cf. Eph. 2:9).  Soli Deo Gloria! 

What Are Your Experiences With The Holy Spirit?

 What are your experiences of the Holy Spirit?

The following examples are what I’ve realized through my walk with Christ just as the Bible says and can personally vouch for. The Spirit has several ministries that we experience. Primarily, He is the inspiration of Scripture and we can feel inspired to compose or write poetry, songs, stories, music, sermons, all to glorify God similarity though not to the degree of the inspiration of Scripture.

Upon reading the Bible the Spirit opens the eyes of our hearts to wonderful things in the Word and to see Jesus in the words; this may also apply to have many kinds of illumination or enlightenment to us and give us insight into spiritual matters that the carnal mind cannot know.

The Spirit convicts us of sin and leads us to repent as we become aware of and able to confess and be restored. The Spirit doesn't condemn nor accuse but shows us our sin..

The Spirit intercedes and translates sour feeble prayers into words God can know and we cannot. We pray in the power of the Spirit!

The Spirit is the One who opens and closes doors to minister the gospel.

And especially we are led by the Spirit to walk with Christ by faith. The more we grow in Christ, the more we can realize this as real.

The fruit of the Spirit is evident in our lives by obedience and confession and we grow these fruit—they are not automatic. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit.

The function of the Spirit is especially to fill us and to control our actions. But to charismatics, who point out and stress that the purpose of the Spirit, the purpose is to grant spiritual gifts severally as He will. Fruits are automatic and given, not grown like fruit.

Still today, the Spirit speaks expressly to us by the Word and even through other believers about signs of the times in fulfilling prophecy for example.

All of the above activities of the Spirit are because He baptizes all believers in Christ and bestows these gifts and whereby we are regenerated or born again.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Getting To Know The Holy Spirit

 The Spirit of God is not an apparition, vapor, essence, force, influence, or phantom.  He actually has a job description that unifies and completes the work of salvation.  The Father planned and purposed it, the Son accomplished and executed it, and the Spirit applies and reveals it. They work as a synergy whereas the sum of the parts has more effect than the individual parts separately together.  Jesus referred to Him as our Comforter or Counselor.  

Here is the shortlist of His tasks to usward: 

Guides to truth   John 16:13

Reveals Jesus    John 16:14

Comforts    John 14:16

Counsels   John 14:26

Imparts wisdom   Eph. 1:17

Prays for us     Romans 8:27

Gives us power Acts 1:8

Helps infirmities and weakness   Rom, 8:26

Gives spiritual gifts  1 Cor. 12:11

Gives spiritual fruit.  Gal. 5:22-23

He is also known to illuminate, enlighten, inspire the Word to us and open our eyes to wondrous things in the Word.  

NB: The Holy Spirit never seeks His own glory or attention but to glorify and reveal Christ to us.

Who Indwells The Christian?

Most Christians will testify that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and hence the third person of the triune God does indeed indwell us. But do you realize that Christ himself has taken up residence if indeed you are born again? Rev. 3:20 which pictures Christ knocking at the door of our heart is a case in point where Jesus seeks to live in our heart and not just in our head as head-knowledge. Paul says in Gal. 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...." We should come to the realization that not only is Christ God Almighty but that He takes up residence within us.



You may say that the word for "in" is to be used figuratively and not literally (Scripture warns against quarreling about words in 1 Tim. 6:4 and 2 Tim. 2:14), but Scripture after Scripture verifies this doctrine, and the clarity of Scripture forces us to take the obvious meaning, rather than argue over the meaning of words, "which only ruins the hearers." Col. 1:27 says that the mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 3:11 says, "...but Christ is all and in all." Rom. 8:10 says, "But if Christ is in you...." Eph. 3:17 says, "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Gal. 4:19 says, "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...." This concept is not taught from this vantage point, simply because most Christians never actualize the role of Christ in their lives. When others see Christ in you, you will know what I mean.



The union with Christ is called the mystical union, or the unio mystica in Latin. If you want to believe that this is only in theory or figurative, I won't call you a heretic; I'll just think that you don't quite get it--Jesus wants to be real to you! In a sense you are denying the Trinity unwittingly, because Jesus, being God, is omnipresent and by definition, there is no conflict with Him living in our hearts (Eph. 3:17 says, "that He may dwell in our hearts by faith")--or do you deny that possibility, thinking that Christ is limited to a physical body in Heaven?




Though Christ became a man He is still, and always was and will be God. (The finite cannot contain the infinite.) "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today and forever." During his earthly humiliation He merely gave up the privileges of Deity and His independent usage of His attributes; He never gave up any of His divine attributes--He is no less God than the Father or the Holy Spirit. And so, Jesus is physically in Heaven seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High, but in spirit, He is omnipresent--just like the Father. Jesus is here in a special way when two or more gather in His name or when we share the Lord's Table as He promised--this is another proof of His omnipresence (N.B. though Christ is in a body, He is not limited by it in His Deity).




The Monophysite heresy said that Christ was either a humanized god or a deified man, but not perfect man--perfect God or the infinite God-Man, as is taught in Scripture. The Chalcedonian definition of Christ was that He had two natures in one person which was neither mixed, confused, separated, or divided. He is vere homo, vere Deus, or truly man, truly God, joined together in a hypostatic union, beyond our comprehension (referred to as the unio mysticall).  'We are not to confuse the nature nor divide the person!  



Martin Luther was attacked for his belief of what became known as "ubiquity." His view was that Christ was physically present in the communion elements, which lead to the doctrines of transubstantiation and consubstantiation. These were wrong views of His omnipresence and I will not fault Luther for not being right on everything--he was human.




Let's not forget the Father, who also takes up residence spiritually. Eph. 4:6 says, "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Yes, the entire Godhead indwells the believer! (1 John 4:15 says, "Whosoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.) A pertinent exhortation is John 15:5 as follows: "Abide in Me and I in you...."This doctrine is the test that Paul used in 2 Cor. 13:5 which says, "Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.    Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless indeed you fail the test."  We are also exhorted to test ourselves at the Lord's Supper in 1 Cor. 11:28.




In summary, we should be as confident as Martin Luther that Christ lives in us. Billy Graham tells of how Martin Luther overcame the devil: "When the devil comes to the door, Jesus answers it, and when he asks for me, Jesus says, 'Martin doesn't live here anymore--I do!'"   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Purpose Of Prayer...

In short, the purpose of prayer is prayer!  We don't pray to achieve our will, but God's will; not to incline God to our way of thinking or to get His approbation of our plans, but to seek to align our wills with His and to straighten out our thinking by seeing His side and coming around to His way of thinking.  It has been said that it's better to have a heart for prayer and to be compassionate than to be articulate in doing so without proper feeling.  We don't come to God with our plans, but seek His plan--and He has no Plan B!  God needs no backup plan.  God will achieve His will, with or without our cooperation and input.  A successful prayer doesn't change God, for He cannot change, but changes us!  Your prayer is answered when you feel transformed and make "contact" so to speak!

We are thus transformed by a personal encounter with the Almighty in the throne room of grace.  We have this awesome privilege, yet rarely fully realize the potential, though the Holy Spirit will put our feeble prayers and words into articulate ones fit for God.  Hence, we can be ourselves in prayer and shouldn't try to be what we aren't--we should pray as we feel wont to do and let the Holy Spirit aid in our weakness.  We all have flaws and need to realize our unworthiness in coming to God and how grace makes it all possible.  And so, the successful prayer reaches out to God's will and seeks it to apply to our needs as well as those of others in the neglected ministry of intercession.

We pray to engage in an ongoing fellowship with God the Father in the name of Jesus the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, but it isn't necessary to be impeccably correct in our doctrine of prayer to be effectual or heard, but if we seek the truth this is what the Bible teaches--it doesn't really matter what we think, but what is taught; however, some prayer warriors do not have a doctrine on prayer at all, but just pray!  The assumption of fellowship is no unconfessed sin:  "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have listened," (Psa. 66:18, ESV).

The best way to accomplish this is by keeping short accounts with God and not let the sin list accumulate--confess instantly upon conviction and you'll find the closer you get to God, the more conscious of sin!   Not knowing etiquette or procedure doesn't render the prayer ineffectual; however, at the most, it's ignorant but God does still hear it.  God would have us not unaware!  The whole purpose of praying constantly in the Spirit is to stay in touch with God in fellowship and open dialogue.

We ought to be so comfortable and natural in prayer that this is the first place we go, not the last resort!  As they say, when we can't stand life, we kneel!  Our trials are meant to keep us on our knees!  A noble goal is to stay in fellowship with God the Father continually no matter our activity, which is called the practice of the presence of God (per Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century Carmelite monk in a monastery). When we realize the potential of the purpose of prayer we can always know we have a friend in Jesus to talk to and someone to sympathize with our weaknesses.  All because He knows that our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak!

Note that the person who doesn't pray has no advantage over the person who can't pray.  We must never feel out of our league or that our anemic prayers aren't getting through!  We all start somewhere and must grow in prayer like a muscle that needs exercise that atrophies without usage but strong as one communes with the Almighty in more and more intimacy.

We must not feel that we have to get our way all the time or our will done and that it's only a matter of faith.  God is only doing the right thing by rejecting some of our prayers because He is wise and is doing what's best for us.  If we only got our way all the time we would foul up our life! We will all thank God for Providence that knows what's best for us!  We must not lose faith that both the efficacy of prayer and the providence of God are both biblical and God has ordained the means to His will as to be accomplished through prayer.  The Greeks sages used to say that when the gods were angry they answered their prayers!

NB:  There are conditions to prayer, such as being in Christ's name, believing, and done according to God's will: God doesn't give us a blank check or carte blanche!  We can celebrate that God condescends to our level and knows our needs and cares enough to promise to meet them. What needs?   God has promised that He will give us everything we need to accomplish His will, and this is the bottom line.

Finally, prayer isn't complete and finished until we have come to the point of relinquishment or full surrender to His will. The greatest prayer is "Thy will be done!"   Even Jesus had to decide whether He was going to go according to His will or the Father's in the agony of Gethsemane.  We all must come to that point of decision, which is not a one-time venture but an ongoing commitment to live for Christ.  We are constantly renewing our relationship, fellowship, and commitment to Christ.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Can Believers Commit Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit?

This is highly debatable and largely depends upon whether one adheres to the doctrine of eternal security, (the perseverance of the saints) or the security of the believer's position in Christ; i.e., what position one assumes determines his outlook.  If you believe you have free will as a believer even to "change your mind" and reject Christ after having been born again and receiving Him, you obviously will believe one thing, and if not, the other side of the coin.  Only those with a sham, a facade, and spurious faith fall away--their departure manifests their true state (cf. 1 John 2:19).  Our salvation is in God's hands (cf. John 10:28), not ours, as was our election, which was an act of divine sovereignty as it was God's election of us, not our election of God.  Our destiny, in toto, is in God's hands (cf. Job 23:14)!  In summation, He saved us (cf. Matt. 1:21; Tit. 3:5); He did.  He keeps us (Jude v. 1);  He does!  He is coming for us (cf. Rev. 22:20; 1 Thess. 4:14-17); He will!

Our destiny is solely in God's hands because salvation is of the Lord (cf. Jonah 2:9; Psa. 3:8, 37:39; Heb. 10:38). There are only three possible scenarios:  We contribute naught! It is not of man alone (cf. John 6:28-29)!  NB:  If we had to do anything, we'd foul it up and fall short!  Neither is salvation of man cooperating with God or of God and man.  But only on the merits of the Lord or of the Lord!  That's the only way there can be security and assurance.  Therefore, it doesn't depend upon human performance, behavior, or conduct.  Salvation is not by our work (cf. John 6:28-29).  We are not saved by good behavior but unto good behavior!  We realize this to be grace-oriented; therefore, we are not under probation as Christians! Scripture vouches for the permanency of salvation (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12; John 6:37), and the continuity in the state of grace regardless of fellowship (cf. Rom. 5:20; 6:1).  We can be pruned and disciplined, but not separated from the state of grace in God (cf. John 10:37-38; Heb. 12:5-6; Psa. 94:12).

Now concerning the issue in question: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.   Some scholars interpret this as the final and complete rejection of Christ; some as attributing the work of God to that of Satan; and some as insulting the Spirit of grace by disparaging and degrading Christ publicly.   One thing we do know is that this sin is done verbally, whether orally or written, and on purpose with the intent to do it knowingly.  The magazine Christianity Today, in surveys, determined that even believers have rejected Christ an average of 7.6 times before accepting Him!  The "Hound of Heaven" keeps pursuing and wooing us!  The reason is that saying it's the rejection of Christ is that it adds nothing to the formula, equation, or doctrine--we already know those who reject Christ are not saved!   One thing for certain:  if someone is worried they have committed this sin, they haven't!  It is a sign of an unrepentant heart!  But God can take any stubborn heart of stone and make it of flesh--and He makes the unwilling willing, causing us to do His will willingly (cf. Phil. 2:13)!

You can search any faith on earth and they all say nice things concerning Jesus and don't blaspheme Him.  Even heretics are reluctant to ascribe sin.  But even thinking Christ was a moral leader, religious martyr, a wise teacher, or what-have-you, is not enough to get a person saved.  Infidels will acknowledge this too, even more, but even calling Him Jesus the Great doesn't do Him justice and is an understatement!  One must accept Him for who He is (i.e., Lord and Savior)--anything less is inadequate and insufficient.  Even secular historians will acknowledge that He changed the course of history and atheists realize His morality and good example.  He didn't come to live a moral life, but to die for our sins and fulfill the law so we could be free. He didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive--to save them and quicken their spirits!

I propose that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 12:32) is something we cannot commit due to our union with Christ.  If we could, then we could lose our salvation!  But we know this is an impossibility.  Jesus was speaking about the possibility of someone doing this.  The Pharisees proclaimed the works of Jesus in His miracles as the works of the devil as if He were a sorcerer or warlock.  Early Jews maintained that Jesus learned this art in Egypt as a child, and some even still maintain this.  It has nothing to do with the profane, abusive language that seems to take the name of the Lord in vain, and Christians are often shocked at what the infidel gets away with, but God is patient and excuses their ignorance.  They need to repent of all their sin and believe in the gospel, not just clean up their gutter mouth. Romans 8:37-39 says that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God--this implies even our own will!  To the believer, no sin is unforgivable--God forgave all our sins (cf. Psa. 103:3).

The lesson we are to learn is not to beware that we commit this sin, but that the Pharisees had gone too far and wouldn't believe no matter what.  They had witnessed first-hand the miracles of Jesus and still wouldn't believe (not couldn't believe; i.e., John 12:37).  The hardness of their hearts was profound and only an example.  Note that what Judas did was forgivable, he just didn't believe Christ could forgive him, though he had remorse.  He had attrition, not contrition, and one must have faith to accompany it, which he didn't have.

We must take the Holy Spirit seriously because He can be offended (cf. Eph. 4:30)!  Believers can quench the Spirit by putting out the fire, and they can grieve the Spirit by continual sin and make Him sad concerning our state in Christ.  Our status or position as justified never changes, but our state of fellowship and sanctification depends upon our walk in Christ, obedience, and confession of sin.  Finally, it's comforting to know that whatever we've done, He will gladly receive us (cf. Lev. 26:44; Psa. 130:3-4; 1 John 1:9ff). Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Unpardonable?

Jesus prayed for those who blasphemed Him in ignorance, but those who were enlightened and maintained their blasphemous spirit were unforgivable. Christians, because of the restraining grace of God working in them cannot commit this sin.  By definition, blasphemy involves words, not thoughts, and is like making a smear campaign against the Lord.  Even in the occult they may curse Jesus out of ignorance and be forgiven--this is a deliberate and known, unrepentant sin.  This sin is clearly an assault on the very nature and good character of God and brings it into question.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is said to be unforgivable in Matt. 12:32, but what does it entail? Is there a point of no return?  Today evangelicals all say that Jesus died for all our sins except rejecting Christ, which would make him consigned to hell as a consequence.  If this is true, how can pagans go to hell that has never heard of Jesus?  It is a proven fact that the average convert doesn't accept Christ until he "rejects" Him seven or eight times (even making a "no decision" is reckoned as rejection).  If rejecting Christ was so serious, why did God continue to convict and work in the person and woo them to Christ repeatedly? Why are people with hardened hearts given a second chance to repent?  God is able to make people with hearts of stone become ones with hearts of flesh (cf. Ezekiel 36:26).

Jesus was addressing and referring to the Pharisees, who regarded His deeds as done by the power of Satan, and attributed His works to be in cahoots with the prince of demons himself--they blasphemed the Holy Spirit's ministry through Him.  The Pharisees actually said, "He has an evil spirit." This is an extremely hard (and is very rare) sin to commit in today's age; nevertheless, it is possible to be so hardened to absolutely and finally to see Christ as a demon or in league with them, and to use the tongue (to speak or write using words) to spread this doctrine perniciously and viciously to do harm to the kingdom of God (false teachers are specifically vulnerable to this type of sin since they are in a position of influence). You can find people of all faiths saying things about Jesus, but they don't go so far as to say he was evil. Even the Muslims admit He was without sin in the Qua'ran and don't attribute His miracles to the devil. Few infidels ever regard Jesus as "evil" but as a good man in their way of thinking, of course.

There are people who have worried about whether they've committed this sin, but if they are concerned they  aren't guilty of it, because it implies a certain unrepentant hardness of heart that seeks to harm the cause of Christ (determinedly, willingly, and knowingly and not flippantly or casually), and not just misunderstand it. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven or sinner too bad to be saved if they repent. No one will be able to tell God they wanted to believe and repent but couldn't.  There is no lack of evidence, so no one has an excuse!  If you think you've committed this sin and are concerned, you haven't and God is still working in you.  However, if someone hardens his heart, God is able to confirm that hardening in judgment (cf. Isaiah 6:10; 63:17).  God hardened Pharaoh's heart after he rejected God's offer and request to let His people go.

We all have to realize that we are at the mercy of God and must sue God for mercy and throw in the towel, humbling ourselves before Him knowing that He is in control of our destiny, not us.  The unpardonable sin is more of a character (it is not just loosely saying something that one might regret or change his mind about) and it is of the Antichrist and not a specific one-time sin or act. The person knowingly and willingly does it without repentance, and has no desire for the things of God or seeking His kingdom.  Soli Deo Gloria!

How To Catch The Spirit

"All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come:" (Job 14:14).
"So you by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God"  (Hosea 12:6).
"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14).

This is how to be filled with the Holy Spirit 101--a primer and very elementary for those who haven't been around the block theologically. You don't catch the Spirit like you catch a cold or by just hanging around well-meaning and Spirit-filled believers (though this may be a contributing factor). Sometimes it may seem like someone has "more" of the Spirit because of his personality or charisma--be leery of this kind of stereotyping and be on guard!  The first order of the day:  (fellowship) Go where the Spirit is!  (For most people this is church.)   May we all join the apostle John:  "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day."

There is a common misconception pertaining to the filling.  Whenever you are led by the Spirit to do something, you are simultaneously filled to the necessary measure (He gives the Spirit without measure)--they go hand-in-hand, i.e., they can be distinguished, but not separated. Being led by the Spirit is another way of saying that you are controlled by the Spirit and not yourself--Jesus is on the throne of your life and you are lifting Him up in service.  The filling is not for your own benefit, but for the building up or edifying of the body of Christ at large. Everyone's personal experience varies and no one can define what it is for another.  "For as many as are led by the Spirit of Christ, these are sons of God."

It is a simple matter to enter into His divine presence via the ministry of the Holy Spirit in order to gain entree or access into that heavenly dimension where the throne of God resides.  It sounds like a surreal experience, but it is for real.  We "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!" (Cf. Psalm 100:4, ESV).  The power of praise is the route of holiness to have an audience with the Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Attitude is often the inhibiting factor in our experiential holiness and lifestyle.  We choose to have an attitude of gratitude and to thank God for what He has done and will do and to praise Him for who He is.

The Spirit affects different people in different ways and we are to welcome the diversity and even celebrate it.  Some people are highly contemplative and find pleasure and meaning in adoration of spiritual ideas and doctrines, some people are highly intellectually inclined and find pleasure in using their minds and figuring things out or studying, while others may be caregivers and are given to lending a hand and meeting a need, that others may not even see. Note that above all we are not to compare ourselves with ourselves, but be faithful to our own calling and gifting (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12). Bear in mind that some people are stoical and some are rather demonstrative and free-spirited in expressing themselves--but there will be feeling--and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to spirituality--don't judge!

Don't get into the trap of gift-projection (thinking everyone should be like you), or gift-envy (thinking you need to be like someone else or have their gift). There is no personality profile to look for (except you may be accused of being inebriated or euphoric--"...the prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad," says Hosea 9:7, ESV), you must be ready to accept whatever God throws your way and whom He puts in your path.

Every believer has a different experience with the Holy Spirit and may have private M.O.s to get excited in the Lord.  For me, intense Bible reading always puts me in the mood because God really speaks to me and this instigates prayer response and dialog.  For some, I hear they listen to praise or worship music or Christian radio and get lifted in the Spirit via this medium.  The best channel of blessing, in my opinion, is a variation or combo of methodologies and not to be too dependent on anyone.  But, if it works for you I won't knock it!  The goal is to get filled and to be equipped for service.

Elisha prayed for twice the Spirit of Elijah and he got it, but that is not normative.  The way it works is that we are all filled with the Spirit upon salvation and this is subject to the grieving that we do by sinning, and when we get out of fellowship we need to rebound back by confessing any known sin or sins, i.e., keep short accounts with God and walk in the Spirit or what Brother Lawrence wrote about in a famous book called The Practice of the Presence of God.   It isn't how much of the Spirit you have--it's how much of you the Spirit has!  Like John the Baptist said:  "He must increase, I must decrease."  The way up is down!

Before filling comes emptying and this is done by examining ourselves and judging ourselves so that we not be judged--leave no sin unjudged or unconfessed is good counsel, and agree with God or say the same thing as the Bible says (the literal meaning of confessing or call a spade a spade!). Newsflash:  We all are filled upon salvation, but remember your first love and the love and relationship you first had with Christ--many brothers have left their first love.  God's power can change your personality as well as your character and God won't give up until He sees Himself in you (a work in progress). So don't hold out on God, He has bought you with a price and owns you.

No believer is a Rock or Island like Christ, and we all need each other's fellowship and encouragement.  Barnabas was called a "son of encouragement!"  We can lift each other up when we are strong and someone is weak and needs us.  Look for opportunities to minister to one another and edify and encourage each other!  No amount of hanging around the right crowd will save you or give you the filling of the Spirit (you must already be saved and in fellowship with God), you must individually make reconciliation with God and settle all accounts, leaving no rock "un-turned."

God promises to give the Spirit to all who ask sincerely because He is a good Father who delights in giving to His children anything that is good.  Do we ask for a filling?  Basically, fillings are for doing God's will and some specific calling or anointing. God commands us to continually and constantly (cf, Eph. 5:18) to be filled with the Spirit--through the manifestation of it will vary according to the need of God's ministry.

There are signs to look for:  joy, love, peace, and patience come to mind--look for the fruit of the Spirit comes alive in your life and in your brothers as the witness of salvation--no fruit, no salvation! We are commanded in 2 Cor. 13:5 to examine ourselves [not each other]. Mind your own business! Consecrate and offer yourself to the Lord to do His bidding and will, whatever the cross to bear! Surely, you must have a passion that is the desire of your heart--"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you," says James 4:8.  To be filled we must be willing to do God's will and submit to it in relinquishment and surrender.  The most ideal prayer is what Jesus prayed at Gethsemane: Thy will be done.

Focus on this:  Wherever two or three are gathered together in Christ's name, He is present spiritually, so it helps to be around other Christians and not live like a hermit or recluse--we need each other and are all part of His body. Fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ as well as our brethren are all part of the bonus and fringe benefit of being saved.  Just as the Godhead is expressed in a tripersonality, or in three persons, so the filling of the Spirit has expressed in the complete body of Christ--no one person is the embodiment or personification of the Spirit-filled believer.  This is why the church is an organism, not an organization--all the members work intricately together to the same end of glorifying Christ.  In sum: In God's economy, emptying comes before filling and confession before forgiveness and restoration.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You Inspired?

I don't want to sound flaky (I do not mean theopneustos or "God-breathed" like Scripture claims), but all Christians have the anointing per 1 John 2:20, and I am not just using that word carelessly or loosely.  Note that Christians don't have a monopoly on definitions.  God can put His words into our mouth and we can prophesy (even Caiaphas did)--there is still the ability to prophesy in the body of Christ--but inspiration applies to more than that.  Do you ever feel moved and influenced by God?  I don't mean the ability to speak ex-cathedra like the Pope when he pontificates and claims to have the infallibility or inerrancy like Scripture.

I believe Shakespeare was "inspired" to use the term loosely--he wasn't just an intellectual giant but possessed a divine gift and calling from God (he claimed to be a Christian, mind you). I've heard people say that they wondered where the Beatles got their "anointing" to have such an impact on a generation.   Poets who write love sonnets must really feel in love and have a passion for what they are writing.  They usually pen these sonnets while in the mood and take advantage of the "spirit" whenever or wherever it might hit them.  To be inspired you must be ready to go with the flow, so to speak, and make the sacrifices.  Many great poets have been bipolar or manic-depressive in their personality type and go through moods of euphoria when they feel especially creative.

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king;  my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer"  (Psalm 45:1).  We all have the anointing as believers according to 1 John 2:20).

You wouldn't believe the love poems I wrote when I was in love and really just had to express it.  I believe inspiration is for all believers if they find their niche and pursue it with all their passion.  Poetry is not just an intellectual thing, but a matter of the spirit of the man and is his connection with God being expressed verbally.  I know of a preacher who said he knew the Bible was inspired because it inspired him.  Many a husband will honestly say that their wives inspire them--for this is the word of love.  Martin Luther claimed that he never prayed or preached better than when he was inspired by anger, his biggest flaw.

Biblical examples of being inspired are David being "moved" by Satan to number Israel in 1 Chron. 21:1; Cyrus the Great being "moved" to liberate the Jews;  and the people being inspired ("having a mind to work") to work in Neh. 4:6 and Jesus telling his disciples not to worry about what to say when they were delivered up to the authorities (Luke 12:12) because the Spirit will give them the words to say at the time.

The Word, according to the Psalms, is supposed to be inspiring to us:   "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path;"   "The entrance of thy Word gives light, it gives understanding unto the simple;"  "For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light;"  Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me." Hosea understood what it was to be persecuted for claiming inspiration: "The prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac"  (Hos. 9:7).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Where Do You Get Your Strength?

We all have a crutch, whether we admit it or not, it could be a spouse, a habit, a drug, an escape, or even religion itself. No man is an "island" nor a "rock" as the song by Simon and Garfunkel goes and the words of John Donne--we all lean on something or someone in a time of stress.  We all know there are no atheists in foxholes.   Man is designed to worship God and get his strength from up above--Sir Francis Bacon said there is a God-shaped vacuum in all of us that can only be filled and satisfied with God Himself.  Ted Turner says, "Christianity is for losers."   Everyone has a god, whether they know it or not; we all worship someone or something.  However, "The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe"  (Prov. 18:10).

 We can all reach our potential in Christ as we tap into divine power.  "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"  (Phil. 4:13).   "He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength"  (Isa. 40:29).   Yes, "Let the weak say, 'I am strong'" (Joel 3:10).  "Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:  that power belongs to God..." (Psa. 62:11).  We have to remember that this power is at our disposal and it is not intrinsic, but extrinsic:  "'...Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6).

God wants all the glory and the credit, so to speak:  "You who rejoice in Lo-debar [nothing], who say, 'Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim [the stronghold] by ourselves?'" (Amos 6:13). Truly "you have done for us all our works" (Isa. 26:12).  "Did we in our strength confide, our striving would be losing...." (says the hymn).   We must bear in mind that "apart from [Christ] we can do nothing"  (John 15:5).  I'm not against good works, just ones done in the flesh in our own power.

Until we realize the power of the Spirit in leading us and the empowerment ministry we are just plodding along in the energy of the flesh and cannot be rewarded.  All our works will be evaluated as to whether they were done in the right spirit and motive.  We must work "with all his energy which he powerfully works within [us]" (Col. 1:29).  He is able to do more than we can ask, "according to the power at work within us"  (Eph. 3:20).

In witnessing it is necessary to get the prompting and the leading and the open door of the Holy Spirit:  "And you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you..."  (Acts 1:8).  "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work according to his good pleasure"  (Phil. 2:13).  Knowing that it is God and not us is key and then we come to a knowledge of Christ working in us:  "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection..."  (Phil. 3:10).

We don't want to be self-confident,  but God-confident and faithfully proclaim, "The joy of the LORD is [our] strength"  (Neh. 8:10).    In summation, let me quote the Apostle Paul, who went on to boast in the Lord:  "I venture not to speak, but of what Christ has accomplished through me"  (Rom. 15:18).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Who Indwells The Christian?

Most Christians will testify that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and hence the third person of the triune God does indeed indwell us. But do you realize that Christ himself has taken up residence if indeed you are born again? Rev. 3:20 which pictures Christ knocking at the door of our heart is a case in point where Jesus seeks to live in our heart and not just in our head as head-knowledge. Paul says in Gal. 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...." We should come to the realization that not only is Christ God Almighty but that He takes up residence within us.

You may say that the word for "in" is to be used figuratively and not literally (Scripture warns against quarreling about words in 1 Tim. 6:4 and 2 Tim. 2:14), but Scripture after Scripture verifies this doctrine, and the clarity of Scripture forces us to take the obvious meaning, rather than argue over the meaning of words, "which only ruins the hearers." Col. 1:27 says that the mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 3:11 says, "...but Christ is all and in all." Rom. 8:10 says, "But if Christ is in you...." Eph. 3:17 says, "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Gal. 4:19 says, "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...." This concept is not taught from this vantage point, simply because most Christians never actualize the role of Christ in their lives. When others see Christ in you, you will know what I mean.

The union with Christ is called the mystical union, or the unio mystica in Latin. If you want to believe that this is only in theory or figurative, I won't call you a heretic; I'll just think that you don't quite get it--Jesus wants to be real to you! In a sense you are denying the Trinity unwittingly, because Jesus, being God, is omnipresent and by definition, there is no conflict with Him living in our hearts (Eph. 3:17 says, "that He may dwell in our hearts by faith")--or do you deny that possibility, thinking that Christ is limited to a physical body in Heaven?

Though Christ became a man He is still, and always was and will be God. (The finite cannot contain the infinite.) "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today and forever." During his earthly humiliation He merely gave up the privileges of Deity and His independent usage of His attributes; He never gave up any of His divine attributes--He is no less God than the Father or the Holy Spirit. And so, Jesus is physically in Heaven seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High, but in spirit, He is omnipresent--just like the Father. Jesus is here in a special way when two or more gather in His name or when we share the Lord's Table as He promised--this is another proof of His omnipresence (N.B. though Christ is in a body, He is not limited by it in His Deity).

The Monophysite heresy said that Christ was either a humanized god or a deified man, but not perfect man--perfect God or the infinite God-Man, as is taught in Scripture. The Chalcedonian definition of Christ was that He had two natures in one person which was neither mixed, confused, separated, or divided. He is vere homo, vere Deus or truly man, truly God, joined together in a hypostatic union, beyond our comprehension (referred to as the unio mysticall).  'We are not to confuse the nature nor divide the person!  

Martin Luther was attacked for his belief of what became known as "ubiquity." His view was that Christ was physically present in the communion elements, which lead to the doctrines of transubstantiation and consubstantiation. These were wrong views of His omnipresence and I will not fault Luther for not being right on everything--he was human.

Let's not forget the Father, who also takes up residence spiritually. Eph. 4:6 says, "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Yes, the entire Godhead indwells the believer! (1 John 4:15 says, "Whosoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.) A pertinent exhortation is John 15:5 as follows: "Abide in Me and I in you...."This doctrine is the test that Paul used in 2 Cor. 13:5 which says, "Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.    Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless indeed you fail the test."  We are also exhorted to test ourselves at the Lord's Supper in 1 Cor. 11:28.

In summary, we should be as confident as Martin Luther that Christ lives in us. Billy Graham tells of how Martin Luther overcame the devil: "When the devil comes to the door, Jesus answers it, and when he asks for me, Jesus says, 'Martin doesn't live here anymore--I do!'"   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Proves Our Love For God?

"For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). "...And they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31b). When we have the filling of the Holy Spirit (God grants anointing at His discretion to do His will) we will be led to share the good news of Christ, and will have what's called the "can't help-its." We speak of what is in our heart and our tongue, which cannot be controlled, betrays us. 2 Cor. 4:13 says, "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believed and therefore speak." Philemon 6 is a blessing on us to have the ability to share the gospel.  (See also Psalm 51:15:  "O LORD, open thou mine lips....")   The door of utterance must be opened, it isn't automatic--we are not to be "machine-gun" evangelists (aiming en masse and not individually targeted), but "sharp-shooters (at a specific target)." And so witnessing is a sure sign of love for God; it is obeying the Great Commission.

Some people describe their conversion experience like "falling in love" with Jesus. This is commendable, but usually what the case is, is that this wears off, like a honeymoon in a marriage, and things become more normal. (However, it is wonderful to be around a baby Christian that has just found salvation.) When one is in love one supposedly talks about that person (but hopefully he talks to that person more). One does talk about things he is interested in or cares about--if you love sports, you will discuss it. But one can love and not talk about someone but to someone. For instance, I love my mom very much and talk to her virtually every day for lengthy discussions, but I do not go around talking "about" her. If you are married, do you want your wife talking about you or talking to you? Actually, you would rather have her submit than talk about you.

1 Sam. 15:22 says that "to obey is better than sacrifice...." Jesus also said, "If you love Me you will keep My commandments." Nowhere does it say if you love Jesus you will talk about Him (Jesus said to Peter, "Do you love Me?...Feed My sheep!)--it is implied that if you witness and share the gospel that He will come up, but you don't necessarily go on a mission to talk exclusively about Jesus, like a Jesus freak. A balanced Christian talks about many subjects, and lets God open doors and waits for His timing--earning the right to be heard, not forcing oneself on someone.

I spent several minutes today talking about King David; however, I cannot say that I love him--I love the Lord. (Just talking about something doesn't mean you love the subject--you may just like to talk, and this even applies to discuss theological topics.) "Falling in love with the Lord" is not biblical terminology. Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, to feed His sheep, not to talk about him, there is a difference.

If you fell in love is past tense, "do you love" is present tense. The point is, is that we are not to live in the past on some experience but to evaluate the here and now. One could fall in love, and also out of love to extend the analogy. The unbeliever is a "son of disobedience," not a silent person. Talk can be cheap and some people are just talkers or have the gift of gab. We are to love not in word or in a tongue, but in deed and in truth, according to 1 John 3:18. We are to be a people zealous of good works and to love the brethren and so prove our discipleship.

A relationship based upon emotion is shallow, indeed; God wants saving faith that results in true heartfelt love, not emotionalism per se (faith, not emotionalism pleases God). There is a command to delight in the Lord through: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the delights of your heart" (Ps. 37:4). This called Christian "hedonism" by John Piper; true faith always results in love for the Lord.   Soli Deo Gloria!