The Empowering Presence of the Holy Spirit
One of Christianity’s fundamental beliefs is that there is one God, who is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person of the Trinity has unique functions, and interacts with us in particular ways.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is one that cannot be overstated. It is the Holy Spirit who draws us to Jesus by convicting us of sin and convincing us that we need a Savior. It is the Holy Spirit who dwells in us when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. And it is the Holy Spirit who fills us, leads us, and empowers us each day as we yield to Him.
Reducing the ministry of the Holy Spirit to a particular denomination or movement (Pentecostals and Charismatics, for example) causes a person to miss the relational work of the Holy Spirit in one’s own life.
Jesus emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in two ways. First of all, Jesus Himself was filled with, led by, and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14). In a single chapter, Matthew highlights three ways the Holy Spirit was evident in Jesus’ life and ministry (Matthew 12):
- Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.” (v. 18)
- Jesus’ miracles were the result of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (v. 28)
- Jesus considered the Person and work of the Holy Spirit to be essential, not optional. “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (v. 32)
In addition to His own need for the Holy Spirit, Jesus strongly exhorted His followers to be baptized with (filled with) the Holy Spirit, and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, teach, and empower them. John’s gospel takes several chapters (13-16) to share Jesus’ last words to His disciples, in which the role of the Holy Spirit is repeatedly and significantly emphasized.
To the degree that you open yourself to the fullness of God’s Spirit, you will be empowered to live the life He has destined for you. A Spirit-filled person is not only fulfilled, he or she impacts the world.
A Prayer for Spirit-fullness
Jesus, thank You for saving me by giving Your life for me. From Your example and from Your word, I realize my need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I ask You now, in faith and expectancy: Will You fill me today with Your Spirit? I know You will, beacuse You said, “Ask and you shall receive.”
Holy Spirit, I welcome Your presence, Your leadership, and Your power in my life. Help me to live a life that pleases my Father. Empower me to witness and minister to others about Jesus. Teach me and guide me into truth. I receive every gift You desire to give me, and I commit myself to discipleship and personal growth, bearing the fruit of the Spirit in my daily life.
There is nothing or no one I desire more than You, God. I hunger for You. I thirst for You. My life is Yours in every way.
Today I receive the indwelling, overflowing, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name! Amen!
Praise is Not Merely Your Gift to God; Praise is God’s Gift to You
Praise is a choice, not a feeling. It’s easy to associate emotions with praise, because praise ushers into your life the manifest presence of God, which often prompts deep feelings of gratitude and joy.
Praise, however, is not limited by how I feel. In fact, my choice to praise God when I don’t feel like it may be the strongest praise I can offer to God – it says, “Father, You are worthy of praise and I choose to give you praise in spite of my circumstances or feelings.”
My worship of God is my acknowledgement and gratitude for what He does and who He is. When I face difficulty I can still praise God for who He is – His faithfulness, His love, His power, His presence. Knowing who He is gives me faith to know what He will do.
Praise and worship are not merely matters of the heart, they are to be expressed from the mouth. Your words are a powerful force in the spiritual realm. With your words you can defeat the enemy and direct the course of your own life. The psalmist David knew the power of praising God out loud:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalms 34:1 ESV
No matter what you may be facing today, don’t let the enemy steal your song. Anger can’t remain where worship abides. Depression must give way to the joy of the Lord. God’s peace and presence awaits your decision to enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise.
Praise is not merely your gift to God; it is God’s gift to you.
As Long As You Are In Charge, You Are god.
The Church’s message is not only to be proclaimed, but also lived out. It has been said, “There are five gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and you – and most people never read the first four.”
One of the challenges the Church faces in each generation is to speak and live in a way that makes sense to the surrounding culture. Jesus was able to relate to the rich, the poor, young, old, religious, and heathen alike – and He did so without ever compromising the truth.
While striving toward cultural relevance the Church must guard against religious pluralism. Sadly, significant numbers of “Christians” have merely added Jesus to their growing list of religious or spiritual beliefs and practices.
Instead of fully repenting (literally “turning away”) from their old life, they just drag Jesus along with them on their same journey. Instead of allowing Jesus to bring radical change to our mindsets and practices, they only allow Him to make minor modifications.
This, my friends, is not Christianity at all. No one can claim Jesus as “Lord,” while still ruling his or her own life. As long as you are in charge, you are god.
Paul warned against this kind of deception, and the false prophets who indoctrinate others to believe such lies. Paul boldly contended that Satan Himself is behind both the lies and the liars.
“For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”
2 Corinthians 11:4, 14-15 ESV
Our humanistic predispositions lead us to self idolatry – living our daily lives in worship of ourselves, and even expecting the God of the Universe to do what we ask Him to do.
What we call “prayer” is often an order from a master to his Servant. What we call “worship” is, in reality, an expectation for God to make us feel better about our sinful state. If we read God’s Word, we ignore ultimate truths in order to find phrases that agree with what we already believe and are unwilling to concede.
This, my friends, is not Christianity at all. It is idolatry dressed in church clothes.
No other god will be in heaven, even if you are that god.
There is only one way to eternal life in God’s Heaven – you must lay down your scepter, your crown, your right to the throne. You must bow. You must cry out in repentance for your sin and selfishness, acknowledging that you are NOT God, and that you NEED God, and that Jesus, the Son of God is the only way to God, and that you will forever, wholeheartedly serve HIM and build HIS kingdom at the expense of your own.
That, my friends, is Christianity. And you will find, like I have, that to be a child of God is so much better than being god.
I Am Stubborn When…
Recently Carrie and I participated in a gathering in which we were asked to “complete the following sentences.” One of the sentences began, “I am stubborn when…”
I wrote my answer. Then I asked Carrie what she wrote. We had the same answer, “I am stubborn when I am right.” Haha! The problem is when both of us think we’re right!
In 1 Corinthians Paul describes what love really looks like. One of the characteristics of love is:
“[Love] does not insist on its own way…”1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV
Even when I think I’m right, or have a better plan, I don’t have to have my way! Success may not be determined by which path you choose, but by the health of the relationship with the one with whom you are walking.
Notwithstanding the fact that there are certain biblical principles that are are clearly defined as “right” and “wrong,” more times than not, there are a variety of approaches to the smaller decisions of life.
In other words, more than one person can be “right”, even if they are different. Or, in the words of the old saying, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” (That phrase is quite disturbing, isn’t it?)
Today, let’s choose to love people by not demanding our own way. Maybe a different way is just the refreshment we need – and maybe it’s more about the person than the path anyway.
Death by Degrees
Sunday morning during church I was singing to the Lord with my hands held high and my eyes closed. I tend to move a bit when I worship. When I opened my eyes I realized I was no longer facing the worship leader, but had unknowingly turned to the left. Although I don’t think anyone else noticed, I laughed at myself.
It’s easy to get off course, and it usually happens incrementally – little by little.
If a pilot calibrates his or her course and is off by just a little bit, the desired destination can be missed by miles! In fact, the further you go while off course, the farther you will be from where you wanted to go.
The Apostle Paul gave the believers in Galatia a needed course-correction. They had come to faith in Jesus Christ, but were had begun to go back to old ways of thinking and former practices which were unfruitful at best.
You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Galatians 5:7 ESV
In other words, Paul asked, “Where did you get off course? You’re heading in the wrong direction!”
- Divorces begin with small deviations.
- Failed businesses can be traced back to small steps in the wrong direction.
- Health issues often begin with a few poor choices.
- Moral falls start with small compromises.
If we aren’t careful we can experience death by degrees. Little by little, the enemy deceives us and we make decisions that put us off course. The longer we go without a course correction, the further we get from all that God desires for us.
Pastor Dale Jenkins 