The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit was not a subject I heard much about in the small New Mexico church in which I was raised. The only time "IT" was mentioned was when comments were made about "Holy Rollers" who, it was said, beat themselves with cactus and rolled around on the floor. There were also ideas shared that people who believed in the Holy Spirit were primarily looking for miracles and the ones they found were not anything like the immediate indisputable ones that Jesus performed. The Spirit was not a subject which aroused much interest in my world.

As time went by, in my College years (68-72), the Spirit began to be talked about more often. Mostly the subject came up in the context of the miraculous. During this time I had a discussion with a "Pentocostal" who said he could heal and I just happened to have a sprained ankle which was covered by my "bell bottom" pants (it was 1973). He prayed over me and I can honestly say I prayed too. My ankle remained sprained.

So the Holy Spirit, His purpose and His work,remained to me a mystery and honestly I avoided conversations about the subject. In about 1985- I had been preaching for 13 years - I decided my fears about the Spirit needed to be addressed. I began my own study of the topic. I decided not to read any books written by others and to begin in Matthew and read through the New Testament writing down everything the Book had to say about the Spirit. Needless to say my mind was opened - as open I suppose any human's mind can be - and I was happy to learn about the Spirit and to and see how He had worked and was working in my life.

For the next few (or many) BLOGS I will seek to share what I have learned. I hope it is beneficial for those who might choose to read. I solicite comments and even argument although my purpose is not to turn this space or my time into an arena for a debate.

Please know that I am on a spiritual journey and since I have been called to preach I try and share what I have learned with others. My only desire is to know the Father, the Incarnate Word and the Spirit left by Jesus when he left this earth. Foree

ASSEMBLY

Take a walk through the New Testament and in truth you will not come across many scriptures which have to do with Christian ASSEMBLY (church). When you do come across them (1 Corr. 11-14; Heb. 10:23-25) you find that the focus of assembly time was primarily HORIZONTAL - that is person to person. The believers gathered and their time was spent trying to encourage and strengthen one another. WORSHIP in the NT is really about the life we live and so worshipers gathered together to encourage one another to "hang in there" the rest of the time. They studied and prayed and communed and all of it was done because they needed it. Paul in 1 Corinthians, told the Corinthians over and over again to do what they did in assembly for the benefit of others. He even told them to wait on each other before they communed. In 1 Cor. 14he tells them to take turns, listen when another is speaking and do everything in an orderly manner so that all who attend can understand and be edified. Christian assembly is really much more horizontally directed than vertically. It was meant to be the support group for believers to give them the courage to live for Jesus every day. Foree

Lead us not into temptation.

This is a troublesome request to me. I know the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. HE did not do the tempting but he took Jesus there. I assume Jesus needed that experience in his walk here. Maybe that had to take place so that he would be tempted like us yet without sin. It happened before his ministry began. He was in the wilderness to learn to trust God. It brought him closer to the Father as he began his journey to the cross.

The Father allows us to be tempted - look at Adam and Eve - but he never tempts James says. So we ask us not to take us there knowing, as Jesus did, it would come. Hence, "deliver us from the evil one." The Father who brings us will carry is through. The whole dance is about faith in Him.

I have no doubt temptation will come in many ways. I have no doubt it will be a struggle. AND I have no doubt the Father and the Spirit and the Word and Jesus himself will help me through....this is our faith. Also it is part of our journey.

Forgive and Being Forgiven

Some clsoing words frm Jesus which connect our forgiveness from Him with our ability to forgive. This is perhaps our greatest calling from the lord. It is like His demand that we love our enemies and poray for those who are against us. These are indeed hard sayings for those who follow.

It is rather easy to accept forgiveness from God. Who wants to hang on to sins committed, reliving them over and over again??? God says he forgives and it is done. It is true that we sometimes have a hard time forgicing ourselves but generally we get the job done.

Now, on to more difficult issues - forgiving others. It is so easy to hold a grudge or become bitter and hang on to offenses from others. IT is rather painless to withdraw from someone who has offended and just ignore their presence and act as if they do not exist.

Jesus disallows such behavior. Our forgiveness is tied to our abilty to forgive. If I cannot forgive what does that say about my relationship with God? Foree

Give Us Our Daily Bread - A Double Edged Sword

God is the one who sustains us. Regardless of our ability to earn, that ability comes from God. Help me Father to not become focused on human achievement. Thank you for giving humanity the abilities we have to work and accumulate things and enjoy this world you made. Help me to realize and embrace the truth that while human ability and achievement is a blessing from you it is a double edged sword. The gift to earn and acquire can become the idol of my life. The friends you bring to me can replace your presence if I am not careful. The human spirit with all of its advantages can become a spirit of pride and arrogance. My thinking capacity, a blessing from you, can be so complex that I decide faith is no longer needed. Thank you Father for giving me the necessities of life. Help those gifts not to become my god.

Read the story of Babel in Genesis 11. God endowed people with the creative ability to build and achieve. That same ability drove them to "make a name for themselves." Their God given talent crowded God out. They forgot their bread came from Him. Foree

YOUR WILL BE DONE

This is my request to God. My desires, goals, requests and pleas are all centered around my desire for God to do HIS WILL. Help me Father to be obedient to your agenda and not to mine. Correct me when I get on the wrong road. Convict me when I give into my own desire and think I know what is best for me. Help me avoid being fooled by the Tempters persuasions. Give me the grace I need to perform in life for you and you alone.

When Jesus was in the garden his humanity sought freedom from the suffering of the cross when he said "...let this cup pass from me..." But he preceded it with "If it be your will" by saying "not my will but yours be done." This was the faith of Jesus. "I am willing to do whatever your will is that I do."

We can always trust the faithful Father who knows more than we know. His will is always best for us. Our will is to do His will. foree

Have a read and see where you fit....

Latest reports are that five terorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches. They have been identified as:

Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin.

Their leader, Lucifer Bin Workin, trained these groups to hinder the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy.

However, there have been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell group known by the name Bin Prayin is actually the only effective counter terrorism force in the church. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.

Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. we have noticed that the Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin watchin, Bin waitin, Bin Fastin, and Bin longin for the Master Jesus to return to Rapture the Church.

No church is exempt; however, you can spot them if you bin lookin and bin goin.
Someone else wrote this but i found it intersting....foree