10 Signs that We Don’t Believe in the Power of the Holy Spirit

I read this today after having a similar conversation with a friends recently.  

Courtesy of Tony Morgan ~ I was thinking about how little we talk about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christ-followers. I began to consider how I live out my life, and, I was convicted…which, by the way, is one indication that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives. I thought it might be good to consider the conversation here especially as it relates to leaders in the Church. Based on that, here are…

1.We are experiencing anxiety and bitterness in our lives rather than joy and kindness. (Galatians 5:22-23)

2.We can’t remember the last time we prayed for the people we lead. (Romans 8:26)

3.The churches we lead aren’t growing and reaching more people. (Acts 9:31)

4.The churches we lead aren’t outreach focused. (Acts 1:8)

5.We think it’s our responsibility to convict people of sin. (John 16:8)

6.We are stuck in sinful patterns rather than pursuing the things of God. (Galations 5:16:17)

7.We think we have the power to change people. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

8.We are more concerned about the rules than we are our freedom in Christ. (Galations 3:2-3)

9.We think we can explain the mysteries of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

10.We are creating division and aren’t promoting unity within the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

It might be good to begin the week and this next season of ministry by studying and praying through this list. My prayer is that your life and your ministry would continue to experience its fullest potential in the power of the Holy Spirit.

dave

There's no other place

Just heard this song and was reminded that our hope is not in this world, but the next.  Keep your eyes on the Eternal Kingdom of God almighty!  Never look to man for the answers, we come up empty every time.


When I'm all alone, And the weight of the world is more than I can bear on my own
When all my plans have failed, and I suffered defeat
I'm down on my knees, I can't get to my feet

Your love breaks through, and reminds me of the hope that I have in You. That I have in You

There's no other place that I'd rather be. Than safe in the arms, the arms of my Savior
There's no other place where I can be free. So I run to the arms, the arms of my Savior

When I'm feeling overwhelmed, like I can't take anymore
I've thrown up my hands, all I see is the floor
I've looked to the north, the south, the west, and the east
But as far as I can see, I can't find any peace

Your grace breaks through, and reminds me of the hope that I have in You. That I have in You

Life shouldn't be something to dread, cause I know You still know
How many hairs are in my head, and so I run to You, and so I run to You


Lincoln Brewster "The Arms of my Savior"


 

Know the Word

Lately I have been challenged more and more to know God's word.  Not to just hear it or to glimpse over it in a daily devotional, but to explore it for myself 

One of he first things that I realized is that knowing God's word is a dangerous thing.  It teaches us, it guides and instructs us.  It literally has the power to change us. Seriously?  Read John 1 

So if we begin to read God's word daily, shouldn't we then be able to learn God's word and His word to our lives?  We should!  But many times we don't.

The problem is that we expect other people to tell us or show us what God is all about.  We trust preachers and teachers to instruct and inform.  We wait for a spiritual moment or an event that will enlighten us.  Too many times we do not take the time or make an effort to sit down to meditate and read through God's word for ourselves.  

Most Americans own a Bible. In fact, 92% of households in America own at least one copy.  Of those households that own a Bible, the average number of Bibles is three.  This includes not only the homes of practicing Christians but hundreds of thousands of atheists as well.  Although most Americans own a Bible, use of the Bible varies significantly.  In a poll taken by the Gallup Organization, 59% of Americans reported that they read the Bible at least occasionally.  The percentage of Americans who read the Bible at least once a week is 37%. Wow 37%! So do we really "know" God's word?

Ponder this; If you are a Christ follower, then people should be able to look for—and find—fruit in your life. Why? Because a disciple of Jesus Christ will produce spiritual fruit. Jesus said, " 'My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father'" (John 15:8 NLT). Jesus also said, "'By their fruits you will know them'" (Matthew 7:20 NKJV).

Love one another, create fruit.  It's in the good book.  It's God's word. 
dave

Be thankful

In my quiet time this morning I was reflecting on appreciation. Last night was a pretty late night for me. I left the church around 10:30 or so after we finished a rare, late, band practice. On my way home I got a text from my wife telling me that she had gotten sick and she was not feeling any better. Anyone who is married with children knows how important a stay-at-home mom is to the delicate structure of family life. So aside from the natural concern for her health and well being, I went into “What can I do” mode.

What can I do? I realized that the boys and I are totally are dependent on her. She fills so many gaps and holes in our household that we many times do nothing and magically things get done. Wow! Do we live our lives depending on someone or being co-dependent? There is a difference, look it up.

Our culture is such that it has provided a way for all of us to live our lives expecting other people to do everything for us. We are dependent on so many things. We depend on having gas dropped into the ground for us to pump into our cars, food stocked on store shelves. We even depend on news and entertainment being “on demand” and piped directly into our homes and cell phones.

So what? It’s the American way! I agree, it has certainly become the norm. I am not suggesting that we all move out into some far corner of a vast wilderness and learn how to hunt and kill our own food. And that we build our own houses and plant our own crops. I am simply offering up one simple thought…………be thankful.

While I looked at my wife resting this morning I was reminded of how wonderful she is to do all that she does for our family. She never complains, she never has a second thought. Why? If you asked her, she would tell you that she is thankful to have her boys in her life. Thankful.

So if you have not done it lately, take a moment and thank God for all of the people in your life that you are thankful for. Then go one step further and tell them how much they mean to you. Call them, text them, facebook them, or whatever it takes to let them know that you appreciate them.

thank•ful –adjective - feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

Blessings,

dave

Why is Easter so important?

Some call it Easter, some call it Resurrection Sunday. Whatever you choose to call it is not as important as the event and the purpose of Jesus’ resurrection.

The timing of the crucifixion and His resurrection was no accident. It happened during "Passover" and during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But Dave, why was “Passover” so important? It was important because it commemorated God's "passing over" the Hebrew's homes by the angel of death (Exodus 12:29). In the book of Exodus the Bible tells that God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Hebrew slaves, with the tenth plague being the killing of all of the firstborn, from the Pharaoh's son to the firstborn of the dungeon captive, to the firstborn of cattle. The Hebrew’s were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes, hence the term "passover".

When Pharaoh freed the Hebrews, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover, no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread". Matza (flat unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday. Together with Shavnot ("Pentecost") and Sukkot ("Tabernacles"), Passover is one of the 3 pilgrimage festivals during which the entire Jewish populace historically made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Festival or Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with unleavened bread (bread made without yeast) and sacrificing an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. Jesus stood in as the final unblemished, sacrificial lamb (the lamb of God). He went to the cross for our sin. Yours and mine.

But the cross is only half of the miracle. Jesus died. No doubt about it. Jesus died on the cross. They buried Him, they closed the tomb and He was done. What makes this story so amazing is that Jesus rose from the grave. Paul emphasized the importance of the resurrection by saying this:

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”.

Without Jesus returning from the grave every purpose of Christ would be unfulfilled and the foundation of Christianity would have fallen apart.

So Easter is important because it honors the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It honors God's provision for the perfect and final sacrifice for man's sins. With this provision, mankind has been given the opportunity for a new life of forgiveness and an escape from the bondage of sin.

Happy Easter everyone!

Thank you Jesus!!

dave

One Church, or many?

Professing Christianity believes that God’s Church is split into different branches. Perhaps the Methodists best explain the common position of Christianity: “Nourished by common roots of this shared Christian heritage, the branches of Christ’s church have developed diverse traditions that enlarge our store of shared understandings. Our avowed ecumenical commitment as United Methodists is to gather our own doctrinal emphases into the larger Christian unity, there to be made more meaningful in a richer whole” (emphasis ours).

While this sounds honorable, is it what Christ intended? Are there to be many groups of “diverse traditions” all with their own “doctrinal emphasis”?

Even the Roman Catholics, who, for the most part, believe that God’s Church cannot be divided, say this: “Those [outside the Roman Catholic Church] who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church” (Catech 838).

Again, are all these differing groups what Jesus intended?

The Bible is clear that the Church—Christ’s Body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18)—is unified. Think about this:

• I Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

• I Corinthians 12:25: “…there should be no schism in the body.”

• Ephesians 4:16: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together [Moffat translation: “welded together”] and compacted by that which every joint supplies.”

Do these scriptures describe the condition of the modern Church today? The answer is clear! The world is filled with all sorts of different groups professing to be Christian, and most profess that the other competing groups are also Christian. Yet, notice Christ’s words: “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25). The Greek word for “stand” can also mean “abide, continue, be established, hold up.” A house or any organization cannot stand—abide, continue, hold up—if divided. Yet, the world of Christianity is divided!

Would Christ have built His Church to contradict His statement in Mark 3:25? Of course not. Simply put, Christ said, “I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18)—not churches!

My prayer, my new found passion is unification of the church……....God’s united people. If you are a follower of Christ, help me remind our brothers and sisters that the time for division is over. Christ followers must begin to re-unite

dave

Different Churches?

Two billion people on earth profess to be Christian. In other words, nearly every third person believes he is following Jesus Christ and the Bible.  Dominant in Western nations, Christianity is the world’s most popular religion, appearing in all sorts of shapes, sizes, varieties and flavors.  Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions, described the world of Christianity this way: “From the majestic pontifical High Mass in St. Peter’s to the quiet simplicity of a Quaker meeting; from the intellectual sophistication of Saint Thomas Aquinas to the moving simplicity of spirituals such as ‘Lord, I want to be a Christian,’ from St. Paul’s in London, the parish Church of Great Britain, to Mother Teresa in the slums of Calcutta—all this is Christianity.” Was he correct? Is this the picture of true Christianity?

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different churches around? Have you ever thought to yourself, “Is this what Jesus meant when He said, ‘I will build my Church’?” Also “What is the difference between these churches?” or which one is the exact continuation of the original first-century Church?”

If you are a spiritual person, then your beliefs are important to you. Your faith is probably the central part of your life. Have you ever examined the traditional view of Christianity? Have you actually compared it to the Bible? Or do you simply assume that the church that you attend is correct?  I am fortunate to have always had very forward thinking Christians around me. They taught me to not to take the answers to these questions lightly.

Would an early Christian be able to tell you what Christianity would look like in 2,000 years? Certainly not. I think they would be a little surprised to see all of the different churches around too. The one thing that has remained the same over all of those year is God's word, the Bible. Since the Bible is the very foundation of Christianity, it clearly holds all of the answers.

So why are there so many different groups today calling themselves Christian? The simplest answer is that they all teach different things. If they taught the same doctrines, then they would be united as one true church. The book of Acts begins with the birth of the New Testament Church. Therefore, this would be the place to begin. Notice how the Church was described after 3,000 people were baptized in one day, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” Acts 2:4

Why is this significant? The two most defining features of God’s Church are evident: steadfast continuation in (1) the apostles’ doctrine (teachings), and (2) fellowship. Then, after verse 43 explains that the fear of God was apparent in “every soul,” verse 44 adds, “…all that believed were together.” Verse 46 also says that they continued to be of “one accord (in agreement),” meeting together “daily” in various houses in “singleness of heart.”  The Church that God designed was unified! Not divided in varying and disagreeing groups all calling themselves Christian.

This is the kind of stuff that I have been reading in the book of Acts and looking to see in the local church. Tomorrow I wanna talk about “One Church or Many”

til then,
dave

Christians can be bad for Christianity

I read this a while ago and stumbled across it again today. I want to share it with you because I find a very Christ-like simpleness in Shane Claiborne and I am often encouraged by his honest thoughts and ideas. These are his words in response to some criticism he was under late in '09.

Forgive us. Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God.

The other night I headed into downtown Philly for a stroll with some friends from out of town. We walked down to Penn's Landing along the river, where there are street performers, artists, musicians. We passed a great magician who did some pretty sweet tricks like pour change out of his iPhone, and then there was a preacher. He wasn't quite as captivating as the magician. He stood on a box, yelling into a microphone, and beside him was a coffin with a fake dead body inside. He talked about how we are all going to die and go to hell if we don't know Jesus.

Some folks snickered. Some told him to shut up. A couple of teenagers tried to steal the dead body in the coffin. All I could do was think to myself, I want to jump up on a box beside him and yell at the top of my lungs, "God is not a monster." Maybe next time I will.

The more I have read the Bible and studied the life of Jesus, the more I have become convinced that Christianity spreads best not through force but through fascination. But over the past few decades our Christianity, at least here in the United States, has become less and less fascinating. We have given the atheists less and less to disbelieve. And the sort of Christianity many of us have seen on TV and heard on the radio looks less and less like Jesus.

At one point Gandhi was asked if he was a Christian, and he said, essentially, "I sure love Jesus, but the Christians seem so unlike their Christ." A recent study showed that the top three perceptions of Christians in the U. S. among young non-Christians are that Christians are 1) antigay, 2) judgmental, and 3) hypocritical. So what we have here is a bit of an image crisis, and much of that reputation is well deserved. That's the ugly stuff. And that's why I begin by saying that I'm sorry.

Now for the good news.

I want to invite you to consider that maybe the televangelists and street preachers are wrong — and that God really is love. Maybe the fruits of the Spirit really are beautiful things like peace, patience, kindness, joy, love, goodness, and not the ugly things that have come to characterize religion, or politics, for that matter. (If there is anything I have learned from liberals and conservatives, it's that you can have great answers and still be mean... and that just as important as being right is being nice.)

The Bible that I read says that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to save it... it was because "God so loved the world." That is the God I know, and I long for others to know. I did not choose to devote my life to Jesus because I was scared to death of hell or because I wanted crowns in heaven... but because he is good. For those of you who are on a sincere spiritual journey, I hope that you do not reject Christ because of Christians. We have always been a messed-up bunch, and somehow God has survived the embarrassing things we do in His name. At the core of our "Gospel" is the message that Jesus came "not [for] the healthy... but the sick." And if you choose Jesus, may it not be simply because of a fear of hell or hope for mansions in heaven.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe in the afterlife, but too often all the church has done is promise the world that there is life after death and use it as a ticket to ignore the hells around us. I am convinced that the Christian Gospel has as much to do with this life as the next, and that the message of that Gospel is not just about going up when we die but about bringing God's Kingdom down. It was Jesus who taught us to pray that God's will be done "on earth as it is in heaven." On earth.

One of Jesus' most scandalous stories is the story of the Good Samaritan. As sentimental as we may have made it, the original story was about a man who gets beat up and left on the side of the road. A priest passes by. A Levite, the quintessential religious guy, also passes by on the other side (perhaps late for a meeting at church). And then comes the Samaritan... you can almost imagine a snicker in the Jewish crowd. Jews did not talk to Samaritans, or even walk through Samaria. But the Samaritan stops and takes care of the guy in the ditch and is lifted up as the hero of the story. I'm sure some of the listeners were ticked. According to the religious elite, Samaritans did not keep the right rules, and they did not have sound doctrine... but Jesus shows that true faith has to work itself out in a way that is Good News to the most bruised and broken person lying in the ditch.

It is so simple, but the pious forget this lesson constantly. God may indeed be evident in a priest, but God is just as likely to be at work through a Samaritan or a prostitute. In fact the Scripture is brimful of God using folks like a lying prostitute named Rahab, an adulterous king named David... at one point God even speaks to a guy named Balaam through his donkey. Some say God spoke to Balaam through his ass and has been speaking through asses ever since. So if God should choose to use us, then we should be grateful but not think too highly of ourselves. And if upon meeting someone we think God could never use, we should think again.

After all, Jesus says to the religious elite who looked down on everybody else: "The tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom ahead of you." And we wonder what got him killed?

I have a friend in the UK who talks about "dirty theology" — that we have a God who is always using dirt to bring life and healing and redemption, a God who shows up in the most unlikely and scandalous ways. After all, the whole story begins with God reaching down from heaven, picking up some dirt, and breathing life into it. At one point, Jesus takes some mud, spits in it, and wipes it on a blind man's eyes to heal him. (The priests and producers of anointing oil were not happy that day.)

In fact, the entire story of Jesus is about a God who did not just want to stay "out there" but who moves into the neighborhood, a neighborhood where folks said, "Nothing good could come." It is this Jesus who was accused of being a glutton and drunkard and rabble-rouser for hanging out with all of society's rejects, and who died on the imperial cross of Rome reserved for bandits and failed messiahs. This is why the triumph over the cross was a triumph over everything ugly we do to ourselves and to others. It is the final promise that love wins.

It is this Jesus who was born in a stank manger in the middle of a genocide. That is the God that we are just as likely to find in the streets as in the sanctuary, who can redeem revolutionaries and tax collectors, the oppressed and the oppressors... a God who is saving some of us from the ghettos of poverty, and some of us from the ghettos of wealth.

In closing, to those who have closed the door on religion — I was recently asked by a non-Christian friend if I thought he was going to hell. I said, "I hope not. It will be hard to enjoy heaven without you." If those of us who believe in God do not believe God's grace is big enough to save the whole world... well, we should at least pray that it is.

Your brother,

Shane

To all my non-believing, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity.

Life unscripted

You know I started blogging a few months ago. My hope was that I could share some positive and encouraging thoughts and experiences from my life and relationships. I started out of the gate running, but soon after I fell flat on my face. I guess lately I have struggled to find the right kind of encouraging words to use here. Also, life some times hands you lemons............. I guess I have not much felt like making lemonade. That is my excuse.

I never intended on blogging unless I could be positive, encouraging and uplifting. I feel like my life has slipped into that hum-drum, boring grind that causes people to slip into deep depression.

Last year was a tough one for us. We lost a lot of good friends. I lost my job then I started a job that has me crazy hours and mostly working nights. I rarely get quality time with my family. I hardly ever see any of my good friends anymore. Worst of all, I am not even making enough to pay the bills. Sounds like a great blog huh?

Then I started to realize that even though I have not wanted to talk about it, life is really not that bad. Through it all I still have so much to be thankful for. Stacey, the love of my life, could not be more in love with me. Our marriage is stronger then ever. My boys, all four of them, seem to have adjusted to not seeing me as much and we make the most of our time together. We found this really great church where the people are amazing and lifting up the name of Jesus is still the most important thing.

Some how, amongst our business and lack of time in general God still has His hand on us. We still find time to pray. We still spend time in His word. We still hear the Masters voice daily.

Hebrews 13:5 says this "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

That puts a lot if things into perspective for me. I guess it is just hard to show joy in the middle of a storm. But storms pass, seasons change and we can never let the devil rob us of our joy. I am also reminded what Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".

I know that whatever we are walking through is a season. A season that God will use to bring Him glory and honor and praise. So even though we are weary, tired and ready for the next chapter to begin, we realize that we could not be more blessed or loved.

Life is not always going to be the way that you script it, but God knows His plans for you. And that is good enough for us.

I hope to blog more often. Until then.........................

blessings,
dave