The Spirit's Touch

Lesson 233 – When the Spirit Says Come

2009-12-31T11:13:00.001+01:00

When the Spirit SAYS COME

Revelation 22:15

"And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

As the symbolic bride of our Lord, the church is sent on a mission to call others to faith in Christ. We go to those who are willing to hear, to those who thirst for righteousness, to those who are willing to take of new life from Christ. We go to these people and invite them to come to Christ for salvation.

More importantly, the Spirit is also on mission, calling people to Christ. In fact, without the Spirit's partnership, the church's effort to call others to faith will be met with failure. For it only when the Spirit works in a life, convicting of sin and unrighteousness, will they have the faith they need to surrender to Christ for salvation.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your Spirit who is still at work, calling those in need to come to salvation. May we as the church be willing and available to be used by you in calling others to come. Amen.

Lesson 232 – When the Spirit Makes One

2009-12-31T10:56:00.001+01:00

When the Spirit Makes One

Malachi 2:14-15

"Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth."

These verses are in the context of the Lord's testimony against his chosen people. In the process of laying out his charges, God accuses them of bringing tears to the altar of the Lord. And when they ask how this was so, the reason God gives is clear. Men were dealing treacherously with their wives, divorcing them and forsaking their covenant marriages.

In marriage, God merges two people into a new relationship. Two become one through the Spirit's touch. A new family is formed. This is why divorce is always damaging. One entity can't become two again without a break, and even then, it is still one family, though now living apart.

When we take action to separate what God has brought together, you can be sure your worship relationship with God is extremely strained. It's been my experience that when believers divorce, they often drop out of church altogether. While these couples are embarrassed by their failures, they've also hurt their relationship with God.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the wife of my youth and I ask your favor in dealing with her in a way that strengthens our relationship. Amen.

Lesson 231 – When the Spirit is Grace and Supplication

2009-12-31T10:31:00.001+01:00

Zechariah 12:10

"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on me they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."

Clearly, this is a prophecy of the death of Christ, for he was the one pierced for our sins on Calvary's cross. He was the one of which it was said God gave his only on. And after his death, resurrection and ascension, Christ poured out of the Spirit's touch upon the church, first at Jerusalem and then on every believer.

Notice that the Spirit's presence brings to God's grace and supplication. Grace in that we no longer are separated from God's favor through sin, and supplication, in that the Spirit's touch brings healing to our lives. These are two things every person needs. We need freedom from sin and we need healing from the scars, hurt, and pains which follow our morale failures. And the Spirit brings these things.

Only our God could have planned this out to show us such a great love. And for that, I'm truly thankful.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for grace and supplication in my life, all given from the depths of your love. Amen.

Lesson 230 – When the Spirit Is Refused

2009-12-31T10:16:00.001+01:00

Zechariah 7:11-12

"But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets."

Guess what? We too are guilty of shrugging our shoulders, putting our fingers in our ears, refusing to hear the words of the Lord through the Spirit. Maybe we don't do this intentionally, but there are times when every believer refused to hear the Spirit.

When we forget to pray, worship, or seek the Lord in his word, it's as if we've stopped up our ears to the Spirit's voice, giving God no opportunity to speak. In God's eyes, our hearts have become life flint, hardened to spiritual truth. And when our hearts are hardened, God can no longer write his will upon our souls.

The sad part is, some believers are not even concerned when this happens in their life. They simply shrug their shoulders as if saying, "So what", not even understanding they've turned away from the most important relationship they will ever have.

Can you imagine what it would be like if your wife ignored your every effort to speak with her? I'm sure it would drive you to the point of anger, pushing in a wedge which would ultimately destroy your marriage relationship. And that's exactly what we do with our Lord when we refuse to hear the Spirit.

Just as constant and understanding communications are the key to a successful marriage relationship, so it is with our walk with Christ. We need to hear from the Spirit.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your voice in my life and I ask you to remind me daily not to refuse your voice. Amen.

Lesson 229 – When the Spirit Is Given Rest

2009-12-30T22:10:00.001+01:00

Zechariah 6:8

"And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, 'See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.'"

This is a difficult text, at least in terms of being assured of a right interpretation. I wish I could promise you I've got it right, but I'll leave it up to the Spirit to verify my opinion, or turn you in another direction.

Regardless, here's what we know for sure. In a vision, Zechariah is shown four chariots, each pulled by a series of horses. He is then told these were sent to go throughout the earth as the four spirits of heaven. No explanation is given as to what the four spirits of heaven are, or what their purpose may be. Zechariah is then told that those which went to the north country gave rest to God's Spirit in the north country.

Unfortunately, we're not told anything specific as to how the Spirit received rest from those which went to the north country. Still, I don't believe we'd be too far off course to suggest the Spirit received rest when God gave Israel freedom from the bondage they endured for 70 years under the Babylonians. When God released the nation, the Spirit's work at that time and place was done, and in that sense, the Spirit rested.

As believers, we cling to the rest the Spirit provides us, but rarely do we consider that the Spirit also receives rest. I suspect this means that the Spirit ceases from a specific work. For Israel, it was the work of sustaining the nation while in captivity. In us, the Spirit rests whenever a work in us is completed.

Among other times, this rest would be possible whenever our lives become attuned to the Spirit's will and we follow in obedience. This allows the Spirit to complete his work in us, and at least for that moment, become a God who is at rest. The less we rebel against God's direction, the more often the Spirit can be at rest in guiding our lives.

Of course, the Spirit doesn't need rest like we do, for God never grows tire, and his mercies are new every morning. Still, wouldn't it be wonderful to be so in lock step with the Lord that the Spirit really had no other work to do in us?

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the rest your Spirit gives the life of your church. May our lives be so in sync with you that your Spirit receives rest from our lives of obedience. Amen.

Lesson 228 – When the Spirit Becomes Might and Power

2009-12-30T21:51:00.001+01:00

When the Spirit BECOMES MIGHT AND POWER

Zechariah 4:5-7

"Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, 'Do you not know that these are?' And I said, 'No, my lord.' So he answered and said to me: 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.' 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbable you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of grace, grace to it!'"

In one of the Bible's apocalyptic texts, Zechariah was challenged by a series of visions concerning times to come which he could not fully understand. And while neither can we, I invite you to look for a moment at what it says concerning the Spirit's touch.

In the midst of these visions, Zechariah receives a personal message to pass to Zerubbabel, the governor of Israel. As the leader of those who returned from Bablylonian captivity, he surely needed encouragement. It must have seemed that rebuilding the nation was an impossible task.

I often need encouragement, whether from God's word, my coworkers, or those in our church. Words of encouragement focus my thoughts on truth and not those feelings which so often overwhelm me. I's convinced Satan and his demons use our feelings against us, knowing that is we listen to our feelings instead of the Lord, we'll never know the victory which is promised to us in the Spirit.

Here, God sends word to Zerubbabel that he need not worry, for the Spirit would surely accomplish God's word. Specifically, the Spirit would become the might and power needed in the face of Israel's enemies and the enormous challenge facing them. With the Spirit on his side, mountains would be cast aside until they became plains. Now that is might and power!

Jesus says much the same in the New Testament as declared that with God, all things are possible, to include the salvation of unworthy sinners and the sustainment of the church. In the face of persecution and media skepticism, not only will the church survive, it will overcome the gates of hell through the might and power of the Spirit.

I suspect we all need some of this might and power in our lives. If you'll look to the Spirit, it is there for you when you submit your life to God's daily will.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the might and power of your Spirit in your church. May we fully trust in you to do the work you lay before us. Amen.

Lesson 227 – When the Spirit Remains Among You

2009-12-30T21:41:00.001+01:00

When the Spirit REMAINS AMONG YOU

Haggai 2:5

"According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remains among you; do not fear!"

This may be the most important message we need to hear, that the Spirit remains with us as God's people. No matter the circumstance, no matter life's difficulties, no matter the challenge, no matter the opposition, no matter the whatever, the Spirit remains with each and every believer.

But while we believe this truth, we too often forget it in the heat of the moment. Not thinking to remember God, we look to every solution out there except the Spirit which remains. In that sense, we're going it alone. When that happens, instead of seeing life through the reality of God's abiding presence, we rely on our own strength to face things.

Most of us were raised to be self-confident, working things out on our own. And while this is normally a good thing, when going it alone means forgetting the Spirit who remains, we're going a way which steals the glory which is rightfully God's in our lives.

As Christians, things are to be different. We claim to trust the Spirit to order our ways, and life gives many opportunities to prove this in faith. When we turn to daily to the Spirit within us, God receives the glory which is rightfully his.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the remaining presence of your Spirit, abiding with your church throughout all of life's difficulties. I ask you to remind me daily that you are there with us through thick and thin. Amen.

Lesson 226 – When the Spirit Gives Rest

2009-12-28T14:20:00.001+01:00

Revelation 14:13

"Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.'"

While the Bible often speaks of the rest every believer has in Jesus Christ, referring to this rest as that which comes to our souls when we come to faith in Jesus, this verse seems to mention a different rest, one that comes to the believer upon death. Even today, people still use rest as a euphemism for death in some communities, acknowledging that there is still a rest to come in the hereafter.

This voice which came to John in his vision on the Island of Patmos refers to a resting from our labors. While that is certainly true of every person, for in death, we will no longer be at work, but this is almost certainly speaking of a rest which is only available for the believer. I think this vision refers to a resting from our failing effort to live out the Christian life fully for God's glory. We all know we fail in this, unable to resist sin, to fully share the love of Christ with our neighbors, and to reflect God's glory to a lost and dying world. In that way, we need the rest which is to come.

This is not unlike the rest which was attributed to God after creation six days of creation. Genesis records that God rested. Not that God was tired, but that part of his work had ceased. And not that God is not a work today, but in terms of creation, rest is all that remains.

Likewise, for our salvation, our freedom from sin, there is nothing else to do. Christ did it all on the cross, and in us, the Spirit has worked the new birth. We can simply rest, for the work is done.

But still, a rest remains, one that comes only upon being regenerated with Christ in eternity. In this rest, God's work will be fully completed in us, leaving us a life at rest in the presence of our God.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the complete work of your salvation that allows me to rest in you. I thank you that one day this salvation will be completed in my life, and rest in your Spirit will be fully experienced in me and your church. Amen.

Lesson 225 – When the Spirit Fills Full With Power

2009-12-27T21:37:00.001+01:00

Micah 3:8

"But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin."

Micah contrasts his right to preach the word of the Lord to those who were false prophets, those who preached only for pay and the praise of their congregations. Micah understood that the one rightly called by God to preach will be filled full by the Spirit's touch with the power of God to preach the word.

One of the stories of my life is to look back to my call as a minister. While the call to preach was real enough, my sermons seemed to fall flat the first few times I stood in the pulpit. Though I studied, understood the word, and worked out a suitable outline, when I preached, there was no movement of the Spirit upon the congregation. This was certainly disconcerting to me, since I had gone public with my call to preach. People must have thought I had misunderstood the call!

Later, I learned that the Spirit's power to preach doesn't always fall on a man at the same time as the call is given. In my life, the Lord didn't send this power until he was ready for me to minister to my first congregation. Almost overnight, I went from being unable to preach to experiencing god's power upon my sermons. Nothing had changed in me, except that now the Spirit's power filled me full and brought fruit to God's word.

I've learned not to listen to my own emotions when my words seem to fall flat. Instead, I trust that the Spirit's power will make his word burn in the ears of those who hear and will do the work which God intends.

For every believer, we too can trust that the Spirit's power comes upon us whenever we're called to be used as an instrument of our Lord. We only need to listen for the call and wait the Lord's work in us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your power to preach the word, a power given to me by your Holy Spirit. May I never lift myself up over you, always coming humbly before you and your church with the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lesson 224 – When the Spirit Is Good

2009-12-24T21:35:00.001+01:00

Psalm 143:10

"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness."

The psalmist reminds us it is the Spirit's touch which teaches us to do God's will in our lives. As we accept this perfect will, we agree with the psalmist that the Spirit is good. On the other hand, when we rebel against God's will, we are in essence saying the Spirit is not good.

Of course, the Spirit is good whether we believe it or not, since goodness is part of God's nature. In him, there is no evil at all. His will remains perfect in all things.

As believers, we don't always embrace the goodness of the Spirit nor God's will. While we'd never come right out and accuse God of being less than good, when it comes to wanting our own way, we're masters at changing the circumstances so that our will gets done.

Sometimes, we even have the audacity to give God thanks for what we've received, when it reality, it was our own doing that made things happen! I wonder if this grieves our Lord or makes him chuckle at our naivety.

In many ways, we're like our children when they don't think we know what's going on. Our God is often like that, allowing us our own way, letting us stumble along, but all the time desiring for us to turn back to the goodness of the Spirit.

I suspect that the key to contentment in life is to come to grips with the goodness of the Spirit. We'd do well to spend time each day thanking the Spirit for his perfect will in our lives.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the goodness of your Spirit and your perfect will for my life and for your church. I ask you to continuously draw me to you and not allow me to go from the way of uprightness. Amen.

Lesson 223 – When the Spirit Speaks to Churches

2009-12-21T19:02:00.001+01:00

Revelation 2:7

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

Eight times, John writes, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." God sent angels to the seven churches in Asia Minor, speaking to them through the Spirit, encouraging them to not only hear, but to heed the words of the Lord.

I have to wonder. Does the Lord still speak to churches through the Spirit? Does he have a specific message for churches today? Does he have a word of encouragement for the local church where I pastor? I have to assume he does, for the Lord still speaks through the Spirit, so why not also through the Spirit to churches. While he might not bring us a message through an angel, when we listen for the Spirit, the Lord will have a word for us.

To the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, the Spirit's message was one of both encouragement and a pointing out of shortcomings. From this, let there be no doubt, our God notices each and every church and he has a message tailored for us today.

Where ever you attend church, I encourage you to ask the Spirit to speak to the congregation. And then, don't just listen, but respond to the Spirit in your life and in the church.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for caring for your church and sending your Spirit to speak to us today. We now listen and await your voice. Amen.

See also Revelation 2:11,17,29; Revelation 3:1,6,13,22

Lesson 222 – When the Spirit Is Poured Out on the Church

2009-12-21T18:54:00.001+01:00

Joel 2:28-29

"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

God's promise is to pour out his Spirit. God's promise is to put the Spirit's touch upon humanity. God's promise is that his word would come to those who are his church. God's promise was fulfilled at Pentecost with the coming of the Spirit in power. God's Spirit was poured out in those days.

As the church of Jesus Christ, we look back to the coming of the Spirit and rightly desire for a renewed filling in the church today. And rightly so, for when this prophesy of Joel was fulfilled, those were exciting days for the church.

Today, we need a renewal of the Spirit. We need for God to do a work both in and through us for the glory of the kingdom.

We talk about taking action to grow the church. We talk about helping believers to grow in spiritual maturity. We talk about giving away God's love to those in need. But the truth is, we can do none of these things on our own. We need the Spirit to be poured out on us just as was promised by Joel.

I wonder what it would be like to pastor a church where the Spirit was being poured out. I'm sure all would be done for the glory of God and the name of Christ would be raised up through our praises.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the first pouring out of your Spirit on the church, and I likewise thank you for again pouring your Spirit on the church today. I invite you to continue to work through us by the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Lesson 221 – When the Spirit Is Before the Throne

2009-12-16T17:08:00.001+01:00

Revelation 1:4-6

"John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

What is this all about? We've heard of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, but we've seen no reference in the rest of the Bible to seven Spirits. While John writes of seven stars and candlesticks, representing the seven churches of Asia Minor, that still doesn't explain the seven Spirits.

John speaks of the seven Spirits again in verse 1, chapter 3 and verse 5, chapter 4. In the first reference, Jesus is said to be the one who has seven Spirits. In the second, the seven Spirits are equated with seven lamps burning incense before the throne. Still, we're no clearer as to why the Spirit is presented here in a multiple of seven.

Some have suggested that seven is added to the description of the Holy Spirit to emphasize the perfection of God's relationship with his church through the Spirit. I like this, for it goes well with the seven churches. God is letting us know that his Spirit abides in every church. Still, we can't be fully sure of this interpretation.

This will be one of the things I'll need to ask of the Lord one day when we meet face to face. Until then, I'll just view the Spirit's perfection in dealing with those who are of the church through faith in Jesus Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the perfection of your Spirit, indwelling your church and bringing our prayers before the throne. Amen.

Lesson 220 – When the Spirit Prays

2009-12-16T12:17:00.001+01:00

Jude 20-21

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

While there are few biblical references as to praying in the Holy Spirit, some have made this a doctrine unto itself, making it the end all goal for reaching spiritual maturity. While I certainly don't to go that far, I think the church would do well to consider our need to pray according to the Spirit's touch, for when we pray in the Spirit, we can be sure our prayers are according to God's will.

Here, Jude tells us that praying in the Spirit is part of the church being built up in spiritual maturity, providing protection from those who divide our fellowship sensual living and mockery (see Lesson 219). By praying in the Spirit, we receive God's power, keeping us pure for the love of God, ever thankful for God's mercies and looking always for our Lord's return.

But still, Jude doesn't offer much in terms of what it means to pray in the Spirit. As far as I can tell, the Bible never really explains this kind of praying, so we're left to understand it by drawing upon what it tells us about the Spirit and prayer.

My first conclusion is that all believers have the ability to pray in the Spirit, for the Lord indwells the life of all those who come to Jesus in faith. Therefore, praying in the Spirit is not something reserved for some kind of super-spiritual Christian. It is for all of us, for in every believer indwells the Spirit.

Also, since we've learned the Spirit prays whenever we cannot express our words, that is one time in which we are surely praying in the Spirit. When we don't know how to pray, or when we don't understand the will of God, or not grasping the Lord's mind, we need to give our hearts over to the Spirit to pray on our behalf in God's will. We need to pray in the Spirit.

But still, I think praying in the Spirit goes beyond those times when we don't know how to pray. There is no indication here that Jude didn't know how to pray, yet he was praying in the Spirit.

This leads me to conclude that praying in the Spirit occurs whenever our hearts are in tune with God through the Spirit. It is the result of fellowship with God, influencing our prayers as we seek to abide by God's will in our hearts.

The Bible warns that we have not what we ask for because we pray with wrong motives. By being in touch with the Spirit as we pray, our motives are purified to bring honor to God.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I ask that your Spirit indwell me and your church in such a way that we only pray according to your Spirit. I invite you to cut away any prayer that seeks to honor my life over yours, replacing my prayers with the words of your will, giving you all glory. Amen.

Lesson 219 – When the Spirit Is Absent

2009-12-15T18:42:00.001+01:00

When the Spirit IS ABSENT

Jude 17-19

"But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit."

Whereas the church is defined as those touched by the Spirit, the world is made up of just the opposite, those without the presence of God in their lives. Here, Jude calls these people sensual, proclaiming they live not by the Spirit, but according to their own lusts.

All of us know what it means to live according to our lusts, for without Christ, our sinful nature defined our lives. Without the Lord, our focus is always on ourselves and what we can gain to satisfy our lusts. Even now as believers, we can find ourselves seduced by the sensual nature of sin when we forget to live by the Spirit.

Jude gives warning that those who live according to lusts of life will come into the church and mock those who remain faithful to Christ, causing divisions within the body. For when believers get caught up in questioning the relevancy of the Christian life as compared to living for self, some will go astray, choosing sin over sanctification.

The warning is given. Within the church we need to be on guard, encouraging each other live by the Spirit, recognizing those who would come in and cause us to doubt our faith and choose sin over Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the protection of the Spirit in my life. I ask you to guard my heart so that sin's lusts will not lure me away you're your body. I ask you to guard our church so that mockers will have no right to speak, ensuring the unity of the congregation. Amen.

Lesson 218 – When the Spirit Is Always There

2009-12-15T12:25:00.001+01:00

Psalm 139:7-10

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me."

This is an awesome psalm of comfort as well as a reminder of the Lord's faithfulness to bestow the Spirit's touch upon every believer. Simply put, we are in God's hands. There is no one who can take that away from us, and there is no where we can go to get away from God.

If you ask a child to describe God, they will invariably mention that God is everywhere. It is a simple truth, one that a child can understand, but also one which has profound meaning for the believer. If everything were taken away from us, God remains. If everyone we loved abandoned us to a life of loneliness, God still remains. If every hope became hopeless, we could rest in God, for he is still there.

The Spirit is everywhere, and not just to be there because he is God, but He is there for you.

Recently, I was challenged to live every day in light of the Spirit's presence. The truth is, if we could remember that the Lord is with us, life's difficulties would be profoundly changed, with the things which bother us the most likely to simply fade away. Sure, our problems are still there, but in the bright light of the Spirit, they really aren't that important.

Yet, I find doing this a rather difficult proposition. My mind likes to run to the glass half empty scenario, looking at the hopelessness of it all. When instead, I need to look to this promise -- God is with me, and he always has been and ever will be.

I encourage you to give it a try to see life through the Spirit's touch. Embrace life in light of knowing God is with you and see if that simple truth doesn't change everything.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the surety of your presence. May I be reminded everyday that you are right with me in the face of life's circumstances. Allow my heart to trust in you, knowing you have me right where you want me to be. Amen.

Lesson 217 – When the Spirit Bears Witness

2009-12-15T12:09:00.001+01:00

1 John 5:6-8

"This is He who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one."

When it comes to matters of faith, the witness of the one who confesses their belief tends to be of the utmost importance. For when the witness is credible, either through some manner of expertise, or from a personal relationship, their teachings are easily accepted. And likewise, when the witness has no basis for credibility, their teachings are at best suspect. Whe witness is key when it comes to matters of faith.

John writes of six witnesses of the truth of Jesus Christ—three on this earth and three of this same truth in heaven. And all of these agree as to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

First, there is the witness of the Father – from Yahweh comes prophecies proclaiming the coming Christ. If you are one to worship God, then believe his witness. Jesus is God in flesh, come for our salvation.

We see the witness of the Word – both God's written revelation of the coming Christ and the living revelation of Jesus, whose very life testified of the truth of the gospel through his miraculous birth, his teachings, miracles, sacrifice, and resurrection.

John points to the witness of the Spirit in heaven -- testifying of the honor which is Christ's alone. I really don't know how the Spirit testifies of Christ in heaven, but you can bet that one day every believer will know!

And then again, he points to the witness of the Spirit, but this time, on the earth – the same witness who calls our souls unto salvation and converts us to a new life through his presence.

There is the witness of the water – probably a dual reference, both to the physical birth of Christ and the physical and audible testimony he received from God at his baptism.

Finally, there is the witness of the blood – again a dual reference, both to the physical birth of Christ and the reality of the shed blood of Christ on the cross, making possible our salvation.

Whereas only two witnesses were needed to seal a person's fate in Christ's time before a court of law, here we find six. While the Spirit is mentioned twice, there's no reason to believe there are two Spirits, just two separate testimonies of the reality of Christ, one on the earth and one in heaven.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for sure and complete testimony which is given to us of your love and sacrifice for sinners. In particular, I'm thankful fo the Spirit which testifies of you in my life. Amen.

Lesson 216 – When the Spirit Confesses the Life of Christ

2009-12-10T20:44:00.001+01:00

1 John 4:1-3

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard was coming, and is now already in the world."

John's gospel warns that some will come into the church bringing heresies. These are often subtle changes to the truth, may not even be intentional, but ultimately, they deny the deity of Christ, for when Christ is declared as Lord, he must be worshiped. Heresies always lead us away from a right relationship with Christ.

To guard against heresies, John calls the church test every teaching against what it says about Jesus. If the teacher declares the truth of the gospel, that Jesus is God in flesh, come into this world to die as a sacrifice for our sins, you can know the teaching is of the Spirit. But if the teacher denies the Lord as taught to us in the Bible, then the spirit is not of God and should be shunned, no matter how good the teaching might sound, or the emotional response it brings.

Today, many of the world's ideas of what is right and wrong, or what is taught as reality, ultimately lead to a denial of Christ. For example no one really agrees to a pro choice agenda for abortion unless they deny Jesus has more of a right to be Lord over their life than they do. Alternatively, no one can embrace the principles of evolution without denying Jesus as the creator. In doing so, they deny the Bible's teachings.

What John does here is encourage us to go through life with a biblical world view, testing everything through us, by the lens of Jesus Christ. When we open our eyes accordingly, we'll see that so much in this world denies Christ, and if we don't guard our ways, we'll be carried along by such thinking.

During the last days, the Antichrist will try to assume Christ's position as the only one worthy of worship, displaying powers which deceive people into willingly following after him. While we probably won't recognize this person as he rises to power, you can bet he will deny Christ. But if you've made it your practice to test all teachers according to the Spirit, know to run the other way!

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the truthfulness of your Spirit. May you open my eyes to truth, keeping my ears and mind focused on you alone. Amen.

Lesson 215 – When the Spirit Proves Christ’s Presence

2009-12-10T20:12:00.001+01:00

1 John 3:24

"Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

The joy of abiding in the presence of Christ is the sole domain of the believer. No other faith claims to abide in the presence of God. Only through faith in Jesus Christ is the Spirit's touch bestowed upon the believer, granting the believer an audience with God.

John explains that we can know we are of the family of God by the abiding presence of the Spirit. We don't know we are of faith by saying the right prayer, or by confessing our sins to a priest, or following the Lord in baptism. We can only know our presence with Christ by the Spirit.

To the believer, the Spirit speaks – of the reality of our faith. For the believer, the Spirit brings power – to obey Christ's commandments. Within the believer, the Spirit convicts of sin – drawing us back to the Lord for cleansing. The Spirit is the reality of the life that is in Christ.

The first sentence of this verse seems to have a dual meaning. Not only does it proclaim that those who keep Christ's commands belong to the Lord, but I believe it also says that as we keep the Lord's commandments, we will more fully know the Spirit's abiding presence.

So if you want to know the Spirit's presence, seek the Lord's commands, and practice a life of obedience.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the abiding presence of your Spirit, testifying of the life that belongs to you. May we be obedient to you in all things, strengthening this abiding relationship. Amen.

Lesson 214 – When the Spirit Makes Truth Known

2009-12-09T11:51:00.002+01:00

1 John 2:20-21

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth."

The Holy One mentioned in this passage is the anointing of the Spirit's touch upon the believer, an anointing which brings about salvation, converting the soul from death unto life. It is this same Spirit which makes known the truth of Jesus Christ.

John encourages believers to listen to the Spirit's expression of truth, ignoring those who come into the church denying the deity of Jesus Christ. He later writes, "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father." It can't be any clearer. No one rightly claims a part in God's family while at the same time embracing any belief limiting the deity of Christ.

But that is exactly what is done when a person claims their salvation makes them equal with Christ, making themselves out to be some way equal with God. This is exactly what is done when a person elevates a prophet above the status of our Lord, claiming a new and better prophet has come. This is exactly what is done when those in the church venerate a saint or angel above the position of Jesus, if not in words, then in practice.

Be warned. These types of heresies didn't come into the church without some element of truth, so we must be a people who look more to the Spirit than to our teachers. Not that these men and women are somehow unimportant, for most have been sent to us by the Spirit, but we need to test every teaching against the Spirit's interpretation of the word.

I know in my life I have been guilty of wrongly "dividing the word", not fully understanding what I struggled to teach. My prayer is that the Spirit would guard those who listen from any heresy.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the witness of truth you give us in your Spirit. May this witness guard the church from heresy and prepare my lips to rightly speak your word. Amen.

Lesson 213 – When the Spirit Moves to Speak Prophecy

2009-12-07T21:38:00.001+01:00

2 Peter 2:20-21

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

This is one of the Bible's pivotal verses which explains how the Spirit's touch is what makes one a true prophet of God, and in particular, one of the prophets who brought us the Holy Scripture.

There is a sense in which everyone who forth tells the words of Scripture is a prophet. And in some, there is found a Spiritual gift of prophecy which is given to the church for God's glory. The Lord raises up some with the gift to teach the things of God, filling both men and women for his purposes.

While the gift of prophecy is this sense is widely seen in the church today, these verses concern a different sense of prophecy, that being those whom the Lord used to bring forth the words of the Bible. They too were moved by the Spirit's touch, not just in teaching God's word as is today, but in hearing and sharing God's revelation of himself for the first time.

We call this the inspiration of the Spirit. Men were inspired to speak and write God's word, even in their own languages and personal styles, bringing forth God's word in a special way for the church to know today. The Spirit touched these people to be used in a unique way which is not known in the church today. Our prophets are teachers and preachers, but the prophets of old were literally God's voice.

One of Satan's primary methods of attacking the Bible word is to question the authenticity of its authors. This attack is so successful that most people wrongly believe the Bible is filled with contradictions, even if they can't name one! People today don't know the Bible is without error through and through, and that its 66 books fit together perfectly to tell God's story, culminating in Christ's sacrifice for sins and the beginning of the church. And the way God did all of this was through the Spirit's touch.

I've made it the claim of my life to trust that the God who sent his Spirit into my life for salvation is powerful enough to have brought his word into this world through prophets and preserved it just the way he wanted it to be kept, even to this day.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the guiding presence of your Spirit to speak your word into existence for the church today. May we be faithful in heading your Scriptures, making them the source and guide for our lives. Amen.

Lesson 212 – When the Spirit Is Known in You

2009-12-07T21:27:00.001+01:00

Daniel 4:8-9

"But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 'Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation."

Can you imagine being abducted from your family as a teen, then raised in a foreign land, made to learn new customs and language, and forced to work for a foreign government for the rest of your life? Daniel and others lived out this reality when they were taken from their homes when Babylon invaded Israel. And in spite of this almost unimaginable circumstance, our text tells us that even the king of Babylon noticed something different about Daniel--that the Spirit's touch was upon him.

As the church of Jesus Christ, we claim the truth of God's Word that the Spirit lives within the heart of the believer. But how many of us live in such a way that even those in power notice the Spirit within us? Probably not many in the church today can make this claim, though God wants to shine his light through us to a world of darkness.

While our life circumstances probably won't be as dire as that of Daniel, if we will live out each day in the reality of the Spirit's presence, our lives will reflect God's glory. In Daniel's case, the king knew about the Spirit because Daniel had undoubtedly told him about God's presence, possibly when after God helped him interpret an earlier dream. And it's the same with us. As we live for Christ and the Spirit shines through us, we still need to say the name of Jesus. People need to know why we are as we are in Christ.

Our sharing the Spirit with others simply begins with obedience to commands of Christ as outlined for us in the New Testament. Jesus lays out a way of living which gets the attention of others as we share God's love. Jesus often contrasted the attitudes of the heart to the ways of the world, he showed us sacrificial love, and gave us the Spirit to guide us in daily life until his return. We've got what we need to live in such a way as to make the Spirit known.

Unfortunately, Satan has convinced pretty much all of us that we don't have the right to speak of the Jesus anymore. We're afraid we'll step on someone else's sensibilities, so we've simply quit shining Christ's love. It's not time for the church to turn this around.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for presence of your Spirit in the church today, and pray that in my life I will live in obedience to your word and will, and ask you will bless me in a way that will draw others to you. Amen.

(see also Daniel 5:11, 14)

Lesson 211 – When the Spirit of Glory Rests

2009-12-03T18:03:00.001+01:00

1 Peter 4:14

"If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified."

None of us really wants to be known as a reproach. You know these people. They are the ones we turn from when they come into the room. We cross to the other side of the street to avoid them when they walk by. We find nothing funny in their jokes, and we certainly wouldn't choose these people as our friends. A reproach is definitely not what we want for our lives.

Instead, we'd rather be known for our successes, or vibrant personalities, or our intelligence, or for being a really cool dude, or whatever vernacular is used now days. Simply put, we want others to like us. It makes us feel good about whom we've turned out to be in life.

Still, Peter reminds believers we'll probably find ourselves sooner or later as a reproach to some. The fact is, people won't like us all the time, for we bear the name of Christ through the Spirit's touch. People don't want to be convicted of sin, and as we bear the Spirit of Christ in us for God's glory, we help bring about this conviction. Since some have made up their minds to reject Christ, our presence is a reproach to them.

Often times, these people to whom we've become a reproach don't even know why they don't like us. But for me, it is clear. The Spirit of Glory rests on my soul, and the Prince of the Air rests on them. These spirits are at war with each other, and our lives have become the battle field. It shouldn't surprise us when we are hated unfairly, for people aren't really hating us, but the Lord who is within us.

Of course, our prayers for these people are that they won't see us as an approach, but rather as a friend who is showing them the same access to Christ we've already experienced. We're not here to reject these people, but to show them the love of Christ, for it is only this love that will get us beyond the reproach.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit of Glory which dwells within me. May your Spirit help me to love those who consider my life a reproach, and may their hearts be born again unto the Lord. Amen.

Lesson 210 – When the Spirit Makes Alive

2009-12-02T15:38:00.001+01:00

1 Peter 3:18

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit."

This is a verse to be set to memory, for it is the revealing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One died for all. One not deserving death became death in our place. The result is new life for every believer.

At the center of this life in Christ is the Spirit's touch. The presence of the Spirit within the heart of the sinner brings the believer from death unto life. While the change in our nature is promised by God's word, the Spirit's means of doing this remains a mystery.

While our belief in Christ is not a leap into the dark, the acceptance of God's word unto salvation requires faith, for it is something only the Spirit can do. Any other means of trying to find new life falls short of God's holy requirements and will fail.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the mystery of the gospel and the Spirit which brings new life apart from any action on my part. I also thank you for the faith you've given me to believe. Amen.

Lesson 209 – When the Spirit Purifies the Soul

2009-12-02T15:17:00.001+01:00

1 Peter 1:22

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart."

Do you really love others as yourself? Are you able to get beyond personality clashes, value differences, and even personal attacks? Would you say that you easily love others as Christ loved us?

Even as a pastor, I struggle to love others. Like most, I have no trouble loving myself and family, nor trouble in liking those who fill my life with the things I value, but when it comes to saying I sincerely love all within the church, I still struggle. The truth is, most believers face this same struggle. We know we're supposed to love others, but know in our hearts we fall short of this mandate.

Peter tells us that a root cause of this struggle to love is continued impurity within our lives. When we are not living singularly unto the Lord, mixing our lives with sins, the result is impurity. Inwardly, we have impure hearts, but outwardly, we struggle to love others as Christ first loved us.

If you struggle as I do, Peter points us to the purifying presence of the Spirit. Simply, when we obey the law which lives within every believer according to the Spirit's presence, we'll be freed from any mixture of sin. The result will be a heart free to love people according the Lord's love.

Until we allow the Spirit to wipe away sin, we'll continue to struggle to love others, no matter how hard we give it a try. So, if you're serious about following the Lord's command to give away his love, first within the church and then to a dying world, turn to the Spirit and ask God to give you strength to live an obedient life, free from sin's powers.

The purity which follows will give you room to love others as Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the promise of the Spirit's presence, freeing our lives from sin, wiping away impurities so that we can love others. Amen.

Lesson 208 – When the Spirit Preaches the Gospel

2009-11-30T19:36:00.001+01:00

1 Peter 1:12

"To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering these things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into."

Peter tells us those looking forward to the Lord's coming that first Christmas at Bethlehem failed to understand that the gift of salvation would be offered to the entire world. Salvation was coming not just to those of the family of Abraham, but the gift of eternal life with God would be given to everyone who would believe.

And how would we receive this gift so that we might believe? The answer is given: By the preaching of the Holy Spirit.

We overlook this ministry of the Spirit to our detriment, for without the touch of the Spirit upon the hearer, our preaching is powerless.

While the message we proclaim is truth, it is only by the Spirit's witness of the truth of the gospel that the hearer will believe. While the gospel we preach is the power of God for salvation, it is only by the Spirit's work that a heart is regenerated and salvation secured. While we study and exegete the word clearly, all is lost without the Spirit, and there is no salvation.

The Spirit is God's greatest preacher ever, and the message He proclaims is the one we celebrate this Christmas. A Savior has come, and with his sacrifice, forgiveness and release from sin is secured for those who worship Jesus with all our hearts.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the preaching ministry of your Spirit, making possible the belief and salvation of people throughout the world. Amen.

Lesson 207 – When the Spirit Testifies of Sufferings and Glories

2009-11-30T18:55:00.001+01:00

1 Peter 1:10-11

"Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow."

As we celebrate the Savior this Christmas season, waiting the day of our Lord's birthday, I invite you to think back to those awaiting the Savior's birth more than 2,000 years ago.

While we look back in our celebration of Christmas, reading and studying and singing again the story of Christ's birth, those who were God-fearers before the nativity at Bethlehem could only hold to the Spirit's promise that God's anointed one was coming. And as the writer of Hebrews tells us, most of these died without ever knowing the fulfillment of this promise, and probably, most of them also didn't even understand the real nature of the gift God was giving to us.

As kids, we could hardly wait for Christmas day, dreaming of the presents under the tree, shaking them and looking through the wrapping papers, bubbling over in excitement for the joy and adventures which would soon be ours. Even as adults, most of find joy in giving and receiving gifts, but that's really not the primary story of Christmas. In fact, gifts under the tree aren't part of the story of all. We've added both the tree and gifts to the story, making them part of our celebration, and there's really nothing wrong with tradition.

Still, looking back, it is easy to see that our Lord came to bring the gift of salvation, a present filled with both sufferings and glories. The gift we unwrap from Jesus became one of suffering, as Christ tasted death in our place, a righteous man dying for the sins of all others. And God's gift was also filled with glories, with Christ revealed as Lord through the power of the resurrection, and the church brought to enjoy the glories of being a part of the family of God through new birth.

I suspect those waiting for the coming of the Messiah didn't really understand the message as the Spirit testified of coming sufferings and glories, but looking back, I can see that these presents were proved to be the greatest gift of all.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your obedience to the Father to suffer in my place and for your church. May my life now be lived according to your glories, given to us by the presence of your Spirit. Amen.

Lesson 206 – When the Spirit Elects

2009-11-28T16:21:00.002+01:00

When the Spirit Elects

1 Peter 1:2

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."

From the foundation of the world, God knew our salvation would be purchased through the blood of Jesus Christ and would involve the Spirit's touch upon our lives, cleansing us for a life of obedience.

And while we struggle with the whole concept of foreknowledge, wondering if God gives humanity a choice to accept or reject his salvation, don't let that concern keep you from the main thing—that God's salvation was not an afterthought. From creation, God had it worked out so that both his wrath and his love towards us would be satisfied, through Jesus Christ and the work of the Spirit in our lives.

God has always referred to his church as those who are the elect, a people of the family of God according to God's choice. For those believers persecuted by Rome and driven far from their homes in Israel, this concept of being the elect would have been a message of hope. In spite of the troubles they faced, even in fear for their lives, they were still those who belonged to God. They were the elect. They were the church of Jesus Christ.

Our election is not just unto salvation, but also to be a people of obedience. By faithfulness to obey God's commands, we prove not only our faith and loyalty to the Savior, but also the reality of the Spirit's life within us. For without the Spirit's touch, we are not able to live in obedience.

Jesus told his disciples that his followers would be known by the fruits of their life on this planet. When people saw how they lived, they would know that these men and been with Jesus. They would reflect God's glory and treat others with the love of Christ. In the same way, we know we are the elect by the Spirit of God by the fruits of the Spirit within us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the election of your Spirit, causing me to desire to live a life of obedience to your word, and giving me the power within to resist sin's deceptions. Amen.

Lesson 205 – When the Spirit Shows God’s Face

2009-11-28T11:52:00.001+01:00

When the Spirit SHOWS GOD's FACE

Ezekiel 39:29

"And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord God."

I'm sure glad the Lord has decided not to hide his face from sinful humanity. God had every right to punish us for our sins, to remove us fully from his presence, even to destroy us and start all over. But he didn't. He kept his face on his creation and provided for our salvation. And he did this through the Spirit's touch. And not only did God turn his face to his people, he poured himself out on them through his Spirit.

God still identifies us as his people by pouring his Spirit on us. This is the way we know our Lord. He comes to us and communes with us, Spirit to spirit. He speaks to our soul and makes himself known.

But the opposite is also true. When we choose the path of sin, the Lord withholds his Spirit from us, turning his face from his people. And we know it. When his face is not on us, we sense God's presence is absent. We feel dry in our souls. We long for the Lord again. This is the way our God calls us back again.

And I thank him for it.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your face upon your people and your Spirit which is poured out on me. Amen.

Lesson 204 – When the Spirit Transplants

2009-11-28T11:05:00.001+01:00

Ezekiel 36:26-28

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God."

I'm old enough to remember the novelty of when heart transplants became national news in the 1960's. Magazines like Life plastered their covers with the pictures of the doctors who would dare such procedures, prolonging life in the face of heart disease. I still think it a noble thing for a family to donate an organ from a lost loved one, seeking to prolong the life of stranger who needs a healthy heart.

A heart transplant is the illustration God uses for the change that overcomes the life of one who experiences the Spirit's touch. With the Spirit upon the believer, we receive new life in Christ. Hearts which were hardened to the things of God are replaced with a new, soft one, able to be molded by the Spirit for God's purposes.

To take this illustration one step further, just as too much cholesterol in our diets hardens the heart's arteries, causing it to malfunction, sin in our lives causes us to be hardened to the Spirit's voice. Literally, what was once a heart easily molded for God's purposes, is now unfit for service. We've become again a heart of stone.

With a hardened heart, we struggle to inhale the life-giving breath of our Lord. Without the Spirit, our lives are smothered, bringing us to what is essentially a spiritual death as we go through life without experiencing the leadership of our Lord.

Of course, God wants us to experience life to the fullest, filling us daily with the breath of the Spirit. Let's embrace this new life by exercising our faith daily, thanking the Lord for our new heart.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the life-giving transplant you've worked in my life. I look to you daily for sustainment and to be used for your purposes. Amen.

Lesson 203 – When the Spirit Is Insulted

2009-11-26T20:30:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 10:29-33

"Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Through a rhetorical question, God issues a strong warning to those who have stomped on the gospel of Jesus Christ, ignored his sacrifice, and insulted the Spirit of grace. God won't leave alone his people who do these things, and in response to this truth, the author of Hebrews asks us to consider the punishment deserved by those who have done these things.

Almost every parent can relate to this same technique. We've asked our teenagers to determine the punishment to be meted out for their disobedient acts, usually related to how long they should remain grounded. Our intent is not simply to determine the length of punishment, but for the teen to internalize what they've done by judging for themselves the rightful consequences of their actions. We hope this will help them learn a moral lesson from the punishment we direct. And here, God does the same.

Whereas Christ spoke of the unpardonable sin as a rejection of the Spirit's touch, I think this passage implies that those of the family of God also find themselves rejecting the Spirit, though not unto salvation, for this is permanent position we're we've been adopted into the family of Christ. We're said to be insulting the Spirit.

While we're not specifically told how we do this, it would seem that any action of disobedience towards God's sovereignty should be considered an insult. We do this when we reject the Spirit's leading or when we turn from the Spirit's conviction and choose sin. We also insult the Spirit when we refuse to believe or obey his word.

Few would doubt that the most heinous sin which we could do as God's people would be to worship another god, for this is idolatry. And insulting the Spirit is doing exactly this. We insult the Spirit when we make ourselves out to be god over our own lives.

Notice that in response to this insulting of the Spirit, the Lord promises to judge His people. We will fall into God's hands. He places his Spirit upon us, though no longer as the Comforter, but as the One who Disciplines. This is what we see with Israel throughout the Old Testament, and this is what we see with believers, nations, and churches today.

Although God will not leave his people alone, even when we insult him, he uses his discipline to cause us to return to his fold.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your righteous wrath upon the church today, refusing to allow us to insult your Spirit, desiring us to be made holy again by your presence. Amen.

Lesson 202 – When the Spirit Witnesses

2009-11-25T16:39:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 10:14-16

"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, said the Lord: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,' then He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.' Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin."

The primary witness of the Spirit is to testify of Christ's new covenant with his church. Simply put, the Lord now dwells within us, a new law has replaced that of Moses, and our sins are no longer remembered any more. The fact is, we would not know the reality of God's love for us nor be transformed by his presence without the witness of the Spirit.

The word God uses for this transforming work of the Spirit is "remission." Under God's free gift of remission, the effects of sin are being removed, and where remission has begun in our lives, it is sure to be completed. Best of all, where remission is present, no additional sin offering is needed. God all done all that is needed to replace our unholy lives with his righteousness.

And all of this is witnessed by the Spirit who lives within us.

While the Bible often warns against a life governed by feelings, the idea of a witness by the Spirit seems to speak to just this concept. Literally, we often feel the Spirit within. He speaks of the reality of our faith and God's gracious gift.

But the witness of the Spirit is more than just a feeling. There is also the witness of a life that which once rejected God's love, now desires a daily relationship with Christ. There is the witness of the transformation that is occurring within us, as a life which once tolerated sin now looks to God for power over it. And whenever we fall into sin, we know the witness of the Spirit's conviction, and the assurance of the Spirit's touch, cleansing us from sin's guilt. We also sense the Lord speaking, revealing his will at many points in our life, and can often see the results of his work in the world.

All these things are witnesses of the Spirit. While God didn't have to prove his word to us, with the Spirit, there is proof enough.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the gift of your Spirit, witnessing of the change you are working in my life and within your church. Amen.

Lesson 201 – When the Spirit Offers Christ

2009-11-24T12:33:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 9:13-14

"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

Here we find the very crux of our salvation. In two verse, we find an explanation of how God restores his relationship with sinful humanity.

When Christ died on the cross, his blood was offered to the Father as a sacrifice, satisfying God's requirement for wrath against sin. One life sacrificed, given over to death for all others. God's righteous anger is completely satiated. No penalty remains for the people of faith.

While simple in its teaching, the implications of the Spirit's offering on our behalf shows God's profound love for his creation. Knowing we could not enter into his presence without a sacrifice, God satisfies this requirement by providing holy blood as a covering for our sins. Literally, when we enter into God's presence, our Holy God only sees Christ, and we are not destroyed.

Still, notice that by this sacrifice, we are also cleansed in our conscience from dead works. This reminds us we are not just covered by Christ's blood, but the presence of the Spirit also makes us new. We are born again, no longer guilty before God. Therefore, we no longer need to have our conscience convicted by the Lord, freeing us to serve the Lord outside of guilt.

Of course, our enemy is crafty, and spends a lot of his time trying to convince even believers that we're not really forgiven and of little use in God's kingdom. After all, don't we still sin? Don't we find ourselves feeling guilt? Don't we fail our Lord even daily? Sure we do! But remember this, no more sacrifice is needed. We are free from guilt in Christ!

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for offering your life for my own through the Spirit, freeing me from a lifetime of guilt. May my life be poured out for you in thanksgiving, remembering your sacrifice for your own. Amen.

Lesson 200 – When the Spirit Indicates

2009-11-24T12:16:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 9:8

"The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first temple was still standing."

The author of Hebrews reminds us that sinful humanity could not enter into the holiest part of the tabernacle, the Holiest of Holies, without a sacrifice. Even then, only the priest could enter, and only once a year, bearing the sins of the people upon his body. This was the Spirit's way of indicating to us that while the tabernacle still stood, we still needed a way to rightfully enter God's presence. We still needed someone to stand on our behalf, qualifying us for entry.

Of course, that someone was the person of Jesus Christ, and the something that he gave us for authorization is the shed blood of Christ, given as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross of Calvary. Just as the priest brought in a symbolic sacrifice once a year, every time we come before God in prayer, we come bearing the sacrifice of Christ. With the Spirit's touch upon our lives, we receive our ticket in.

Years ago, my son and I stood in a long line for a football game held in the Alamo Bowl Dome at San Antonio, waiting to buy tickets. We knew we couldn't just walk in without a ticket. Unexpectedly, before we reached the kiosk, a man offered us his tickets for free. He made the trip to the stadium just to give his tickets to someone just like us. We gladly accepted them, thanked him profusely, and entered the game at no cost. In the same way that accepting these free tickets allowed us in, the Spirit is offering us entrance to God's presence. All we have to do is accept God's freely given offer.

And while there were some strings attached with the tickets we accepted, for we had to sit where they indicated, we still gladly accepted these conditions. And with our Lord's offer, he also come conditions, with Christ demanding our worship, our allegiance, our obedience. But for those who have come to faith, they will tell you this condition is small compared to the glorious riches we have in Christ.

The Spirit indicates we need a way in, and that way is provided in Jesus Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you indicating through your Spirit a new way for us to enter into your presence. I accept your offer and commit my life to showing others your love for them. Amen.

Lesson 199 – When the Spirit Is Partaken

2009-11-23T19:22:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 6:4-7

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."

Once we partake of the Spirit's touch, there is no going back! With our salvation, it is simply an impossibility. God made it that way. Those who are born again by the Spirit's touch cannot, and will not, go back to a life apart from Christ.

The writer of Hebrews tells the church that if losing our salvation were indeed possible, then Christ would need to die again and again as we repent of our sins. And this can't be, for the Lord has died once for all for all the sins of all time.

While I accept this truth from God's word, I'm left with the realization that I seem to be crucifying the Lord again and again. As I slip into disobedience, I find myself needing to confess my sins to the Lord and ask the Spirit to bring a new cleansing to my life. This is to my shame, for the Lord has saved me fully, but I've chosen to live as if this salvation were not a reality.

While I'm not really crucifying the Lord again, my sins, along with the Spirit's conviction, remind me of my failures and the very real need we all have of the Savior. Whenever I come to the Lord with my heart in my hands, hanging my head low, I'm driven to a position of humility.

The good news is that the Lord willing accepts us back when we come back to the Savior in humility. That is the great love of God for his church and the majesty of the unlimited grace that is given to us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for allowing me to come again and again to you to know the Spirit's touch and the cleansing your offer to those who bear your name. Amen.

Lesson 198 – When the Spirit Says “Today”

2009-11-23T12:19:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 3:7-9

"Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.""

I think the Spirit's touch on our lives has always brought the reality of God's word to us as a "today" thing. Whenever we hear a word from the Lord, magnified by the working of the Spirit, we're faced with a sense of urgency, a call to obedience that can't be put off until a more convenient time. Today is the day.

Those who received the letter to the Hebrews we're warned against rebelling against the word of the Lord. They were not to harden their hearts. They were not to put God to the test by ignoring his faithfulness. For the hardening of hearts to the Lord's voice, and the resulting unthankfulness in our lives, are not the right responses to the Spirit's call. God wants our undivided attention, and he wants it right now.

A rebel is one who turns their allegiance from one cause to another, often even as a traitor to their own country. As the church, whenever we ignore the Spirit's call for "today", we are those who are acting as rebels, having become more like the enemy of Christ than a faithful follower.

The author of Hebrews later warns of God's anger against those who are living in rebellion. You can bet you don't want the Lord so disappointed with your life that he has to discipline you to get you on the right track. It would be better to head the call to "today" and search out the Lord's will for your life.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for caring enough to send your Spirit to speak to my heart, giving warning when I turn astray. May each day be a new today from your Spirit, leading me back to you. Amen.

Lesson 197 – When the Spirit Bears Witness

2009-11-22T19:31:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 2:1-4

"Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?"

This passage carries a dual warning, first, by serving notice to those who have heard of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, calling us to be careful not to neglect by disobedience the salvation which God offers to the entire world. With the Spirit's confirmation of the divinity of Jesus Christ, there will be no excuse when we stand before the King of Kings in judgment.

The second warning is similar to the first, but given to those who have already believed. With most of the book written to the church, I think this is the primary theme of this portion of Hebrews. As individual believers, and as local bodies of Christ, we too need to be careful not to neglect the message, falling away in disobedience, for our Lord is sure to punish us when found in sin.

I'm afraid we need to pay more attention to this warning, for God tells us to give it "more earnest heed". We need to make it our business to seek the witness of the Spirit to know when we are drifting away from a close relationship with Jesus Christ so that we can take action to return.

When one thinks of drifting away, we visualize a boat which is no longer anchored or tethered to the pier. As the tides go in and out, or the winds blow, the boat slips away, little by little. Overtime, it floats as far as if a motor had been cranked and the driven away. As believers, most of us don't intentionally drift away from Christ, but when we neglect our relationship with him through the Spirit, we find ourselves further and further away.

Without a doubt, those familiar spiritual disciples help out here, anchoring us to Christ. These include making regular worship a priority, seeking the Spirit's voice in the written word, and an abiding connection to God in prayer. Another tool we need to cultivate in our lives is to have close friendships with other believers, those who would feel comfortable in steering us back to the Lord when we drift away.

In my own life, I testify that the Spirit's touch bears witness in my soul, telling me when things are not as they should be. He does this for every believer creating a restlessness in our hearts, urging us to come back to the Lord. And the good thing is this: The Lord always welcomes back those who are his own, and the Spirit is sure to not leave us alone, pursuing us until we heed the call.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for bearing witness of the relationship you seek with those who are your own. May I always know this witness and respond to your call to return. Amen.

Lesson 196 – When the Spirit Enters and Lifts

2009-11-22T18:44:00.001+01:00

Ezekiel 2:1-2

"And He said to me, 'Son of man, stand on your feet and I will speak to you.' Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me."

More than any other prophet, the Spirit is said to have entered Ezekiel time after time. In this text, the Spirit enters Ezekiel to bring him to his feet. Ezekiel had been humbled to the ground after seeing the glory of the Lord in a vision. In response to his humility, the Spirit lifts him to his feet to be used as the Lord's servant.

Again, in chapter 3, verses 12 and 14, the Spirit enters Ezekiel and lifts him up, not only to his feet, but to take him away from Jerusalem to minister to those already taken captive by Babylon. Jumping to verse 23, we find the Spirit entering Ezekiel to once again bring him to his feet. Ezekiel had bowed his face to the ground in response to the Lord's glory.

The story of the Spirit entering and lifting up Ezekiel continues in chapter 8, verse 3, with the Spirit lifting him up between heaven and earth by a lock of his hair, showing him the abominations done in the temple at Jerusalem. In chapter 11, verses 1 and 5, the Spirit again lifts Ezekiel up, bringing him to the East Gate of the temple, showing him the elders of the city who refused to believe God's word of pending destruction. Then in verse 24, the Spirit takes Ezekiel up by a vision to again visit those in Babylonian captivity.

As I read of these multiple encounters with God, with the Spirit lifting him to his feet and to other locations, I can't but wonder what it would take for my life to be so influenced by the Spirit's touch. O that the Lord would send his Spirit to lift up the church today so that we could hear the Lord speak and to see life's events as God sees them.

It seems to me that the Spirit entered and lifted Ezekiel in response to his humility. When Ezekiel humbled himself before the Lord, the Spirit would then make himself known in a very real way in Ezekiel's life. In the church today, I believe the Spirit enters us in power when we first humble ourselves to Christ in the word, in worship, in praise and prayer.

Not that we can manipulate the Spirit's power, but when we respond in humility to the Lord's glory, we give God room to use us for his kingdom purposes.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit who enters us for your glory. May my life always be open to your presence, ready to be poured out for you for the kingdom's sake. Amen.

Lesson 195 – When the Spirit Saves Us

2009-11-19T12:04:00.001+01:00

Titus 3:4-7

"But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. "

This is one of my favorite passages, and certainly tops as it pertains to the Spirit's touch. It is full of God's love for us and clearly describes our salvation.

Simply put, our new birth stems from God's love, was initiated by the Father, worked out for our sakes on the cross by Christ, and is completed in us by the Spirit. The Father determined to give us his mercies, Christ came in obedience to suffer in our place as the sacrifice for sin, and the Spirit brings about our salvation by pouring out God's righteousness upon us.

Let no one say you can be a believer, but not have the Spirit within you unless you evidence some sign gift such as speaking in tongues. The Spirit doesn't come because we worship in the right way, or call out for his presence in the right way, or attend the right church.

In reality, there is nothing you can do to receive a further presence or a second filling or another renewal of the Spirit. Absolutely nothing. Every believer has already received the Spirit as God's gift, so there is no need to seek after the Spirit's touch to come upon you. God is already there, and not because we were ever good enough for his presence. No one can boast in their own righteousness. In fact, when the Spirit comes, he cleans our souls through regeneration and renewing.

What is true is that we need to be a people who continuously confess our sins before the Father. And while this act of contrition has nothing to do with our salvation and the Spirit's presence, for that is already complete, we need continuously cleaning to be effectively used as fitting vessels for worship and service in the kingdom. And there is certainly nothing wrong with asking the Spirit to fill you for that purpose in some fresh way.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit's cleansing in my life and your presence to continuously make me new as I fail you through many points in my life. Amen.

Lesson 194 – When the Spirit Keeps the Good Thing

2009-11-19T11:44:00.001+01:00

2 Timothy 2:13-14

"Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us."

While Paul's words in this text were meant as an encouragement to his protégé in the preaching and pastoral ministry, spurring Timothy to remain committed to the work, serving in the power of the Spirit, this principle likewise applies to every believer. We too have received a good thing from the Lord and are encouraged to keep it by the Spirit who indwells our lives.

In the larger sense, every believer received a good thing by the Spirit's touch at the point of our conversion. We came as one no longer living apart from Christ to one following after Jesus in faith. We received the new birth, and while we cannot revert back to the old nature, since we're transformed, we still need to keep our new birth fresh by the Spirit.

Whenever a believer pushes down the presence of the Spirit in us, we will fall away from being a committed and effective disciple of the Lord. In a sense, we are not keeping the good thing. It is no longer at the forefront of our desires, and relationship with Jesus suffers.

Likewise, every believer has received spiritual gifts by the Spirit, all for the building up of the body of Christ. In the same way, we are liable to lose the effectiveness of these gifts whenever we fail to exercise them for God's glory in the kingdom, or when we go use apart from the empowerment of the Spirit.

These gifts are more than just natural talents, but supernatural abilities God gives for the benefit of the kingdom. While they may appear as talents, when used of the Spirit, they further the kingdom for God's glory. Often times, their effectiveness comes even apart from the outward success of what we've done, for they are an instrument of our Lord within the church.

In light of Paul's words to Timothy, every believer needs to regularly ask the Spirit to help us keep the good thing which God has given us, both in making our salvation fresh and in using our spiritual gifts within the church. By coming to the Lord with this request, we're once again reminding our hearts that we are nothing without the Lord, and we're in complete submission to the working of the Spirit with us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit who brings about a good thing in my life and the church through the new birth. I also thank you for your Spirit's gifts in my life. I ask you to keep these fresh in my life and to use them when surrendered to you in a powerful way within your church. Amen.

Lesson 193 – When the Spirit Expressly Says

2009-11-17T21:46:00.001+01:00

1 Timothy 4:1-3

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanks-giving by those who believe and know the truth"

When the Spirit expressly says. While it may sound like it, I'm not comparing God's voice to a game of "Simon Says", where what we hear is not really what is to happen, unless the magic words are said. When God speaks by the Spirit, it is expressly for our warning and obedience.

In this text, the Spirit expressly gives voice to a warning, one which still applies to the church today. Whereas most recognize the obvious effects of sin's deceptions, few understand when they're just as surely deceived by religious practices within the church. So the Spirit gives expression to such a warning.

God tells us that when the church gets caught up in having more concern for religious practices than it does for doctrines of the faith, we are being deceived by demons. When the church is more concerned about what to wear, or what to eat, or forbidding women to marry than it is in following after Jesus Christ, we've been deceived. When we don't see the reality of our sins, but are quick to see when others don't follow our rules, we've been deceived.

Sure, we put on the trappings of faith, even claiming to do certain things like these to honor Christ, but in doing so, we've become disobedient, and we're not hearing the express warnings of the Spirit.

I'm trying hard not to alienate anyone by pointing out specific churches for these types of practices, but you probably know of them. Their pastors aren't allowed to marry. Their unmarried women are instead married to married to Christ. Their parishioners may only assemble to worship wearing clothes which reflect society's standards for Sunday dress. They teach against a whole list things intended to protect from sin.

And while some of these practices may be good in themselves, to these churches, the Spirit gives warning. This is a departure from the faith. And while this departure may not be in the form of apostasy in denying Christ, basic doctrines of our Lord are being overshadowed by religious practice.

Every church is constantly in danger of this, especially in allowing traditions become the standard for how one must worship.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the truth of your word and I ask for your Spirit to weigh heavy upon me so my life not become deceived by he deceptions of religious practice over a faith in you. Amen.

Lesson 192 – When the Spirit Justifies

2009-11-15T19:02:00.001+01:00

1 Timothy 3:16

"And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory."

What a glorious portrayal of the gospel of Jesus Christ and God's love for humanity. While the message is simple, with God coming in flesh and bringing salvation, the mystery of this action is beyond our comprehension.

Not that we can't lay out the great doctrines associated with God's grace, mercies, sanctification, and substitutionary death, for these have been considered in great depth by the church over the centuries. But for me, the mystery is great mostly in the realization that I really cannot fathom all of God's love for me. Why would the God of the universe submit himself to the cross for sinful humanity?

By its nature, a great mystery is one that may never be figured out, but that still doesn't belay our need to accept it in faith. Jesus understood this when he explained to Nicodemus that while we don't know where the wind comes from, we know its effects. It is the same with salvation.

While we may not be able to explain all the mysteries of why God chose to love us, or understand how much God loves us, we can definitely know the change which is effected in our souls by the Spirit's touch…a new birth in Jesus Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for love, even as I struggle to even grasp the magnitude of your sacrifice. Amen.

Lesson 191 – When the Spirit Sanctifies

2009-11-15T18:55:00.001+01:00

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

"But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

While I can't begin to claim to have figured out God's doctrine of predestination, it is a truth we're called to embrace. Simply put, that while God is sovereign, he gives us a choice for our salvation, still knowing who will come to him in faith, all without giving up any of his sovereignty or our freedom of will. Confusing, huh?!

One thing we can say for sure is God planned our salvation from the beginning of time, a salvation only accomplished through by the death of Jesus Christ and by the sanctification of those who believe, bringing a cleansing to our souls by the Spirit's touch.

From the beginning, God's choice was for our salvation. While he never approved of sin in our lives, his unbounded love for us meant he was prepared to deal with our failures, even if it meant the sacrifice of his life for our own.

Of course, God predestined our salvation by the Spirit's touch for more than just our glory. Our choice for the Lord gives our God glory. When we willingly turn to the Lord, our lives join the chorus of creation singing of our Lord's kingly position.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your sacrifice on the cross and the cleansing you've prepared for us through the Spirit's touch. Amen.

Lesson 190 – When the Spirit Is Quenched

2009-11-14T10:03:00.001+01:00

1 Thessalonians 5:19

"Do not quench the Spirit."

What a simple verse, one which I've heard most of my life. Do not quench the Spirit. Don't throw cold water on the burning power of God within the church. Don't put out the fire of the Spirit's touch.

Realize now that you have the very real ability to quench the Spirit. While God reigns supreme, the Spirit is not willing to overcome one who does not welcome him daily. God doesn't force himself upon us, even on those who have committed themselves to following after Jesus Christ.

I confess that I've felt this quenching of the Spirit, and admit it mostly happens when I've done one of several things. Whenever I seek after sin instead of seeking after my Lord, the Spirit's power in me is put out. Whenever I forsake God in worship, or quit looking into the perfect law of the Lord, the Spirit withdraws his power. When prayer becomes an afterthought, the Spirit is doused with cold water and no longer burns within me.

Even within our church, we seek self over sacrificial service for Christ and others, we lose the power of Spirit.

Be warned. Life will get harder when we quench the Spirit. Without the leadership of the Spirit over our lives, we'll find ourselves wandering in a spiritual desert, lost and without hope.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the power of the Spirit and ask you to remind me daily of your desire to burn within me and your church. Amen.

Lesson 189 – When the Spirit Is Holiness

2009-11-14T09:40:00.001+01:00

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8

"For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit."

As followers of Jesus Christ, our lives are defined not by the uncleanness of the world, but by the perfect holiness which is God's alone. While we're people of this world, with all our failures, worries, and difficulties, we're also no longer those who are unclean, for by the Spirit's touch, we are born again into the holiness of Christ.

Even as sinners, we are declared holy by God's word. Our salvation has begun, surely to be finished at the returning of the Lord, as even our bodies will be fully changed then to live in God's holiness. So while we are not yet what we will become, God has begun our transformation to holiness and will not stop until we are made into the image of Christ.

Still, our Lord desires his disciples to pursue his holiness in our lives with all our hearts, relying upon the Spirit's presence to overcome sin's deceptive yearnings. Of course, overcoming sin is easier said than done, even for those who know the power of Christ.

But still, we can grow in our holiness over time, not simply as our age grows older each year, but as we prove the trustworthiness of faith in Christ. As we obey the word, discover a heart for worship, and learn of the unbounded love of our Savior, we can't help but desire more and more to live holy lives before our God. This becomes our motivation, and with the Spirit in us, we are empowered to pursue this life.

God doesn't call us to holiness simply for our own sakes, though there is much advantage in following the Lord, with much of life's problems having sin at their root. Instead, our holiness honors our God and serves as a witness to others who need the Lord.

We are to be holy for our God, and with the Spirit's touch upon us, this holy life is possible.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit in us, bringing about a holiness which reflects our God. May I be one who intently looks to your word, seeking you in all things, so that I may live a holy life before you and others. Amen.

Lesson 188 – When the Spirit Enlivens the Word

2009-11-12T12:36:00.001+01:00

1 Thessalonians 1:5-6

"For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit."

Twice, Paul mentions the "word" in these verses, each time referring to the Spirit's touch as the catalyst which makes the word come alive. Without the Spirit, even the gospel message of Jesus Christ is powerless, for our salvation is not in mere words, but in the work the Lord does through the Spirit within the heart of the hearer.

While we often encourage people to come to faith in Jesus Christ, and rightly so, it is the Spirit who makes this faith possible, for the Spirit takes the word and makes it alive within the soul of the hearer. No pastor has ever convinced another to become a true follower of Christ, no evangelist wins one to Christ through a passionate appeal, no mother leads a child to faith in Christ, unless the Spirit enlivens the word.

Salvation begins with the Spirit and salvation is given by the Spirit. Christ, the living word, carried out the requirements of salvation, and prayed for the Father to send the Spirit. The Father sacrificed the Son and answered his prayer for the Spirit to dwell among us. Salvation is of God, belongs to God, and is God's to give, and he does so only through the Spirit.

People sometimes wonder if they have the faith they need for salvation. I'm convinced that if the Spirit is at work in them to enliven the word to convict of sin, the Spirit is also present for salvation.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit of salvation which dwells within me and is still at work in the world today, enlivening the word to draw people from darkness unto light. May your church be surrendered to being used as an instrument of this salvation in any way you see fit. Amen.

Lesson 187 – When the Spirit Is Love

2009-11-12T12:10:00.001+01:00

Colossians 1:7-8

"As you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit."

These verses are part of a five-verse paragraph Paul penned in praise to the church at Colossae. Laying out their faithfulness to Christ, he comes to a fitting crescendo, praising their love in the Spirit. This seems to be the basis for all the rest of the things which were worthy of praise.

Love in the Spirit -- this is a curious phrase, without any real clue as to what it might mean. While the Bible frequently refers to praying in the Spirit and worshipping in the Spirit, we don't see this same phrase elsewhere. Still, I think it an important concept, for it reminds every believer of that the love we're to have for each other is not a love which we naturally have, but a love coming from the Spirit's touch.

When we love others in the church based on normal ways of thinking, our love holds true only as long as we get along with each other, or have our own way in decision making, or not have our feelings have hurt by inconsiderate words. The bottom-line is this. Without the Spirit, we only love when we feel like it. Unless the conditions are right, we do not love each other in the church.

Of course, this is not God's way. Christ demonstrated love that had no bounds, that surpassed all understanding, that forgave even when there was no basis for forgiveness. That's the love we are to have in the church, and the only way we can know this love is to exercise the love of the Spirit.

Like other Spiritual disciplines, love is not something we can simply commit to and then it happens. We need God's help even to get started, and I think that prayer is the beginning point. We need to ask the Spirit to enable us to love each other. We don't need to wait until things are just right, or our relationships are broken, before beginning this course of prayer. We simply need to pray for each other, and as we pray, the Lord will empower us to love in the Spirit.

We also need to ask the Lord to give us a heart to love others as we already love ourselves. If you do, you'll be surprised by what the Lord may do next in your life. The Spirit will start by changing our own hearts towards others so that we begin to see others through God's love. That's just the way our God does it. He changes us when we begin to exercise his love.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I ask you to give me a love from your Spirit for others. May I not grow cold and impersonal in dealing with those you've already shown your love to in Christ.

Lesson 186 – When the Spirit Is Our Confidence

2009-11-11T10:01:00.001+01:00

Philippians 3:3

"For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."

As Americans, we live in a society which rightfully places a premium on teaching our children to embrace the confidence needed to be successful in our modern world. And that's a good thing.

But often, we push this desire for confidence too far, emphasizing a self-worth that is beyond that which is ours only by the Spirit's touch. The Bible is clear--all our own worth is as nothing when compared to God's glories. Because of sin, we are unholy people in need of a Savior, and no amount of self-confidence overcomes this reality. Every other confidence will leave you wanting, only hiding behind a self-assurance that you know is only a façade.

Paul lived in a day where people understood their need to be saved from sin's curse. And while the Jews recognized their sinful condition, they were much like people today, betting on a confidence other than Christ. For Israel, their confidence was in a religious practice. Specifically, their faith was in circumcision. As long as the men of the nation were circumcised, the people remained confident that God would forgive their sins. But this was a misplaced confidence.

Jesus came teaching that the circumcision needed was not of the flesh, but of the heart. Sure, God command Israel to be circumcised, but that was only to point to the need of the heart change, and to mark those who confessed their sins to God. The physical act never took away sin, but pointed to a people who were following after God with all their hearts.

But over time, familiarity with the practice reduced it to just a cultural act, much like today. It really meant nothing other than to become a misplaced confidence concerning their relationship with God. We see much the same today in church practices such as infant baptism. Coming to church once in a life-time, and as an infant at that, doesn't make one right with God. Same with partaking of the Lord's Supper without placing faith in Jesus Christ; it becomes a misplaced confidence. It's even the same with coming to church worship services every week. This simple act does not save one from sin.

Many today believe they are Christians simply because of where they were born. I find much of Europe thinks exactly this way, believing they are Christians by birth, since they were born in a Christian nation. Again, this is a misplaced confidence. Our Spiritual birth is not a matter of where we were born, but of the one who makes us born again.

You see, our only confidence must be in the Spirit's touch. When God comes to live in our hearts through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive a new confidence, one based not on ourselves, or chance, or anyone else's declaration, but a confidence based on God's word.

So where are you placing your confidence today?

LORD JESUS

Lord, I ask you to impress your Spirit on those you are calling to faith so that we place our only confidence in the faith you give us in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lesson 185 – When the Spirit Is Fellowship

2009-11-11T09:33:00.001+01:00

Philippians 2:1-2

"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."

Every pastor tends to find themselves needing to pray for a congregation which worships and serves in unity, and the Apostle Paul was no exception. Paul tells the church at Philippi that he would rest in a full serving of joy if the church would be filled with unity. He would know joy if they would be like-minded in their desires to honor Christ. He would know joy if their love for each other would be given without measure, withholding none of it from any in their congregation.

Paul understood the very real truth that disunity defeats the effectiveness of any church. When there are disputes, anger, ill will, and hurt feelings within the body of Christ, Spirit filled worship is not really possible. Sure, we try to lift up the name of Christ, but in our disunity, we've given Satan a foothold in our lives, and our Lord is not receiving the full worship he desires. The problem is that the fellowship we enjoyed with the Spirit's touch is withheld when we are not in fellowship with each other.

Likewise, when there are raging disagreements as to how to spend the weekly offerings or from a special campaign, bitterness grows, even as we promise to be in prayer concerning the situation at hand. But quite frankly, our prayers are superficial, not really seeking God's will but our own way. Again, the thing that is lacking is the fellowship of the Spirit. As we break fellowship with each other, we break fellowship with God in our lives.

And when this happens, the ministries of the Lord through the local church come to a halt. Few find themselves willing to belong to the church. Fewer are willing to sacrifice through service and giving. And fewer still remain faithful in attendance, worship and prayer.

When this happens in our church, we go weeks with no visitors. None are likely to invite another into our fellowship when we're not living in unity with each other and the Spirit. And the result is easy for all to see. Christ receives no glory. The gospel is silent in our community. The kingdom suffers.

What we need to do is pray for each other and our fellowship even when our emotions are screaming for something different. There is power in prayer, in that it opens the way for the Spirit to heal hearts and establish fellowship within the body.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I ask you to fill our church with your presence, giving us a heart for each other, lifting up each other in prayer so that we enjoy a close unit within the body. Lord, may this begin with a pure fellowship with you. Amen.

Lesson 184 – When the Spirit Supplies

2009-11-09T06:52:00.001+01:00

Philippians 1:19-20

"For I know this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death."

In spite of imprisonment for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul demonstrates the unwavering faith available to any believer surrendered to the Spirit's touch. He's not teaching a lesson here, though it is full of Godly principles, but is living out his faith in a difficult circumstance.

Most of us get torn up inside, and maybe even on the outside, when we've been treated unfairly. We understand getting a speeding ticket when we're driving too fast, but rue the day when we're pulled over in innocence. The indignity of it all! Well, that's where Paul finds himself, in prison, accused of raising up mobs against the government. Falsely charged, when all he had done was make a stand for Christ.

But in the midst of this trial, we see Paul's faith in the Spirit's touch upon him. First of all, we see a faith which is established. His faith in Jesus Christ remains unmoved in spite of the unfairness of it all. Paul remains confident the Spirit will supply all he needs, even in this situation. And that doesn't mean he was betting on being released, for he admits that even in his death, Christ could be magnified.

Paul also mentions that his faith in the Spirit's supply keeps him from shame. Like all humanity, Paul understood the great effect that shame has on all of us. We live in the fear of shame—that we'll be found less successful than others, that we stand out as being less attractive, that our intellects don't measure up, or our sports prowess makes us the last chosen for a team. We naturally fear shame. And what could be more shameful than being forgotten in a prison cell?

When we remember that it is the Spirit who supplies, we never need be ashamed, for we know God is bringing about just what he desires for our life, even when it isn't what we expected.

Many people today face the shame of unemployment, not because of inadequacies at work, but from the realities of a slumping economy. In particular, men fear running into a former co-workers and having to explain they still don't have a job. The shame is real.

Still, maybe this is God's way of calling us back to trust in his supply.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I ask you to give me the faith I need to trust in your supply, realizing that when I depend on you, that in all things there is no need to be ashamed. Amen.

Lesson 183 – When the Spirit Leads

2009-11-09T06:41:00.001+01:00

Isaiah 63:14

"As a beast goes down into the valley, and the Spirit of the Lord causes him to rest, so You lead Your people, to make Yourself a glorious name."

I must admit the first phrase in this verse is for me still a question. God compares the leading of his people to give himself a glorious name to the leading of a beast into the valley to find rest. What's that all about?

I wonder what type of beast the Spirit had in mind when Isaiah penned this text. Was it a wild beast, like a mountain lion, stalking down into the valley to get a drink of water, finding rest for legs wearied by a hunting trip into the mountains? Or is the Spirit speaking of a domesticated animal, like a donkey, which travels into the valley as a surefooted beast of burden, finding rest at the end of the journey? Or most likely, some other reference which remains hidden to me?

Regardless, we're reminded it is the Spirit's touch which leads the church, bringing rest, and lifting up the glorious name of Christ.

In the Spirit, the church finds rest for our weary souls after an arduous journey to trying to become right with God by finding a righteous life. We're worn out, worn down, and without hope. All is lost. But as the Spirit indwells us through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are overshadowed by the holiness of Christ upon us, sin is defeated and we find rest from the guilt which is rightfully ours—and God receives all glory!

As the church continues live out obedient lives in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord's name is lifted up within our communities. We become a people who no longer live for ourselves, but to make a name for ourselves, but to bring glory to the name of Jesus.

As a pastor, I encounter lot's of people who need to find rest, not only for sinful souls, but for lives which are ravished by the physical effects of sin. And even believers find themselves needing rest, as we disobey God's word in assuming the worries of this world as we try to make ends meet in the midst of chaos.

But the answer is given to all of us. Come to Jesus. Find rest for your souls. Be one who glorifies the name of Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I seek the rest you offer to your church as we follow after your Spirit's leading. May the footsteps of my life be secure as I follow after you, all for your honor and glory. Amen.

Lesson 182 – When the Spirit Hides

2009-11-08T20:31:00.001+01:00

Isaiah 63:11-12

"Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: 'Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them, Who led them by the right hand of Moses, with His glorious arm, dividing the water before them to make for Himself an everlasting name, Who led them through the deep, as a horse in the wilderness, that they might not stumble?'"

Isaiah recalls a time when God's Spirit fought against his people for grieving his Spirit, remembering how Moses and Israel called out for the Lord and did not find him. As part of this fight, God hides his presence from the nation as they turned to sin. Not that our Lord quit loving his people, for that is not his perfect nature, but that he hid his Spirit so they would repent and turn again to his mercies.

Surely it is still the same today with the church. Our God still withholds the empowering presence of his Spirit when we rebel against his word, grieving against the Spirit by choosing to disobey the Lord's will and chasing after sin. It's not that our God is no longer with us, but that he has hidden the power of his Spirit to get our attention.

This is definitely not a popular message, reminding the church that our God fights against us, or that he hides himself from us, but our Lord does this for our benefit. He loves us too much to allow us to remain in disobedience. He wants to restore a close relationship with us in the Spirit, but he cannot suffer the life which rebels against his lordship.

Of course, it is a fearful thing to be in a fight against the Lord. There is no way we will overcome unless we repent and return and plead for the Lord to no longer withhold his Spirit from us. Without the Spirit's presence, we'll find our lives without hope, our spirits dry and unsatisfied, and our hearts longing again for the Savior. And that's just what the Lord wants to draw us back to obedience.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I seek you Spirit in my life and in your church. I plead for you not to withhold your Spirit's presence from us day. We want to dwell in your presence. We choose obedience and submission instead of disobedience and rebellion. Amen.

Lesson 181 – When the Spirit Fights

2009-11-08T20:22:00.001+01:00

Isaiah 63:8-10

"For He said, 'Surely they are My people, children who will not lie.' So He became their Savior. In all their affliction, He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them."

This is somber word from our God, applying both to the church of old and the church of today. While our Savior lovingly became afflicted for our sakes, redeeming us from our sins, he will not stand still when we rebel against his lordship. When the church pushes away the Holy Spirit in rebellion to go its own way, the Spirit turns to fight against us.

Talk about a no-win situation. We find ourselves without hope when God fights against us. When the Spirit's touch is no longer the abiding presence of our Savior but the infiltrating presence of an enemy, we will be overcome.

Israel experienced God fighting against them first hand. After sending prophets over the centuries to warn against idolatry, the Lord turned against his own. He allowed unholy enemies, the Assyrians and the Babylonians, to invade Israel and destroy the nation. God became the enemy of his people. The Spirit no longer came as a Savior, but fought against God's people.

While a sobering account, we still find mercy. Even after pushing God to fight against them, the Lord relented when Israel began to forsake their false Gods and returned to worship him with all their hearts.

Likewise, we as the church today need the Lord to warn us when we've adopted false gods. While few openly worship other gods, by our actions, we've been pursuing other loves. Our eyes are blinded to sin, and we need to turn to God's holiness to reveal it to us so we can confess and turn back to the Lord.

If we refuse to repent, the Lord's Spirit will fight against us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I don't want to be your enemy, either in word or practice. I ask you to open my heart to your thoughts, showing me the idols I need to forsake in my life. Amen.

Lesson 180 – When the Spirit Bears a Sword

2009-11-07T08:57:00.001+01:00

Ephesians 6:17-18

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Most people are intrigued by the vivid picture of the armor of Christ that Paul laid out to the church at Ephesus, and I find this especially true for those living in our Army community. Soldiers and weaponry and all sorts of gear just seem to go hand in hand. And the soldiers in our church have a lot of it!

I think the Lord's last piece of armor is the most special, that being the sword which is wielded by the Holy Spirit. This is an offensive weapon, one which takes the battle to God's enemies, converting hearts and souls into believers and sustaining the church of Jesus Christ in every battle as we preach the word and pray.

Most don't think of the word as a weapon of war, but that is essentially what it becomes when it is given over to the Spirit. When we bring the word into our hearts, the Spirit uses it to cut away the sin which binds and begins to shape us into the likeness of Christ. When we bring the word to bear on those who need Christ in their own lives, the Spirit testifies to the truth of the gospel, convicts of sin, and works out the salvation of everyone who believes. The word in the hands of the Spirit is one powerful weapon available to every believer.

Similarly, prayer is a weapon used by the Spirit to bring the fight to the enemy. Our Army friends remind me that a country can't occupy enemy territory without boots on the ground. Prayer brings those boots to bear on every enemy territory of our lives as we lift up the fight to Jesus.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit's fighting presence in my life, in the church, and in our community as we are faithful to the word and to prayer. Amen.

Lesson 179 – When the Spirit Initiates the Gospel

2009-11-07T08:36:00.001+01:00

Isaiah 61:1-3

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."

Jesus told those in Jerusalem years later that the words of this prophecy were fulfilled before their very eyes. The gospel, or good news, promised centuries before had come to the world . The Lord's salvation was upon Israel and the entire world.

Isaiah prophesied of this coming of good news and pointed to the Spirit's touch as the force which would initiate our salvation. Christ, in his humanity, needed the Spirit upon him to do the will of the Father, just as you and I need the Spirit's touch on us to preach the gospel.

As believers, the Spirit is at work in us to usher in the news of the gospel to those poor in spirit, to those whose hearts are overturned and in need of the Savior, and to those who need release from sin's captivity. While we've got good news to share, it is the Spirit's touch on us and those who heart which makes the delivery of this news successful in the face of spiritual opposition.

We need to become a people who cry out to the Spirit to initiate the gospel through our witness. This cry honors and glories our Father, admits our personal unworthiness to preach the good news, and empowers the Lord's supernatural working in the hearts and minds of a people blinded by Satan's deceptions.

As a pastor, my preaching cannot draw people to Christ without the initiation of the Spirit. I'm powerless without the Spirit.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit's purpose in initiating the good news of the cross to all of humanity and working in my life and in the church to bring this good news of Jesus Christ to a world in great need. Amen.

Lesson 178 – When the Spirit Intoxicates

2009-11-04T20:33:00.001+01:00

Ephesians 5:17-21

"Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God."

I often see young soldiers coming of the post shoppette wearing a big grin on their faces, looking like little children getting away with something they shouldn't. "And what is it that they are doing?" you might ask. They're buying beer, ready to go back to their rooms and allow their bodies to be consumed by an alcoholic intoxication.

As believers, Paul reminds us through his letter to the Ephesians that the goal is not for alcohol to control our lives, but the intoxication of the Spirit's touch. Literally, we're to be drunk on God. Of course, this doesn't mean we lose control over bodily functions like one drunk on too much beer. And it doesn't mean we lose control over our minds and actions, like one whose thoughts are dulled by a few glasses of wine. Instead, we're to give over the control of our wills to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes we say that someone in love is intoxicated for the other person. They've become their whole reason for living, filling their every thought. Maybe that's what God wants from us—a love for Jesus Christ that is ever on our hearts and minds.

Notice how this intoxication of the Holy Spirit comes about. It begins with lifting up the name of the Lord through music. It is through the praises of worship that our focus moves to the Lord and away from the intoxicating relationship we often have with ourselves. Worship always does this. It moves our thoughts and priorities from the natural man to the spiritual man, from ourselves to our God.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I invite you to intoxicate my life with your daily and sustained presence that I may live a life pleasing to you. Amen.

Lesson 177 – When the Spirit Is the Covenant

2009-11-02T06:49:00.001+01:00

Isaiah 59:21

"As for Me, says the Lord, this is my covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants, says the Lord, from this time and forevermore."

Much of the Bible's story is account of God's covenants with those of his creation. From Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, to Jeremiah, to the new church, the Bible tells us God is willing to commit his heart to us in a covenant relationship.

Given God's transcendent nature, it has always been surprising to me that God would care enough for me to even notice the path of my life. Whereas the covenants we're most experienced with are based on fairness and equality, it is not the same with God's covenants. Instead, they stem from God's perfect love. God chooses to reach out and love unlovable humanity. And not only does God choose to love us, he paid a great price to establish his covenant of mercy with humanity, even the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins.

The covenant we see here in Isaiah is one which involved the Spirit's touch. God covenants to not only bring his Spirit upon his people, but to have the Spirit remain upon them. No longer would they need the law, because the law would abide with them. This was also to be an everlasting covenant, one which continued to all generations of those who worship the Lord.

Of course, this covenant was fully fulfilled with the coming of the Spirit upon the church at Pentecost as recorded Acts 2. Earlier, Jesus had prayed that God would send the Spirit, and with Pentecost, the answer to his prayers and the fulfillment of the covenant offered to Isaiah are fulfilled.

As believers, we live in the blessing of this covenant, knowing the word of God in each of our hearts as we experience the blessing of God's Spirit upon us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the covenant of your Spirit upon my life and your church. May we live fully for you in light of your great love for us. Amen.

Lesson 176 – When the Spirit Lifts a Standard

2009-11-01T19:32:00.001+01:00

Isaiah 59:19-20

"So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, says the Lord."

Military units of all sizes carry a flag referred to as a guidon. In olden days, it was the standard upon which the forces formed when preparing for battle, and also rallied to in the midst of the battle. While the guidon is purely ceremonial in today's armies, it still symbolizes powerful forces.

In Isaiah's day, God prophesied of the coming of an army against those who rise against his people and to destroy those who embrace sin. The Spirit would raise the standard of God's armies, with God's forces led by the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus is seen as riding on a white horse, carrying the standard. He comes as commander of the armies of God, going into battle to rid the world of Satan and his demons, bringing eternal damnation to those who would stand against him.

I don't think we spend enough time thinking about the battle which is already raging around us, for the stakes are real, with the souls of people and the rulership of the universe in the balance. Instead, we worry more about what we can see and feel instead of the reality of spiritual things.

But because the battle is already formed and the forces engaged, we're liable to be wounded if we wander from the command of our Lord, for the Spirit's touch sustains those who rally to the Lord's standard.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit which lifts the standard of the Lord over my life. I pray for the forces that are even now in conflict, that your angels will be victorious. I ask you to draw me to your standard and turn me back when I wander away from you. Amen.

Lesson 175 – When the Spirit Is Light

2009-10-27T19:01:00.001+01:00

Ephesians 5:8-10

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord."

Light is a wonderful thing, for it drives out darkness, illuminates our way, and makes our path clear. Without light, we're be hopelessly lost with nothing to guide our way, simply stumbling along without purpose.

Paul reminds the church at Ephesus that all believers once lived in darkness. Not that we couldn't see with our eyes, but that we were blinded to spiritual realities. Without Christ, we were hopelessly lost in our sins, with nothing to guide our way to God. But with the coming of the Spirit, we're led to faith in Jesus Christ and now live in the light of Savior.

As a people of the light which is the Spirit, we now live with the reality of God with us. In the Spirit, our way is clear and the Lord work in us, bringing about spiritual fruits.

Just like physical light, the Spirit is all about what it illuminates. In believers, the Spirit reveals our new nature in Christ, showing God's goodness, righteousness and truth in the church.

Sometimes believers are like someone out in the dark when their headlights go out. We can no longer see where we're going and forced to sit and wait on a new source of light. For Christians, that source of light is a restoral of the Spirit to a full position of glory within us. When we grieve the Spirit, the light grows dim. When we rejoice in the Spirit through a life of worship and obedience, God's light shines bright within and through us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit which lights my life, driving out the darkness of my sins. May I continuously look to your light to show me how to live in a world of darkness. Amen.

Lesson 174 – When the Spirit Is Grieved

2009-10-26T20:28:00.001+01:00

Ephesians 4:30

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

We've seen already that it is the Spirit who seals our salvation. The Holy Spirit is God's earnest towards us, the guarantee of the salvation completed in Christ and being worked out in us lives until our redemption is complete. Here, Paul gives warning that believers are not to be the source of grief of towards this same Spirit.

Over the years, I've heard various explanations as to what it means for a believer to grieve the Spirit. Some say grieving comes when we resisting the Spirit's call on our lives, or when we live in disobedience to the Word, or when we crowd out the Spirit's influence by not seeking daily after God.

While we can't know for sure what it means to grieve the Spirit, a clue comes from the word itself. When we cause grief in someone, regardless from what manner, we cause hurt in some way. To grieve the Spirit means we've caused hurt to our relationship with God. Not that we break this relationship, for it is sealed by the Spirit as a covenant, but that we strain it in some way. Grief causes pain.

Trouble is, we often grieve the Spirit and don't even know it. This happens when we're already living so far apart from the Spirit's touch that we don't even miss the absence of God's power when we've pushed away the Spirit. Unlike in an earthly relationship, we don't see the impact of our actions on God's heart unless we're closely looking for it.

In a marriage relationship, we learn what causes hurt in each other so that we can avoid those actions. Sometimes this is through the school of hard knocks, and other times we learn by intently observing our spouse. I think if we'll look back to times past, we can learn how we've grieved the Spirit. And if we'll intently observe our Lord through the Word, we'll understand the dangers of where we may grieve the Spirit in the future.

And maybe it is time for believers to ask God to tell us the ways we grieve the Spirit so that we can avoid those things as well.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I invite you to impress upon my heart the times I've grieved my relationship with your Spirit. I want to do everything necessary in my life to restore the sweetness of our relationship. Amen.

Lesson 173 – When the Spirit Is One

2009-10-22T19:02:00.001+02:00

Ephesians 4:1-6

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Within the church, we often talk about unity, meaning that we care for each other as much as we care for ourselves, laboring to keep any disagreement from tearing us apart and striving to be a part of each other's lives.

But how often do we stop to consider that unity within the church is a factor of the Spirit's touch? Paul writes of the unity of the Spirit, reminding us that if we are to be one body of Christ, it is only through the one Spirit which abides with us.

Too often, we try to schedule unity within a church. You know, though potlucks, social events, retreats, etc. We somehow think these actions will draw us together in a special way. And sometimes they help, though just as often, they cause us to grow tired of each other or to shy away once we see each other's sinfulness.

Truthfully, the only way to unity in the church is through unity with the Spirit. Only when the church first focuses on its relationship with the resurrected Christ can we possibly begin to live in unity with each other. As we focus on the Spirit, the Lord works supernaturally to overcome our sinful attitudes towards to begin to make us one. Ultimately, we become the church family, standing with each other in an unbreakable relationship.

And it all begins with the Spirit. God won't do something special in his church until we live as one with him in the Spirit.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I invite your Spirit to draw me and the church where I serve into unity with you. As our focus is on you, will you then draw us together as one within the church. Amen.

Lesson 172 – When the Spirit Strengthens the Inner Man

2009-10-22T18:41:00.001+02:00

Ephesians 3:14-19

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

I love these verses, for they reveal Paul's heart as a pastor. Nothing thrills a pastor more than when those of his congregation grow in their faith towards Jesus Christ.

In Paul's prayer for the church at Ephesus, we learn that this maturing comes as the soul is strengthened by the touch of the Spirit. That is how we must pray, that the Spirit would be at work in the church, strengthening our spirits in faith.

We're pretty good about praying for all sorts of other things. You know, those things weighing heavy on our minds—our struggles, our needs, our wants, our hurts and our difficult situations. We're filled with "our" prayers, and we might even pray for these same needs in others. But what about praying for others to be strengthened in their inner man? Maybe that ought to be the primary intercessory prayer we lift up before the Lord.

This prayer needs to begin our homes, with every parent praying for their children and immediate families, all the way through their lifetimes. Then we need to lift up those of our local congregations in general, and those in our smaller groups in particular. In this way, we all become in a sense pastors in our prayer ministry before the Lord.

The Spirit's touch seems to be empowered to strengthen us in the Lord when we pray specifically for his action in our lives and in others. May we be faithful to those prayers.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your Spirit's strengthening of your church. May I ever be faithful to life up the church to which you've entrusted my ministry and my family before you. Amen.

Lesson 171 – When the Spirit Reveals

2009-10-22T18:36:00.001+02:00

Ephesians 3:5-6

"…which in other ages was not made know to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel"

Paul often wrote of the mystery of the gospel of Christ, a mystery now made clear through the Spirit of God. So what was this mystery, but that the mercies of God were not intended solely for the family of Abraham, but to all humanity?

Christianity is wrongly portrayed by those seeking to deny its message as an exclusive faith, discriminating against the beliefs of others and closed-minded in its teachings. The truth is, God was the first to seek diversity in faith and calls all to a belief in Jesus Christ through the Spirit. The mystery Paul says is revealed in the Spirit is that God has made the way of salvation available to everyone.

In response to this universal availability of salvation, the role of the church is to extend God's invitation throughout the world. While the church has been faithful to the message of Christ's love, our unwillingness to truly care for others leaves most thinking we're in some way looking down on them. They can't get past this impression to hear God's invitation.

The key may be not in emphasizing the change that has come upon our lives, since this focuses on us, but in spending more time introducing others to Christ. Our personal testimony of faith might be powerful, but salvation is only of the gospel message, and that focus is on Christ and the cross.

The good news of the gospel is that it is for everyone. No one is excluded, with all invited to come to faith in Jesus Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your Spirit's testimony of the gospel. May we be a people who rightly portray the love of Christ and share your invitation to all others. Amen.

Lesson 170 – When the Spirit Builds

2009-10-20T17:58:00.001+02:00

Ephesians 2:21-22

"…in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

Through faith in Jesus Christ, believers are made into the church, a living house which is God's dwelling place. No longer does God live in temples made with human hands, but in the hearts and souls of those who believe in Christ. With the Spirit's indwelling, we're being assembled into a holy temple unto our Lord.

Of course, our earthly temples were never sufficient to hold our Lord's glory, and certainly are not the churches we build to our Lord today. The church has never been about the building, but the people who gather together.

In our family, we've always called the place of worship the church-house. My parents understood that the building where we met was not the church, and we passed on this same knowledge to our kids. By calling the church a house, they taught us that the building was only the place where the church sometimes met.

When our church congregation met outside in the field for a sunrise service, we were still the church. When we assembled at the lake for a celebration, we where the church. When we met the park for a picnic, we were likewise the church.

The people of God have always been the church, and it is the Spirit which gives us our identity in Christ. The Spirit hasn't entered into a building program to assemble bricks and mortar as a memorial to the Lord, but instead makes the church out of the hearts of God's people. So wherever we meet, we are the church.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit's presence to make me a part of your church. May I always love the people you indwell with your Spirit as part of the body in which you have gathered us to be. Amen.

Lesson 169 – When the Spirit Gives Access

2009-10-18T19:47:00.001+02:00

Ephesians 2:17-18

"And he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."

Access describes the special privilege of being able to come into the presence of another, normally a privilege not given to all others. For example, a lobbyist might gain access as to an audience with a politician by giving a large campaign offering. A child automatically has access to his parents because of his position in the family. As believers, we are granted access to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

But our access to God is not limited to just a few, but is available to both Jews and Gentiles alike, those close to God through their heritage of birth in the Jewish nation, and those far away. Access to God is available to everyone throughout the entire world.

By definition, access is a privilege given, with the greater power determining the requirements for access. The Bible tells us that access to God is granted according to only one requirement, that being faith in Jesus Christ.

To have access to a famous musician, one needs a back stage pass. To have access to a corporate executive, you must first get an appointment. To have access into another country, you need a visa. Without these proofs of access, you may not enter in.

Likewise, God has given us a proof of our access to the Father. Our proof of having access to God is the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit's touch upon us, we have access to the Father at all times, day or night.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the access you give me to the Father through your shed blood and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lesson 168 – When the Spirit Reaps

2009-10-15T20:16:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 6:8

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."

Paul writes of reaping and sowing to describe the fruits of our human existence. In this verse, every person is either classified as one who sows and reaps to the flesh or one who sows and reaps of the Spirit. We are either one who faces corruption and death without Christ, or one who receives new life and an eternity in glory.

Of course, no one likes the idea of being classified. We don't want to be judged, even if by the Holy Creator who rightly knows the affairs of our heart. Instead, we want to be who we want to be, judge for ourselves as to how well we are doing against our own standards, and determine what our rewards will be.

Believers in Jesus Christ are no different. We don't like to face up to the Godly standard of sowing and reaping according to the Holy Spirit.

While a believer's salvation is secure in the Spirit, with our eternity settled by saving faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, we are also directed to live according to the Spirit. God is not interested in having us wait until our time on this earth is completed to bear fruits, but wants us reap a harvest in this life which reflects the everlasting life to come. I think this is because these are the fruits of the Spirit which draw others to faith in Jesus Christ.

Still, many believers aren't really interested in the sowing and reaping of the Spirit. They are caught up in chasing after the flesh, thinking it will somehow bring the blessings God might withhold from them. So they pursue the flesh. In the end, they lose the harvest which the Spirit wanted for their lives.

By definition, sowing and reaping involves labor. The way of the Spirit demands our full allegiance to Jesus Christ. It requires self-sacrifice, lifts up others first, and allows the Spirit to direct our wills. This is a difficult road to choose, but the one which most honors our Lord.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I ask you to sow and reap in my life so I may harvest the fruits which draw others to faith in Christ for your glory. Amen.

Lesson 167 – When the Spirit Sends

2009-10-14T21:35:00.001+02:00

Isaiah 48:16

"Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me."

Here we see a prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ to bring salvation to God's people. From the beginning of time, Jesus was there. At the end of time, will be there. And in between, the Father and the Spirit have sent Jesus into the world.

God worked to bring about our salvation. All three members of the God-head agreed Jesus would come to this world to die a substitutionary sacrifice to satisfy God's wrath against our sins. While the Father would send the Spirit into the world at Jesus' request, first, the Spirit and Father would send Jesus to the world.

Today, the Spirit also sends every believer into parts of the world to share the love of Christ. Just as the Spirit sent Christ for our salvation, the Spirit is still in the business of sending. While we may not all have a chance to go to a remote part of the world, we all have a circle of influence in which we are sent to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The question is, are we willing to be sent by the Spirit, or are we resting in the blessing of our own salvation, not really caring about the rest of the world? I'm afraid too many believers are so self focused we don't even realize we're also sent by the Spirit. Instead of following the example of our Lord in setting aside our own desires, we are only living for ourselves.

Of course, just as Jesus came on a mission for our salvation, we too need to be on mission for the Lord, setting aside our own glories for the love of others and the glory of our God.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I ask you to remind me in your Spirit each day that you are sending me into your world to share your love. May I be a willing partner with you in bringing salvation to those you are calling as your own. Amen.

Lesson 166 – When the Spirit Walks

2009-10-12T17:42:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 5:25

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

My understanding of walking in the Spirit is to move from a self-controlled to a Spirit-controlled life. While this is one of the easier doctrines to understand, it is likewise one of the most difficult to accomplish on a consistent basis.

Whether we admit it or not, most believers are controlled at times by something other than the Spirit. Maybe we're controlled by the rages of anger and just can't seem to overcome our emotions. Maybe we can't quit thinking about that new car we want to buy, to the point we both wake up and go to sleep dreaming of how it drives. Maybe we can't resist the lure of internet images, feeding our lusts until the need for daily adrenaline is now in control.

And of course, the list goes on and on, though we need to understand that not everything which controls us is immoral in isolation. For example, a job is normally a good thing, but for some, it begins to control the best energies of our day. Same with being a parent, with the demands of that activity stealing all of our time, with none left for God. Even good things become controlling when they keep us from spending time with the Spirit.

I have to wonder if God looks at us and says we're given to idol worship, replacing our love for him with a love for other things. But even if he doesn't call this idol worship, we're surely not pleasing to our Lord when not living as under control of the Spirit.

Maybe it would be a good thing to commit to getting up every morning and asking the Spirit to allow us to walk with the Lord. Just as it took God's power to bring about new life in the Spirit ("If we live in the Spirit"), we also need God's power to help us walk in the Spirit. And just like our salvation, that power only comes by a touch of the Spirit as we surrender ourselves to ask the Lord for his help.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I want to walk in your Spirit every day. I invite you to fill me with the power of your daily presence. Amen.

Lesson 165 – When the Spirit Gives Fruit

2009-10-12T17:34:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 5:22

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

Most believers have looked at this verse at some point to evaluate how it applies to their own level of spiritual maturity. We rightly understand that it is only by the fullness of the Spirit in us that we can consistently display these traits in our lives. When the Spirit's touch is continuously upon us through a life of faith, our very natures are changed so that we reflect God's nature now living in us.

Still, it's not surprising that most of us come up short of these lofty spiritual attributes. After all, our salvation is a process that continues beyond the point of initial faith, with the Scriptures telling us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." And it is only by submitting to the Spirit's leadership in all aspects of life that we begin to be changed by God's presence.

Just as when two have been married for many years begin to look and act alike, so it is with the believer who is spends time in the presence of the Spirit. While our natures are not yet fully changed, the process of change has begun, and we begin to be like our Lord.

When the Lord comes again, we're promised to be changed in the twinkling of an eye to possess the nature of Christ as the Lord drives the sin out of our hearts.

I so look forward to that day, but in the mean time, I've got no excuse. I need to invite the Spirit to change me through the lessons of faith the Lord would bring to me.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you once again for the Spirit in my life. I invite you to do whatever is necessary to conform me to your image to hasten the fruits of the Spirit in me. Amen.

Lesson 164 – When the Spirit Lusts

2009-10-10T09:58:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 5:16-18

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

This is a surprising thought--that the Spirit lusts. On one hand, we find the flesh and its love of sinful deceptions lusting against the Spirit. On the other, the Spirit lusts against the flesh.

While we can understand lust as applying to sin, how might it also apply to the Spirit's touch in the life of believers?

At the heart of lust is the concept of desire. When we sinfully lust after someone or something, we desire to have them as our own, even when such ownership is against God's will. This is what we see here as lust for the flesh against the Spirit. Sinful lusts stand against God's perfect desire for our lives.

On the other side, the Spirit also lusts; that is, has desires for ownership over your life. This lust is in direct opposition to the lust of the flesh. However, this is not a sinful lust. We've been bought with a price and now belong to Christ, so his desire is only for what is rightfully his. In fact, you could call this a holy and righteous lust.

I am glad my Lord lusts after my life, calling me daily to belong fully to him and to resist sinful lusts in my life. As discussed in the previous lesson, we eagerly wait the time when sinful lusts are defeated and God's desires for us are fully fulfilled.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the lust of your Spirit in my life, calling me daily back to you. Amen.

Lesson 163 – When the Spirit Eagerly Waits

2009-10-10T09:37:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 5:5

"For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."

The heart of every believer tells us that while we have been saved from God's wrath against our sins, our salvation is still to come, and until it does, we struggle daily against sin's power in our lives.

While Christ promises God's power against sin when we turn to him in faith, we still find ourselves in a battle. And when you're involved in a daily struggle against sin, your defenses grow tired. That is why we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. We're sick and tired of sin and can't wait for the time when our salvation is complete and we're made fully righteous.

Paul tells the church at Galatia that the Spirit also eagerly waits for our complete salvation. This is like a parent who purchases an awesome gift for their children and find they are just as excited as the kids for Christmas to roll around. A loving parent likes to give good things to their children, and so does our God. And one day, God will give us the greatest gift of all, a complete righteousness in Christ.

Sometimes we find ourselves giving up in the battle, settling for sin's deceptions instead of waiting for the better gift of righteousness. Don't let that be a constant in your life. Confess your sins and then eagerly wait with the Spirit for God's salvation.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the promise of your gift of righteousness and your Spirit's desire to give us this gift in your time. Amen.

Lesson 162 – When the Spirit Is Persecuted

2009-10-08T20:31:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 4:28-29

"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now."

From the time the Spirit began touching those who belonged to God, those who remained of the flesh became instruments of persecution against God's people. So it was with Ishmael, born of the flesh through Abraham's effort to bring about God's blessing, persecuting Isaac, the one born miraculously of the Spirit in Abraham's old age. Even to this day, we find two nations remaining in conflict with each other.

As believers, we're subject to the unexplainable persecutions of those who do not know the Spirit's touch. I'm convinced that most of those who persecute the church, at least in Western countries, are not even aware of the blatant unfairness of their actions. But we understand they've been blinded by Satan, and are now used as instruments for his glory and as people who stand against the church.

Jesus told his disciples they would have trouble in this world. Sure, that may apply to the common, every day troubles we all face in life, but I suspect Christ also had in mind the persecutions we face from people controlled by the flesh. But be reminded, our battle is not with these people, but is a battle is raging in the heavens, a battle assured to be won one day by Christ.

In the mean time, realize that when you are persecuted by those who do not know Christ, also realize that their stand is not against you, but against the Spirit living within you.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your Spirit's presence to uphold me in the face of persecutions and to be with those who are even now losing their lives in your name. May their reward be great in your kingdom to come. Amen.

Lesson 161 – When the Spirit Cries ‘Abba’

2009-10-08T20:27:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 4:6-7

"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, than an heir of God through Christ."

As believers, the Spirit living within us makes us adopted children of God, and it is this by this same Spirit that a Christian is able to cry out to God as our Father. This is a powerful image of the new relationship believers have with God through Christ. We are now children of God and joint heirs through Christ, rightfully crying out to God as "Abba".

The God we worship is a Father who stands attentive to our needs, listening for our cries through the Spirit, ready to be there for us in our times of trial. For what good is it for a son to call to a father if that father is not listening?

But God is there to hear our cries. From the time of the establishment of the first temple by Solomon, God promised to hear the prayers of his people which are directed towards his name. God hears our cries every time we call out in the Spirit.

Some try to explain 'Abba' as a term of endearment, and it might be, but when tied to the idea of a cry, it becomes the shout of one calling out in pain and helplessness to the one they trust the most. Abba is the word we shout when we're afraid, or at the end of all other options, or when we're most threatened. For when we cry Abba, our God responds.

I think of the joy I've experienced as a parent when our children first called my name. It lifted my heart to hear the call of my child, to know they know me just as I know them. And when they cry out, they have my attention, for love demands my response. So it is with our Abba.

May our lives ever be calling to our Abba through the Spirit, for God desires to hear from us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the inheritance you give me in your name and the Spirit which now indwells my life so that I can call to our Abba. Thank you for such a wonderful blessing. Amen.

Lesson 160 – When the Spirit Is Poured Out on Our Descendants

2009-10-06T06:51:00.001+02:00

ISAIAH 44:2-3

"Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and flood on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring."

The Spirit's touch is promised to Israel's descendants. God would not leave his people in a desolate condition, thirsty and without water, just barely hanging on in life. Salvation was coming.

While thirst and drought are very real conditions, the Scriptures speak here of the thirst that comes upon a people who are not filled with the Spirit. When God's people shun his word, the Spirit leaves us in the desert until we repent and return to God. In a sense, this is the same as our salvation, as we are restored to God in repentance.

Of course, this salvation would come to those thirsting for righteousness with the coming of Jesus. One interpretation is that Christ is the literal fulfillment of references to the blessing on Israel's offspring. Another view is that this prophecy was fulfilled when the descendants of those taken captive from Israel by Babylon were released to return to Jerusalem to experience the blessing of the Lord after 70 years in exile.

Regardless of the interpretation, I believe the promises of God are likely to be passed from generation to generation when God's people are faithful to the Spirit living within us. When our children see our faith in Jesus Christ, they naturally are drawn to our Lord's love.

While this doesn't always happen, it tends to be the rule for those who live daily in the blessings of the Spirit. For those in whose families this doesn't hold true, our only responsibility is to be faithful to God and leave the Spirit's work to the Lord.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the blessing of your Spirit upon the dryness of my life and the promise of your presence with future generations. Amen.

Lesson 159 – When the Spirit Is Given from Faith

2009-10-06T06:43:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 3:13-14

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

Just as the Spirit fell upon Jewish believers at the Pentecost celebration in Jerusalem, so would come the Spirit's touch on Gentile believers in a like manner.

With Christ's death, the curse of the law no longer applies to any person, making Jews and Gentiles the same before God, with both needing the salvation offered to us in Christ. And both receive salvation in the same way—through faith in Jesus Christ.

Some argue the Spirit is given only to those who have sufficient faith fpr this blessing, but it should be clear that salvation is only of Christ, and from faith in him we receive the Spirit. There is no filling of the Spirit given as a blessing of our faith. From the moment of salvation, the Spirit is given to all believers as God's gift.

I think God set things up this way so that those of the church would not be tempted to judge each other's faith. No one can look at another believer and claim to be closer to God because of the Spirit's presence. While it is our nature to judge to each other, and this is often the cause of church conflicts, this is not the nature of our God. Instead, the Spirit, Father and Son all live in perfect harmony as the one triune God.

We'd do well as the church to embrace this same harmony in our congregations.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the faith we need for salvation and the Spirit which fills us as a testimony of your work in us. Amen.

Lesson 158 – When the Spirit Perfects

2009-10-04T20:41:00.001+02:00

GALATIANS 3:2-5

"This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if it was indeed in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

At Galatia, Paul confronts a troubling teaching spreading through the church, a teaching which still subtly confronts believers today. This teaching claims God is not really pleased with us as his church until we keep the rigorous commandments of the law.

For the church at Galatia, this meant that believers needed to keep the requirements of the Mosaic law, such as circumcision, dietary restrictions, Sabbaths, separation from other peoples. For the church today, we're told what we should wear to church on Sundays, where we should go to school, what music we must listen to. To the church then, and to the church now, Paul offers the same questions. Was it the law or the Spirit which made you right with God?

Here's the bottom line. While God is pleased when we keep his commands, but don't let anyone tell you it is the keeping of these rules which makes our lives right with God. This only comes by the Spirit, and this given to us through faith in Jesus Christ.

Still, most of us struggle to shun that nagging feeling we need to do something to make like us, whether through weekly worship, sacrificial service, cheerful giving, or any number of other things rightly taught to us in the Bible and through weekly sermons. While God does want these things in us, these are not the basis for his love. That basis comes from his perfect nature, and is proven in us by the Spirit's touch.

We can better understand this in our families. As parents, we love our offspring unconditionally. Nothing can take away this love from us, and nothing can make it deeper. It is what it is. It is based on our nature and our relationship to our children. Still, we're pleased when our children gladly obey us, or imitate our natures, or accept our word. It gives us honor when they voluntarily submit to our authority.

This is the same as with our Lord. While we can do nothing which influences Christ's love for us, we can make righteous choices which honor our God honor. It is in those things that we need to be obedient. We give our lives in honor to our Lord. But we trust in the Spirit's presence to remind us we are right with God and that God's love is completely given to us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for allowing me to serve you throughout my life in thankfulness for the salvation you've given through your Spirit. Amen.

Lesson 157 – When the Spirit Delights

2009-10-04T19:43:00.001+02:00

ISAIAH 42:1

"Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles."

The one on whom God delights is the one on whom he puts his Spirit—even Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesies that the coming Messiah, the Elect One, would be a delight to God's soul. In this delight, God would put his Spirit upon him.

It is this same Spirit which dwells in every believer, showing that we too are the ones on whom God delights. Sure, we know we're not worthy of the Lord's delight, even sometimes fearful that God will somehow wake up and change his mind about us, but God's word is true. The Lord is faithful, and he has decided to delight in us.

The Spirit's touch is all the proof we need of God's choice. We don't need to rely on feelings to tell us the truth. We don't need any other proof by the Spirit which testifies of God's delight.

I've always loved to say aloud this word "delight". It rolls off my tongue, particularly when I stress the first syllable, saying it as "dee-lite". I just can't say it without my face breaking out into a smile. I think the eternal Father also has a smile on his face when he speaks of his delight for the church of Jesus Christ. This is what we were created for, and by faith in Christ we're restored to be the ones on whom God delights.

Just as God sent his Spirit in the form of the dove on Christ at his baptism, and testifying of his delight, so he does for each one of his own. With the Spirit's touch, we've become the delight of our God.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for delighting in me and in your church. Help me to remember this delight all the days of my life Amen.

Lesson 156 – When the Spirit Is Undirected

2009-10-03T16:28:00.001+02:00

ISAIAH 40:13

"Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor taught him?"

This is a rhetorical question with an obvious answer. Of course, no one directs the Spirit of the Lord or serves as his counselor. By his nature, there is no god like our God, mighty in all ways, to include his foresight and foreknowledge in all aspects of wisdom. He is all knowing, and his plans are always right.

I like the way the Spirit is linked here as being inseparable from God. When we speak of our own spirits, we are talking about the essence of who we are inwardly. We speak of body and spirit or body and soul. We believe that while the body dies, the spirit is who we are and the spirit exists eternally.

Just like with us, the Spirit is God's essence, inseparable from whom God is. God and the Spirit are one. They are the same.

So what does this tell us, but that the Spirit which lives within the heart of every believer. The Spirit which communes with our spirits, the Spirit which knows the mind of Christ and speaks God's will into our lives, this same Spirit is surely God. However the Spirit is described, whether as of the crucified Christ, or the gift of the Father, or some other term, the Spirit is God in us.

So when the Spirit speaks to our hearts, know that God is speaking. When the Spirit reveals a path for our lives, know that the will of the one who cannot be directed or counseled shows his perfect way. When the Spirit offers God's wisdom, know that there has never been more sure advice.

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor taught him? No one!

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit which is your essence and which now lives within me. There is no god like you, awesome in all ways, wise beyond all comprehension. Amen.

Lesson 155 – When the Spirit Communes

2009-10-03T16:15:00.001+02:00

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

Once again, the Scriptures point us to the mystery of the Trinity, God's eternal existence revealed in three forms, living in harmony and submission to each other. As Paul closes this last letter to the church at Corinth, he invokes the names of the Trinity, ending his prayer with a blessing of the communion of the Spirit.

Communion. We use this term to describe the church's ordinance of the Lord's Supper as we break bread and drink from the cup to remember Christ's death for us on the cross. To commune means to bring together, and by this ordinance, we acknowledge it is only in the cross of Calvary that our unholy lives are joined unhindered by sin to God.

But God doesn't just want us to commune with him during a periodic church service. He wants communion with his family at all times. This is done in us through the Spirit's touch.

Just as two who value each others' friendship desire to be together in all things, so does the Lord yearn for time with us. And not only is this his abiding desire, he's made this communion possible through the presence of the Spirit in us.

One of the things that today's technological age has done is make it somewhat easier for husbands and wives to remain in touch across the miles that separate during military deployments. Through the internet, couples see each other weekly, chat through an instant messenger almost daily, and post diaries and pictures of their separate lives on blogs, reaching out across the distance. What a blessing this is, but it pales in the instant communion that is now ours in the Spirit.

Still, in spite of the Lord's presence, we too often forget to even speak to God through the Spirit. We've become so focused on the things of this life us that we don't commune with God at all. I'm sure this breaks our Lord's heart.

It's time for the church of Jesus Christ to yearn for our Lord as much as he yearns for us. If we'll focus on the cross and the Lord's sacrifice to make possible this communion, I'm sure we'll begin to turn our hearts to Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the possibility of communing with you, my God daily. Forgive my life for sometimes ignoring or being unthankful for the price you paid to make a communion with possible in my life. Amen.

Lesson 154 – When the Spirit Gathers

2009-09-30T20:10:00.002+02:00

ISAIAH 34:16-17

"Search from the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these shall fail; not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them. He has cast the lot for them, and His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line. They shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it."

I sure hope not to stretch things a too far in seeking to learn about the Spirit's touch from this passage. Isaiah writes of the Spirit gathering wild animals to live in Jerusalem as the city would be abandoned during the time of God's judgment by the Babylonian empire. No longer would people dwell in Zion, but those of the animal kingdom would move in. God spoke it, and Isaiah proclaims that it will be so.

The lesson I see here for us is this. If God controls the lives of even the animal world, gathering them into a new home, how much more so is he also in touch with those who are his own through faith in Jesus Christ.

Isaiah tells us that just as God commands the nightly cries of the jackal, the fearful hiding of the ostrich, the scattering of wild goats about the foothills, arrow snakes and their slithering young, and even high-flying hawks, so also his Spirit gathers me along the paths he chooses for my life.

We also see that the Spirit is God's instrument of completing his will. When God speaks, it is the Spirit which brings about God's will. In perfect obedience in the God-head, the Spirit is always at work to bring about the will of the Father.

My prayer is this would also be so in our lives--that when God speaks, we'll be so moved by the Spirit to join him in doing this will. May the Spirit gather us as he chooses for the glory of the Lord.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the faithfulness of your Spirit in gathering people to be obedient to your will. May I willingly follow after you in this gathering. Amen.

Lesson 153 – When the Spirit Is Poured Out on High

2009-09-29T20:08:00.002+02:00

ISAIAH 32:14-15

"Because the palaces will be forsaken, the bustling city will be deserted, the forts and towers will become lairs forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest."

Talk about a place in ruin—the best homes are abandoned, streets are empty, wild animals are roaming around—a ghost town by all indications. While this is a description of God's pending judgment on Israel and its capitol city, Jerusalem, penned by the prophet Isaiah prior to the Babylonian captivity, it is also a vivid picture of the heart of believer who tries to go through life without the blessing of the Spirit upon their life.

Just as Israel abandoned the Lord their God to go their own way after idols, unrighteous living, and a lifestyle which took God for granted, so too have many believers turned from their Lord today. And just as God would judge Israel, so too will he judge us by withholding the active presence of His Spirit.

Many believers find themselves in what can only be described as ruin. Not only is life getting the better of them, they suffer the consequences of sin and no longer seem to find the Spirit through pray. No doubt, this is God's judgment on his church--the withholding of his blessings upon us and the presence of his Spirit in power.

But in this text there is also a promise to the Lord's own. When we turn back to the Lord, he pours out his Spirit and brings restoration. That's what I want in my life, and that is my prayer for the church today—that the Spirit would be poured out upon us in power, causing us to hunger and thirst for our Lord, and to be the church God would have us be for his glory.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for pouring out your Spirit upon the church and in my life. May we be faithful to you and be ever mindful of the joy of your presence. Amen.

Lesson 152 – When the Spirit Is Left Out of Your Plans

2009-09-28T21:02:00.001+02:00

Isaiah 30:1

"Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord. Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin."

I dare say this is one area believers find themselves in just as much hot water as did Israel more than 2,800 years back in history. Whenever we make our plans by our own counsel, leaving out the Holy Spirit, we are adding sin to sin, regardless of the wisdom of our decisions.

Let me explain. Planning as an exercise in itself is surely an amoral thing. Exercising the brain to figure things out is not a moral exercise at all, but a use of the skills the Lord has made possible and we've learned to use over time. But the trouble begins when a believer begins this exercise in planning without God's input. By leaving the Spirit out, we let God know we're not really interested in His wisdom nor direction.

Of course, none of us go around intentionally leaving God out, but quite frankly, neither do we go out of our way to seek the Lord's guidance, especially when we think we've already got things figured out. Don't believe it, just check out the content of your prayers. Most of the time, we only go to God when we think we need his intervention. The rest of the time, we've got things covered by our own ideas.

In Israel's case, the nation figured they had no chance against a stronger enemy, so they decided to bring in Egypt by treaty to help secure their borders. But in doing this, God says they added sin to sin. Not only were they trusting in one other than God alone for their security, it turns out that the attack they were under was of God's judgment. Essentially, Israel was going against God's will in resisting their own invasion. Sin became more sin when they failed to consult the Spirit.

Oh so often we do the same, deciding almost without thought to resist every trouble, push off every sacrifice, or agree to any direction which we perceive to bring more comfort in life. We automatically base our decisions on what is best for our families, career success, and our futures.

Instead, we're to seek the wisdom of the Spirit's touch. This gives God the glory in our life and will save us from adding sin to sin.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the availability of your Spirit to direct my life. May I remember to take counsel of you in every aspect of my life. Amen.

Lesson 151 – When the Spirit Is Commended

2009-09-27T21:28:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 6:4-10

"But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God; in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."

How confident are you that your life is rightly lived for the glory of Christ? Can you say with any certainty that you've fought the good fight for the Lord and are ready to receive a crown of righteousness? How have you done with the Spiritual gifts the Lord has given you for his glory in the kingdom?

Most of us aren't so confident in assessing ourselves, but Paul must have been fairly certain, since he commends his own life to the church at Corinth as an example of one living rightly in the faith.

In this rather long list of how his life was lived for Christ, Paul points to the Holy Spirit, almost in passing. But he understood that in the midst of all we may do for out of love for our Savior, being filled with the Spirit is a primary concern. For it only by the Spirit's touch that we are empowered for the life the Lord lays out for every believer.

While you may not feel worthy of being lifted up as an example to any other, every believer has this one thing that people need. We have the Spirit living within us. As such, we need to be a people who call others to look to the Spirit, for in the Spirit, we find our salvation and power for living.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your Spirit in my life. May I faithfully lift up your presence to a lost and dying world. Amen.

Lesson 150 – When the Spirit Is a Guarantee

2009-09-26T19:22:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 5:4-5

"For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that morality would be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God. Who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."

Here we're promised that the Spirit's touch is God's guarantee our bodies will one day be changed by God. We'll be transformed from death unto life, just as we've spiritually already been changed when the Spirit rebirthed our souls at the point of faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul describes this change in our bodies in two ways. First, as believers, we are those who are being further clothed. We're now clothed in our mortal bodies, and one day we'll put on immortality. Being further clothed describes the sense in which we are already clothed, but in the resurrection, we'll be reclothed. A body will remain, but it will be changed. Just as with Jesus in his resurrection, our bodies will become new, though still our bodies.

Next, Paul describes the transformation of our mortal bodies as being swallowed up by life. In this sense, death is completely overcome by life. That which was death is now part of that which is life in Christ. In another epistle, Paul says that death is swallowed up in victory. It no longer has the same meaning for the believer.

For the believer, this promise of a new, physical life in Christ, brings hope. Every time we experience the discomforts of this life, whether of disease, injuries, old age, or any number of trials, we need to remember that the Spirit's touch is our guarantee of something better to come--the transformation of our bodies in Christ.

While we can't realistically go through life ignoring our pains, just remember that the best is still to come!

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the guarantee of your Spirit, promising immortality in the place of mortality. Amen.

Lesson 149 – When the Spirit Faces Rebellion

2009-09-21T20:41:00.001+02:00

Psalm 106:32-33

"They angered Him also at the waters of strife, so that it went will with Moses on account of them; because they rebelled against His Spirit, so that he spoke rashly with his lips."

You probably remember the background of this psalm, how Moses let his anger get the best of him as the children of Israel grumbled against God's provision. In the end, Moses claimed the glory of God as his own, bringing the miracle of water from the Rock without giving honor to God. Ultimately, God righteously judges Moses, not allowing him to enter into Canaan with the rest of the nation. Always seemed a little harsh to me, but in this case, God chose to withhold further grace from Moses' life.

But what you might not recall is the truth which is pointed to in this verse. The sin which Israel committed that day was not simply of forgetting the faithfulness God had already provided to them in food and water and protection through the years, but was the sin of rebellion against God's Spirit. In God's eyes, their grumbling was a matter of rejecting his very presence among the nation, for when we are aware of the Spirit, we can be sure God provides for his own.

I suspect many of our sins cut deeply into God's heart, for when love is involved, hurts are magnified, even those belonging to our Savior. When we sin against God, even in our grumbling, we are doing more than simply violating God's moral laws. Instead, we are rejecting God's very nature.

Of course, rebellion is a heinous sin, fully worthy of God's judgment, needing to be cut in the bud before it spreads throughout the church. And God's sure judgment will come, and in it, we need to return to the Lord. In doing so, our prayers need to be as David often voiced, asking the Lord not to withhold his presence.

As rebels, we live in danger God will leave us alone in the desert, causing us live in thirst until we turn our hearts back to God. This is what a loving God does…whatever it takes to bring us back to a dependence on him. While this is never an easy thing, in the end, it causes our lives to be conformed to the image of Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your Spirit among us. I'm truly sorry for rebellion against you in my life, as I've often grumbled against you even when receiving your provision. Instead, I ask for my delight to be in you. Amen.

Lesson 148 – When the Spirit Transforms

2009-09-20T22:16:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 3:18

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

As believers, we all know in our hearts that we are yet to be what God will one day make us, but even now, with the touch of the Spirit upon us, we are already in the process of being changed into the image of Christ. This is the sanctification of the believer to the body of Christ.

Paul tells us this change comes about as we gaze upon the Lord with unveiled face. Simply put, as the Lord reveal himself and invites us into the presence of his Spirit, his holiness overtakes and changes us. During this transformation, God's glory in the Spirit is reflected from our faces, much like the light of the moon reflects the sun.

When Moses would enter into the tent of meeting to know the Lord, he would come out with a glow which reflected the glory of God, such that he had to cover his face so the people would not fear. Oh, that you and I could reflect so much of God's glory that people couldn't help by see Jesus in our lives. Oh, that we would could remove the veil of sin which hinders us from a daily relationship with Christ, so that his glory would be upon us. Oh, that we would so reflect Christ that the reality of his being and his salvation would be undeniable.

Of course, the only way to reflect God's glory is to spend enough time Christ so that his glory wears off on us! We do this by communing with the resurrected Lord come to us as the Spirit. As the Spirit abides with us, and we abide with the Spirit, God's glory is upon us and we are transformed into the image of Christ.

My longing is for the church of Jesus Christ to know revival in our hearts, to be changed to be a people reflect the glory of God.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for both the honor and responsibility of reflecting your glory to a dying world. Help me to remove every veil in my life which might hide your glory, bringing revival to my life and to your church. Amen.

Lesson 147 – When the Spirit Is Liberty

2009-09-19T07:17:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 3:17

"Now the Lord is Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

No longer bound by the Old Testament law, believers in Jesus Christ now live according to the Spirit's touch on our lives. While we're no longer governed by the creeds of the law, we are now bound to a more complete understanding of God's moral law as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

Of course, this means we must be a people in touch with the Spirit's voice. One of the reasons we do not just ignore the Old Testament is that those laws, even those applying only to Israel, help us understand God's enduring will for his people. While the law was never intended to spell out all of God's will, it does give a glimpse into God's mind. With the coming of the Spirit, we receive a more complete understanding of the mind of Christ living within us.

So what is this liberty spoken of in this text? What liberty do we now have as those under the Spirit and no longer under the law?

I believe it means a couple of things to the church today, to include freedom from the penalty of death which comes when we try to get right with God only by following the law. Under the law, everyone comes up short. Everyone needs to be set free from death's grip through faith in Christ. This is what grace is all about--setting aside the law so that we can know the freedom which is ours through God's great mercies.

But just as importantly, we also experience a new freedom, that of God being able to speak to us individually at any time, and in any way, about any topic, through the inward dwelling of the Spirit. Before, God only spoke through the law and by selected human representatives. No longer. Through the Spirit, he is free to speak to every believer, Spirit to spirit.

Most of us will freely admit the Bible simply doesn't cover every topic we need for life, but what it does is point us to the Lord's heart, a heart we find when we commune with the Spirit. This then gives our God freedom to speak into every matter of our lives. So really, the freedom is not ours to go our own way, but the freedom of the Spirit to direct our paths!

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the freedom from sin which comes in you and the freedom of your Spirit to speak your will into my life. May I always be both thankful and mindful of both of these freedoms, and may I not abuse them, either by willingly turning to sin since I know I am forgiven, or by refusing to seek your voice in life's matters. Amen.

Lesson 146 – When the Spirit Is More Glorious

2009-09-19T07:08:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 3:7-11

"But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of the condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had not glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious."

That last sentence is a pretty good summary of the point Paul is making to those holding to the fence of morality built over the centuries around the Old Testament law. While the law was glorious, it has passed away with the coming of Christ, leaving a ministry even more glorious in its place.

In today's vernacular, Paul says, "Why settle for a hotdog when you can have a steak?" The latter is surely superior to the first, and while there is nothing wrong with a hotdog, it doesn't match the glory of the steak. And while the Old Testament law was glorious in its purpose of revealing God's heart and point to our need for salvation, with the coming of the Savior, we need reside in the more glorious ministry of the Spirit's touch on our lives.

While most of us don't find ourselves looking back into the Old Testament law much beyond the Ten Commandments, we must remain wary that we aren't holding on to other edicts other than those given by the Spirit's ministry in our lives. Whenever we come up with our own list of things one must do or must not do to be honoring to Christ, we face these types of dangers.

While these lists of does and don't are often for the good, and may even be of the Spirit's will, the danger is that we'll hold on to these so tightly that the Spirit is no longer be able to truly direct our lives. Once we have the list, we quit looking to God, since we've heard it all already.

Also, with our list in hand, there is the danger of wrongly judging ourselves right in terms of our relationship with God. In reality, it may be that all we've done is mastered God's will for us at one moment in time, with the Lord's heart now wanting us to draw even closer to him as a more mature believer. But thinking we're already right with God, we fail to hear the Lord's voice calling us to a higher plane of intimacy with the Savior.

There is also the danger we'll begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should, judging that we've arrived with God because of conforming to our lists. This is the tendency to judge ourselves based on man's standards of morality, forgetting that the true test of morality is of the Spirit, and more often than not, we have failures of the heart which are not really seen by others.

Finally, I readily see a danger of thinking that God's specific will for my life applies equally to others. When we do this, we often find ourselves looking down on others when they are not yet been led in the same direction by the Spirit. Every believer needs time to hear from the Lord and grow in their faith, and we'd do well to give the Spirit room to work out his grace in their lives.

Sure, there is a lot of room for equal ground when it comes to the Spirit's ministry in our lives, for God will not contradict his revealed word nor lead his people into sin. Regardless of the freedom which is ours in Christ, there are things which should not be compromised, but let's let God reveal these to us in his time and by his Spirit.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the more glorious ministry of your Spirit, leading believers to know the direction of your heart. We give you this freedom to speak to our spirits, committing our lives to following after you. Amen.

Lesson 145 – When the Spirit Is Sufficient

2009-09-17T20:29:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 3:4-6

"And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

I like this promise. With the Spirit's touch, we're made sufficient ministers of the new covenant of grace by faith through Jesus Christ. For without this touch, we're not sufficient within ourselves as spokesman for our Lord.

Every pastor knows they are not sufficient for the task before them. We're not sufficient in loving others with the love of the Savior, for humanity and all its vices get in the way. We're not sufficient to rightly preach the gospel, knowing our own attitudes and inadequacies obscure the message. We're not sufficient to lead the church to follow after God's will, for we find we're often off course in our own lives. We're not sufficient to model faith in action, for even daily we stumble in our own beliefs. Most of us spend time wondering if we somehow missed God's will when we agreed to take on our current church assignments, keeping an eye out as to what might be next.

So what then are we do in the face of all these insufficiencies?

We are to rely on the Spirit to give us sufficiency, not born of ourselves, but of God. You see, our Lord not only delights in using our broken lives for his glory, this is his specialty. What better way is there for God to be recognized for his grace than to see it in action in the life of an insufficient servant? When something is done through a broken life, you just can't help but praise the Lord for anointing.

I'm always shocked when asked to fill out a recommendation for a parishioner to attend seminary. Quite frankly, if the person already excels at everything laid out in the many pages of questions presented for response, they wouldn't need seminary at all! And guess what, none of us are sufficient in these things. We need every opportunity to experience the Spirit's touch to be made sufficient for God's glory. For the young preacher, that means going to seminary, even before they've got their religious act together! The Spirit's touch is for those who need sufficiency, not for those already in the zone for the Lord!

For the church, this means we need to learn to turn over our inadequacies before the Savior, pleading for a touch of the Spirit to cover our shortfalls for God's glory. This means a heart of brokenness which rightly agrees with our Lord that we can do no things rightly in the kingdom without the Spirit.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for specializing in covering our inadequacies. In my life, may your Spirit come through, removing any opportunity for my own glory, giving it all to Christ. Amen.

Lesson 144 – When the Spirit Writes

2009-09-16T23:06:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 3:2-3

"You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart."

The church is an epistle of Christ, with God composing his tome upon our hearts by the touch of the Spirit. As new creations of Christ, we've been made living epistles, revealing the heart of the Savior for the world.

What an honor it is to be one on whom the Spirit has written the story of God's love. What an honor it is to be one on whom the Spirit continues to write the story of God's mercies. What an honor it is to be a part of the church of Jesus Christ, filling the pages of a chapter of God's history, all with the intent of giving God the glory due his name.

In the epistle written upon your heart, others should see the hand of Jesus Christ. For not only does the Spirit identify us as Christ's own, the epistle which is your life is to be read by others, revealing Christ's undeserved mercies.

May we submit our lives to be a ready surface on which the Spirit can write God's epistle.

May we lay open our souls for the Spirit's compositions, being ready to be changed at a moment's notice.

May we wipe clean the stains of repeated sins for which our Lord has died, giving the Lord a clean slate from which to work.

May we sit still long enough for the Spirit to compose God's will upon our hearts.

May we turn fully to the Spirit, inviting him to write Christ's epistle on our hearts, so that our lives would reflect the work of the author.

May people only have to take a quick look at us to see the writing of Christ upon us and glorify his name.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you writing your name upon my heart, and even now, I invite your Spirit to compose your will upon my life forever. Amen.

Lesson 143 – When the Spirit Rests

2009-09-15T12:51:00.001+02:00

Isaiah 11:1-2

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."

This is one of the Bible's great prophecies concerning the coming of Christ. In it, we find the promise of the Spirit resting upon the coming Savior, even before God reveals the name of Jesus.

Of course, the rest referred to here is not related to the cessation of work, but describes the dwelling of the Spirit in power upon the promised Messiah, much in the same way the Spirit rests upon every believer. In his humanity, Jesus needed the Spirit just as much as us, for it is the Spirit which defines a relationship with God.

This prophecy tells us that where the Spirit rests, he brings wisdom and understanding. Literally, where the Spirit is, God's thoughts are revealed with an understanding of God's will. Where the Spirit rests, he brings counsel and might, directing our paths and bringing God's victory over sin'w power. Finally, where the Spirit rests, he brings knowledge and Godly fear. With the Spirit in us, we rightly come before Christ in reverence and humility, rightly declaring him to be God.

As believers, much of our lives should be filled with discovering and embracing the Spirit's presence in our lives, for only with this touch do we fully enjoy our new life in Christ.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the resting presence of your Spirit, first in Christ and then upon every believer. May my life be lived in an embrace of your presence, seeking to know you more and more. Amen.

Lesson 142 – When the Spirit Guarantees

2009-09-14T18:07:00.001+02:00

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

"Now, He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."

This is one of my favorite doctrinal truths—God's guarantee of the eternal security of the believer.

As believers, God establishes our salvation in Christ, redeeming us through the Lord's sacrifice. As believers, God anoints our lives in his holiness, covering us with the glory of our Lord. As believers, we're sealed by God with the Spirit's touch, marked as God's very own.

All in all, this all sounds pretty secure to me. God is sovereign over humanity and his will is to bring us fully to himself without losing any to the deceiver.

The concept declared here is that of God's earnest. The giving of the Spirit into our lives in the here and now is God's declaration of his intent to fully bring us to himself in eternity.

While we use this same concept when it comes to pledging funds towards a major purchase, say for a house, we give ourselves an escape clause. We can back out simply by giving up the earnest money. But God didn't give himself this same option. Simply put, the cost of the earnest is too great—the giving of Jesus Christ for our sins.

While we know in our hearts we're not worth this great price, God the creator differs with our opinion. God created us for a friendship with him, and the Spirit's touch brings about this relationship in our lives.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the security of your Spirit in my life, bringing a guarantee of a life with you. Amen.

Lesson 141 – When the Spirit Creates

2009-09-14T17:48:00.001+02:00

Psalm 104:30

"You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth."

While this verse specifically applies to the psalmist's praise of the Lord in terms of creating and sustaining the largest creatures of the seas, it also reminds us all life comes by the Spirit's touch. When it comes to the physical, our God is the master artist.

While we rightly value human life above others, and rightly so, since we are the only ones of God's creation made in his image, we'd do well to remember to also praise our Lord for the variety of life he's given. As Christians, we should be a people who go out of the way to see and be amazed at the magnificence of the Lord in the many aspects of his creation.

Unfortunately, many Christians are labeled with a reputation of so living for eternity's future that we ignore all God entrusted to us on this planet. While this reputation may be well-deserved, we need to turn things around so to be those most sounding the alarm for ecological conservatism.

As the church of Jesus Christ, we should be the one leading the charge for a return to environmental values. We're the ones who have a restored relationship with God, still charged as Adam and Eve in the Garden to husband the garden. We're to be the stewards of God's creation, and that includes valuing animal and plant life for more than what they offer in terms of food, enjoyment, sport, and other purposes.

While I'm certainly not calling for a movement towards valuing animals and plants as being equal with humanity, I think there is a long way we can go towards becoming a people who praise the Lord for all aspects of his creation.

As stewards, we recognize the trust God has given us as his agents in this life. We value what God has given us. We refuse to waste his resources. We live with hearts grateful for creation.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your creation and the blessings they bring to my life and the picture they give of your magnificence. Amen.

Lesson 140 – When the Spirit Unites

2009-09-11T07:58:00.001+02:00

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact, the body is not one member but many."

Not only are believers made one with Christ through the touch of the Spirit, we're also made one with each other as we live spiritually in the body of Christ. Every believer is equally the body of Christ, for the Lord's Spirit lives equally within each of us as the Lord's temple.

In a brilliant illustration, Paul points out the wholeness of the physical body. While it has many parts, some of which are very visible, and some which are fairly well hidden, it is still only one body, though of many members.

It is the same within the church. While we are many members, some seen and some not seen, we are still one body, united according to the Spirit's touch. Just as a body part without the rest of the body is of little use, surely a Christian without life within the rest of the body of Christ, the church, is equally helpless in the kingdom.

As a part of the Air Force, we've found that just about anywhere we go in service to our nation, we immediately feel at home when we discover others who are also members of the body of Christ. No matter what our differences, we are united in Christ, with the Spirit drawing us together.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for both the diversity and the unity of your body, the church of Jesus Christ. May we seek out these differences and celebrate them in you. Amen.

Lesson 139 – When the Spirit Profits

2009-09-11T07:52:00.001+02:00

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another, faith through the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing through the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing to each one individually as he wills."

This has always been a comforting passage for me. God's word affirms both that believers do not determine their own gifting of the Spirit, either by works or request, and the profit of every Spiritual gift for the benefit of the church. Spiritual gifts were never intended to be about the individual believer, but instead the church as a whole.

Any teaching which lifts up one Spiritual gift over another is misplaced. When we elevate the status of one gift over another, we essentially say we know better than God's sovereign will in determining which gifts to give to a particular church at a particular time.

Notice that every gift is given for the profit of all within the church. They are not provided so one feels closer to God, or to show others spiritual maturity or growth in Christ, or to claim a blessing others have not experienced, or even to demonstrate God's power. Instead, Spiritual gifts are given to each believer for the profit of others within the church. These may or may not draw one closer to Christ or be in demonstration of God's power, and certainly, the presence or absence of a Spiritual gift cannot be used to validate one's relationship with Christ.

Likewise, no Spiritual gift is intended to be hidden or tucked away for another time in life. Instead, when the Spirit reveals a gift in our life, we must step out and faith and endeavor to use it for God's glory within the church. This is how our Lord has ordained it and how we must exercise our gifts in obedience.

The longer I pastor a church, the more I realize that God assembles the local church together just the way he intends it to be. Our inclination is to pray for evidence of certain gifts, but the better way is to pray for the Spirit to be at work, leaving the manifestation of Gifts to our Lord.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the profit of your Spirit within the church. May I help others see how God has equipped them to serve your church and help them to use these gifts for your glory. Amen.

Lesson 138 – When the Spirit Is Diversified in Gifts

2009-09-10T15:43:00.001+02:00

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all."

Believers have always struggled with the idea of Spiritual gifts. How are we to judge ourselves when we don't receive the same gifts as another? Is there a hierarchy of gifts within the church reflecting God's pleasure with us on an individual basis? Why do some Spiritual gifts seem more prominent than others? What about a believer who can't identify their gift?

While we may not easily answer these questions, there are some things we can know for sure. Paul makes it clear that all Spiritual gifts are equally of God, just as all kinds of ministries are of the same Lord and all types of activities are directed by the same God.

Within the church, we're not to compare each other's gifts in an attempt to judge our spiritual maturity. That's just not the way it is with the Spirit. Instead, every gift is given according to God's pleasure, not as a reward for our own spiritual prowess, but according to God's perfect will.

Of course, factions creep into the church whenever believers begin to compare the Lord's gifts, with some even puffing themselves up when compared to another. That is not the way it is to be within the church. We all share equally in the Spiritual gifting of our Lord.

While there is but one Lord and he has given one Spirit, know that the Spirit's touch in our lives will be manifested in many different ways.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit living within the heart of every believer. May we rejoice in the gifts you've given to us and never compare our gifts with another in a way to give ourselves glory. Amen.

Lesson 137 – When the Spirit Says Christ Is Lord

2009-09-09T18:26:00.001+02:00

1 Corinthians 12:3

"Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit."

Here's the bottom-line. It is only by the Spirit's touch that one declares Jesus as Lord. It is only when the Spirit testifies to our heart the truth of Jesus Christ, and our heart accepts this truth, that Jesus reigns as Lord in our lives.

Of course, Christ is Lord whether we accept this truth or not, but know that it is only by the Spirit's touch that can accept Christ as Lord over your life. This is the grace of God upon us.

Over the past 20 centuries since the time of Christ, there have been many faiths which claim to be of God, though rejecting Jesus as Lord. Paul makes it clear that no one who truly has the Spirit of God in them rejects Christ as Lord. You simply cannot embrace God the Father without also claiming Jesus.

A person's position concerning Christ is the pivotal decision of a life-time, and one that has for eternal consequence. A person either accepts Christ as Lord, or takes a chance on the Bible being false.

Which choice will you make? Will you testify with the Spirit that Christ is Lord, or will you go your own way, cursing the one who took your sins and died in your place?

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit which testifies to the truth of Jesus Christ, causing men and women to declare you as Lord. May I also be faithful to echo the words of your Spirit, declaring you as Lord in my community. Amen.

Lesson 136 – When the spirit Inspires

2009-09-09T13:53:00.001+02:00

1 Corinthians 7:40

"But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment, and I think I also have the Spirit of God."

There have always been some who have questioned the canonization of the books which make up our Bible, with part of this questioning applying to some of Paul's epistles. While most would agree with the preponderance of his writings, there are a few passages which cause disagreement. Invariably, these come into play when Paul says he is writing something which is his opinion and not a direct command of the Lord.

This passage is one of those areas. While it deals with the authorization of remarriage following a spousal death, Paul's teaching is that it would be better if the person remained single rather than remarry. However, Paul admits this is his own judgment, but then appeals to also having the Spirit's touch upon his life.

If we are to accept Paul's teaching here as of God, then we must appeal to Spiritual inspiration. Whereas God left men to write most of the Bible in their own words, inspiration admits to the guiding hand of the Spirit in determining that the recorded word would be as God desired it to be. With that in mind, it is difficult to reject even those passages which seem to be opinion.

I for one have decided to trust that my God is big enough to have preserved his word just the way he wanted it. This allows me to trust every recorded word. I believe that God's Spirit was at work when the words were written, and his Spirit is still at work in our lives to cause us to trust his Bible.

The alternative is simply not a good one. If we are forced to pick and choose which words of the Bible were inspired and which ones were only of man, we'd constantly live in disagreement and confusion. By trusting in the Spirit's inspiration, we can rest in the truth of God's word and not lean on man's understanding.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank your inspiring presence, breathing your life into every word of the Bible you've given us. Amen.

Lesson 135 – When the Spirit Makes a Purchase

2009-09-08T14:51:00.001+02:00

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Once again, the Bible is clear. We no longer own our own bodies, for Christ purchased us by his blood on the cross of Calvary and made oour lives his living temple.

The implications of this are not too hard to see. In all ways, we are to give God glory by the ways we treat our bodies. This applies not only to sin, but also within the ordinary events of life.

Of all peoples, Christians should be most concerned about treating our bodies as a temple. You know, watching what we eat, what we bring before our eyes, where we go, what we do, etc. As God's temple, we do not go through life alone. We make this journey according to the touch of the Spirit who now owns us and dwells within us.

One way to look at this is according to the concept of a bond servant. We are the ones, like a bondservant, who have willingly sold our lives to another. We are now living solely according to God's mercies, acting our thankfulness in our bodies for so great a salvation.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you sending your Spirit to make me fully yours. I willingly give up my life for your will. Amen.

Lesson 134 – When the Spirit Saves

2009-09-08T06:57:00.001+02:00

1 Corinthians 6:11

"And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

This verse gives us a vivid word picture what salvation through faith Jesus Christ means for the believer. By the touch of the Spirit, God changes us from the way we were. Once we were on the path which was not of the kingdom of God, but now, according to God's grace, the Spirit changes our souls to make us new in Christ.

According to this verse, three doctrines define the life of the believer. These are three things we receive from God, not because of righteousness in our life, but because of God's great mercies in sending the Spirit. Clearly, no one is deserving of God's grace.

First, believers are those who have been washed. Simply put, we are made clean by the Spirit's presence. No longer is our life contaminated by sin's stain. Our sins are removed, just as surely as if they have been washed away. This is a cleaning that only God can give.

Second, believers are said to be sanctified. Again, this rings true to washing, but also carried the idea of healing. It is not just that our sins are scrubbed away, but with the Spirit's touch, we are made well. This is a supernatural healing of God, and its only possible where the Spirit dwells.

Finally, we've been justified. A believer's relationship with God is made right because they inherit Christ's holiness. Our relationship is restored so that it is just as if we had never sinned. With the Spirit's presence within, we no longer need to hide in guilt. Instead, we're invited into God's presence.

There is certainly no need to be intimidated by doctrinal terms, for in these terms, we learn the truth of our salvation. Too often, people try to be right with God on their own terms, when all we need to do is look to what our Lord has already told us.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for the Spirit's work in my life and in the life of your church to make us all new in Christ. Amen.