-
Resurrection and Pentecost
The call to Christianity is the call to community. It is not a community we get to pick. It is the Kingdom of God. We WANT to pick it, and therein lies the rub. It is probably why we are all so divided all the time. We want to PICK our “neighbors” and the Kingdom of God just doesn’t play…
-
Receive the Holy Spirit
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Jn. 20:21-23, NIV) The resurrection is not about apologetics. It is not about superior reasoning skills…
-
Prayer for the Day as We Head into Pentecost Sunday
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people and kindle in us the fire of your love. All who are led by the Spirit are children of God and fellow-heirs with Christ. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people. Renew the face of your creation, Lord, pouring on us the gifts of your Spirit. and kindle in…
-
We now join God already in progress
When I’ve watched some live sporting event and the game is over and they are ready to send you back to the regular schedule, or it’s a news flash and they are ready to leave the reporting, they will say, “We now return you to the program already in progress.” This is the activity of God. God is active. He…
-
Am I Joining What God is Doing?
The growth and expansion of the Church is never tied to our comfort. The first expansion of the church in Acts came in a time of persecution. Philip found himself in Samaria (Acts 8) as a result of the persecution in Jerusalem. But persecution wasn’t a reason to quit. They kept proclaiming. Philip was one of the “minor” characters of…
-
Catching the Wind of the Spirit
I am praying for a new dependence on the Holy Spirit in my own life. As I walk through the Acts story again in a sermon series for my church, I am disappointed in my own life. How many times I miss the wind of the Spirit! How many times I could have listened… stopped… then moved in a new…
-
Holy Spirit Prayer
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may…
-
The Power of the Spirit and the Great Commission
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Jn 20:21-23, NIV) We are new creations in Christ. Jesus didn’t save us to send us to…
-
The Power of Pentecost and the Call for Self-Sacrifice
Mark Stevens has a series of interviews with Jack Levison over at his blog. The interviews talk about Levison’s book Fresh Air: The Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life. I have the book and need to read it. I’m still getting over the decision to not capitalize Holy Spirit. (I’m Pentecostal. Sue me.) Mark asked Jack what he thought were the…
-
The Work of the Spirit
A thought from one of my lectures on Acts: You may not call yourself a Pentecostal or Charismatic. You may not believe in manifestation gifts. But you need to understand the TRINITY. There is a Holy Spirit and his activity is not a nice and neat package you can put together out of a few Scripture verses.
Tag: Holy Spirit
