Podcasts about holy spirit luke

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 01-22-2025) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include: What About The Various English Translations of The Bible?/ Matt Talks about the “Veneration” of Mary in The RCC/ A Question about The Holy Spirit/ Luke 18-The Pharisee and The Tax Collector-Difference in Prayers/ Was Jesus Fully God While He was on Earth?/ January 22, 2025

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 01-22-2025) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include: What About The Various English Translations of The Bible?/ Matt Talks about the “Veneration” of Mary in The RCC/ A Question about The Holy Spirit/ Luke 18-The Pharisee and The Tax Collector-Difference in Prayers/ Was Jesus Fully God While He was on Earth?/ January 22, 2025

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 01-22-2025) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include:What About The Various English Translations of The Bible?/ Matt Talks about the "Veneration" of Mary in The RCC/ A Question about The Holy Spirit/ Luke 18-The Pharisee and The Tax Collector-Difference in Prayers/ Was Jesus Fully God While He was on Earth?/ January 22, 2025

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?If you're ever a little suspicious about the idea that the Holy Spirit fills believers, Susie and Angie will help clear up confusion as they  look closely at the Greek word for “fill” in Luke 1:67.Luke 1:67 (NIV)“His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:” LiveSteadyOn.comhttps://livesteadyon.com/ To connect with Susie:https://susiecrosby.com/Facebook: @‌susiecrosbyauthorInstagram: @‌susiecrosby Susie's devotionals, “Lighthearted” and “Just One Word: 90 Devotions to Invite Jesus In” are available on Amazon.https://www.logos.com/https://enduringword.com/https://www.wordhippo.com/https://www.biblegateway.com/https://www.blueletterbible.org/ Gerhard Delling, “Πίμπλημι, Ἐμπίμπλημι, Πλησμονή,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 130.Simmons, Brian, trans. The Passion Translation. BroadStreet Publishing, 2017.Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Lk 1:15. I. Howard Marshall, “Luke,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 983–984. A. Boyd Luter, “Luke,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1604. Theme music:Glimmer by Andy Ellison

2024.12.22 Filled with the Holy Spirit | Luke 1:57-80 | John Wood by EP Church Annapolis

Today’s Bible Verse: "Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah." - Luke 2:25-26 “Want to listen without ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/ MEET OUR HOSTS at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Hi friends!

Luke explains the multi-faceted work of the Holy Spirit

Luke describes the essence and nature of the Holy Spirit and explains his role in our walk with God

I will never forget as a nineteen-year-old teenager struggling under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and making the excuse that why should I become a Christian if I can't live the life that God demands that I should live in the Bible. The devil was deceiving me into thinking that the temptations for me as a teenager would be more than I could handle. For sure, shortly after I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior, I was very concerned and fearful about facing all those youthful temptations.   But the next week after my salvation, on a Sunday night service at Landmark Baptist Temple in Cincinnati Ohio I heard a message where the pastor gave a verse from 1 Corinthians 10 that jumped out at me and gave me the assurance that I would be able to deal with any temptation that came my way. The verse was 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV), “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”   This is the first verse that I say that I memorized, but honestly, I don't recall even memorizing it because I so desperately needed this verse that it immediately stuck in my mind and heart, and I never forgot it. God will never allow any temptation or trial to come my way that I cannot bear or deal with because He is faithful, and He knows what I can or cannot handle. And God will make a way for me to resist the temptation. This verse gave me the assurance that I needed to begin my spiritual journey without the fear of failure, and faith to trust the Lord for whatever the devil attacked me with!   Here in Luke 4, as we study the temptation of Jesus by the devil, we find that God has also made available to us all the resources we need to overcome any temptation. We have at our disposal the same spiritual resources that Jesus used when He faced and defeated Satan. Remember Luke points out just before Jesus is tempted that at His baptism Jesus was praying (Luke 3:21). Prayer is a mighty weapon that we have been given in dealing with Satan. (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).   Jesus was assured of the Father's love in Luke 3:22 when the Voice came out of heaven at His baptism saying, “You are my beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.” You and I have been given the assurance over and over again from the Scriptures that our heavenly Father loves us unconditionally. I could give many verses but here are several that comes to mind immediately: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). And of course, John 3:16 is always a reminder that the love of God is so great that He sent His Son to die on a cross for us. Romans 5:8 tells us that God manifest and showed us His love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!   Jesus was fasting! Along with prayer, fasting is a neglected spiritual discipline that displaces the distractions of food and other things for a period of time so that we might focus fully on God's grace and strength. This also allows us to tap into the amazing power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) to guide us and lead us in “paths of righteousness”. And to give us courage to face whatever the devil might throw at us.   Jesus said, “It is written” and quoted the Word of God! I love 1 John 2:14; “...I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.” God's Word strengthens our faith to stand (Ephesians 6:10-18).   Finally, we also have the resource of the Lord Jesus in heaven interceding for us! “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). And remember Jesus is the ultimate overcomer! “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).   You can be an overcomer every day in Jesus too!   God bless!

Bishop Todd Hunter preaches from Luke on Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit.

“Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,”‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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Preached by Fr. Jon Beadle on May 12, 2024.

Preached by Fr. Jon Beadle on May 12, 2024.

“Pentecost is For Everybody” – “Empowered beyond our own abilities” – Short overview of some of the different church types followed by: Receiving the power of the Holy Spirit!” * Acts 1:3-5 The Promise of the Holy Spirit * John 20:21-22 Receive the Holy Spirit * Luke 24:45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. * John 3:3-5 You Must Be Born Again * Genesis 2:7 The Breath of Life * John 14:16-17 Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes from Jesus. * Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes after you have been save.

Pastor of Formation & Mission Benjamin Kandt resumes our Beatitudes series, focusing on the last beatitude: witness-bearing courage. He shares stories of what persecution may look like for those in hostile cultures, while also challenging listeners that their lack of persecution may not be because the culture isn't hostile to the gospel, but because they've compromised their witness. He invites us to examine ourselves, but to also seek the filling of the Spirit in order to truly bear witness to Jesus with courage and care. For more on enduring persecution in the global church, you can listen to a powerful podcast episode here.The acronym that Pastor Ben used in the responsive prayer is CREATE—How to be filled with the Holy Spirit:Confess the truth about your fears, sins, weaknesses, and needs (2 Cor. 12.9).Receive forgiveness, cleansing, and strength (1 John 1.9).Entrust everything to God (Luke 23.46).Ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11.13).Thank your Father (Matt. 11.25).Expect His presence and power (Isa 41:10).

2. Jesus' Birth Luke 1:26-38 - In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.' Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.' 'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.' 'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.' Then the angel left her. Luke 2:1-7 - In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Jesus! That Jesus was a human male is not really disputed. The birth of Jesus is extraordinary at every level. The primary documents about him, found in the Bible, states that he was born of a woman, which in itself tells us that at least in a prenatal state he was nurtured and formed as any other male baby was and is. On the physical level, Jesus was born as any person is, but as regards his conception, He was conceived like no other person - conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). This was so that Jesus would not be given the sinful nature past that all humans have. Jesus was fully human and fully divine. Other documents, outside of the Bible from that time period also attest to Jesus and his existence. Throughout the Old Testament, there is a witness to the birth of the Messiah, the Saviour. From the time of the first sin done by Adam, through the creation of Israel, the life of the Patriarchs and Kings and the oracles of the Prophets - all looking forward to the Messiah coming. The 5 Covenants that God made with people all look forward to this Messiah, this King. This King was to be their hope, their Saviour. His genealogy takes his physical line back to Abraham via David. Abraham was the father of Israel and David the first King. He grew into maturity as any young Jewish boy did. What's in a name? When Jesus was born, his name imbued the very reason he was born. His conception and birth were extraordinary at every level. So important is our understanding of the birth of Jesus that no fewer than 4 angels come to give us a full picture of the event. Do you think that his parents, Joseph & Mary, or God, ever gazed upon him, and thought "How misnamed he is"! They did not, because they knew the very purpose for which he was born. Did Jesus ever think of how misnamed he was? Certainly not! His name means one who saves, or a rescuer. The entirety of his birth, life and death were centred on this very role. His role was to save all those who would follow Him. He is the most talked about person in history. Almost everyone has an opinion about him. He was born to confirm God's promises, to reveal God as a Father, and to be our representative before Him. He gave us an example of how to live a holy life to the full. He was not merely a man who received some special power. He was not some strange creation that was half man and half God, with his human nature somehow absorbed into the divine. He was, as we shall see in this series, much more than those ideas! One of the Church Fathers, Anselm, wrote that God's salvation plan for humans involved triumphant victory over sin, death and the grave. However no person could be found that was eligible or capable to do this. Because of this, God stepped into human history, so that this victory could be achieved. This God-man would be fully human, so as to live every feature of humanity, including suffering and death. This God-man would also need to remain fully God, so as to defeat sin, death and the grave. Jesus, being sinless, was this God-man, consisting as he did of two complete natures, the God nature and the human nature. That is why Jesus being both fully God and fully human is all important - without either, He could not be the long awaited Messiah and Saviour. That Jesus is both human and divine is what makes Christianity unique amongst the world's religions. It is why Jesus' claims to be the only way to God are true and make sense, and it is why millions of people today worship Him and acknowledge Him as their Lord and their God. From what we know of his childhood and early life, we know that he grew in stature and wisdom (Luke 2:52) For more to think about please do read Matthew 1:18-2:23. Ask yourself the following questions and see how you respond or react to them. 1. How important to me is every aspect of the conception and birth of Jesus Christ? 2. What lessons can I learn from other characters in these early chapters of the Gospels - Joseph, Mary, Shepherds, Wise Men, Simeon and Anna. 3. What aspects of the whole story of Jesus physical conception and birth am I not familiar with? Right mouse click or tap here to save this podcast episode as a mp3

This is the sermon for the Lord's Day for March 3rd, 2024.

POWER FOR TODAY is intended to equip the believers with the supernatural dimension of God, through the teaching of the unadulterated word of God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicky-agyepong/message

The Holy Spirit | Luke 11 | Being Filled with the Holy Spirit | Chris Kimbangi | 28th January 2024 by Hope Church Guildford

How we interact with the Holy Spirit and the Birth of Jesus This is the Christmas 2023 message 1st Thessalonians Part 13: Interactions Part 3 How we Interact with The Holy Spirit - Luke 1:26-38                                 - 1 John 4:1-6 - 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22            - Luke 2:1-7

On every school day for three years, Colleen has been dressing up in a different costume or mask to greet her children as they exit the school bus each afternoon. It brightens the day of everyone on the bus—including the bus driver: “[She] bring[s] so much joy to the kids on my bus, it’s amazing. I love that.” Colleen’s children agree. It all started when Colleen began fostering children. Knowing how difficult it was to be separated from parents and to attend a new school, she began greeting the kids in a costume. After three days of doing so, the kids didn’t want her to stop. So Colleen continued. It was an investment of time and money at thrift shops, but, as reporter Meredith TerHaar describes, it brought a “priceless result: happiness.” One little verse amid a book of wise and witty advice, largely by King Solomon to his son, sums up the results of this mom’s antics: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). By bringing cheer to all her kids (biological, adopted, and foster), she hoped to prevent crushed spirits. The source of true and lasting joy is God through the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21; Galatians 5:22). The Spirit enables us to shine God’s light as we strive to bring joy to others, a joy that offers hope and strength to face trials.

Message from Pastor Jimmy Inman on November 12, 2023

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, and while the gospel writers recognize it as the start of Jesus's ministry, Luke draws our attention also to Jesus in the posture of prayer. It was while praying that Jesus received the Holy Spirit. In this week's sermon, we take a closer look at how Jesus was prepared for the work ahead. 

The Christian should not be anxious because of the Holy Spirit 1. Don't Be anxious about the judgment 2. Don't be anxious about your eligibility 3. Don't be anxious about getting it right.

Fr. Jacob Hsieh is a Nobertine priest of St. Michael's Abbey and a teacher of Latin, religion and chant.  In this episode, he discusses The Creeds of Our Catholic Faith in this I Thirst Follow Up Week 9Also Beauty of Our Catholic Heritage  airs live weekdays at 6:00am and 11am  Pacific Time go to spiritfilledevents.com website or download our Spirit Filled Radio App for Android or Apple Devices.APPLE LINK FOR APPGOOGLE PLAY LINK FOR APPArchives of shows from Spirit Filled Radio are available on podcast at spiritfilledevents.comNotes On The Creed of Our FaithWhat will we learn about in this session?Reflection on The Creeds of The Catholic Faith The Apostles CreedIt came from the ApostlesIt is the symbol of our faithContains in simple terms, the beliefs of our faithThe Nicene CreedHow did the Nicene Creed Come aboutHow does it differ from the Apostles CreedThe battle against heresiesConsubstantial combated the heresy of AriusScriptures that support the Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty (Isaiah 44:6; 45:5), Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3; Acts 14:15). I believe in Jesus Christ (Luke 2:11; John 20:28), His only Son (John 3:16), our Lord (John 20:28), He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), and born of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:27). He suffered under Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:23-25), was crucified (John 19:20; Acts 4:10), died (1 Corinthians 15:3), and was buried (1 Corinthians 15:4). He descended to the dead (1 Peter 3:18; Luke 23:43). On the third day He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:4, Matthew 28:1, 5-10). He ascended into heaven (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51, Acts 1:11), and is seated at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19; Hebrews 1:3). He will come again to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1; John 5:22). I believe in the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:7-8, 13-14; Acts 13:2), the holy universal Church (Galatians 3:26-29), the communion of saints (Revelation 19:14; Hebrews 10:25), the forgiveness of sins (Luke 7:48), the resurrection of the body (1 Thessalonians 4:16; John 6:39), and the life everlasting (John 10:28; 17:2-3). Amen. Nicene Creed and the Scriptures1. Jesus is as equally divine and eternal as the Father, not created by the Father.- Micah 5:2- John 1:1-3- John 10:30- 1 Corinthians 8:6- Colossians 1:15-17- Hebrews 1, particularly Hebrews 1:32. The Holy Spirit is as equally divine and eternal as the Father and the Son.- Genesis 1:1-2- Romans 8:9- 1 Corinthians 2:11, 16- 

Galatians  Talk 9   Galatians 5:22-23 The Fruit of the Spirit PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SUBSTANCE OF THIS TALK IS TAKEN FROM MY BOOK THE VOICE OF GOD – How he speaks to us today   In our last talk, as we were looking at Galatians 5:13-26, where Paul is contrasting the acts of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, we saw that we need to:   1.     Remember that even after we become Christians there's still a tendency to sin in our flesh. 2.     Recognise that we cannot overcome this by obeying man-made rules and regulations. 3.     Reckon ourselves to be dead. Dead to the law, dead to sin. Dead to the acts of the flesh. We're identified with Christ. We should live like Christ. 4.     Rely on the help of the Holy Spirit. Today we'll be considering the fruit of the Spirit in more detail. Paul lists them in Galatians 5:22-23. These are qualities that should be evident in the life of every Christian as they reflect the character of Jesus which the indwelling Spirit of Christ seeks to reproduce in us. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (You'll find similar lists in Colossians 3:12-15 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). As we read the Gospels it is not difficult to see these qualities in the life of the Lord Jesus. And, as we see what Jesus did, God speaks to us challenging us to do the same. Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). And, of course, our attitude will determine our actions. Let's look at this wonderful ‘fruit' in more detail asking God to speak to us through the attitude and actions of Jesus.   We'll take them in reverse order from the list in Galatians so that we will conclude with love which is undeniably the greatest of all the fruit of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). Self-control Right at the start of his ministry, straight after he was baptised in the River Jordan, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.  Then, Matthew tells us: After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (Matthew 4:2). He was hungry. What an understatement! He had eaten nothing for six weeks! I feel hungry if I haven't eaten for six hours! Then, suddenly, an opportunity comes to break his fast. Some of the stones in the desert may have looked like loaves of bread. You're the Son of God, aren't you? says Satan, Why not turn these stones into bread? Now Jesus knew that he was the Son of God. God has said so (just three verses earlier) at his baptism: This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Jesus knew that he had the power to do what Satan suggested, but just because you can doesn't mean that you should. I can't imagine how strong the temptation to eat must have been, but Jesus chose to listen to his Father rather than to Satan. He answered: It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4). What amazing self-control! Where did it come from? His relationship with God, his desire to please him and his knowledge of God's word. Could there be any greater demonstration of self-control? Yes, and we find it in Matthew's account of the crucifixion: Those who passed by hurled insults at him… saying… ‘Save yourself. Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God!' (Matthew 27:39-40). And Jesus was the Son of God, and he could have come down from the cross. But he didn't. Despite the agony, he stayed there. Why? Because he knew that if we were to be saved he must die for our sins. He must pay the price. He must take the punishment. So he stayed there. He stayed there because he loved us. Humility The Greek word translated as gentleness in Galatians 5:23 carries with it the thought of humility. Paul uses it a few verses later when he says: Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted (Galatians 6:1). This warning, to watch yourself because you might be tempted too, clearly implies that Paul is using the word gently to mean in a spirit of humility. This is confirmed by the paraphrase in the Amplified Bible which interprets gently as not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness. So it seems reasonable to assume that this is how he is using it when talking about the fruit of the Spirit just a few verses earlier. The humility of Jesus is most clearly expressed in two main New Testament passages. The first is Philippians 2:5-11. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! This passage speaks for itself. It took humility for someone who was equal with God to become a man, to become a servant, to become nothing. And yet he humbled himself even further. He became obedient to death, even death on a cross. And as Christians we're encouraged to have the same attitude. The second passage is John 13:1-17 where Jesus washes his disciples' feet. In verse 1 we're told that Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He knew that he was shortly to be crucified. But he also knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God (v.3). And so he did something that would be an active demonstration of the truth later to be expressed by Paul in Philippians 2. It would demonstrate his humility and give his disciples an object lesson in how they too should behave. He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist (v.4). Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel (v.5). This was a symbol of what he would accomplish on the cross enabling his disciples to be washed clean by the shedding of his blood. That's why it was important that Peter, who had protested, should allow Jesus to wash his feet too (vv.6-10). And Jesus' humility, his willingness to wash feet, to cleanse us from sin, was another expression of his love. Finally, when Jesus had finished washing their feet he put on his clothes and returned to his place (v.12). What a wonderful symbol of Jesus returning to his place in heaven after he had finished his redemptive work on the cross! (Compare Hebrews 1:3 …After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven). Then he said: Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them (vv.12-17). Faithfulness From the very beginning of his life here on earth Jesus came to do the will of God. Hebrews 10:5-7 tells us that when Christ came into the world, he said…I have come to do your will, O God. Even at the age of 12 Jesus knew that God, not Joseph, was his true Father (Luke 2:49). And throughout his life he was faithful to his Father's will.  In John 4:34, when the disciples were trying to persuade Jesus to eat something, he said: My food…is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. And in John 6:38 he says I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. But his faithfulness to God and determination to do his will are no more clearly seen than in the Garden of Gethsamane on the night before Jesus was crucified. In Matthew 26 we're told that he took with him Peter, James and John, and told them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow… Stay here and keep watch with me (v.38). Jesus then went a little farther and fell with his face to the ground and prayed: My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will (v.39). He then returns to his disciples and finds them sleeping! And this happens twice more. Jesus prays the same prayer, comes back, and finds them sleeping. This sad story reveals in stark contrast the unfaithfulness of the disciples and faithfulness of Jesus. The disciples can't even stay awake even at the time of Jesus' greatest need. Jesus knows what's going to happen. The thought of crucifixion horrifies him, and he asks his Father three times if there is any other way. But ultimately, when he knows that there is not, his faithfulness shines through. Yet not as I will, but as you will. But this story not only reveals Jesus' faithfulness to God. It shows his faithfulness to his disciples. If Jesus had refused the way of the cross – and he could have – what hope would there have been for them or for us? Perhaps the sight of the disciples sleeping reminded him of the weakness of human nature and our need for him to save us. His faithfulness, motivated by love for his Father and his love for us, gave him the strength to carry on. Goodness and kindness The English word goodness, like the word good, can be used in many different ways. It's very flexible. For example, we can talk of a good meal and we can refer to someone as a good person, but the meaning of good in each case is rather different. The same is true of the Greek words for good and goodness (agathos and agathōsunē). So we can't be entirely sure of how Paul is using the word in Galatians 5:22. However, in the New Testament the word is frequently connected with doing good works and in Colossians 1:10 we read: And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, The reference to bearing fruit in this verse seems to suggest that the fruit of the Spirit which Paul calls goodness relates to: ·       Living a life worthy of the Lord ·       Pleasing him in every way ·       Doing good works ·       Growing in the knowledge of God. And, of course, that's exactly what Jesus did. He lived a sinless life. He pleased God in every way. As a human being he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). And Peter, when summarising Jesus' ministry, said of him that he went about doing good and healing… (Acts 10:38). He not only was good. He did good. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit to preach good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour (Luke 4:18-19). Similarly his kindness overflowed again and again as he met the needs of the poor and needy. Consider, for example, his kindness in turning water into wine at the wedding-feast at Cana in Galilee. We are so often preoccupied with the amazing miracle that we neglect the kindness of Jesus in performing it. And his goodness and kindness were surely motivated by his love. Patience The English word patience comes from the Latin verb patior meaning I suffer. That's why people in hospital are called patients – people who are suffering. But the Greek word makrothumia, translated as patience in Galatians 5:22, has a wider meaning. It comes from two other Greek words, makros meaning far and thumos meaning wrath or anger. So to exercise makrothumia is to keep your anger far from you. It's used elsewhere in the New Testament to mean patient enduring of evil, slowness of avenging injuries, or patient expectation. It's not difficult to see all these qualities in the life of the Lord Jesus. He was consistently enduring opposition from sinners (Hebrews 12:3), he prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified him (Luke 23:34) and he endured the cross, scorning its shame because he patiently expected the joy that was set before him (Hebrews 12:2). But he was patient with his disciples too.  They were so slow to learn and to believe. On the eve of his crucifixion they still had not fully understood who he was. In John 14:2-9 Jesus tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them in his Father's house (v.2) and that they know the way (v.4). Thomas says to him: Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Jesus answers: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him (vv.6-7) Then Philip says: Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Imagine how Jesus must have felt. In a few hours he's going to be crucified. And still they don't understand who he is. I know personally the frustration of a teacher whose students still haven't got what I've painstakingly tried to teach them! Yet I hear infinite patience in Jesus' reply: Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (v.9). Peace and Joy Peace of heart, as every Christian knows, springs from that peace with God which results from our being in right relationship with him. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). But Jesus had no need to be justified. He was the sinless one. He always lived in right relationship with Father! Yet there's one occasion when it appears that Jesus is not at peace. As he bears our sins in his body on the cross he cries in anguish: My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?    (Matt 27:46). It's as if God has turned his back on his Son. Jesus has forfeited his peace. He's bearing your sin and mine. And God is too holy to look at sin (Habakkuk 1:13). Jesus sacrifices his peace that we might have peace with God. And he does it because he loves us. And Jesus' relationship with God was the source of his joy too. He lived life in God's presence, and in his presence there is fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Luke records that Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21). What a pity that so many stained-glass windows and paintings portray him with a long and gloomy face! Jesus was a man of joy! Admittedly, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). But that was primarily at the time of his passion, both in the Garden of Gethsemane and the events that led to his crucifixion. As with his peace, so with his joy. He sacrificed both so that we could have them. Love Finally, Jesus was a man of love. Love is the greatest of the fruit and it is possible to understand Paul's teaching in Galatians as meaning that love is the fruit and that the eight other qualities are manifestations of it. That's what I've been trying to demonstrate as we've looked at each of the fruit of the Spirit. They are all, in one way or another, a manifestation of love (Compare, for example, Colossians 3:12-14).   Jesus' love is evident throughout the New Testament, not just in the Gospels. Paul could refer to him as the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20) and this reference to the cross reminds us that Calvary is the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever seen. And, what's more, Paul says he did it for me. But can we expect to manifest fruit like this in our own lives? Yes we can. Through the help of the Holy Spirit. This is where I find 2 Corinthians 3:18 very helpful. Paul tells us that as we contemplate the Lord's glory, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, and this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! …Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John3:1-2).   The more we see Jesus, the more we become like him.

How to Start A Fire Part 3: Receive the Holy SpiritBaptism of the Holy Spirit Luke 3:15-22The heavens are breaking open. Breaking wide open. Can you hear the voice of God? Imagine with me that we are part of the crowd, gathered around the Jordan River, witnessing the baptism of Jesus. Witnessing the heavens opening… We're expectant…filled with great expectations of what might be happening. We've been following John the Baptist, this wild and woolly prophet who promises us better days ahead. Who assures us that God is with us and we will be saved. We're tired of the government…the government who uses violence and militarism against its own people; abuses us with taxes; discriminates based on religious belief.We are in desperate need of salvation….not some kind of salvation that only comes to us when we die, but salvation in the here and the now…some hope that we can be saved from tyranny and oppression and find a new way of life. So, we are attracted to John the Baptist, and hope that he might be the one to save us. But he surprises us, by announcing that he is not the Messiah…no someone more powerful than he is coming, and this person won't baptize us with water, but with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit? We don't even know what that means. We can see and touch this water—we bathe in it and drink from it–but we can't even conceive of the Spirit. We can't see or smell or taste or touch the spirit of God. How can we be baptized with it? And he will also baptize with fire…what on earth could that mean? And who, we wonder, could be greater than John?The word "Baptism" is a transliteration of the Greek word BAPTIZO which means to immerse. In 1 Corinthians 2:13 Paul says, we have all been baptized by one Spirit into one body.” The next step for a new believer is water baptism. This Sunday, we will gather at the river and witness God's claim on those being baptized.  For those who have been baptized you will have a chance to remember your baptism. And for those who have never been immersed, you will have the opportunity to remember your baptism through immersion. Ephesians 4:5 says there is one Lord one faith and one Baptism. One Lord 3 persons = Trinity, likewise, one baptism 3 distinct forms.The Holy Spirit baptizes us in Jesus. 1 Corinthians 12:13 teaches us that it is the Holy Spirit who baptizes us into Jesus. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us, and when we repent and believe in Jesus we are saved.The disciples baptize us in water. Romans 6:3–4 says that when we are water baptized, we are buried with Him into His death. Our old life is put away when we get water baptized. After salvation, a believer makes a conscious decision to get water baptized.Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. All four gospels (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33) confirm how Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to live our new life in Christ.Scripture confirms all three baptisms. 1 John 5:7–8 shows that the blood (salvation), water (baptism), and Spirit (baptism in the Holy Spirit) are all in one agreement. Acts 2:38 tells us to repent (salvation), be baptized (water baptism), and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (baptism in the Holy Spirit). Five years later in Acts 8:12–17, people are told to believe, and then they were water baptized. Afterward Peter and John prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit. Twenty-five years later, in Acts 19, the same pattern of all three baptisms occurred. Father, thank you for the three baptisms in scripture. Thank you for the gift of salvation and water baptism. Thank you for baptizing us in the Holy Spirit so we can be empowered to live a victorious life. Allow the Holy Spirit to work through us with his grace and gifts. In Jesus name, Amen.  -Grace and Peace,Stephen

Speak  To The Holy Spirit  ( Luke  Chapter 11 )

Scripture Reading: John 20:1-23 Now very early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out to go to the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus' head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed. 9 (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.)10 So the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus' body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.”Main ThemesHistorical QuestionsHarmonizing the Four GospelsChapter 20 of John's Gospel puts us squarely within the resurrection narrative. This is a key event to the Christian faith. All four gospels describe it with varied levels of details. Because the event is multiply attested, one can compare the four narratives. One question that often comes up is whether all four gospels are consistent with one another. Here are the narratives found in the 3 other gospels:Matthew 28:1-10: Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there.' Listen, I have told you!” So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. But Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings!” They came to him, held on to his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.”Mark 16:1-8: When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. They had been asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled back. Then as they went into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised! He is not here. Look, there is the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples, even Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.” Then they went out and ran from the tomb, for terror and bewilderment had seized them. And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.Luke 24:1-12: Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in dazzling attire. The women were terribly frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then the women remembered his words, and when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down and saw only the strips of linen cloth; then he went home, wondering what had happened.Are these three narratives contradictory? Can they be harmonized (that is, can they be read together as supplementary to each other)? Before we attempt to answer these questions, I want to share a word of caution expressed very well by the website gotquestions.org:The events surrounding Jesus' resurrection can be difficult to piece together. We must remember two things: first, the news of Jesus' resurrection produced much excitement in Jerusalem, and in the ensuing chaos many people were going many different directions. Groups were separated, and several different groups paid visits to the tomb, possibly more than once. Second, the writers of the Gospels did not attempt an exhaustive narrative; in other words, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had no intention of telling us every detail of the resurrection or every event in the order that it happened.In the battle with skeptics regarding Jesus' resurrection, Christians are in a "no-win" situation. If the resurrection accounts harmonize perfectly, skeptics will claim that the writers of the Gospels conspired together. If the resurrection accounts have some differences, skeptics will claim that the Gospels contradict each other and therefore cannot be trusted. It is our contention that the resurrection accounts can be harmonized and do not contradict each other.Generally speaking, when multiple witnesses describe an event slightly differently, that adds to the reliability of the testimony. It means that the witnesses are truly sharing their own recollection of the event, instead of organizing to repeat one witness's version of the events or colluding to share a crafted narrative. So, from a historical standpoint, the fact that the four gospels describe the resurrection of Jesus differently is not a negative—instead, it is strong evidence of historical reliability. So what's the problem? If the differences between the gospels are truly irreconcilable, then the Christian must give up on what is known as biblical inerrancy (which means that the Bible contains no errors). As I have explained before, biblical inerrancy is an important doctrine—one that should not be discarded lightly. However, it is not central to Christianity. As long as the core claims of the Bible are reliably recorded, small errors would not undo the religion as a whole.In fact, before we consider a harmonization, let's consider the question: are there core facts unquestionably affirmed by all four narratives? The answer is yes. Even if we grant differences in the gospels, they all clearly affirm that:Jesus was buried in a tomb.The tomb was empty a few days later.The testimony of one or more women.Jesus appeared to the disciples (some of these appearances are in verses after those quoted above).The disciples went from despair to belief (again, some of this content is found in verses after those quoted above).With all that in mind, let's consider a possible harmonization of the events described in all four gospel. There are several harmonizing narratives offered by scholars, such as George Eldon Ladd's. Here's the one proposed by the same website I quoted above:Jesus is buried, as several women watch (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42).The tomb is sealed and a guard is set (Matthew 27:62-66).At least 3 women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, prepare spices to go to the tomb (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1).An angel descends from heaven, rolls the stone away, and sits on it. There is an earthquake, and the guards faint (Matthew 28:2-4).The women arrive at the tomb and find it empty. Mary Magdalene leaves the other women there and runs to tell the disciples (John 20:1-2).The women still at the tomb see two angels who tell them that Jesus is risen and who instruct them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee (Matthew 28:5-7; Mark 16:2-8; Luke 24:1-8).The women leave to bring the news to the disciples (Matthew 28:8).The guards, having roused themselves, report the empty tomb to the authorities, who bribe the guards to say the body was stolen (Matthew 28:11-15).Mary the mother of James and the other women, on their way to find the disciples, see Jesus (Matthew 28:9-10).The women relate what they have seen and heard to the disciples (Luke 24:9-11).Peter and John run to the tomb, see that it is empty, and find the grave clothes (Luke 24:12; John 20:2-10).Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb. She sees the angels, and then she sees Jesus (John 20:11-18).Later the same day, Jesus appears to Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5).Still on the same day, Jesus appears to Cleopas and another disciple on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32).That evening, the two disciples report the event to the Eleven in Jerusalem (Luke 24:32-35).Jesus appears to ten disciples—Thomas is missing (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25).Jesus appears to all eleven disciples—Thomas included (John 20:26-31).Jesus appears to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-25).Jesus appears to about 500 disciples in Galilee (1 Corinthians 15:6).Jesus appears to His half-brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7).Jesus commissions His disciples (Matthew 28:16-20).Jesus teaches His disciples the Scriptures and promises to send the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:4-5).Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:6-12).Pagan Origins of the ResurrectionJohn certainly presents the resurrection narrative as a historical event. There is no indication in the text that it is meant to be myth or fiction. However, claims are often made that Jesus' resurrection repurposes ancient myths. Is this claim plausible? In other words, during the first century, were there other legends that would strike us as too similar to the story of Jesus? Honestly, no. These myth-borrowing theories only work if one is unfamiliar with the narrative of Jesus' resurrection and whatever other myth it is allegedly based upon. Once the two tales are studied, the conclusion is that any similarities are too general or superficial.First of all, one is hard pressed to find a true resurrection myth. Ancient stories often involved apparitions of deceased persons (sort of like ghosts) or persons who had become immortal. Notice that neither of these scenarios involves true resurrection—the body remains buried. True resurrection, as Craig Keener points out, was an almost exclusively Jewish belief.But what about the Greco-Roman mystery cults? Didn't they have dying and rising deities? At a glance, there are parallels between some of the Mysteries and Jesus' resurrection, but we must look at the date. The most striking resemblances occur after the first century, when the Christian story had time to influence the mystery cults. (And the mystery cults influenced Christianity, with Christian authors beginning to adopt some of the Mysteries' terminology.) However, even if we entertained 3rd century Mysteries as sources for the Jesus' resurrection narrative, the Mysteries understood the world differently. Their narratives did not assign a spiritual and moral meaning to the events as Christianity did.But, after getting past the two caveats above, one must admit there were myths of dying and rising gods pre-Jesus. Some of them would not have been known by the first-century Jews, which makes them irrelevant to the myth-borrowing thesis. Nevertheless, some of them would have been known by the Jews. Of this latter category, they are not as similar as is claimed. Take Osiris for example (a myth often compared to Jesus). As J. Warner Wallace explains:Osiris was murdered and his body was then dismembered and scattered. Later, his body pieces were recovered and rejoined, and he was rejuvenated. Osiris then journeyed to the underworld, where he became the lord of the dead. He did not resurrect with a glorified body and walk with men on earth, as did Jesus. He was not alive again, as was Jesus, but was instead a “dead” god who never returned among the living.One important observation I must reemphasize is how unique the Jewish and Christian understanding of resurrection truly is. It is not a belief in merely survival of the soul once the body has died, nor a belief in a happy life in either the underworld or Elysium. It is the belief in a true bodily resurrection. In fact, one would not expect persecution of the disciples if they had simply claimed they saw a ghost of Jesus or an apparition of the deified Jesus. Those claims would have seemed significantly less remarkable to their culture.Mary at the TombMary goes to the tomb on Sunday, the first day of the week, to finish the burial rites. Recall that Jesus was buried late on Friday and the Sabbath begins on Friday night. Some of the burial preparations could not be performed on the Sabbath.John tells us that Mary Magdalene goes to Jesus very early, “while it was still dark,” connoting devotion. She finds that the stone has been moved away, and she infers that the body had been taken. Mary Magdalene's conclusion is not an impossible one. Sometimes robbers would break into tombs. These tomb robbers would take items of value and leave the body. To take the body would have been appalling. However, corpses could be used for magic, particularly corpses of those who died in gruesome ways. Notice also the plural in verse 2, “we don't know where they have put him!” Mary Magdalene was not alone. As the other gospels inform us, she went to the tomb with other women.Could there be other explanations for the missing body?One theory is that Jesus was not dead—the “swoon” theory. As Craig Keener explains:Nor is there historical merit to the old “swoon” theory (that Jesus was not yet dead and hence managed to revive sufficiently to act “resurrected” but then died somewhere unknown). Crucified persons simply did not revive: Josephus had three friends taken from crosses, and despite medical attention, two died (Josephus Life 420–421). Further, if one could revive, one would still be trapped within the tomb, which would lead to death (Chariton 1.4.11–12; 1.8). Keener, Craig S.. The Gospel of John : 2 Volumes (p. 1180). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.Another theory is that the whole thing was fabricated by the disciples. There are many problem with this theory. If the story was false, why make women (considered unreliable in the ancient world) the primary witnesses? Why would the Jewish or Roman authorities not produce the body to put an end to the rumors of resurrection? Why would the apostles die for a claim they knew to be false (since they fabricated it themselves)?The consensus among historians is that Jesus died, he was buried, and then the tomb was found empty. Some historians are so puzzled by these facts, they simply refuse to offer an explanation.The Linen Wrappings John makes sure that we notice the fact that the linen wrappings were “lying there.” He says it in verses 5, 6, and 7. John also tells us that the face cloth was rolled up in a place by itself.There are two points to John's description of the scene. First of all, whatever happened in that tomb may have been similar yet clearly distinct from Lazarus' experience. Recall the resurrection of Lazarus:When he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.” (John 11:43-44)As we discussed when we covered chapter 11, the decedent would be tightly wrapped in cloth. The cloth would have probably stuck to the body due to all the bodily fluids, not to mention the spices. Lazarus was raised just as he was when he lived and was immediately faced by his cloth captivity.Jesus was also wrapped after he died. Yet somehow Jesus does not face the same problem. Christians generally speculate that this has to do with Jesus' resurrected body. Lazarus merely had his old body revivified. Jesus was resurrected into a glorified, permanent body. This new body does not seem to have the same limitations as the old. Of course, another possibility is a miracle, which would not necessarily involve the nature of Jesus' new body.The second point that John makes by highlighting the cloth wrappings—particularly that the face cloth was rolled up and placed next to the other wrappings—is that the scene was not in disarray. This is not the aftermath of robbers acting in haste. This is like a room with a bed well made: the result of a peaceful and thoughtful exit.One could read some theological significance to leaving the wrappings behind, particularly the face cloth. Just like Moses' veil covered divine revelation (see 2 Corinthians 3:7-9), Jesus leaving the veil behind could mean that a full revelation has finally come. The text is not clear on this point, so I will not explore it further.John BelievesJohn tells us that Peter “and the other disciple” rush to the tomb. This other disciple is thought to be John himself. When John sees the tomb, he “believed.” Throughout the Gospel of John, we have read this expression before. Recall all the way back to chapter 1:Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!” Jesus said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” (John 1:49-50)Yet when the darkest moment came, everyone who had “believed” deserted Jesus. That kind of apostasy no longer happens to the apostles from this point in the narrative and onward. This “believed” in chapter 20 is something more, or something different, than in prior chapters. As the revelation of Jesus is complete, so is the belief in him.John explains that the disciples had not understood (or known) the scripture foretelling that Jesus had to rise from the dead. As I always ask, what scripture? In this case, it is unclear.We could speculate a passage such as Psalm 16:10:You will not abandon me to Sheol;you will not allow your faithful follower to see the Pit.However, we cannot be sure.Mary and the AngelsMary Magdalene was the first to Jesus' empty tomb. She is also given the privilege of being the first to see the risen Lord. The scene is, in my opinion, the sweetest in the whole gospel. She woke up that morning wanting to honor Jesus. She finds the tomb empty, informs the disciples, they come, see, and go back home. She remains there weeping. She is not ready to leave. In that moment, she sees two “angels” sitting inside the tomb who ask, “Woman, why are you weeping?”I want to avoid delving too deep into the topic of angels (because it is likely to derail us), but angels in the Bible do not look like how they are portrayed in popular media. The word angel comes from the Greek “angelous,” which simply means messenger. In Genesis 18 and 19, two angels visit Abraham and later Sodom. They are not described in detail, but they are casually called “two men” and do not seem to call any attention to themselves. I think the reasonable assumption is that these angels looked like regular people. I point all this out to elucidate the scene with Mary Magdalene. The two angels in the tomb, with whom she has a seemingly normal interaction, may have looked like normal men. That explains her lack of surprise or fear.Nonetheless, I do not want to ignore the fact that these angels were dressed in white. White garbs were not utterly unusual in Jewish tradition or the ancient world. Pagans would worship heavenly deities in white garments. More importantly, Jewish priests wore linen. Worshipers, including in the Jerusalem temple, often wore white. And angels in Jewish texts appeared in linen, white, or clothed in glory. Why would the angels be dressed in white? Black symbolized mourning and death. White symbolized joy and life. So, the fact that the angels wore white is important. They were not mourning the death of Jesus. This was not a sad and solemn time. It was a time of celebration for Jesus lived.Mary and JesusThe GardenerMary Magdalene then turns around and sees another man, who she believes to be the gardener. This makes sense—remember the tomb was located in a garden. In typical Johannine style, this man asks a question that makes sense on the surface but takes on much deeper meaning as we consider it from a theological standpoint: “Who are you looking for?”The sweetness and heart wrenching quality of the scene continues. Mary Magdalene is distraught, yet she wishes to honor her master. She is not concerned with accusations, or asking why would someone do something as despicable as stealing a body. She simply wants an opportunity to make it right. She pleads, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.”The “gardener” calls her by name, “Mary.” Mary instantly recognizes him and calls Jesus by a title that shows both respect and intimacy, “my teacher.” This is the first of several “recognition scenes.” John and Luke describe instances in which disciples saw Jesus but did not recognize him until Jesus made himself known. This ability of Jesus' resurrected body seems to be a trait of the heavenly beings. Jewish tradition held that angels could appear in different forms. In the Old Testament, God himself could appear in unrecognizable forms (see Genesis 18).The AppearancesThis appearance to Mary is the first of many that Jesus will make. These appearances are the “proof,” the “certificate of approval” that Jesus was who he said he was and his words were therefore true. Without these appearances, the gospel might be good news but we would never know. What I mean is, maybe Jesus would have been God who died for our sins, but we would hardly believe it. Consider what is probably the earliest Christian creed ever recorded:Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)On the cross, Jesus says his work is done. In the resurrection, Jesus shows his work was in fact done.Most historians grant that at least the apostles believed to have seen Jesus resurrected. The Christian movement is otherwise unexplainable. Why would the apostles and other Jesus' followers suffer and die for something they did not believe to be true?Some claim that the appearances of Jesus are merely mythological; however, appearances of deities to large groups of people appear in mythology many centuries before the time of Jesus. The story of Jesus would be surprisingly anachronistic. Others claim that the appearances of Jesus were corporate visions, similar to mass delusions. This claim is unlikely. Not only are corporate visions exceedingly rare, but they are practically nonexistent if the vision is multimodal—that is, the vision engages multiple senses. Finally, as explained earlier when comparing the story of Jesus to pagan myths, the concept of corporal resurrection was barely intelligible to non-Jews and associated exclusively with the eschaton for Jews. If the resurrection appearances were either a delusion or a lie, there is hardly an explanation why that would be the lie they chose.“Do Not Touch Me”Jesus tells Mary, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” This expression seems curious at first. We should probably not envision Mary poking at Jesus' body with one finger like if to make sure he was not a ghost. In context, we might envision Mary holding on to Jesus, either in an embrace, or holding on to this hands, or perhaps even his feet. Then Jesus' response makes perfect sense. He is saying, “Mary, you must let me go. There are things yet to be done. I must leave again and return to my Father.” Some scholars do argue that what we have here is a prohibition on touching the sacred, such as in Exodus 19:12. This makes little sense of the heartwarming scene and of later appearance of Jesus when he encourages his disciples to touch him.“Go to my Brothers”Jesus tells Mary, “Go to my brothers and tell them” (emphasis added). This is the first time Jesus calls his disciples brothers, and such a title fits perfectly with the theology presented in John. Recall the very beginning of the gospel:But to all who have received him—those who believe in his name—he has given the right to become God's children. (John 1:12)What did Jesus come to do? To make a way for everyone to become children of God—part of the family. Not mere servants or guests but children, sons or daughters, with inheritance rights. Now that the work of Jesus is done, he can refer to his disciples as brothers. Members of the household of God!Another shocking fact of Jesus telling Mary, “Go to my brothers and tell them,” is that Jesus told Mary. I mean, Jesus asked a woman to deliver his message. The gospels and early Christian tradition are unanimous that Jesus' resurrection was first revealed to women. Since women were not considered reliable witnesses, Christians would hardly have invented this.Jesus Appears to the DisciplesJesus Appears to the DisciplesAs the women go to the tomb to honor their teacher, the disciples remain hidden and afraid. This is hardly a flattering description of the men. The narrative specifies that the doors were locked. This detail is presumably included to highlight that when Jesus appears among the disciples, he does so in some supernatural sense. As I have mentioned before, Jesus' resurrected body seems to have some heavenly qualities that cannot be restrained by the physical world.Jesus immediately offers peace, not reproach for their failures or their fear, but peace. The story does not provide details, but I think we can safely infer the disciples are surprised and have many questions. “Is he a ghost?” “Is it really him?” “Could this be happening?” Jesus settles the interrogation by showing them his wounds. “Yes, it's really me,” he shows.Then Jesus breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.” These statements require some examination. Let's begin with the receiving of the Holy Spirit.Receiving the Holy SpiritOne of the most iconic scenes in the New Testament is the Holy Spirit descending as flaming tongues during Pentecost.Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)This event occurs after Jesus tell the apostles to wait to “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” (Acts 1-8)The question naturally arises: How are we to understand Jesus granting the Holy Spirit in John 20 and then the apostles receiving the Holy Spirit again just a few weeks later during Pentecost? One option is that the event John describes in chapter 20 is the same Pentecost event. John simply moves the meeting closer to Passover and describes it differently for narrative purposes (i.e., it is the climax of John's Christology and Pneumatology). Some scholars take this view. In my opinion, this is hardly better than claiming that John made it up.Is there a better alternative? The meeting in John 20 and the event in Pentecost only seem contradictory if we assume that both grant the Holy Spirit in the same sense. Jesus promises every believer that he or she will receive the water that forever quenches thirst (John 3:13). Whoever believes in Jesus will have “living water” (John 7:37-39), which is the Holy Spirit. This “type” of giving of the Spirit seems to be described in Ezekiel 36:26-27:I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative, and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations.I think that is the “type” of granting of the Spirit that John is describing—the guarantee made to every believer. Pentecost, on the other hand, seems like an unusual event in which the Spirit grants special powers. Recall, for example the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and how they are “energized” by the Spirit to prophesy and perform miracles (see 2 Kings 2). Pentecost was an event in which the Spirit empowered miracles. We might not experience that—every believer has not been guaranteed that.In short, John 20 describes the Spirit that empowers us to follow God. Pentecost describes a miraculous empowering by the Spirit.Finally, we must notice how the scene in John does represent the conclusion to his gospel. The Spirit finally comes to give life and continue the ministry that Jesus started. Jesus imparts the Spirit by breathing. This is reminiscent of Genesis 2:7:The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.Yet, unlike the breath of God in Genesis, the Spirit gives eternal life.For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)And not only does the Spirit come such that we may be born again (or properly understood, born from above), the Spirit comes as another paraclete. The Spirit is immediately and directly connected with the prophetic mission of sharing the Gospel. As soon as the Spirit is granted, the apostles are sent just like Jesus was sent. If You Forgive Anyone's Sins…Now we must explore the second statement, “If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.” First we should notice that this statement is made in the context of a “sending.” Jesus says, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” By looking at the sending of Jesus, at his earthly ministry, we can understand what the apostles were sent to do. (Some try to distinguish the two words translated as “send” in verse 21, but both Greek words are used interchangeably in John's Gospel.) Moreover, these similar “sendings” had been mentioned previously in John. Recall chapter 17:I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart. (John 17:15-19)So, within the context of having been sent, what is the meaning of the apostles' ability to forgive or retain sins? One could take the Catholic approach:In John's Gospel, following his Resurrection, Jesus makes plain he's assigning the ministry to forgive sins to particular Church leaders, specifically his apostles and those they designate in succeeding them (John 20:20-23). The apostles and their successors are given not only the unique ministry to forgive sins in Jesus' name, but also the power to “retain” sins if a minister judges someone has not genuinely repented of their wrongdoing.Is there another possibility? We could (and I would argue, should) interpret the statement in chapter 20 in light of Jesus' explanation in chapter 16:But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment—concerning sin because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; and concerning judgment because the ruler of this world has been condemned. (John 16:7-11)Notice that in the passage above we see the same connection between the Spirit and judgment. The message of Jesus, “backed up” by the Spirit, becomes the judge. Therefore, the apostles carry with them the agent of judgment. As they share the Gospel they bring with it a decision to believe or not to believe, to embrace the righteousness of Christ or to follow the “ruler of this world.” That is, I would argue, how they can forgive or retain sins. They can discern that which is in line or out of line with God's message.

Rachelle Starr is the founder of Scarlet Hope, which is a ministry designed to share the hope of Jesus with women in the adult entertainment industry. She is also the author of Outrageous Obedience: Answering God's Call to Shine in the Darkest Places. The month of January is sex trafficking awareness month. Rachelle knows firsthand from her work with Scarlet Hope, spending the last 15 years loving on and building relationships with women who work in strip clubs, and the world of porn and prostitution, and shares with us some of what she's seen, how a woman finds herself entrapped in such a situation, and what its like to see their lives totally changed by Christ and having some of their physical needs addressed for them to experience rescue holistically as well. Rachelle's book is a galvanizing experience full of questions for each of us who are called to love like Jesus, and her passion for Christ, and for the hurting is contagious. Buckle up, you guys, this is one story you won't want to miss hearing, and perhaps the Lord even has something just for you and your story in it. If you are interested in connecting with Rachelle or looking into the ministry of Scarlet Hope, be sure and follow them and see if there is a local chapter near you!  There is hope for our stories, and He's not finished with any of us. Connecting with Rachelle Starr AND Scarlet Hope Buy a copy of Outrageous Obedience Facebook Instagram  Rachelle's Website Scarlet Hope  Episode Sponsor: Tony Crabtree of Crabtree Homes with Exit Realty Facebook Instagram  Tik Tok  Website YouTube   JOIN OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!!!! I would be honored to have your support to keep the Simply Stories Podcast going. You can sign up for as little as $3 a month and each tier offers gifts that I hope will bless you in return.  *References: Crazy Love by Francis Chan Scarlet Hope Bakery  Scarlet Hope career development program  Passion Conference End It Movement Christine Caine and A21  Sex Trafficking story from Atlanta // AG A similar situation in Florida Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers  “Filthy Rich” documentary on Netflix about Jeffrey Epstein Paul Tripp “Pretty Woman” Signs to look for in airports and public spaces  Dr. Jessica Peck *Scripture References: -The book of Esther (quick overview!) -The book of Ruth (quick overview again ;)) Genesis 1:27-You were created in God's image 1 Peter 2:9, Colossians 1:6, Jeremiah 29:11 -He's created you for a purpose and for Himself  Romans 2:3-4-God's kindness leads people to repentance and relationship with Him  Matthew 25:36-40-When have you seen me naked? John 10:10-The enemy comes to steal kill and destroy and Jesus came to give us life Lamentations 3:22-23-Mercies are new every morning  John 8:1-11-Who of us can cast the first stone Matthew 9:36-Jesus saw them like sheep without a shepherd James 1:22-25-we don't want to just be full of knowledge  John 14:15-being obedient to God's call Isaiah 6:8-Here I am send me  John 14:26, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2 -Listening to the Holy Spirit  Luke 16:10-(she) who is faithful in little is faithful in much  Ecclesiastes 3:1-There is a season for everything 1 Corinthians 15:58-The Lord wastes nothing 1 Corinthians 2:1-5-2 Corinthians 12:9- The Lord makes Himself known in His weakness John 10:11-18-The Lord is a good shepherd 1 Peter 2:9-We have been called into His marvelous light  *Questions to ponder: -what have You saved me for and who have You saved me for? -can we ask God to have your heart softened for those inside the walls of a place you want to look away from Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories Podcast:Instagram (Em life // Podcast Life)FacebookTwitterBlog  *Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com

Pastor Martin preaches on the Incarnation of Jesus from Luke 1.

SUPERNATURAL HISTORY“While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” LUKE 2:6-7 (ESV)In the Gospel of Luke, no sooner has the author introduced himself as a detail-oriented historian (Luke 1:1-4) than we are immediately ushered into an environment filled with supernatural occurrences (v 11-17). The story of Jesus' birth is filled with angels, predictions, and miracles (1:26 – 2:21)—and when Luke reports these events, he offers them not as imaginative stories or poetical speculations but as they are: real history.When we read that Mary laid her firstborn son—the very Son of God—in a manger, it's because she did. When we read that the child she gave birth to was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31-35), it's because He was. Rather than being superfluous, these supernatural elements are an intrinsic part of the Gospel's account.Some have concluded that Jesus' birth narrative appears so dramatically supernatural as to be implausible. They don't believe it themselves or teach it to anybody else. They have decided that the story would be more acceptable to everybody if we simply removed anything miraculous.But that cannot be done. The story of the gospel is supernatural in its entirety, and not just at its beginning, because it is the story of the Creator of the universe entering into time, revealing Himself as Savior and King. Surely it would be more bizarre if the almighty God did not enter and exit the world in entirely supernatural ways that made mere mortals scratch their heads in amazement! Indeed, in each of the supernatural incidents Luke recorded, some faithful people had reflected on the Scriptures and were keenly anticipating that God would break into their environment in a way that had never happened before and would never happen again. When God came, these were the people who were ready for God to come and do what only He could do; these were the people who responded in faith.Christianity is ultimately meaningless apart from the almighty, miraculous intervention of God in time. God has come to meet us, but not at the top of the towers we have created on the strength of our ideas and investigation into what is plausible. He came to meet us in a cattle shed in Bethlehem. He came to meet us on a Roman cross at Calvary. He works in ways that we cannot explain and cannot predict.As you reflect on God's word during this Advent season, consider His divine work, which has already been accomplished, and the ways He continues to move today. In doing so, your heart will once again be stirred by the wonder of the triune God's supernatural love for you. Your eyes will be prepared to see surprising ways that God is at work in and around you—ways that you cannot explain and had not predicted but love to enjoy and praise Him for.How is God calling me to think differently?How is God reordering my heart's affections—what I love?What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?

12 - 18 - 22 Saving Christmas: The Power of the Holy Spirit: Luke 1:30-35 by Woodlawn Baptist Church

Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the temple to dedicate him to God.

How God speaks to us   Talk 22 Responding to God's Voice (Part 2) Receiving and using spiritual gifts 1 Corinthians 12:11 tells us that it's the Holy Spirit himself who determines what gifts he should give us. But that does not mean that we cannot put ourselves in a position where we are most likely to receive them. As we draw this series to a conclusion, let me share with you five keys to receiving and using them. They are relevant, not only to spiritual gifts, but also to the whole question of letting God speak to us and through us. Desire them eagerly In 1 Corinthians 14:1 we are told to eagerly desire spiritual gifts. The Greek verb here is zeloō. Paul uses it three times in connection with spiritual gifts. Here, and in 1 Corinthians 12:31 where he encourages the Corinthians to eagerly desire the greater gifts by which he probably means those that are of the greatest value in building up the church. See 14:12 where he uses it again. The verb is a really strong word – the KJV translates it covet earnestly – and is the origin of our English word zeal. You may remember that one of Jesus' disciples was called Simon the Zealot (Matthew 10:4). The Zealots were a fanatical political group who were determined to overthrow the power of the Romans, no matter the cost. I mention this simply to emphasise the strength of the word that Paul uses to indicate what should be our attitude to spiritual gifts. So, our starting point, if we want to be used in spiritual gifts, is to ask ourselves how eagerly we desire them. Then, the next step will be to stop making excuses. Stop making excuses I'm mentioning this because it's amazing how easy it seems to be to make excuses for not doing the things we know we ought to do. Now I'm not suggesting that every listener will be making all these excuses, and it may be that you're making none of them. But I know from experience that the things I'm going to mention are common causes of Christians not entering into some of the wonderful blessings God has in store for them. Excuse Number 1   I'm not worthy The first excuse is quite understandable. In fact, it sounds very spiritual. We know it's wrong to boast, and surely, to say I'm not worthy is showing humility? But God doesn't give us these gifts because we deserve them. They come from his grace. That's why Paul calls them charismata (1 Corinthians 12:4) which comes from the word charis meaning grace. In fact, everything God gives us comes from his grace. Even the gift of eternal life is a charisma. In Romans 6:23 Paul says that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And the word for gift here is charisma. We don't receive eternal life because we deserve it, but because of God's grace. And the same is true of spiritual gifts. We receive them despite our unworthiness, or to put it another way, because we have already been made worthy in Christ. The Corinthians are a clear example of this principle. They were not lacking in spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 1:7), but this was certainly not because they were particularly good Christians[1]. So we should not hold back from seeking spiritual gifts for ourselves because we are conscious of our own shortcomings. Excuse Number 2   I'm not suitable This covers a range of excuses – I'm not talented enough, old enough, clever enough, and so on. It's here that another word Paul uses can help us. In 1 Corinthians 12:1 he refers to the gifts he's about to talk about as pneumatika. The basic meaning of this word is spiritual, but in the context it's probably better understood to mean supernatural. As we've said, all God's gifts come from his grace, so they're all charismata.  There are natural gifts and supernatural gifts[2].  Paul refers to the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 as pneumatika because these particular gifts are supernatural. That means that there's no limit as to the persons God may give them to. They have nothing to do with our natural talents. And they're available to all God's people, irrespective of age, gender, or social status (Acts 2:17ff). Excuse Number 3   They're beyond my reach Sometimes we're tempted to think that the wonderful gifts we're talking about are somehow beyond our reach. We're conscious of our own humanity and spiritual gifts are manifestations of the supernatural power that comes from God himself.  God is in heaven and we are on earth. Surely they're beyond our reach? But no, they are not. Spiritual gifts do not come from God in outer space!  They come from God who lives inside you. This is where another word Paul uses to describe these gifts will help us. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 he refers to them as a manifestation. The Greek word is phaner­osis (v7). It comes from a verb meaning to shine and has been defined as a clear display, an outward evidencing of a latent principle.   To understand this better, please think about a lightbulb. Electricity is the power at work inside it. The light that shines from it is the evidence that the electricity is there. It's a manifestation of the power within. Now think of yourself as the lightbulb, and the Holy Spirit as the power at work inside you, and spiritual gifts as the outward evidence of that power. It's the Holy Spirit who gives these gifts and he lives inside you. He can manifest through you any gift he chooses. In verse 6 Paul also  calls them energemata, which literally means things worked inside. This means that potentially any of the gifts could be at work in you, because the Giver is already there! But, following our analogy of the lightbulb, it's our responsibility to keep the electricity flowing if the light is to shine. We need to keep filled with the Spirit and the gifts will come.      Keep filled with the Spirit In Ephesians 5:18 we're told to be filled with the Spirit. As we saw in an earlier talk, we can best understand what Paul means by this by looking in Acts at the descriptions given there of people being filled with the Spirit. These examples paint a clear picture for us of what Paul means when he tells us to be filled with the Spirit. We learn from Acts that it's a supernatural experience that is received suddenly rather than gradually and is accompanied by miraculous gifts that greatly empower our witness for Christ. Jesus' first disciples began to exercise the gifts of the Spirit when they were first filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost and began to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4)[3].  And if we want to be used in spiritual gifts it's clear that we too need to be filled with the Spirit. Now the fact that Paul tells us to be filled with the Spirit implies that there is something we can do about it. God's Spirit is always available to us, but it's our responsibility to be filled. In 2 Timothy 1:6-8 Paul says to Timothy: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord… There can be no doubt that the ‘spirit' referred to in these verses is the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit who gives us power and produces in us fruit like love and self-discipline. He also enables us to testify about the Lord (cf. Acts 1:8). So the gift of God that Timothy received through the laying on of Paul's hands was the gift of the Holy Spirit[4]. But what does Paul mean when he tells Timothy to fan this gift into flame? The Greek word here is anazopureo. It literally mean give life again to the fire. We have the fire of God's Spirit within us, but it's our responsibility to keep it burning. Or, following the analogy we gave earlier, to keep the electricity flowing. And to do that, we need to pray, not only with our mind but also with our spirit, but that's a subject for our next section. Pray Talking about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 14:12-15, Paul says this: 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. 13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. In verse 12 Paul acknowledges that the Corinthians are eager to have spiritual gifts, but he wants them to concentrate on gifts that build up the church. He is emphasising something he's already said in verses 1-5 where he makes it clear that prophecy is more valuable for the church than speaking in tongues. Tongues are useful for personal edification (v4), but prophecy will edify the church. However, tongues can be a means of edifying the church, but only if it's accompanied by the gift of interpretation (v5). So, in verse 13 he says that anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they are saying. That way the church will be edified as well as the person speaking in tongues. And, apart from anything else, this verse shows us that, if we're eagerly desiring a spiritual gift (v12), we should pray for it. Paul then goes on in verses 14-15 to tell us something very important about speaking in tongues. Although, as we've seen, it's of no value to the church unless it's interpreted, it's of great value to the individual Christian. He says that when he pray in tongues we are praying with the spirit. This is different from praying with the mind which is what we do when we pray in English (or any other language we have learned). So if we pray in tongues we are praying with our spirit. This is not a reference to the Holy Spirit, although of course it's the Holy Spirit who enables us to speak in tongues. When I pray in English, I understand what I'm saying, but when I pray I tongues I do not. But, even so, Paul says it edifies me (v4). So, Paul says in verse 15: What shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, I will also pray with my mind. This clearly shows his determination to do both. And if we are to fan into flame the gift of the Spirit, we need to too. Like Jackie Pullinger, who testifies that speaking in tongues for fifteen minutes a day has resulted in her seeing amazing miracles among drug addicts in Hong Kong, spiritual gifts will happen in our lives as we fan into flame the gift of the Spirit within us. We need to keep filled with the Spirit by praying with our spirit (in tongues) and praying with our understanding (in English) specifically asking for spiritual gifts, as Paul encourages the Corinthians in verse 13, for example. But how do I know what to pray for? Aren't the gifts distributed as the Holy Spirit determines? And what if I start asking for a gift that it's not his will for me to have? These are the kind of questions my students often asked me, and I quite understand why. But the problem is, if we don't know what to pray for, we probably won't pray for any of them. As I was thinking and praying about the best way to answer these questions, I felt the Lord say to me, Tell them to pray for whatever gift they like. I'm delighted they're praying for any of the gifts. I will direct them as they continue to pray. I quickly saw the Lord's wisdom in giving that advice. All God's gifts are good, and it's good to pray for any of them. But if the gift we're asking for is not for us, the Lord will move us towards the ones that are. As we said in an earlier talk, God usually guides us when we're on the move. Remember the illustration of the SATNAV? It's also helpful to remember that, when we don't know what to pray for as we pray with our mind (in English), if we pray with our spirit (in tongues), not understanding what we are saying, the words we speak in tongues may well be voicing a request for the very gifts God is planning to give us. Act in faith So, if we're eagerly desiring for God not only to speak to us, but also to speak through us, if we've stopped making excuses, if we're keeping filled with the Spirit, and if we're praying that God will give us these wonderful gifts, all we need to do now is act in faith. Jesus himself said that gifts like tongues, healings and miracles would accompany those who believe (Mark 16:17-18), and the apostle Paul tells us that those who prophesy should do so in accordance with their faith (Romans 12:6). And James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We have to do something. If we want God to speak through us, we have to speak. An example of this is how I began to exercise the gift of interpreting tongues, which I've already told you about in an earlier talk. I acted in faith, despite my doubts. Nelson Mandela once said: I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not the one who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Similarly, faith is not the absence of doubt. It's overcoming your doubts by trusting the Lord. He doesn't give stones or scorpions or snakes when we ask for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:11-13) or when we ask for his gifts (Matthew 7:9-11). Trusting in these promises, we can act in faith, knowing that God will not let us down.   If you've enjoyed this series, you'll want to get a copy of my new book, The Voice of God – how he speaks to us today   Available from my website: www.davidpetts.org   228 pages containing all the teaching in the podcasts, and more.   £12.00 per copy (including postage) [1] See 1 Corinthians 3:3, 5:1-12, 11:21. [2] Natural gifts include hospitality, marriage, celibacy etc. For a more detailed discussion on this, please see Body Builders – gifts to make God's people grow [3] For more on what it means to be filled with the Spirit, please see A New Dimension – How to be filled with the Holy Spirit [4] Compare Acts 8:17, 19:6

Matthew 7:7-12 “Ask…seek…and knock.” We learned in this teaching from George/Dallas Willard how this text may first apply to our approach to others, and, then, in prayer to God. God's gift to us in prayer is the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13) which is the “divine energy of life!” We'd love for you to join us in person at one of our Sunday gatherings--10a at Gower Elementary. You can visit us online at vuechurch.org SLIDES/QUOTES George read in our gathering: A request by its very nature unites. A demand, by contrast, immediately separates. How beautiful it is to see relationships in which asking and receiving are a joyful and loving way of life. —Dallas Williard, The Divine Conspiracy If whatever God has made and loves is holy, then life is holy in itself, and to live life with love and joy means sanctifying it. How else could 'life in the Spirit' be understood, if the Spirit were not the space ‘in' which this life can grow and unfurl? We explore the depths of this space through the trust of the heart. —Jurgen Moltmann, The Spirit of Life PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Loving God, I name my desire for___________________I ask that you help me trust in your goodness and care for me.

In life there will be times we find ourselves in the wilderness. In this empowering message, Pastor Bobby Chaw reminds listeners that Jesus returned from the wilderness in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4) and even though the children of Israel traversed the desert for 40 years, that was the time they experienced the presence of God daily (Numbers 1). A wilderness experience evokes two things: an awareness of self, that makes change possible, and an awareness of God. Three things to hold on to during a wilderness experience are one: faith in Jesus, don't stop believing and acting on the promises of God. Two: hope, because the Spirit of hope will come and fill you again with joy and peace. And three: love, and especially do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. Let this message encourage you that your trial is neither fatal nor final, but if you open your heart like the desert is open, the Holy Spirit will come and fill you again.

John 1:16-17 'From God's abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.' People have very different understandings of God. Some see him as being a strict disciplinarian, like a divine policeman. They picture him wielding a truncheon and looking for an opportunity to use it. Others see him as a nice old man on a cloud with a flowing beard. He's basically very kind but completely cut off from normal life. And then there is the picture of God that we find in John's Gospel, in which we meet someone who is unfailingly generous and involved in every part of our daily life. His principal desire is that we should thrive, and he is looking for every possible way of blessing us. That's what he did long ago when he gave the law to Moses, then later when he sent Jesus into the world. And that's still his agenda today in the 21st Century. If you head into today with a conviction that God is generous and longing to bless you, it will colour everything that you do. You will be eager to pray, knowing that God loves to hear and respond to your prayers. When you face challenges, you can be sure that God is present with you and will be working with you to bring blessing to every situation. He doesn't prevent us from facing the difficulties, disappointments and tragedies which are an integral part of the brokenness of our world. But we can be sure that in every situation he is with us seeking to bring his blessing. When Jesus taught his disciples about prayer, he pointed out that it is absolutely normal for a human father to give good things to his children. The idea of giving bad things simply wouldn't happen. Jesus concluded that if we sinful human beings know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our heavenly Father give his best gifts to us through his Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). That is to say, we can be confident that our generous God will always give us the best because his desire is always to be generous. Question: In what ways have you experienced God's generosity? Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for your desire to bless every part of my life. Amen

In this episode, Andrew McPheron teaches the message, "I Believe Holy Spirit". This sermon was preached on December 12, 2021 at Fellowship Community Church-North Campus.

Episode 4: The Path to Power Luke 4   A long time ago, in a land far away Jesus turned to face the desert. He squinted his soft brown eyes and shielded his face with a hand as he peered into the wasteland. He licked his parched lips as his stomach growled. His vision blurred, and Jesus shook his head and blinked hard.    40 days, he thought. I've been out here in the desert for 40 days.    Jesus remembered the cool, refreshing waters of the Jordan river. The strong hands of John as he lowered him into the water. The voice of the Father that had boomed over the crowd. The shining dove. Then the Spirit's call to come to the desert.    Jesus knew His time in the wilderness would solidify his heart and mind. It would connect Him even closer to His Father, but He also knew that the battle would come. They always come after the spiritual mountaintop experience.   It had been forty days of deep communion with His Father. Forty days of little sleep, no food, no water, just an indescribable intense spiritual experience.   Now it was fading. Now the hunger was growing. Now Jesus felt his human weakness like he had never felt it before.    Jesus heard footsteps and knew it was time. He grimaced in pain as he stood to face the enemy.   Hours later, Jesus' voice boldly spoke, “It is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”    The arch-angle of darkness shook with rage. His powerful fists clenched in hatred.    “This isn't over,” satan growled as he turned away.   Jesus' last bit of strength kept him on his feet until the devil had disappeared, then He collapsed.    “Thank you, Father,” he breathed.   Luke 4:14 says that after the temptations in the wilderness, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit…”   Luke 4:1 says “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the desert.”   Jesus begins His journey full of the Spirit and after the 40 days of fasting, the epic battle with satan, He emerges with the POWER of the Spirit.    Jesus grew through the temptation experience and came out more powerful than when He started.    says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame.”   The principle of Growth starts with suffering which leads to endurance which leads to character which leads to hope which leads to no shame and no disappointment.   James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials bc you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work that you may be mature and complete.    God's will for men is for them to be full of Holy Spirit: fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.   He knows we will grow through trials. God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but He will provide a way of escape. It's like having a personal trainer at the gym. They are always there, pushing us hard but never to the point of breaking or injury.   We will emerge from battle with power. The power to preach the good news, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, to bust into satan's dungeons and set his prisoners free.    The sins of our society lay at the feet of men. Sex trafficking, pornography, prostitution is fueled by lustful men.  Abortions happen when men fail to take responsibility and protect their unborn children. Child abuse, domestic violence, teen suicides, eating disorders, gang violence, rape, violent crimes, and even riots in the streets all happen bc of the sins of men.    These issues are not social problems. They are male problems. They happen when men let evil conquer their hearts. These crimes must stop. And for that to happen Godly men need supernatural power to conquer these bastions of darkness    It's not God's will for you to become a good little man, an emasculated weakling who follows all the rules, tucks in your shirt, makes everyone happy, and never rocks the boat.    Jesus said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Luke 12:51   There is no peace, no compromise, no unity with rape, trafficking of little boys and girls. These things are wrong and should make every man of honor angry. Evil is taunting us. Telling us to sit down and be quiet and get in line.    We must stand up. We must fight the good fight. But we can only do that after we are filled with the Holy Spirit. After we emerge from our battles with temptations. Then we will have power.    After the Sermon on Mount, the people were amazed because Jesus taught with authority, with power, not like the regular teachers of the law. Jesus has the power of the Holy Spirit.     Paul calls men out in 2 Tim 3:5 when he describes men who have the forms of godliness but don't have its power.    It's not about what's on the outside: your works, your looks, your religiosity. It's all about what's on the inside: your heart, your soul, the power of God.    God's will for you isn't to live a plump life of comfort. No, He's called you into the battle for the souls of your children, your wife, your friends, your community. He must train you. He must teach you to fight with the weapons of heaven: the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith. He must teach you to trust in Him even though the heavens may fall.    You have been called like Moses to step up and bring freedom. You have been called like David to charge the giant and defend your people. You have been called like Daniel to pray in the face of lions. You have been called...   But first, you must walk through the fires of temptation. So fill yourself with the Holy Spirit, follow His calling, invest time every morning listening to His voice while you read the Bible, meditate, and pray. Go to church and ask for God to fill you as you worship with fellow believers. Cut off the cords of the world and turn off the radio, put down the phone, and shut off the TV, and seek Him for when you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.    And when we are full of the Holy Spirit, when we have overcome the devil and learned to trust God in our wilderness experience, then we will do greater things than the apostles at Pentecost. We will do greater things than Jesus just as He promised in John 14:12.    The world hasn't seen an army of men filled with the holy spirit in a very long time. We have plenty of stories of lone rangers of faith, men who maybe had a sidekick, and these brave heroes started Reformations, toppled kingdoms, and turned the world upside down. But imagine what could happen when we, as men of faith, unite with each other and filled with the power of the holy spirit turn as one to face the enemy.    I'll tell you what would happen, chains will break, hearts will be set free, truth will emerge, the very gates of hell will tremble and there will be a battle so epic that it will bring the world to its end.    And when the battle is over when truth has prevailed when love wins, We, the men of faith, the men who have emerged from the wilderness, who have charged into the final battle filled with God's power, the men who stand at the edge of eternity, we will look into the eyes of Jesus face to face and we will hear him say, “Well done, my good and faithful friend. Well done.”   This is your destiny. Don't miss it.