Why Do You Want Him? (part 2)

18 01 2010

Hello again readers. I hope you had a great weekend. I did my monthly volunteering at NorthChurch.tv I always enjoy doing that. Other than that, not much really happened here in Oklahoma.

Today, we are going to pick up where we left off in Francis Chan’s Forgotten God. We are in Chapter 4 for those who have just joined us.

In part 1, we were asked the question:

Why do you desire the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life?

Below, Mr. Chan explains some of the reasons why we as humans desire Him.

Attention

I like what Francis says here. I am sure you will agree with me that some Christians witness to others and use the Holy Spirit to draw attention to themselves. The Holy Spirit works to glorify Christ (John 16:14), and that is what we are supposed to be doing. We are to be glorifying Him, and not ourselves.

The Bible has a great example of this in 1 Cor. 14:23-33. The Corinthian church basically liked to draw attention to themselves. By doing this, the church became chaotic. The people in the church really weren’t concerned with the betterment of the church. They were trying to use the manifestations of the Spirit for their own glorification. They ended up all fighting for attention, which resulted in mass confusion as everyone tried to talk at once.

Miracle Hunting

Another reason we as humans desire the Holy Spirit is to witness a miracle. Mr. Chan really explains this well. Wanting to talk about supernatural things like miracles, healing or prophecy is a great thing to think about, but focusing on it too much can get us off the true path of pursuing Him. God calls us to pursue Him, not what He might do for us or even in our midst. God does miracles when He sees fit and for His own purposes.

Followers or Leaders?

Are you a follower or a leader? Many times, people try to lead the Holy Spirit instead of following Him. The Holy Spirit was given to us to direct us. I like what Mr. Chan says here. The Spirit is not a passive power that we can wield as we choose. The Spirit is God, a Being who requires that we submit ourselves to be led by Him.

The Right Reason

As Christians, we need to desire the Holy Spirit for the right reason.

The Spirit is intentional as He apportions these spiritual gifts to each person, according to His will and purposes. The most obvious and stated purpose of these manifestations is for the good and edification of the church. The Spirit desires to use us when our hearts are aligned with this vision, when we are filled with genuine love for the church, and when we desire to see the church grow in love for God and others.

Here are a few questions I want to leave you with today.

  1. Do you believe the church needs you like a body needs a mouth?
  2. Why do you desire the Holy Spirit? Is it to glorify yourself or is it to glorify Him?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Categories : 1 Corinthians, Book, Forgotten God, John

Why Do You Want Him? (part 1)

13 01 2010

Good afternoon readers! I hope God has blessed you on this wonderful day. Currently I am feeling compassion for those in Haiti. Join me in praying for all of those lives lost in the recent earthquake. My last blog post gave you some information on what is going on and how to contribute. Go check it out here.

This post will cover  the first section of Chapter 4 of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God. So far we have  looked at why we need the Spirit, what we are afraid of, and the theology of the Holy Spirit. Taking what we have learned from those chapters, lets look into Why We Want Him.

Mr. Chan asks some thought provoking questions in this chapter.

Why do you desire the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life?

Do you want to experience more of the Holy Spirit merely for your own benefit?

In the Bible, it tells the story of Simon the magician. He tried to buy the Holy Spirit’s power from the apostles. Find out more about Simon the magician here. Peter responded in Acts 8:20:

“May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!”

I highlighted the next couple sentences that Mr. Chan writes. You can find it on page 84.

The Holy Spirit is not a commodity to be bought or traded according to our individual wants, whims, or even our felt needs. We absolutely cannot have this discussion about the Holy Spirit without calling our motives into question.

We will continue Chapter 4 at a later date.

Before I leave you, here are some questions to think about till next time.

  1. Why do you want the Holy Spirit? Is it for power? Is it for your own betterment and purposes? Or is it because you want to experience all that God has for you? Is it because you love the church and desire to be a better servant to your sisters and brothers?
  2. Why do you want the Spirit? Are your needs greater than your pursuit of God?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Categories : Acts, Book, Forgotten God, World Events

Theology of the Holy Spirit 101 (part 3)

12 01 2010

Hello again fellow classmates! Today will be the last time I can say that because this is the last posting of this series (Theology of the Holy Spirit 101).  Chapter 3 of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God has been absolutely amazing!

This post is going to cover the last few pages of Chapter 3. I really am just going type out what he highlights on pages 74-76, and then leave you with some questions to think about.

If the Holy Spirit dwells within you, a number of things should be a part of your life. Consider how each one is manifest in your life; and if it isn’t, spend some time asking God for that specific thing.

  • The Spirit helps us speak when we are in precarious situations and need to bear witness (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12).
  • The Counselor teaches and reminds us of what we need to know and remember. He is our comforter, our adviser, our encourager, and our strength. He guides us in the way we should go (Ps. 143:10; John 14-16; Acts 9:31; 13:2; 15:28; 1 Cor. 2:9-10; 1 John 6:6-8).
  • From the Spirit we receive power to be God’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. It is the Spirit who draws people to the gospel, the Spirit who equips us with the strength we need to carry out God’s purposes. The Holy Spirit not only initially draws people to God, He also draws believers closer to Jesus (Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:26; Eph. 3:16-19).
  • By the power of the Spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body. The Spirit sets us free from the sins we cannot get rid of on our own. This is a lifelong process we entered into, in partnership with the Spirit, when we first believed (e.g., Rom. 8:2).
  • Through the Spirit we have received a spirit of adoption as children, which leads us into intimacy with the Father, instead of a relationship based on fear and slavery. The Spirit bears witness to us tat we are His children (Rom. 8:15-16).
  • The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin. He does this both before we initially enter into right relationship with God and as we journey through this life as believers (John 16:7-11; 1 Thess. 1:5).
  • The Spirit brings us life and freedom. Where the Spirit is, there is freedom, not bondage or slavery. In our world that is plagued with death, this is a profound truth that points to real hope (Rom. 8:10-11; 2 Cor. 3:17).
  • By the power of the Holy Spirit we abound with hope because our god is a God of hope, who fills His children with all joy and peace (Rom. 15:13).
  • As members of God’s kingdom community, each of us is given a manifestation the Spirit in our lives for the purpose of the common good. We all have something to offer because of what the Spirit gives to us (1 Cor. 12:7).
  • The fruit of being led by the Spirit of God includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attitudes and actions will characterize our lives as we allow ourselves to be grown and molded by the Spirit. The Spirit is our sanctifier (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23).

Hopefully reading these truths about the Holy Spirit will lead you into a deeper relationship with and a greater reverence for the Spirit.

I also hope that these last three posts have made you think about your relationship with God and the Spirit. If you believe something isn’t right with it, do your best to fix it.

The questions I want to leave you with today are this:

  1. On a scale of 0-10, how much do you trust God in your daily life? If not God, who or what are you trusting?
  2. In what way can you change your relationship with God for the better?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

*Thanks for reading! Please take a moment and subscribe to my RSS Feed or for an email subscription click ” Subscribe To This Blog” on the right side of your page.


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Categories : 1 Corinthians, 1 John, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Corinthians, Acts, Book, Ephesians, Forgotten God, Galatians, John, Luke, Mark, Psalms, Romans

Theology of the Holy Spirit 101 (part 2)

11 01 2010

Good morning again class. I promise I will stop calling you that after this chapter is finished. Today’s post is going to continue where we left off in Chapter 3 of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God.

Before we continue though, I want to recap what we learned from the last post.

The Holy Spirit is a Person, is God, and has His own mind and prays. I don’t know about you, but that was a lot to think about. Did you come away a different person? If you would like, stop here and read the last post.

Here is some more about the Holy Spirit that will make you think as well.

The Holy Spirit has Emotions.

In the Bible, it tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30). But what does that really mean?  God has feelings? When is the Spirit grieved?

God Himself created feelings. Feelings can be misused and abused, but the purpose of feelings came from God. Mr Chan poses a great question here. Since He created emotions, why is it difficult to believe that He Himself has emotions?

The Holy Spirit is grieved when there is a  break in relationship, whether it be relationship with God or relationship with other people. When we are dis-unified, unloving, hateful, jealous, etc., that is when we grieve the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit has His own desires and will.

In 1 Corinthians we read that the gifts of the Spirit are “empowered by one and and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (12:11) This reminds us that God is in control. It also should tell us that we don’t get to choose which gifts we are given, and we don’t get to choose what He intends for us or for the church. The Spirit is the one that has a plan for our lives, and a plan for the church. The church would include the one we attend and the worldwide body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.

What does that actually mean? Basically it means that the Spirit is all-powerful, present everywhere, and all-knowing. Examples of the above can be found in Zech. 4:6, Ps. 139:7-8, and 1 Cor. 2:10b

We are going to stop right there and let what I previously wrote sink in. This chapter is such and important chapter that I don’t want anything to be passed over. The next post will finish Chapter 3. It should be exciting so stay tuned.

Again, I want to leave you with some questions.

  1. Have you grieved the Holy Spirit lately? If so, how do you plan on making that situation better?
  2. Do you trust that the Holy Spirit is in control of your life? If not, why not?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

*Thanks for reading! Please take a moment and subscribe to my RSS Feed or for an email subscription click ” Subscribe To This Blog” on the right side of your page.


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Categories : 1 Corinthians, Book, Ephesians, Forgotten God, Isaiah, Psalms, Zechariah

Theology of the Holy Spirit 101 (part 1)

9 01 2010

Good afternoon class! Are you ready for today’s lesson? Just kidding everyone. I thought with a title like “Theology of the Holy Spirit 101“, I would just throw that in there.Well I hope you have been enjoying the study of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God. It has really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I want to point out to you that I am not an educated man in the ways of the Bible. The following post is strictly what I am taking from the Bible and Mr. Chan’s book.

Today’s post is going to cover Chapter 3 of Forgotten God. In this chapter, Mr. Chan helps us understand the Holy Spirit by looking at who He is and what He does.

I like the way Mr. Chan says the following statement.

“The Bible says we cannot fully understand God, and I am certainly not the exception to that rule. There are things about God that are mysterious and secret, things we will never know about Him. But there also are things revealed, and those belong to us (Deut. 29:29)”.

Along with what I mentioned before, Mr. Chan also helps us see some of the things that have been revealed about the Holy Spirit.

Several times in the Bible, we see the Holy Spirit enter people and change their lives. Below are a few examples. By clicking on their name, you can read more about them.

  • Stephen, the first martyr
  • Peter was changed and became a courageous man
  • Saul turned from killing Christians to Paul (one of the most famous Christian leaders)

Now that we have seen some examples on the changes the Holy Spirit can do in people’s lives, let’s focus on who the Spirit is and what He does in our lives.

The Spirit is several different things.

The Holy Spirit is a Person.

I like how Mr. Chan describes the Holy Spirit here. He is not an indistinct “power” or “thing.” Many people refer to the Spirit s an “it,” as if the Spirit is a thing or force that we can control or use. John 14:17 (The Message) states:

This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

The Spirit has a personal relationship with not only believers, but also with the Father and the Son. He works together with them (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

The Holy Spirit is God.

Again, Mr. Chan does a brilliant job describing the Holy Spirit. He is not a lessor or different kind of Being than God the Father or God the Son. The Spirit is God. When we forget about the Spirit, we really are forgetting about God.

The Holy Spirit is Eternal and Holy.

I really love what Mr. Chan says in this section. The Spirit is not just a flighty, whimsical spirit who comes and goes like the wind. He is an eternal being. The Spirit is also holy. Obviously, we commonly call Him the “Holy Spirit,” and this is reinforced throughout the New Testament (Romans 1:4 and 5:5)

The Holy Spirit has His own mind, and He prays for us.

Romans 8:27: “He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

One word here… AWESOME!

Well readers, this has turned into a long post. Stay tuned for part 2 where we will continue with Chapter 3.

Right now I want to leave you with some questions to think about.

  1. What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life currently?
  2. Do you trust the path that the Holy Spirit is taking you on?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

*Thanks for reading! Please take a moment and subscribe to my RSS Feed or for an email subscription click ” Subscribe To This Blog” on the right side of your page.


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Categories : 2 Corinthians, Book, Deuteronomy, Forgotten God, John, Matthew, Romans

What Are You Afraid Of?

7 01 2010

” Snakes… Why did it have to be Snakes?” — Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark.  I myself, as you probably, guessed, am afraid of snakes. This is called Ophidiophobia.

Even though a discussion over fear and phobias would be pretty interesting, this post for today with discuss Chapter 2 of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God.

For Francis Chan, his biggest fear is the fear of rejection. Many of us have the fear of what other people think of us; I know I do. I am learning though to let the Holy Spirit guide me, and to release that fear.

A lot of us may share another fear as well. The fear I am talking about is the fear of God failing us. When you pray and pray and pray, and nothing happens. As Mr. Chan states, the fear of God failing us leads us to “cover for God.” This means we ask for less, expect less, and are satisfied with less because we are afraid to ask for or expect more. But the Bible says something different.

Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

God promised to give us His Spirit if we ask for it. We have to repent and be baptized. It really is up to us to believe Him and act upon that promise.

Well friends, there is a flip side to the fear of God failing us. Francis Chan describes this fear as the fear of the “follow through/show up” God. What if God does show up and asks us to go somewhere or do something that is out of your comfort zone? Mr. Chan believes that more people have this fear than the fear of having God ignore them.

What I highlighted out of this chapter:

  • p. 46 Though this fear is natural, it’s not right. We are called to pattern our lives after the Way described in the Bible. We are not called to fear what following the Way of Jesus may require of us, but that doesn’t mean those fears won’t crop up. A life of following Christ requires relinquishing those fears when they do come. It means refusing to let your fears of what others think, your fears of rejection, keep you from pursuing the truth about the Holy Spirit and whatever else God is reaching you and calling you to.
  • p. 47 Open u our mind and our life to the leading of the Spirit, regardless of what others may think or assume about you.
  • p. 49 Ultimately, you need to stake your faith in God alone, not in the gifts (good as they may be) that He gives.
  • p. 50 The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask ou to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be. The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be.
  • p. 56 We need the Spirit in order to live faithfully. Be we also need one another as we work out our faith.

Let me leave you with these closing questions:

  1. What are you afraid of? What fear is keeping you from connecting with the Holy Spirit and becoming closer to God?
  2. Do you care about what people think when they see you, or do you actually want to serve and please God in everything? Are you afraid of getting “too much” of the Holy Spirit and what that might mean for your life? Are you honestly open to being led by Him?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Categories : Book, Fear, Forgotten God, Matthew, Rejection

I’ve Got Jesus. Why Do I Need the Spirit?

6 01 2010

Morning readers. Sorry that there wasn’t a post yesterday. I have been busy with my Capstone class for college. the final project is CRAZY!

Anyway, this post will cover Chapter 1 of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God .

To fully understand why we need the Holy Spirit, I think we need to know who the Holy Spirit is first.

There is a good description of the Holy Spirit on Wikipedia. There you will find the functions of the Holy Spirit, and even how it was active in the life of Jesus.

In this chapter, Mr. Chan challenges us to read our Bibles more, and to gain our own understanding of what we believe in. He also challenges us to listen to the Holy Spirit more and gain more knowledge and understanding on why the Holy Spirit even exists. I don’t know about you, but I am challenged.

One thing that you will learn about me, is that when I read, I like to highlight the book I am reading; well only if I own it. So here is what I highlighted for Chapter 1.

  • p. 30 The Epistles tell us of the Holy Spirit’s amazing power at work in us, our Spirit-enabled ability to put our sin to death through Him, and the supernatural gifts He gives us.
  • p. 32 Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” According to this verse, if I am a believer, the Spirit of God dwells in me. Paul reiterates that truth in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (NIV).
  • p.32 If it’s true that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temple, then shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not?
  • p. 36 It is impossible for us as finite humans to completely understand an infinite God.

There is a story on page 36 and 37 I want to share with you as well.

Years ago, when a random thought came into my head, I decided to share it with my wife.”Have  you ever wondered what caterpillars think about?” I asked.

Not surprisingly, she said, “No.”

I then proceeded to tell her about the confusion I imagined a caterpillar must experience. For all its caterpillar life, it crawls around a small patch of dirt and up and down a few plants. Then one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world must go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can fly? What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?

As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a “new creation” with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our  Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully.

Two questions I want to leave you with today are this:

  1. When was the last time I undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around me?
  2. Are you a caterpillar or a butterfly? The difference should be overwhelmingly clear. Can you describe the difference God’s Spirit has made in your life? What sets you apart from your non-Christian neighbors?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Categories : 1 Corinthians, Book, Forgotten God, Romans

Forgotten God

4 01 2010

Today I am going to start reading Francis Chan’s Forgotten God. I look forward to reading it and sharing my thoughts with all of you. The main reason why I chose to read this book is that I liked Mr. Chan’s other book Crazy Love.

Here is what the back of the book says about this book:

Powerful.

When is the last time someone used that word to describe you? It doesn’t make sense that Almighty God would have children characterized by fear and insecurity. He put His Spirit in us so we could be known for our power (Acts 1:8; 2 Tim. 1:7). Sadly, most believers and churches are known for talent or intellect rather than supernatural power. What’s worse is that we’re okay with it.

Could it be that we’ve forgotten the One who distinguishes us from every religion and cult in the world?

Through solid scriptural support and compelling narrative, breakthrough author Francis Chan returns us to the Holy Spirit as the Bible describes Him. He reminds us that we were not created and saved merely o survive our time on earth. Chan contends that we’ve ignored the Sprit and are reaping the disastrous results.

It’s time for the beloved church of Jesus Christ to reverse the trend of neglect. Let’s pursue the Spirit-filled life of effectiveness God desires and we desire.

Wow! Sounds amazing. I am so excited to see God speak to me through this book.

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Categories : 2 Timothy, Acts, Book, Forgotten God

How Jesus Saved My Life

3 01 2010

Before I jump into my new study of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God, I wanted to share my testimony. The title of this post is “How Jesus Saved My Life” because I truly believe that He has and will continue to.

Growing up in a small town in northern Oklahoma, my parents were all about me growing up in church. I was raised in the Methodist church and was involved in everything imaginable. I was in the children choir, Sunday school, etc. I even went through a program in Cub Scouts called God and Me and God and Family. In the eyes of the Methodist church, I was “saved” upon being baptized as a small child. When I was in 6th grade, I went through a class called Confirmation. This class basically initiated me into the church as a full member. Once I went through that class, my parents stopped going to church. As they stopped going, I stopped going. I didn’t step foot back into a church until I was a sophomore in high school.

I was in choir in high school. There was a girl that I was interested in that was in choir with me. Her family was in a major car accident that had killed her mother. I asked this girl to go to the town’s Christmas production. She agreed, gave me her number and went on her way. When I called her to set up everything, she told me that she wouldn’t be able to come, but if I wanted, I was invited to her church production that she was in. I told her I would be there. I went and enjoyed the production. While I was there, I saw that a lot of the people my age there were in choir with me at school. I started attending their youth group, and then Sunday service as well. I became a regular at that church. For the record, that girl and I never ended up dating. God had put her in my life for a reason, but not for the means of romance.

On September 1, 1998, I went to a drama production with the youth group called “Heaven’s Gates and Hells Flames”. That production spoke directly to me. At the end when a pastor called for people who wanted to be saved, I went and committed my life to Jesus. A year later I joined the church.

In the last twelve years, I have been through up’s and down’s. I have questioned God for doing things in my life that I myself didn’t understand. But the one thing I have realized is that God does things for a reason. If I wasn’t where God put me, I wouldn’t be or have the things I have today. I don’t believe I would be married to a wonderful woman, or even be in Oklahoma City.

I am excited for what God has for me in the future. I apologize that this post was a longer than normal one, but I wanted to share some of my background with you.

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Categories : Forgotten God, Life, Questioning God

What I Learned From the Book of Job

2 01 2010

Well readers, I have decided to go ahead and move on to start reading Francis Chan’s Forgotten God. I think it will be something we can all take part in and get something out of. Not that you can’t get anything out of reading God’s word or from reading the book of Job, I just think we need a change.

So what did I learn from reading the book of Job?

Although we may never understand why there is suffering in our world and in our lives, we can always learn from it.

I hope the next couple of posts are fulfilling to both you and I.

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Categories : Faithfulness, Forgotten God, Job

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