Sunday Words of Encouragement February 4, 2018

Sunday School this morning was in the nature of a small group as we celebrated our teacher’s birthday, shared prayer concerns and a few comments from our weekly Bible readings and devotions.

Service began with worship, a message from the Lord and then communion. Pastor began a new series titled “Inhabited” teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit.

[Recommended reading: Forgotten God by Frances Chan  (cool – I found that in my Kindle library!!) and Want More? By Tim Enloe.]

We need to recognize that expectation is a secret ingredient to receiving the Spirit. We must learn to discern whether a thought we have is a God thought or enemy thought. We must press on to get beyond the enemy thought. Pray for others on your pew – for those around you. (MSE note: literally and figuratively as in blog friends as well as local friends.)

God wants to give us a new sense of pursuit. A hunger for more of Him. A hunger that can give us power to overcome our circumstances.
Pray: Dear Lord, today be greater in our lives.
Don't let church or human expectation and tradition inhibit our responses. We tend to seek a certain comfort level. We may (at first especially) be uncomfortable with speaking in tongues as we may be afraid to become one of “them”. But we must choose to remove the limits.

Jesus promises to send a new advocate, the Holy Spirit, to live with and in those who believe. John 14:15-17.
We must recognize who the Holy Spirit is:
The Holy Spirit is not a thing we can control but is a person. John 14:26.
(The Holy Spirit has a perfect relationship within the triune Godhead.)
The Holy Spirit lives IN us. John 16:5-11.

You might ask this interesting question: Would you prefer to live with Jesus next to you or the Spirit within you?

Have we set limits on the Spirit in us? The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you. Romans 8:9-11. Why would we want to trade that?

A. W. Tozer preached (about 1952):

“We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone… (We) have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Are we desperate? What stops us from experiencing more of God.
You do not get to do what you want, you are not your own, but rather you belong to Him. 1 Corinthians 6: 19.

Point: We are not all we are meant to be when everything in our lives can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.

Are we-- can we be -- satisfied with love that can be explained without the Spirit?
Do our daily lives encourage, give comfort, share joy? These are attributes of the Spirit living in a Christ follower.

The work and presence of the Holy Spirit is available now through the Spirit of the living God.
Every day you can experience His presence.
Start the week in His presence. Get desperate for Him.

This song was shared this morning and it certainly fits the message!

Verses for Today:
John 14:15-17 (NIV)
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

My Prayer (as noted by Pastor): Dear Lord, today be greater in our lives.

Sunday Words of Encouragment October 28, 2012

We had a beautiful, Spirit filled communion service today.  Pastor continued his sermon series extolling the Power of the Spirit. He pointed out how Elijah passed the 'Mantle' (cloak) of power to Elisha. Elisha had asked for a double blessing and in fact the Bible records twice as many miracles for Elisha as Elijah.

Why do we need the Power of the Spirit?

• To be a witness. Acts 1:8
• To do exploits for God. Acts 6:8
• As an emblem of God's presence. 1 Corinthians 2:4
• As a ransom from destruction. 1 Corinthians 6:1
• As a revelation of Christ. Acts 4:33
• To prevent our hearts from fainting. Isaiah 40:29.

What response is needed from us? 

• Physically – we are expected to take action as directed by His Will.
• Spiritually – we are expected to surrender to His Will and direction.

When Elijah came upon Elisha, who was leading workers in the field, Elijah put his cloak on Elisha. Elisha, a man of worth, immediately returned home, sold his oxen and followed Elijah as his servant. 1 Kings 19:19-21.
Elisha did not make provision for less than God's best. He was accountable for the responsibility he took on. Likewise, our response should be immediate and wholeheartedly committed. We must be careful not to let the enemy trick us with good intentions that are not fulfilled. We should expect to put in effort and sacrifice as there is always a cost for commitment.

This is an old praise song that seems totally appropriate for today's message.

A Verse for Today:
1 Corinthians 4:20 (NIV)
20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

I pray today (and I must renew this each day) that God, through the Holy Spirit, would strengthen my intentions into fulfilled commitment.