my own understanding

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:1-13, NRSV)

Martin Luther wrote for the explanation of the third article of the Apostle’s Creed:

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.

You see it is not us who help others believe or come to Christ. We are called to speak about who Christ is to us, and what He has done in our lives, and that will allow others to be open to the moving of the Spirit in their lives. And through the Holy Spirit we are awakened to all that God has done in and through us.

For I can not by my own understanding come to God or believe in Him except through the power and moving of the Holy Spirit!

buy the gift

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.” Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans. (Acts 8:14-25, NRSV)

Let me give you silver for the ability to lay on hands and give the Holy Spirit!

Can you buy the gift of God? Baptism gives you a name from God, but not the Spirit and here we see the Spirit comes through the laying on of hands.

This is why in our baptism service, after the baptism, the baptized is marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever. Because John tells us that you must be born of water and of Spirit.

But this is not a gift you can buy or force. The Spirit moves as it will, and we do not control it.

So accept the gift, but don’t try to force it. Let the Spirit be in control.

 

not know?

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. (John 14:8-17, NRSV)

How is it that the disciples have been with Jesus for 3 years, and seen Him do many wonderful things, and heard Him speak of the kingdom of God, but still do not know what is going on?

It is actually easy for me to understand how they don’t get it. There are many times with God that I don’t get it. And I have the Spirit indwelling in my life and leading me, they didn’t have the Spirit.

But here we see Jesus promise them the advocate, the Spirit will come and dwell with them.

And through the advocate, you will be connected with God and will finally see that Jesus and God are 1 and that we can all be united with Jesus in God.

even on…

Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. In response to his people the LORD said: I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations. I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things! Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:18-29, NRSV)

God will have pity on His people and restore them. He will give them all the things they need and defeat all those who stand against them.

He will then pour out on all flesh His Spirit and sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men shall see visions. Even male and female slaves will receive the spirit of the Lord!

Even slaves, those who are not a part of the household, will be made a part of the house of God!

All receive this gift, question is, do you allow the Spirit of the Lord to work in your life?

tongues of fire

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:1-21, NRSV)

What does this mean? How did this happen, because even the verses above seem to say 2 different things.

  1. And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? They heard in their own native language which gives to me the impression that the disciples were speaking in their native tongues but when others heard it, they heard it in their own native tongue.
  2. But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” This implies to me that those speaking were speaking in a different language and those who said this, made it sound like a farse because they were drunk and had no idea what they were doing.

So what is it? How did it happen?

To be honest here, It really doesn’t matter how it happened or which way the disciples spoke. Becuase the Holy Spirit moved in the disciples and made them speak in a way that everyone gathered understood, and people were moved to come to Christ.

People will always find excuses for why God is not working, and if we get bogged down in the how God did something we will lose focus on what Christ has called us to. We need to trust that that Spirit will guide us and not worry about all the details of how, but trust in faith.

God will work in and through us.

Allow Him control of your life.

pleasent

psalm-133How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.
(Psalm 133, NRSV)

It is good and pleasant to the Lord when we, as His children, live in harmony together.

In this is the blessing of the Lord, because there is peace and unity among His people, and the world can see His love!

Harmony!

Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-12, NRSV)

Have a unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. In other words live in harmony.

But what is harmony?

I went to theFreeDictionary.com and looked up harmony and found this as the definition: “A relationship in which various components exist together without destroying one another”

A relationship of many parts that exists together without destroying another. Isn’t that truly a beautiful image of the church?

We should exist without wanting to bring the other down, lifting up their gifts and what they bring, and allow the whole piece to come together and be the masterpiece that God created.

Broken down the wall…

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. (Ephesians 2:13-22, NRSV)

Jesus has broken down the walls that divide us. He has made a way for all of us to be in relationship with God. By His blood we are made a part of the eternal covenant.

We are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints!

What has separated us has been removed and the cross of Christ unites us in the family of God.

Let us look on what unites us and focus on loving others as He loved us.

Here is a wonderful song on this very topic by D.C. Talk:

Selfish?

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4, NRSV)

Why do we do the things we do?

If we are really honest with ourselves, we do things to get ahead, to get a step up, to better our position in life, or to get something.

This is how the human works, always looking out for #1, ourselves.

And if we know this, we can strive to live as Jesus taught us to and as Paul advises the Philippians to be here.

Be of one mind thinking of others more than you think of yourself.

Be humble and regard others as better than yourself.

Don’t be selfish, which is truly our nature, but in Christ all things are possible.

So follow Jesus and live as He taught us to live and think of others before yourself.

unity

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:10-18, NRSV)

Be of the same mind and united in the same purpose.

Christ is not divided, but if you looked at the way many of us function today you would think that He was. We can not agree on the simple things of loving as He loved and meeting people where they are.

No it doesn’t make sense to love as Christ loved, because He loves us. So we need to do it and allow that love to change the world.

Be united and in agreement. Of the same mind and purpose.