Perfecting Holiness? - Part 1

2 Corinthians 7:1 - Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

 This verse starts with the word “therefore” which serves to connect 2 Corinthians chapters six and seven. 2 Corinthians 7:1 is an inspired call to holiness based on what was said in chapter six.   

 The verse continues, “having these promises.” In chapter six Paul speaks of the promise of an intimate personal saving relationship with the LORD Almighty (6:16-18). This is a promise Paul testifies he has been willing to sacrifice greatly to communicate to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 6:1-10). It is a promise Paul has openly shared with them from his heart (cf. also 2 Cor. 5:14).  They on the other hand were being hindered in their relationship with God because of certain “affections” or gut feelings (2 Cor. 6:11-13). They were apparently allowing their relationship with the Lord to be “restricted” or cramped by relationships with unbelievers that were inappropriate (2 Cor. 6:14-16). These relationships were leading them into “lawlessness,” “darkness,” idolatry and worthless things; things more closely associated with Satan than Christ.

 Christian relationships with unbelievers are necessary for God to reach the lost. But such relationships should never hinder our walk with God. We are to be in the world but not of the world. The problem for some is that they are so in the world that they become like the world. We should never allow affections for the world to hinder our love for God (e.g. 1 John 2:15-17).This is the context in which Paul calls the Corinthians to be cleansed from worldly “filthiness” and to live a holy life.

 Paul addresses the readers as, “beloved.” Paul wants the Corinthians to receive the call of God to holiness in the context of His love. In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul instructs that the love of Christ should be the compelling force in our lives (2 Cor. 5:14ff.). God’s love demonstrated in Christ sets the foundation for His call to a holy life. God loves us. We are His “beloved.” And because He loves us He calls us to live a holy life. God does not call us to a holy life because He wants to restrict us or keep something good from us. God calls us to a holy life because He loves us and knows a holy life is what is best for us.

 In this key verse we are exhorted to, “let us cleanse ourselves . . .” The word “cleanse” is translated from the Greek verb katharidzo and means, “to cleanse; make clean, purge, purify.” We get the English word catheterization from this term. A catheter is a medical device used to purge the body of waste and impurities when the body is unable to do so itself. This verb is in the Greek subjunctive tense which expresses a possibility. Cleansing from sinful impurities is possible if we turn to God and ask Him to do it.  

 There are actions needed to be taken by us in order for cleansing to occur. But the actions we take are always based on the power God gives us (e.g. Acts 15:8-9; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 2:13; James 4:8). We need to keep that in mind otherwise the holy life becomes a disciplinary pursuit instead of an experience of God’s grace and work in us.

What are we to seek cleansing from? It states, “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit . . .” “Filthiness” refers to “a stain.” It is figuratively used to refer to immorality.  Like a mud stain sin can stain our souls. What you watch, listen to and do in relation to the world can be very staining to our soul.

The “flesh” can refer simply to our physical bodies. It can also refer to the sinful nature. Even after we become Christians we continue to have a sinful nature. This sinful nature is characterized by self-centeredness, selfishness, self promotion and everything that exalts self as a priority in life. The way of the world is centered on self. There is nothing wrong with caring for things pertaining to self.  Being unkempt, poor and out of shape doesn’t make us more spiritual. The problem arises when self becomes the center and priority in our lives. The throne of our hearts is reserved for Jesus to reign as Lord. There is no place for self-rule in the holy life. There is a war within us between our flesh and the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-25). This internal war will make us feel “wretched” if we rely on our own strength to fight it (Romans 7). The key to victory is to call on the Spirit’s help (Romans 8).

 The word “spirit” refers to that part of your being which is eternal. Your spirit is that part of you that has the life breath of existence. Your spirit is the core of your being. Now ask yourself, “What do I allow to stain me to the core? What do I allow to enter my being through what I watch with my eyes, or listen to with my ears?” Living a holy life takes into account those things that might stain my being and avoids them.

 There are a lot of perverse selfish things in this world and when we entertain them they sinfully stain us deeply. But those stains can be cleansed from our system. How might this happen? That is what we will consider in part two of Perfecting Holiness. Until then seek the Lord on the stains in your life. Ask Him to expose any fleshliness. Then confess it and be cleansed of it. My prayer is that He perfect holiness in us.

The Spirit Filled Believer

There are a number of aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit in life. These aspects are indicated at times by the use of prepositions. The Holy Spirit is “with” people prior to their conversion as He convicts them of their sinfulness and leads them to Jesus as Savior (John 14:17a; 16:8-11). Rejecting the Spirit’s overtures in this regard is the only unforgiveable sin (Mat. 12:31; Mark 3:28-29). When a person responds to the Spirit admits their sin, turns from their sins trusting Jesus as Savior, God forgives them and gives them eternal life as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell “in” the new believer (John 14:17b; 20:22; Rom. 5:5; 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). As the new believer grows in their faith they have a desire to do things for their Lord. In their own strength they will be frustrated in their attempts to do anything for the Lord (e.g. Rom 7). That is why believers need a subsequent work of the Spirit in their lives which is when the Holy Spirit comes “upon” them in power (Acts 1:8; 2; 8:16, 24; 10:44; 11:15; 19:6). When the Holy Spirit comes upon the believer he empowers the believer with the ability to do.

 In addition to the indwelling of the Spirit at conversion and the empowering of the Spirit when He comes upon the believer, there are subsequent fillings or refreshings of the believer by the Spirit. The Bible uses the phrase “filled with the Spirit” to describe the daily renewal and refreshing the believer needs (e.g. Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). There are subsequent re-fillings and refreshing by the Spirit in the believer’s life. The sense of this ongoing work is found in Paul’s inspired letter to the Ephesians when he states:

Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” 

Paul is inspired to tell us here that we oughtn’t get “drunk with wine in which is dissipation.” To be drunk is to be intoxicated. It is a state of diminished senses and sensitivity to what is around you. To be drunk is to have your mind dulled. “Dissipation” (Greek asotia) means literally unsavedness, wastefulness, profligacy, prodigality, an abandoned desolate type of life. The Lord has so much more than this for us.

 Instead we are to be “filled with the Spirit.” The word “filled” is translated from the Greek term pleroo meaning ”to make replete, . . .to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), . . . to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify . . . accomplish, . . . complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfill, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.” In addition to this definition, the grammatical form of the term “filled” (Present/Passive/Imperative) conveys the thought of an ongoing and constant (Present tense) work that the believer receives or has done to them (Passive voice) that is absolutely essential (Imperative mood). Therefore, to “be filled with the Spirit” means to be constantly, regularly, daily filled up, satisfied, furnished and supplied with the Spirit for one’s daily needs and God-ordained plans.

The impact of such a daily filling is conveyed in the book of Acts where those who had experienced the empowerment of the Spirit at Pentecost again pray for this ongoing empowerment and refreshing. In Acts it reads:

 Acts 4:31 - “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

When the Spirit comes upon the believer in fullness He empowers the believer with the ability to do; to do whatever the Lord calls the believer to do. Therefore the fullness of the Spirit is very important in the life of the believer.

 Do you want to be filled with the Spirit? Some will answer immediately without thinking and say “Yes!” but to be filled with the Spirit will cost you. Before there can be a resurrection, there has to be a crucifixion. Jesus said if anyone was going to come after Him they must deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). To be filled with the Spirit you’ll have to fully surrender to the Lord. You’ll have to trust the Lord enough to give Him control of everything in your life. That  means if you are single, have a hard to live with spouse, bad job, illness or any other problem, god may choose to keep you in that situation to show the sufficiency of His grace (2 Cor. 12:9-10). He may not, but He may. Are you willing to trust Him that much?

A Sanctified Transformation by Faith. God’s purpose in all of this is to conform us to the likeness of His only Son Jesus (Rom 8:29). This is God’s will for every believer (1 Thess. 4:3). It is a process God does in us called sanctification (Phil. 2:13; 1 Thess. 5:23-24). Sanctification like salvation is a work of God in us that is done by faith (Acts 15:8-9; 26:18; Gal. 2:20; 5:5). The sanctifying process of God in the believer takes place as the believer puts their faith and trust in God to do it. We surrender in faith to the Holy Spirit to do His holy work in and through us.

The 4 Evidentiary Effects of the Spirit Filled Believer.

Ephesians 5:19-21 - ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God.

The context of Ephesians 5:18-21 gives us a criteria by which to determine the presence of Spirit fullness in a person. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit it is evidenced in four ways according to the context of this passage. These four evidentiary effects are as follows.

 First the Spirit filled believer will talk differently (5:19a). Paul says, “speaking to one another.” The Spirit filled believer will talk differently. They will speak the truth in love (4:15). They won’t speak unwholesome words but their words will be gracious and edifying (4:29). The Spirit filled believer will talk in a pure and holy way.

 Secondly, the Spirit filled believer will have a song in their heart (5:19b). The Spirit filled believer will have a song in their heart. They will have a psalm in their heart or a prayerful song. They will have hymns in their heart or songs that communicate the truths of scripture. They will have a heart of worship toward the Lord.

Thirdly, the Spirit filled believer will be thankful always for all things (5:20). It is only by the Spirit that a person can offer thanks to the Lord all the time and in all things, even trials and difficulties. With the Spirit ruling our hearts we will have the wisdom and strength to offer thanks to God “for all things” (5:20). It’s one thing to thank God for the good stuff, can you thank Him for the pain, sorrow and trials in your life trusting and knowing He has a Plan. It’s only in the Spirit that we can live in that kind of surrender to the Lord.

 Fourthly, the Spirit filled believer will live in mutual submission toward others (5:21). The Spirit filled believer does away with the spirit of competition and instead esteems others better than themselves. The Spirit filled believer will live by “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The desire and priority of the Spirit filled believer will be for God to be glorified. If God uses someone else to bring glory to His name then the Spirit filled believer will rejoice that God is glorified. The spirit of competition that leads to jealousy, resentment and conflict will be defeated for those living in the power of the Spirit. The Spirit filled believer knows God has the right to exalt or bring low His servants as he sees fit (Rom. 14:7-13). God has the right to reward His servants as he sees fit (Mat. 20:1-16).

Giant Slaying Faith - Part 2

In the first part of our study we learned from David that when you focus on God you can slay your giant; you can do all things. Faith faces the foe. But we also learned from King Saul that if you focus on your giant you will falter and fail before you start. Faith faces the foe. Fear keeps us from entering the fray.  

 David was not merely a talker; he was a walker; he acted on his faith. He followed through on his words of faith and went out to face Goliath. Goliath tried to intimidate David going out to him in his great girth and speaking disdaining words to young David (17:41-44). David would not be intimidated. Faith that rests in God cannot be intimidated or deterred. God based faith runs into battle and goes on the attack (17:45-47; see Matthew 16:18). And that is what David did. He ran to the giant, took out a stone, put it in his sling, fired it at the giant and hit the mark. I don’t know what it sounded like when that stone hit its mark, but it silenced the fans of Goliath. The stone hit, sunk in, and down with Goliath in a heap like a demolished building (17:48-49).

 David acted decisively. He left no doubt about the outcome. He didn’t have a sword so he took the giant’s and cut off his head. Can’t you just picture David grabbing the head and lifting it up for all to see? (That’s maybe too gory for some.)  But defeating giants can be messy. The enemy Philistines needed to see with clarity that they had been defeated (17:50-51). The result was a rout of the Philistines by Israel and recognition of David by King Saul (17:52-58).

 What is giant slaying faith? What can we learn about slaying the Giants in our lives from this true account of David slaying Goliath?

 First, giant slaying faith is obedient. Obedience does not assure comfort but can bring us into a faith challenging situation (17:17-22). David was obeying his father’s instructions when he was introduced to the battle. Paul was inspired to write that all who seek to live godly lives can expect to face persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Sometimes it is God’s will to face a giant in our lives (1 Peter 4:19). When that is the case we must always remember that God is in control. God will not allow us to be tested or tempted beyond our limits (1 Corinthians 10:13).

 Second, giant slaying faith is attentive and alert. Like David we should be attentive to what is going on around us (17:23-27). We need to walk circumspectly and in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-21). There are giants lurking. Keep your head on a swivel. We need to have our ears open, eyes alert, and heart attentive to the instruction and still small voice of the Spirit. We are in a war and an enemy attack can arise at any moment. Our way of warring is not like the world’s (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We need to have our spiritual armor on (Ephesians 6:10-18). Fighting giants can quickly degenerate into a fight in our flesh. That spells defeat every time. If we fight, it is in obedience to the Lord. And if we fight, it must be in the power of the Lord.

 Third, giant slaying faith is not discouraged. Understand there will be those who are spiritually shortsighted. Some may try to discourage us or question the logic and motives of going up against our giant (17:28-30). A great impediment of faith is negativity. We need to trust in the Lord and positively follow Him. David’s brother accused David of being motivated by “pride and the insolence of your heart.” That didn’t deter David. There will always be those who try to pour water on the fire of faith. If God puts it into your heart to go out against the enemy, even though it is a huge giant of an enemy, go for it! Just make sure it is God who is directing you. Make sure it is His power in which you are going out to battle (Ephesians 6:10). 

 Fourth, giant slaying faith encourages the fearful.  David encouraged the fearful (17:31-32). Faith and fear are foes. The person of faith needs to speak encouragement to the fearful as they are strengthened in their own faith by God (e.g. Abraham - Romans 4:20-21).

 Fifth, giant slaying faith trusts in God not man. Faith that slays the giant focuses on God, not fleshly or human resources alone (17:33-40). Saul focused on his physical strength and worldly weapons. David trusted in the training God had given him; a sling. When you focus on yourself and worldly rooted resources you always limit and encumber yourself battle. The best strategy is to look to God. Remember how He has trained you through experience in your life. Remember how God has delivered you and used you in the past. Remember how God has worked in and through you in the past and draw strength in faith from that. If God has delivered you in the past, He will do it again. That’s the faith attitude David went into battle with. (See Psalm 18:28-50; 20:7; 33:16-18; Zechariah 4:6).

 Sixth, giant slaying faith looks ahead (17:40). By selecting five stones David showed he was prepared for the four brothers of Goliath (2 Samuel 21:15-22). We need to prepare and be ready for other contingencies of the enemy. Giant slaying faith anticipates the potential moves of the enemy. We should not be deterred if the enemy lines up another four, of fifty or a hundred giants to confront us. If we go out in the strength of the Lord it doesn’t matter how many the enemy brings out against us! (See 2 Chronicles 16:9).

 Seventh, giant slaying faith is courageous. Faith is not intimidated by the words and actions of the giant (17:41-46). Goliath was big, but not bigger than God. We need to approach our giants from a God perspective. One with God is a majority. One with God is bigger than any giant.

 Eighth, giant slaying faith glorifies God.  Victorious faith aims at trusting in God and bringing glory to Him (17:47). David put all his trust in God. His motive was to bring glory to God via that victory against his giant. We should always seek to glorify God in every battle we enter (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17, 23-24).

 Ninth, giant slaying faith acts and follows through to completion. Giant slaying faith takes action and follows through to completion (17:48-58). David took action and followed through in faith on what God had put on his heart. He did not leave any part of his venture in faith undone. He hit Goliath between the eyes and knocked him down. He went over and finished the job by cutting off Goliath’s head. He left no doubt that the giant was dead. All could see the outcome of the battle. When we face our giants we need to follow through to completion by the faith and strength of God (See 1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24).

 What is the greatest giant to slay?  The greatest giant to slay is sin. The only way sin can be slain is through faith in Jesus. Sin can only be forgiven when we admit it (Romans 3:23), acknowledge there is a penalty or debt of sin, death (Romans 6:23a), accept that Jesus alone can and did pay the penalty for sin (Romans 6:23b), and then put our full trust and faith in Jesus for forgiveness of sin (John 5:24; Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 5:13; Ephesians 2:1-10). Once we have received our new life in Christ by following these steps (2 Corinthians 5:17), we can continue from faith to faith victoriously over sin by God’s grace through faith in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 2:13; Romans 1:16-17; 1 John 5:4). Sin is the giant that needs slaying in our life.

 What are the giants in your life? Who or what has come out to challenge your faith? What intimidating actions has the enemy confronted you with? An anti-God coworker or family member?  A personal addiction or way of the flesh that intimidates you?  Some other life circumstance that has arisen to challenge and attempt to intimidate your faith? Whatever it is that has challenged you, trust in the Lord and follow through like David did. Slay your giant in the faith of the Lord for the glory of the Lord!

Giant Slaying Faith – Part 1

On a trip to Israel one of the places toured is often the Valley of Elah where David met and defeated the Philistine giant Goliath. Most people have heard of David and Goliath. I remember as a young boy watching Davey and Goliath a religious cartoon about a boy “Davey” and his dog “Goliath. Goliath the dog was a clumsy slow witted yet loyal companion of his smart often courageous and adaptive human master. They helped each other out of a myriad of difficult situations to the delight of viewers. There were character building lessons in each episode. You can still find this cartoon on television today. But David’s confrontation with the real giant Goliath is a true story found in 1 Samuel 17. It is a great account of the faith of David and how he was fearless even at a young age, because of his faith in God.

 The Philistines, who had invaded the land of Judah by “Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim” (17:1 - about 15 miles southwest of Jerusalem) were an innovative and technologically advanced people who invented such things as the round bottom of jugs which were stronger than the common square edged containers. They invented squared bricks for building instead of simply using stones. They invented the crows-nest for ships so they could see an enemy or land far away. And they were expert metallurgists who were the first to invent iron from a combination of metals; a much stronger metal than the bronze used by the Israelites at that time in history. The inventiveness of the Philistines made them a formidable perennial enemy of the Israelites. So formidable and constant were the Philistines in there attacks against Israel that they grew to be the most hated enemy of Israel. (This is why the Romans named the area of Israel Palestine after the 70 AD uprising and defeat of the Jews. The Romans wanted to add further grief and insult to injury to God’s people by naming their land after a hated enemy.)

 With all of this in mind its no wonder the soldiers of Israel led by Saul, and even Saul himself were fearful and intimidated. Saul and the army of Israel were situated in the Valley of Elah on another mountain across from the Philistines (17:2-3). The source of their intimidation and fear was the Philistine champion Goliath who was literally head and shoulders over his contemporaries. Goliath is estimated to have been nine and a half feet tall. He was possibly one of the last descendents of the Anakim (1 Sam. 17:4; Judges 16:22).

The Philistine champion called out the Israelite champion to a deciding match to the death (17:8-9). Goliath was equipped with state of the art weaponry. He wore a bronze helmet on his head, a coat of bronze mail (a type of flak jacket of his day)  weighing approximately 125 pounds (17:5 - a shekel is approximately .4 ounces; there are 16 ounces in a pound; 40 shekels equal one pound; therefore 5000 shekels divided by 40 = 125 pounds approximately). He wore bronze armor on his legs and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders (17:6). His javelin had a shaft described as a weaver’s beam, a long thick rod, and the spearhead was made of bronze piercing iron weighing 15 pounds (17:7).

 Not only was Goliath a huge man equipped with state of the art weaponry, but he had a bad attitude and was looking for a fight. So confident was Goliath that he was willing (and apparently had permission from his superiors) to stake the entire battle on his prowess against any warrior of the Israelite camp (17:8-9). He boldly defied the entire army of Israel (17:10). When Saul and the soldiers of Israel heard this challenge they were shaking in their boots and afraid to go out against Goliath (17:11). This went on for forty days “morning and evening” Goliath shouting his defiant challenge to Israel (17:16).

 Enter David the shepherd boy of Bethlehem in Judah. He was the youngest of eight brothers, three of which were already at the battle sight (17:12-14). David occasionally came into contact with Saul and the army while going about his business of feeding his father’s sheep (17:15). On this occasion David was following orders from his father to bring food to his older brothers serving in Saul’s army and at the battle with the Philistines (17:17-18).

 Once on the site of the battle it didn’t take David long to assess the situation. He heard the defying challenge of the giant and inquired about it and the reward for going out against him (17:19-27). He even revealed his righteous indignation for anyone who would defy “the armies of the living God” (17:26). And there is a key insight into the victorious faith of David. The God he knew was the “living God.” He did not know or serve a stone cold statue of a god. He knew and served the living God. That makes all the difference in the world. When your God is living and on your side it doesn’t matter how big your giant is, you can take him (compare 1 Peter 1:3ff.).

 Word of David’s courageous faithful response and willingness to go up against the giant reached king Saul. The king sent for David (17:31). The first thing David did when before the king was to speak a word of encouragement to Saul (17:32). Faith is contagious and faith always aims at dispelling fear. Faith and fear are mortal foes. They are in constant war against one another.

 Saul’s initial response to David was to try and discourage him. Saul looked at this young man and saw youth and smallness. David, by faith, looked at what God had already done in his life and shared with Saul. God helped him take on lions and bears singlehandedly! No doubt God was preparing him for a giant task. David was so persuasive that he was able to convince the king to allow him to go out against Goliath. Remember this contest would decide the outcome of the battle for all involved. Slavery was the sentence for the losers. A lot was resting on David. There is an unction, a persuasiveness, an anointing in the words of those who speak from a strong faith in God (17:33-37).

 There is a lesson to be learned here about giant defeating faith. Saul, like so many before him (compare Numbers 14) and after him (Matthew 6:20; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8),  focused only on the human and worldly resources. David, the man of faith, focused on God. It should be noted here that Saul himself was a tall man and physically gifted (1 Samuel 9:2) But Saul was also one prone to hiding from things (1 Samuel 10:21-23). Saul had great potential, but history shows he never realized it. He was not about to go out against Goliath. The bottom line is when you focus on God you can slay your giant; you can do all things (Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Philippians 4:13).. That’s what we see in David and his faithful actions. King Saul’s inaction teaches us that  when you focus on your giant you will falter and fail before you start. Faith faces the foe. Fear keeps us from entering the fray.

Saul tried to equip David with his own armor. David, perhaps in obedience to the king, put the armor on (17:38). But David knew right away that he couldn’t go out to battle with this worldly armor (17:39). Saul’s armor just didn’t fit. The only weapon he needed was the one God had taught him to use, a sling and five stones (17:40). Why five stones? Some believe it was one stone for Goliath and four more for his giant brothers just in case they came out to help their big brother (2 Samuel 21:15-22). It didn’t matter to David if the Philistines sent out a whole family or army of giants. David  had God and that was all he needed.

 Life is filled with scary giant obstacles. If we are to overcome those obstacles and press on with the Lord, we need to trust the Lord. David’s confrontation with Goliath shows us there is a way to overcome those giants. There’s more to learn about slaying giants as we continue in Part 2 of Giant Slaying Faith. You’re invited to consider such faith. We all need giant slaying faith at some point in life. Until then keep your eyes on the Lord not your giants!

Where Are All the Miracles? – Part 3

Gideon has asked God “where are all His miracles”? And we have seen a number of reasons why there were no miracles. In part 3 of this study we will now see further causes for a lack of miracles and what our proper attitude to the miraculous should be.

What was the answer, the solution to Gideon’s question? “And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites” (6:7). The people called out to God. Finally they had enough. Finally they came to the end of themselves. Finally they realized they had sinned and grieved the Lord. Finally they recognized His absence among them and for them. Finally they realized they could only turn to God. Finally they realized that their only hope was God. Today we need to come to that point. We need to come to realize our only hope is God. We need a heaven sent revival. When we get to that point, when we fall on our knees and pray for God’s help, He will answer. He will send a revival. Historically revivals include miracles.

It states when the people cried out to God, “the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, “I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’ ” (Judges 6:8-10). God points His people to the Exodus, a time of incredible miraculous manifestations. He also recalls how God had cleared out the Promised Land for them. But then He adds, “But you have not obeyed My voice.”

Miracles, even the Exodus and conquest of the Promised Land, didn’t lead God’s people to obey God. Jesus recounted the story of a rich man in hell who upon seeing the consequence of his life of luxury begs Abraham to get word to his five brothers so they won’t follow his eternal hellish destiny. Abraham’s response was, “if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Miracles are not primarily what we need. Miracles are only a byproduct showing what we need. We need God and when He comes He often shows His presence by miracles. We need to seek God in Christ by the Holy Spirit and trust Him with our every circumstance.

The reason we don’t see miracles today is because our motive for wanting them is wrong. We think if God would just perform a miracle it would so impress people that they would fall on their knees and repent. But scriptural history tells us different. God’s own people saw Egypt, the mightiest empire of their time defeated by the miracles of God. They saw the Red Sea parted for their passage and then closed to engulf the Egyptian army. They saw water from the rock. They ate manna from heaven and quail dinners provided by God. God parted the Jordan River. He brought the walls of Jericho down. He made the sun stop in the sky. He defeated enemy after enemy for His people. He did countless other miracles. And still they disobeyed Him! Still they drifted from Him and forgot Him.

In the Gospels we see Jesus turn water to wine, the blind made to see, the lame to walk, lepers healed and our Savior rise from the grave. We see the disciples follow in the steps of their Master healing and delivering people from demons. We see numerous miracles and still so many stray.

Why no miracles? There are no miracles because, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). The hypocritical Pharisees sought a sign from Jesus, Jesus didn’t grant their request. In fact Jesus said it was an evil and adulterous generation that seeks a sign (Matthew 12:38-39). Herod was eager to see Jesus so that he might see Him do a miracle (Luke 23:8). Simon the sorcerer was rebuked by Peter for wanting to purchase the ability to perform miracles for his own purposes (Acts 8:14-25). Miracles sought with wrong motives are not granted.

But not everyone asks amiss. Who is to say our motives aren’t pure when we see a suffering child or adult and ask God for a miraculous intervention? It’s not wrong to ask our Lord to mercifully intervene to heal. But go deeper still. What is so bad about going to be with the Lord? To live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). When our loved ones are hurting and we are begging the Lord for help, our emotions are so upset it’s hard to wade through and know our motives. This is a complex issue. If a miracle is to occur it must be according to God’s will and for His glory. That is the criteria. We must entrust God with every circumstance and bow to His sovereign decision. God knows what is best. His grace is always sufficient (2 Cor. 12:8-10).

Let’s look at the pattern of Gideon. He asked for a confirming sign to authenticate it was indeed the Angel of the LORD he was talking to (6:17). The first thing we need to do is confirm that it is God who is talking to us. We can do this by going to God’s word (Psalm 119:105). He prayed for the Angel of the LORD to wait for him to bring an offering to him (6:18). It was through the sacrificial offering that the Angel of the LORD confirmed who He was. The Angel ignited the sacrifice (6:19-21). Through prayer and worship we confirm God’s will. Then Gideon encountered peace in the presence of the Lord (6:22-24). God reveals His will in times of worship (e.g. Acts 13:2). Gideon then experienced peace from the Lord. He named the place YHWH Shalom, or The-LORD-Is-Peace. We should let the peace of God guide us (e.g. Col. 3:15). The mindset and heart condition for miracles are birthed in prayer and worship.

Gideon was then sent on a mission to overturn and destroy a pagan altar of Baal (6:25-35). This was to build Gideon’s trust in God. God mercifully further confirmed to Gideon that He would deliver Israel through him (6:36-40). And then God miraculously delivered His people from the Midianites with only three hundred men (Judges 7). God begins working His miracles by strengthening the faith of the human instrument He plans to use. He will direct you in a way that requires you trust in Him. This builds faith.

Authentication, supplication, and worship that lead to the peace of God; this is the way to revival and its accompanying miracles. The greatest miracle is God Himself. He is Holy. There is none like Him. He defies the ordinary and is normally extraordinary. God by nature is miraculous. He is who we need.

Where are the miracles? They are enveloped in God Himself. When God makes His presence known, miracles happen. We need the LORD! He is our only hope! We need a move of the Spirit, a revival. I invite you to pray this prayer with me: “LORD we need You! We need to be revived by You. Forgive us our sin. Forgive our disobedience. Forgive us for seeking miracles for the wrong reasons. Forgive us for not seeking You alone. We repent. We surrender our circumstances and needs to You. If it is Your will to intervene in a miraculous extraordinary way, so be it. If not, so be it. But make Yourself known in this world. Be glorified! Show Your extraordinariness. ‘Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence’” (Isaiah 64:1). In Jesus’ name, amen!

Where Are All the Miracles? – Part 2

Where are all the miracles? That’s the basic question we saw Gideon ask at the end of our last study. It’s interesting that the LORD doesn’t respond to Gideon’s question. Instead it states, “Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14). The LORD put His finger on a pressure point of Gideon. The truth of the matter was that Gideon had nothing in himself that could be associated with “might.” Gideon was quick to react, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15). Gideon was weak. His faith was weak.

Why no miracles? Gideon’s weakness and lack of faith was evidently representative of the lack of faith amongst God’s people at that time. The Gospels indicate that the lack of faith hinders the manifestation of the miraculous (Mark 6:1-6). God knew this. Before a miracle could happen Gideon’s faith and the faith of the people had to be strengthened. God works through weakness.
“And the LORD said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:16). God was going to teach Gideon a major life truth. All we need is God. All Gideon had was God. And all Gideon needed was God. You may not be in agreement with all that Martin Luther the Reformer did, but some words he uttered capture the sense of the Lord’s conversation with Gideon. Luther, when under persecution, said, “One with God is a majority.” That’s the truth!

Before God would work His miracle He would build up Gideon’s faith. God sent Gideon on a mission to topple his father’s altar to Baal (Judges 6:25-32). Gideon was then to build an altar to “to the LORD your God” (6:26). Gideon obeyed the Lord, tore down the idol of Baal and then owned up to the brave faith producing act when confronted about it. Gideon stood up to the idolaters saying “If he is a god, let him plead for himself”! (6:31). This act of brave faith earned Gideon a nickname, Jerubbaal, meaning, Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar” (6:32).

With this newfound faith Gideon becomes a leader of God’s people (6:33-35). He asks God to confirm His will and support twice more. God obliges by way of dew on a fleece (6:36-40). Notice though that the request for God to rain dew on the fleece was from someone whose faith was small. When we ask for God to confirm His will with some sign it really is a sign that our faith is small. We should simply take God at His Word. Nevertheless, Gideon was now ready for God’s miracle.
God prepared Gideon by testing his faith with a mission. He confirmed the larger miracle to come with the smaller miracles with the fleece. Gideon would have to trust God for the miracle of deliverance to happen. Gideon had mustered about 32,000 fighters to go against the Midianites. God said this was too many because if they won they might attribute the victory to their strength instead of to God’s (7:1-3). So God whittled Gideon’s force down to a mere 300 men to go against the Midianites who numbered like the sand of the sea (7:12). If such a small force could defeat that vastly larger force, it would be a miracle!

A miracle is an extraordinary thing. God can use medicine, science and technology to bring healing. But such healing is, while incredible, is not often viewed as miraculous. It is viewed as the outcome of human ability. God is in it. God has gifted the doctors or surgeons and He should get the glory. But such healing is not readily classified as a miracle. Perhaps miracles can be classified as lesser or greater. A miracle is something that defies the ordinary. A miracle is something that happens when only God could do it. A miracle must point to God. A miracle must glorify God. There are medical miracles. But there are also miracles that defy our understanding and those are the miracles that purely point to God.

Where are the miracles? Doesn’t God want to be glorified today? Look at the context in which Gideon asked why there weren’t any miracles happening. It states, “Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years” (Judges 6:1). The reason there were no miracles happening then and the reason there are few miracles today is because of the sin of God’s people. The absence of miracles was a way for God to get the attention of His people. Much of the world and our own nation is steeped in sin. There is a globalization of immorality. And the church is not immune to it! There is sin everywhere.

The Midianites were so oppressive of God’s people that they moved into caves for protection. Today too many Christians are isolating themselves from the world for protection. Isolation is not the answer. Jesus called His followers to be salt and light; to purify in order to preserve the world and to shine light into the sinful darkness (Matthew 5:13-16). You can’t do that by isolating yourself from the world. Jesus came into the world to be the Light of the world (John 1:10; 9:5). Jesus specifically said He did not pray to take His disciples out of the world (John 17:15). We are on a mission from God to go into the world with the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:8). It is when we go out on that mission that “signs will follow” (Mark 16:15-18).

The Midianites were destroying “the produce of the earth,” the crops of the people. God’s people were “greatly impoverished” by the Midianites (Judges 6:2-6). Today the Midianites take the form of deficit spending, war costs, public school indoctrination and a host of other human parasitic vermin that sap not only our secular resources but the resources of our spiritual heritage. What is the solution? What do we need to heal our land? We need a miracle from God. How can such a miracle be secured? In the final part of this study we will answer those questions.

Where Are All the Miracles? – Part 1

Where are all the miracles? We look at the Bible and see miracles. Where are the miracles today? Miracles are happening today. Miracles can happen today. God is no different now than He was in Biblical times. God is immutable; unchanging. Miracles attest to the reality of God (e.g. Acts 2:22). God is no less God today than He has ever been or will ever be. So where are the miracles?

We see many miracles in scripture: from creation to the 2nd Coming; from the translation of Enoch to the translation of the saints yet to come; the Flood, plagues on Egypt, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the pregnancy of Sarah with Isaac and the virgin birth of Jesus; the burning bush and the transfiguration of Christ; Balaam’s donkey speaking and Peter’s confession of Christ; Jonah in the belly of a whale three days and three nights and Jesus raised from the dead. The Book of Revelation reveals there are more miracles in our future. Wiki’s Answers.com states there are 333 miracles in the Bible but adds “that is only some of them.” The Bible Encyclopedia lists 120 miracles in the Bible. Wilmington’s Book of Lists records 50 miracles involving the full Godhead. The New Topical Textbook lists 30 miracles performed by Jesus. The numbers vary but there seems to be a good amount of miracles recorded in the Bible.

The word “miracle” occurs 16 times in the Bible. A “miracle” is an extraordinary unusual event which suspends natural law and is beyond human capability manifesting Divine intervention in human affairs. A miracle points people to God and therefore is frequently referred to as “a sign,” a phrase that occurs 52 times in scripture. Miracles are also considered “wonders” about 77 times in the Bible. Miracles cause people to wonder what is going on.

It should be noted that there are counterfeit miracles or supernatural events worked by demonic forces such as the ones done by Pharaoh’s sorcerers (Exodus 7:11-13) and that will be done by Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:9-12). God warns us against this (Deut. 13:1-5). God’s miracles are those that draw us to Him and do not contradict scripture. Satanic signs deceive and divert people from God. The Holy Spirit helps us to discern true from false miracles, those that draw us to God and those that are deception (e.g. John 16:13; 1 John 2:27). The prime instrument the Spirit uses to do this is the word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Something that is extraordinary and unusual is by definition not common. But it doesn’t seem like there are any miracles happening around us. If we count the conversion of sinners as a miracle then there are countless miracles throughout history and today. But while salvation by God’s grace is miraculous in the sense that it is something only God can do, it does not always suspend natural law and therefore technically by our definition is not miraculous. Still we ask, “Where are all the miracles?”

We have to understand that the Bible does not contain every detail of history. The Bible covers a period of about 1500 years. If we say there are 300 miracles recorded in scripture that would average out to one miracle every five years. If we say there are 120 miracles recorded in scripture it would equate to one miracle every twelve and a half years. There are over thirty recorded miracles of Jesus in the three year span of the Gospels! And keep in mind that John comments, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” (John 21:25). Yes, AMEN! The increase in frequency of miracles during this time is a sure sign that God was doing something very special. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19).

The miracles of the Bible may only be representative examples of miracles. Some miracles are noted for a particular purpose. The Book of Acts contains miraculous accounts. But those miracles occurred over a period of about 30 years of history in the early church. In Acts 2:43 it states, “many wonders and signs were done through the apostles” and doesn’t list them all. In Acts 15:12 Paul tells the church there were “many miracles and wonders” done by God. But they are not all recorded individually in scripture. In light of that duration we get a better perspective on the occurrence of miracles.

Many miracles that are happening today are happening in faraway places in underdeveloped parts of the world. Is there a connection? Has our science and technology, our modernity, gotten in the way of miracles? Perhaps, but I think there may be a more rudimentary explanation. In the Old Testament a man named Gideon asked the same question. The Angel of the Lord (who we know to be the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ) called on him to deliver God’s people. Gideon responded, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (Judges 6:13). In other words, “Where are all the miracles?”

In part 2 of our study we will look further at Gideon to see how God answered his question about where all the miracles were. As we do that we may be able to find an answer to our own question about the absence of miracles. Until then, seek the Lord and pray for a miracle!

The Testing of the LORD

Have you ever asked yourself why has this happened to me? Everyone at one time or the other asks themselves this question. Sometimes the answer is that we are suffering the consequences of our own sinful choices (e.g. Jeremiah 2:19). Difficulties and trials may be the result of spiritual warfare (e.g. Job). Nothing can happen to us that God has not allowed to happen. We may not understand why God allows certain things to happen. And we may not like what He allows to happen. But God is big enough to handle our questions and objections. God is sovereign over all.
There is another source of difficulty that we may find hard to understand or accept. Some testing and trials come from God. That is the testimony of scripture. The book of Judges is a history of God’s people in the Promised Land. In the opening portions of Judges it states: “Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan 2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), 3 namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.” (Judges 3:1-4)
God had enabled His people to take over the Promised Land and fully occupy it (Joshua 21:43-45). But this passage in Judges tells us that God purposely allowed some of the pagan peoples to remain. These pagan peoples would be the source of trouble for God’s people. But God, fully aware of this, allowed them to remain. Why did God allow these pagan nations to remain? The answer to that question is of great value because it gives us insight into how God ministers to us. The above passage states God allowed these pagan nations to test His people. They would be tested in two ways.
First, God allowed the pagan adversarial nations to remain in order to strengthen His own people (Judges 3:1-3). There was a generation of Israel that had not lived during the conquest. They needed to learn how to fight and defend themselves. God allowed adversaries to remain to serve this purpose. Faith is like a muscle, it needs exercising. A muscle grows only when it is stretched and strained to capacity, even beyond capacity. Then the muscle is fed, nourished and rested. And when restored it will be restored larger and stronger than before the workout.
Do you have an adversary in your life? It may be a person. It may be a circumstance or situation God has allowed in your life. Have you asked God why this is happening to you? It may be that God wants to strengthen you and prepare you for a future task. Why does God allow cults to exist? Perhaps it is that the testing that comes from confrontations with cults is a means for God to strengthen our faith. Enlightenment and understanding comes when we are motivated to study to prepare for ministering to cultists. How many Christians have been motivated to study the word of God in order to be prepared for that inevitable knock on the door from a Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon? That atheist or skeptic you know and that is always trying to trip you up with questions may be a tool of God to move you deeper in His word and closer to Him. God uses adversaries to test and strengthen our faith.
Secondly, God allowed the pagan adversarial nations to remain in order to bring us through decision to obedience (Judges 3:4). It states that God allowed these nations to test them, “to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD.” It isn’t that God needed to know this. God is omniscient. He knows everything! What God was doing was helping His people know what was in their hearts. It’s easy to talk a good talk, but can you walk the talk?
God’s people were often quick to pay lip service to God. At the end of his life Joshua challenged the people saying, “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15) The people’s immediate response was, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve others gods.” (Joshua 24:16). Then what did the people do? They forsook the Lord! We see this in a repetitive cycle in Judges consisting of sin, suffering consequences of that sin, crying out to God, God delivering the people through a judge, rest and peace, and then the cycle happens all over again. It’s true, talk is cheap!
Why was and is obedience so important to God? Obedience leads to blessing (Deut. 28; Joshua 1:8). God gave the Law and the instruction of His word in order to protect His people from danger. God instructs His people in order to show them the way in which they can experience and maintain a close personal eternal walk with Him. God loves us and He instructs us to show us what is best for us. If He says “No” to something, it is only because what we are intending to do or what we are asking for is harmful for us. He has something better for us. When we disobey we never get God’s best. Obey God and you’ll always get His best.
But there’s another reason why obedience is important. Obedience is a way of expressing our love for God. Love and obedience are connected (cf. Deut. 11:13; 30:20). Jesus said if we love Him we will obey Him (John 14:15, 21). We can say we love Jesus all we want, but if we are living in sin we prove ourselves liars. You may say you love your spouse, but if you cheat on them and commit adultery in thought or deed how valid or true is your love? Cheating on them breaks your marriage covenant. We can rationalize and excuse ourselves but the reality is still we have broken something precious. It is only through repentance and actual change that reconciliation is possible. Usually that comes through getting caught; through testing. Maybe this teaching is a test for some of you. God knows what is in our hearts but we don’t (Jeremiah 17:9-10; 1 John 1:8, 10). The heart is deceitful and wicked. We can only know what is really in our heart by looking into the mirror of God’s word (James 1:22-25). God’s word speaks of His testing. It is God’s word that tells us the truth about ourselves (Hebrews 4:12-13). God tests us to bring us to a point of decision. When we choose to obey Him it expresses our true love. When we choose to disobey it exposes false love. God tests us for our own good, to strengthen our faith and show us the truth about ourselves. God’s testing makes a way for us to experience His best.
The psalmist was inspired to write, “For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our hearts; we went through fire and trough water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment” (Psalm 66:10-12). Sometimes rich fulfillment only comes through testing.

The Spirit Filled Believer

There are a number of aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit in life. These aspects are indicated at times by the use of prepositions. The Holy Spirit is “with” people prior to their conversion as He convicts them of their sinfulness and leads them to Jesus as Savior (John 14:17a; 16:8-11). Rejecting the Spirit’s overtures in this regard is the only unforgiveable sin (Mat. 12:31; Mark 3:28-29). When a person responds to the Spirit admits their sin, turns from their sins trusting Jesus as Savior, God forgives them and gives them eternal life as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell “in” the new believer (John 14:17b; 20:22; Rom. 5:5; 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). As the new believer grows in their faith they have a desire to do things for their Lord. In their own strength they will be frustrated in their attempts to do anything for the Lord (e.g. Rom 7). That is why believers need a subsequent work of the Spirit in their lives which is when the Holy Spirit comes “upon” them in power (Acts 1:8; 2; 8:16, 24; 10:44; 11:15; 19:6). When the Holy Spirit comes upon the believer he empowers the believer with the ability to do.
In addition to the indwelling of the Spirit at conversion and the empowering of the Spirit when He comes upon the believer, there are subsequent fillings or refreshings of the believer by the Spirit. The Bible uses the phrase “filled with the Spirit” to describe the daily renewal and refreshing the believer needs (e.g. Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). There are subsequent re-fillings and refreshing by the Spirit in the believer’s life. The sense of this ongoing work is found in Paul’s inspired letter to the Ephesians when he states:

Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”

Paul is inspired to tell us here that we oughtn’t get “drunk with wine in which is dissipation.” To be drunk is to be intoxicated. It is a state of diminished senses and sensitivity to what is around you. To be drunk is to have your mind dulled. “Dissipation” (Greek asotia) means literally unsavedness, wastefulness, profligacy, prodigality, an abandoned desolate type of life. The Lord has so much more than this for us.
Instead we are to be “filled with the Spirit.” The word “filled” is translated from the Greek term pleroo meaning ”to make replete, . . .to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), . . . to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify . . . accomplish, . . . complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfill, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.” In addition to this definition, the grammatical form of the term “filled” (Present/Passive/Imperative) conveys the thought of an ongoing and constant (Present tense) work that the believer receives or has done to them (Passive voice) that is absolutely essential (Imperative mood). Therefore, to “be filled with the Spirit” means to be constantly, regularly, daily filled up, satisfied, furnished and supplied with the Spirit for one’s daily needs and God-ordained plans.
The impact of such a daily filling is conveyed in the book of Acts where those who had experienced the empowerment of the Spirit at Pentecost again pray for this ongoing empowerment and refreshing. In Acts it reads:

Acts 4:31 - “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

When the Spirit comes upon the believer in fullness He empowers the believer with the ability to do; to do whatever the Lord calls the believer to do. Therefore the fullness of the Spirit is very important in the life of the believer.
Do you want to be filled with the Spirit?
Some will answer immediately without thinking and say “Yes!” but to be filled with the Spirit will cost you. Before there can be a resurrection, there has to be a crucifixion. Jesus said if anyone was going to come after Him they must deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). To be filled with the Spirit you’ll have to fully surrender to the Lord. You’ll have to trust the Lord enough to give Him control of everything in your life. That means if you are single, have a hard to live with spouse, bad job, illness or any other problem, god may choose to keep you in that situation to show the sufficiency of His grace (2 Cor. 12:9-10). He may not, but He may. Are you willing to trust Him that much?
Sanctified Transformation by Faith
God’s purpose in all of this is to conform us to the likeness of His only Son Jesus (Rom 8:29). This is God’s will for every believer (1 Thess. 4:3). It is a process God does in us called sanctification (Phil. 2:13; 1 Thess. 5:23-24). Sanctification like salvation is a work of God in us that is done by faith (Acts 15:8-9; 26:18; Gal. 2:20; 5:5). The sanctifying process of God in the believer takes place as the believer puts their faith and trust in God to do it. We surrender in faith to the Holy Spirit to do His holy work in and through us.
The 4 Evidentiary Effects of the Spirit Filled Believer

Ephesians 5:19-21 - 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

The context of Ephesians 5:18-21 gives us a criteria by which to determine the presence of Spirit fullness in a person. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit it is evidenced in four ways according to the context of this passage. These four evidentiary effects are as follows.
First the Spirit filled believer will talk differently (5:19a).Paul says, “speaking to one another.” The Spirit filled believer will talk differently. They will speak the truth in love (4:15). They won’t speak unwholesome words but their words will be gracious and edifying (4:29). The Spirit filled believer will talk in a pure and holy way.
Secondly, the Spirit filled believer will have a song in their heart (5:19b). The Spirit filled believer will have a song in their heart. They will have a psalm in their heart or a prayerful song. They will have hymns in their heart or songs that communicate the truths of scripture. They will have a heart of worship toward the Lord.
Thirdly, the Spirit filled believer will be thankful always for all things (5:20).It is only by the Spirit that a person can offer thanks to the Lord all the time and in all things, even trials and difficulties. With the Spirit ruling our hearts we will have the wisdom and strength to offer thanks to God “for all things” (5:20). It’s one thing to thank God for the good stuff, can you thank Him for the pain, sorrow and trials in your life trusting and knowing He has a Plan. It’s only in the Spirit that we can live in that kind of surrender to the Lord.
Fourthly, the Spirit filled believer will live in mutual submission toward others (5:21). The Spirit filled believer does away with the spirit of competition and instead esteems others better than themselves. The Spirit filled believer will live by “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The desire and priority of the Spirit filled believer will be for God to be glorified. If God uses someone else to bring glory to His name then the Spirit filled believer will rejoice that God is glorified. The spirit of competition that leads to jealousy, resentment and conflict will be defeated for those living in the power of the Spirit. The Spirit filled believer knows God has the right to exalt or bring low His servants as he sees fit (Rom. 14:7-13). God has the right to reward His servants as he sees fit (Mat. 20:1-16).

From Conception to Birth - Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"I will praise you. for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." - Psalm 139:14

My Prayer for Preachers by Leonard Ravenhill

Eternal Father,

In the majesty of Thy glory,

            look down in mercy on these men.

As they fall before Thee in prayer,

            be pleased to fall upon them in power!

As they enter their seclusion as preachers,

            may they emerge from it as prophets.

According to Your promise,

            give them a new heart.

According to Your Holy Word,

            put a new spirit within them.

Anoint their eyes with holy eyesalve

            that they may see what heretofore they have not seen.

Unstop their ears that they may hear Your voice

            in a way You could not previously speak to them.

Touch their lips with a live coal from the altar of eternity

            that they may step back into time

            like men who have tasted the powers of the world to come.

Grant that their theology

            may become almost a theophany.

In these days of Noah-like society,

            when the earth again is corrupt before Thee

            and when violence has become a way of life,

            and sexual immorality a sport;

            when iniquity is legislated

            and unborn babes are mutilated in the womb;

            in this dread hour, challenging Thee to judge us,

            grant these men a compassion

            and a passion, motivated by the love of Thy Son,

            for doomed humanity.

We tremble as we see

            the over-blest, over-fed, over-come nations

            wallow in sin

            on the brink of destruction;

            As we see that

            the law of the day is lawlessness,

            the faith of the day is faithlessness,

            the philosophy of the day is hopelessness,

            the evident condition of the Church is powerlessness.

            In this unprecedented state of moral anarchy

            and spiritual debility,

            Let these men not dare to see the faces of men again

            until they are renewed in the Holy Ghost.

If these men are not the men to shake the nation

            before The King comes,

            then in mercy find such men to shake earth and hell,

            and fill heaven with praise

            that He has seen of the travail of His soul

            to His satisfaction.

These things I ask

            in the name of and for the glory of

            Thine only begotten Son,

            the only Saviour of men,

            Jesus Christ our Lord,             Amen[1]

---

[1] Leonard Ravenhill, Revival God’s Way, Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Pub. 1983. Pgs. 94-95

The Work of the Spirit with Unbelievers and in and upon Believers - Part 2

  There are three things the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer to transform them to the likeness of Jesus Christ. There are three transforming works of the Spirit in the believer. They are as follows.

The first thing the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer is INDWELLING them at conversion.  This is the “in” (Greek en) experience referred to in John 14:17. In John 3 this work is described as being “born again.” Later in John 4:13-14 Jesus describes this experience as drinking “living water” that quenches the thirst for spiritual fulfillment in every human. In John 20:22 Jesus further describes this experience as receiving the Holy Spirit when He breathes on the disciples and tells them to receive the Spirit.  Disciples received the Holy Spirit as Jesus breathed on them. When the Holy Spirit comes to reside inside a person (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), the holy process (sanctification) of being conformed to the likeness of Christ begins and continues throughout life (Romans 8:29). The Spirit bears witness and communicates the heart and truth of Jesus to the believer (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-14). We are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). He works in us (Philippians 2:13). The power of the risen Lord Jesus is in us and it is the Spirit that brings that power to us (Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21). The love of Jesus works in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us (Romans 5:5). All these things are associated with the work of the Spirit in us.

The second thing the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer is EMPOWERING the believer for service. As the believer is conformed to the likeness of Jesus by the Spirit, like Jesus the believer acquires a desire to be used by God to reach the lost in the world, to minister (Matthew 18:11; Mark 10:45; Luke 19:10). This is the “upon” (Greek preposition epi) experience described by Jesus as torrents of living water gushing forth from the believer and as dynamic empowerment of the believer (John 7:37-39; Acts 1:8). In order to minister like Jesus, the believer needs to be empowered by God. If the believer seeks to serve in his or her own strength they will be frustrated and fail (Romans 7). They need to be supernaturally empowered and the Spirit provides that power. This power is invisible like the wind but powerful like a tornado (Acts 2). It is a fiery, purifying and cleansing of the heart by God. The believer surrenders their heart to God in faith trusting Him to work to destroy those challengers and hindrances to total trust in God (Acts 2; 15:8-9). The cleansing work of this empowerment attacks inhibitions and barriers between God and the believer. There is an essential empowerment for service subsequent to initial Spirit filling (Acts 1:8; 2). This empowerment involves Spiritual Gifting (Ephesians 4:7-13). This empowerment is the sufficiency of God’s grace revealed powerfully in our weakness (2 Corinthians. 12:9-10). The love of God working not only in us but also through us. This is the second work of the Spirit in the life of the believer.

The third work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is that of ONGOING REFRESHING. The believer needs to be refilled or daily renewed and filled with the Spirit who refreshes and empowers. Those empowered at Pentecost were refilled later (Acts 4). There are subsequent re-fillings and refreshing by the Spirit in the believer’s life. The sense of this ongoing third work is found in Paul’s inspired letter to the Ephesians when he states:

• Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” 

Paul is inspired to tell us here that we oughtn’t get “drunk with wine in which is dissipation.” To be drunk is to be intoxicated. It is a state of diminished senses and sensitivity to what is around you. To be drunk is to have your mind dulled. “Dissipation” (Greek asotia) means literally unsavedness, wastefulness, profligacy, prodigality, an abandoned desolate type of life. The Lord has so much more than this for us.

 The word “filled” is translated from the Greek term pleroo meaning ”to make replete, . . .to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), . . . to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify . . . accomplish, . . . complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfill, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.” In addition to this definition, the grammatical form of the term “filled” (Present/Passive/Imperative) conveys the thought of an ongoing and constant (Present tense) work that the believer receives or has done to them (Passive voice) that is absolutely essential (Imperative mood). Therefore, to “be filled with the Spirit” means to be constantly, regularly, daily filled up, satisfied, furnished and supplied with the Spirit for one’s daily needs and God-ordained plans.

 The impact of such a daily filling is conveyed in the book of Acts where those who had experienced the empowerment of the Spirit at Pentecost again pray for this ongoing empowerment and refreshing. In Acts it reads:

 ·         Acts 4:31  - “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”  

 The New Transforming Life of the Spirit

This is the newness of the Spirit Paul is inspired to refer to in Romans 7:6. Is the Spirit in you? If you do not have the Spirit, you do not belong to God, you remain in your sins (Romans 8:9). Pray for forgiveness for your sins; put your faith in Jesus; receive the Holy Spirit and be born again.

Have you been empowered to serve the Lord? Are you frustrated and failing in your walk with God? Pray for His power and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Receive it by faith.

Have you been empowered but feel as though you’re running on empty? Pray for a refreshing and refilling of the Spirit in your life. Walk in the Spirit, filled and refreshed daily and receive this regular daily work by faith. Faithful is He who calls you to this and He will do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

 Sanctified Transformation by Faith

The primary distinction that needs to be made and upon which all success rests, is for the believer to realize that sanctification as well as salvation is based on faith. Sanctification is something God does in us. In Paul’s opening inspired words he introduced this point by saying:

• Romans 1:17 – “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 

God offers salvation to us in a gracious provision through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. A person is saved from their sin when by faith in Jesus Christ they admit their sin, repent of it, and accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Sanctification is no different in that advance with the Lord in the power of the Holy spirit by faith, by putting our trust in God to do what He has promised to do in and through us which is, conform us to the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29) and use us as His instruments of righteousness to reach a world lost in sin (Romans 12-16).

Read the role of faith in God’s work in us in the sanctification process of life described in the following additional verses:

• Acts 15:8-9 - “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,9 “and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” 
• Acts 26:18 – “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” 
• Galatians 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” 
• Galatians 5:5 – “For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”

The sanctifying process of God in the believer takes place as the believer puts their faith and trust in God to do it. We surrender in faith to the Holy Spirit to do His holy work in and through us.