Needing Understanding

 "But now, Brethren, If I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either be revelation, by knowledge, by prophecy, or by teaching?" (1 Corinthians 14:6) 

The key point the Apostle Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 14, is that we as Christians must have understanding of the Word of God, in order to live out the will of God. And for us to be edified as a church, we must be encouraged by the Word of God. 

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to share the Gospel in the various languages that was represented there in Jerusalem. In Acts 10, While Peter was speaking to the group there with Cornelius (A centurion, and his household) they began to speak in tongues and magnify God.(v.46) The ability to speak in tongues was a sign-gift. In Cornelius's case, it was a sign that God had opened the door for the Gentiles to receive the Gospel; and along with the Jews, be apart of the family of God. 

But for the early Christians as a group, to understand the message from speaking in tongues, there had to be an interpreter. That is why prophesy was the better gift, because all could understand what was being said, and in so doing, the group could be edified. 

We have the Word of God available to us today, in many languages, and by many technological means. But still the Word of God, sits on a shelf, or falls on deaf ears. 

For us to know, and to do God's Will, we must come to understand His Word. We must take advantage of the opportunities to receive God's Word into our hearts, so we can live it out in our lives. (GP) 

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Staying On The Right Side

"When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt, in regard to sin..." (John 16:8a) 

 James wrote to his readers; "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn't do it, sins." (James 4:17)

 As Christians, it is always a challenge in our Christian walk, to stay on the right side. What is the right side? It is the side of the teachings and principles of God's Word. Or to say it this way; it is following the authoritative will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the side of the good we should do, instead of the selfish ,worldly, and evil things we could do.

 In Romans 7:7-25 the Apostle Paul talks about the battle with sin that all of us are engaged in.

After we do cross over to the wrong side of selfishness and sin, the Holy Spirit will work to convict us of that sin. He will work to make us feel bad about what we did. And oh will we feel the misery of guilt's arrow, right in the center of our heart. Before we think about entering into sin, we need to remember that there is another side to things. The cloud of guilt will be hard to bear.

It comes down to a question: What kind of person do we what to be? obedient to the will of God, or selfish and rebellious? God gave us all a conscience, and His Holy Spirit knows how to get to us, in order to bring us to repentance.

To stay on the right side of God's will, is the best place to be.
Today, What side are you on? GP 

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Help Of The Holy Spirit

"He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:14-15) 

 I wonder how many times this question has been asked? "How can I come to know the will of God for my life?" I am so glad that I am not left alone to decide what is best for me, for my present state, and for the future.

Although there are many (including myself) who just go ahead and step ahead of the Lord, and decide what is best for our lives. We don't allow the Holy Spirit to speak the will of our Lord Jesus Christ for our lives.
We just jump ahead, pursue our will and way, and then find ourselves very disappointed with the results.

Jesus had told His disciples that He was going away. He spoke to them concerning His death, and that He would be going back to His Father. And this brought much sorrow to them.

Jesus said to them: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." (v.7)

 As Christians, we have been given a precious gift. The gift is the Holy Spirit, who will reveal to us what the Lord Jesus' will is for us. But we must give the Holy Spirit time to do so. Let's not jump to conclusions, or step ahead the Holy Spirit's leading.

A key word that we see in the Psalms is the word "wait" (Psalm 37:7) which is a good word for us in coming to know what God's will is for us. Let's never try to take life on by ourselves, when we have the help of the Holy Spirit! Let's wait for Him to reveal what the Lord would have us to be, and to do! GP

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Of Us (Or) The Holy Spirit?

"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which" He said, "you have heard from Me." (Acts 1:4) 

The "Promise of the Father" is the promise of the Holy Spirit, who would come and help the apostles establish the first church in Jerusalem. They were commanded not to leave Jerusalem, They were not told to go ahead and step ahead of God. But they were told to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, to lead the way in bringing three thousand souls to the Lord on the day of Pentecost.

This is a lesson we need to learn in our churches today. We have a strong tendency to make our programs and efforts more about what we want, than what the holy Spirit directs. It is not the big spectacular programs that we plan and participate in, that make a difference in reaching people for the Lord.
They may be entertaining, but do they accomplish the evangelistic purpose they are meant to achieve?

It seems to me, that like the apostles, we are to be ready with the Word of God, to share simply, and sincerely, the message of hope, the community needs to hear. Let's wait on the Holy Spirit, to enable us, and empower us, with the Word of God, whether it is in song, or in spoken word. Instead of stepping ahead with the spectacular,

let's wait for the Holy Spirit who is the "Promise of the Father" to help us declare the simple, and powerful message of the Gospel; to a world that is lost, and walking without hope! (GP)

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The Spark From Heaven

"I say then" Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16) Just recently a question was presented to me: "Why is it, that some churches emphasize the working of the Holy Spirit, and others don't?" That is a good question. The Apostle Paul speaks of the Christian life as being "a walk". And to have success in this "walk", we must walk in the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul goes on to say in a later verse (v.25) "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." At baptism we were given the gift of the Holy Spirit.(Acts 2:38) The Greek word "Parakletos" means advocate, comforter, helper, "one who walks along side of" (John 14:16) How grateful we should be, that we have "a helper" to walk along side of us, as we try to walk the Christian walk. To answer the question of why some churches do not emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit like others do, is to say that in some cases, it may be a difference in doctrine, a preoccupation with the social concerns over the spiritual concerns. A lack of preaching and teaching on the subject. The church is like an old cannon that sits in a park on display. It is harmless, just sitting there. Birds can build their nests in its barrel. But when the black powder, and a cannon ball is put in place, all that is needed is a spark, to ignite the powder, and that cannon becomes a weapon again. The sound of the blast is definitely heard. That spark for the church, is the Holy Spirit. Indeed we need to emphasize the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. We need Him, more than we realize! GP
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