Holy Spirit

Living Water

  Man, there are few things more difficult than being thirsty for a prolonged period of time. Probably many of us have never really had to face true thirst. Especially dangerous life threatening thirst.  When I think I'm thirsty my first craving is for a Dr. Pepper or good old southern sweet tea. When I was a kid working in the hay field or watermelon patch with my dad there was nothing more satisfying than a tall cold glass of water.

Have you ever found yourself thirsty inside? That's thirst on an entirely different level. It's life threatening all the same. At the core of our soul. 

Maybe you didn't articulate it that way—but the acknowledgement for something more was present like an inexplicable craving or yearning. 

Do you believe in Jesus? He told us he was that kind of satisfaction. 

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’" ‭‭(John‬ ‭7:37-38‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

He made it really simple too. If you're thirsty go to him. How? Believe.

He is living water. (Check out the fourth chapter in John's Gospel for some more on that). 

He also said, that when we believe in him that same kind of living giving spirit would flow through us. We're not just receptacles. We're channels. 

Jesus himself saves, quenches, and supplies us with life inside—and desires that we might share it with all. 

That should impact is in the day to day stuff. Make us love bigger and better. Help us to speak with a kindness that is uplifting, work hard, and give selflessly. Basically, we should be refreshing to anyone and everyone we're around. 

How's that working out for you?

Thanks for reading! We're always interested in hearing from you in the comments. ~ Nate

December 3 - In Jesus' Name

Read: Acts 3:1-10

But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. (Acts 3:6, 7 ESV)

Three little words. "In Jesus' name." Where I'm from they are almost the token ending to every prayer I have ever heard, and quite a few that I have prayed. But there is power in Jesus' name. It is a special name.

Peter knew there was authority in the name of Jesus. He had experiential knowledge of the power of Jesus. Also, he had faith—and was emboldened by the Holy Spirit—to proclaim healing for the crippled man at the gate.

The name of Jesus gets thrown around a lot by people who assume that its a magic set of syllables. Too often people wrongly assume that they can declare something supernatural will happen, sprinkle the name of Jesus around—and then POOF, that thing has to happen. That's not how it works. It has never worked like that.

Peter rightly understood that authority rested with Jesus. The power was from the Holy Spirit. And that the combined faith of the parties involved activated the work that God was looking to do in the life of the crippled man. Peter knew that in Jesus' name he had access to God, he had access to power, but he did not have control.

December 2 - Peter Preaches Jesus

Read: Acts 2

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it." (Acts 2:22-24 ESV)

By all human accounts and logic, it would seem as though Jesus left the future of human destiny in the hands of eleven men. It would seem. And certainly they each played an epic part. But the apostles are neither the story nor the point of the story—though each were proclaimers of the story.

Peter was a fisherman, who became a follower, who became a leader. He made the eventual transition from fishmonger to fisher-of-men. But there were many bumps on his journey.

Peter made numerous mistakes. He was brash. He was stubborn and dense. He was both an agitator and a coward, a brawler and betrayer. Peter was a tumultuous wreck of a man with only one notable trait among a laundry list of scruples. Peter loved Jesus.

On the day that Luke recorded in the second chapter of Acts, a day often referred to as the Day of Pentecost, Peter changed. Gone was the fumbling disciple and scrambling coward. Peter arose a leader. A preacher. The proclaimer.

Jesus had promised a power would come. And while in person God was with them in limited form, on the Day of Pentecost God revealed himself in a new way. It changed everything. The Holy Spirit emboldened, encouraged, and equipped a once-dull fisherman to stand up before a crowd, in a city full of people that had just murdered his master, and challenge the status quo.

Peter preached Jesus, and thousands responded.

September 1 - The Holy Spirit

John 14:15-31

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, (John 14:16 ESV)

Jesus' time with his disciples was drawing to an end. Soon he would no longer be with them in the common way we think of when we talk about companionship. Instead, Jesus said that the Helper was going to come. That actually by him leaving it would empower the disciples to serve God in even more incredible ways. The Helper Jesus was speaking of is the Holy Spirit.

Traditional (Orthodox) Christianity has always held the belief of a triune God, that means God expressed through three persons. It is all rather complicated sounding, but it is actually really simple. There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

There are a ton of varied beliefs that revolve around the Holy Spirit. Some movements have very exuberant ideas about what is involved as we interact with the Holy Spirit, while some try not to acknowledge the Spirit at all. There are a few things that are quite clear about the Spirit.

All throughout scripture we see God performing powerful deeds. The Holy Spirit is always at work in these stories. Jesus performed miracles by being filled with the Spirit at his baptism. Many Old Testament heroes did mighty and amazing things under the power of the Spirit of God.

Salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit. After salvation the Holy Spirit continues to urge us toward personal growth in Christ. The Holy Spirit assists us in the ability to better fight temptation. Awareness of the Spirit makes us more sensitive to the way God sometimes chooses to communicate with His kids. The Holy Spirit empowers us to demonstrate fruitful Christian lives. The Holy Spirit sometimes works through us to do the miraculous.

Those are all incredible things. They make life with God outstanding. Indeed, I can not imagine trying to live this God-life without the instruction and influence of the Holy Spirit.

10 Temptation Truths

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. Temptation is real.  We all deal with it.  Some of us deal with it poorly, and some of us think we deal with it not-so-poorly, but we all could use a little, or a lot of, help.  Temptation is like bait on a hook.  Something used by the enemy of our souls to drag us away from all that God has for us.  It's a fight.  These ten things are some things we discussed in my Sunday School class this past week.  For more, and better, insight go read Luke 4:1-13.

1. Satan is a real enemy. We are born into a real war and he is a subtle, crafty, and sly joker.

2. Satan will hit you. He's not going to leave you alone. He will attack when you're physically weak whether it's when you're tired, hungry, or alone. Solitude is good, but isolation is dangerous.  Being connected to God's people helps.  Sometimes we create the atmosphere for our own temptation by doing something that might not be outright sinful but puts us in a physically, spiritually, or mentally weakened condition.  Staying up too late, excessive time on the computer, time with people we would be better off not being with--these are all things that set us up for temptation, but might not be sinful in and of themselves. It’s better to be preventative than reactive.  Take measures not to get in a precarious place, circumstance, or state of being.

3. Jesus is our victorious warrior King. Society teaches us to be proud, to have esteem, because we’re all winners.  We're not.  We're all losers.  All of us.  Yes, you're a loser.  We've been programmed to believe that we're the best thing since gravity, but we're not. We're wretched sinners by acts of willful commission and/or omission.Pride doesn’t give us high esteem, it makes us a proud loser. It causes us to ignore our need for God because we think we're awesome. We’re not our own hope. Christ in us is our hope for glory. He triumphed over Satan at the cross, we triumph over Satan through His resurrection. Condemnation is debilitating, but conviction is liberating. There is conviction in Christ, but there is no condemnation.

 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. - Colossians 2:13-15

4. The Holy Spirit is your Power. Jesus resisted temptation for 40 days through the power of God the Holy Spirit. You can live as He did, full of the Spirit of God.

5. The Bible is your counter punch.Just stop making excuses.  Read your Bible. We take it for granted.

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. - Proverbs 30:5-6

6. Christ is your identity. Sometimes temptation is much less about sin, and a lot more about Satan trying to deceive you about who you are and who you belong to. Whatever your issue, be it promiscuity, perversion, or pride, it is not who you are.  It does not define you. Relationship with Jesus renews in you a new identity.  His identity.

7. Escape is always possible. There is always a way out. God makes the way. We have to pick whether we want the hook or the door. When temptation comes keep your senses.  Look for the way out.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. - 1 Corinthians 10: 13-14

8. Satan eventually taps out. He's a quitter.  It's his nature. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

9. Repent when you tap out and fight again. Repentance is acknowledging that you bit the hook instead of running out of the door. It happens.  There are a lot Christians who have let Satan trick them into thinking that's not true. Don't let religious pride blind you to your own inadequacies. But don't beat yourself up about them either. Take them to Jesus, that's where they belong.

10. Life is a battle with many rounds. Discipleship and sanctification take time. You will win against the devil. Some things that used to be serious temptations are no long even remotely an issue. He'll bring some new temptations to the fight. He'll find new bait. Keep your head and your heart firmly at the feet of Jesus.