Daily Dose of God's Word 5-4

Daily Dose of God's Word 5-4

Memory Verse: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor 3:18

The Holy Spirit is God

God is one – Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6.

I once heard another disturbing comment: “Christianity is about relationships, not about propositions.” The person went on to say that Christianity is also concerned about truth, but I could not quite put those two statements together. If the Christian faith is not about propositions, what kind of truth is it about? I believe the influence of existentialism in the culture in general and in the church in particular has produced something that was unknown in previous generations: relational theology. Simply put, relational theology is a theological system that has content and meaning determined by relationships. It is only a half step removed from pure relativism. This is the kind of theology that says if you believe that God is one and I believe that God is three in one, what really matters is our personal relationship. Truth is determined by the relationships, not by the propositions. For example, if I say Jesus died on the cross as an atonement and someone else says His death was not an atonement, we do not discuss it lest we sever our relationship. The relationship must be preserved even if the truth is lost.

Sproul, R.C.. Who Is the Holy Spirit? (Crucial Questions) (p. 43). Reformation Trust Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

Pray

Lord, I am open to the Holy Spirit. Come to me, 

dwell in me, speak to me so I may become 

more like Christ. Lord, give me the courage to be open.

Lord, I am open to the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.

McKnight, Scot. Open to the Spirit (p. xvii). 

The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Daily Dose of God's Word for May 3

Memory Verse: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor 3:18

The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30).

The Holy Spirit clearly says that an abandoning of the faith would come (1 Timothy 4:1).The Holy Spirit testifies (Hebrews 10:15)

We refer to the Bible as the Word of God, and so it is. One of the reasons why the church has confessed its faith that the Scriptures are the Word of God is the biblical claim that the words of sacred Scripture were originally inspired by God the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit not only inspired the writing of the biblical books, He works to illumine the Scriptures and to apply them to our understanding. Paul writes, “God is not a God of confusion” (1 Cor. 14:33a), and that includes the Holy Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit never teaches us to do something that He explicitly forbids in sacred Scripture.

Christians easily make themselves seem spiritual by saying that God laid this or that on their hearts or God led them to do various things. Every time I hear such a claim, I want to say to the person: “How do you know God laid that on your heart? How do you know that’s not a manifestation of your own ambition or your own avarice?” I want the person to show me the biblical basis for his claim. As I said above, I do not doubt that the Holy Spirit can put a burden on a believer and can lead a believer supernaturally, but He always does this within and through the Scriptures. He never goes against His own revelation in the Bible. So, the way to test the spirits is to judge them by the Spirit’s own truth.

Sproul, R.C.. Who Is the Holy Spirit? (Crucial Questions) (pp. 39-40). Reformation Trust Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Daily Dose of God's Word 5-2-2019

Memory Verse: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor 3:18

He spoke directions for evangelism (Acts 13:2).

He leads the children of God (Romans 8:14).

He helps us by interceding for us with the Father (Romans 8:26-27).

We can have fellowship with the Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Yesterday, I asked you a strange question, have you seen the Holy Spirit?  Just like the wind, you can't see but can see it's effect, in a windmill, a windsock or the bend of a tree.

Last, time I saw the Holy Spirit, he used the name Blaze.  Blaze was planting churches in the Ivory Coast, which is near Ghana, the home of missionaries we support. So a conversation was started, then still smiling I learned his son was gravely ill. So I did what a pastor does, I prayed for his son.  We were interrupted, only later I learned, he had only told half of the story.  Come to find out making disciples in Muslim territory had also lived through several civil wars.

I could see the Spirit's effect, in his love, peace and most of all love.  The effect was greater than all his current circumstances!  Today, will others see the Spirit in your life?  Today, may the Holy 

Spirit be evident in your life!

Daily Dose of God's Word 5-1 2019

Daily Dose of God's Word 5-1 2019

The Holy Spirit is a person

He can be blasphemed against (Matthew 12:31-32).

He teaches (John 14:26).

He can be lied to (Acts 5:3).

He can be resisted (Acts 7:51).

From the moment the church got its start at Pentecost, all the way to the end of the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is at work. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit isn’t simply one of the three persons of the Trinity. Like the Father and the Son, the Spirit is alive and at work, and the church folks like Peter, Stephen, and Paul knew the Spirit and saw the Spirit. Pick up one of the letters of the apostle Paul, First Corinthians, for example, and watch what happens: The Spirit works among the believers in the churches, convicting them, healing them, and promoting their growth. So much so that each one of those Christians received a gift, a skill if you like, a unique offering of each for the good of all in the church. The Spirit was equipping. (Hudson, Trevor. Holy Spirit Here and Now. Upper Room Books. Kindle Edition.)

Do you know the Holy Spirit?  Have you seen the Spirit?  Have you been convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit?  What gift have you received from the Holy Spirit? Acts 1:7,8 in the Message Paraphrase states; "He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”  Notices,  the Holy Spirit is experienced as we work to accomplish, God's task being a witness.  If we lack knowledge of the power of the Spirit, we need a task so large, we will fail, without him.  The Spirit shows himself, as we obey in faith.  What's your first step?

Real Men Cry!

Memorize: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:5,6


Joseph                                        Jesus
Genesis 42:24                                                       John 11:35 Luke 19:41


Similarities and differences?

The only man who was fully what God the Father created us to be, wept.  Real men cry.

Feelings are emotional facts.  Do you realize nowhere in scripture does it

state suck it up buttercup?  So now it's time to pour our heart out, telling my Father

as best I can, exactly what happened to me.

The lying voices inside me, tell me God doesn't want to hear it.  I might tell

myself; "No way, that's for touchy, feely types. I don't do that".  If I express myself,

I might shed a tear, scream or kick the family pet!  No, Just kidding!  I must excavate

every effect an emotion I’ve buried and in lament give it my Heavenly Father for

my healing.  F.B. Meyer put it this way; "As we pour out our bitterness, God pours

in his peace."  May we always be honest with God, who knows all anyway!

Shed Blood

Memorize: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:5,6

Joseph               Jesus

Genesis 42:21,22                                                     Matthew 27:24

Similarities and differences?

Isn't it unsettling, that both premeditated violence and thoughtless indifference, shed 

blood?  In today's readings, we have both sides of the coin.  The active premeditated 

violence of Joseph's brothers, God would resurrect into a plan to save Israel.    The 

thoughtless, arrogant indifference of pilate, killed the lamb of God.  Three days later, the 

lamb that was slain, arose!

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and 

wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, Romans 1:18  This is 

God's reaction to man's sin.  

Thankfully this is not God's only reaction to sin.  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of 

atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to 

demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins 

committed beforehand unpunished—  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the 

present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 

Romans 3:25,26  3:25 Christ died in our place, for our sins. God is justifiably angry at 

sinners. They have rebelled against him and cut themselves off from his life-giving 

power. But God declares Christ’s death to be the appropriate, designated sacrifice for our 

sin. Christ then stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and he 

completely satisfies God’s demands. His sacrifice brings pardon, deliverance, and 

freedom.

As a thank, you, shouldn't we live for the One who died for us?  Not with premeditated 

violence but with thoughtful acts of sacrificial love.  Live not with careless indifference, 

but careful gratitude for all gifts?  Live well my friend, for precious blood has been shed 

for you!

God's love

Memorize: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:5,6


Joseph                          Jesus
Genesis 42:15                                          John 14:6, Is 53:3


Similarities and differences?

The way to Egypt was through Joseph, just as the way to heaven is through Jesus.

Just as Joseph's brothers failed to recognize him.  Many have failed to see who

Jesus is. Those who have recognized Jesus have found this; God's love in Christ

is wider than the breach your sin has made with God; it is long enough to reach

back into your past and forward into an eternal future; it is high enough to bring

you to God, and it is so deep, it will never run dry (see Eph. 3:18).  In Christ,

God loves sinners Michael Lawrence Biblical Theology, copyright 2010,

Crossway Books, p. 149-150.

My prayer for all who have taken this journey with Joseph and Jesus, may

you begin to understand, God's love has no beginning or end.