... On God’s Vineyard”, Works VII, 205, quoted by Synder, pages 146-147). The circumcision of the heart. So the case is clear for us who would follow in Wesley’s train, and I believe in all scripture we are called to inward and outward holiness – to holiness of heart and life. John Wesley stressed the image of God as well as the Word of God, Human creation In the Divine image was fundamental for Wesley because it meant a deep, ineffaceable similarity between the human spirit and the spirit of God which ...
... to us. Older generations have declared that we can always talk to God in prayer. Prayer, then, becomes that avenue that allows us accessibility to God. It is the door that grants us entrance into the arena of God. Our challenge today is to be holy as God is holy. We must immerse ourselves in the Word, developing an understanding as well as an appreciation of the Word; acknowledging that the Word of God is a light upon our pathway. A light that keeps us from stumbling in the dark. Further, we are challenged ...
... of God the Father and Christ the Son, many of the so-called "spirit-filled" churches end up with a very sloppy theology which is self-serving and unbiblical to its core. On the liberal hand, many other churches place entirely too little emphasis on the Holy Spirit. God the Father and Christ the Son are the only parts of God they pay attention to and they nearly leave the Spirit out altogether. Their religion is just a "head trip," a set of intellectual propositions, rather than an experience of knowing and ...
... the way to church. So, we’re not exactly in a worshipful mood. But then, zappo, right out of the blue, some spiritual power delivers a message directly to our hearts like an arrow to a bull’s-eye! How did that happen? It was the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the Spirit catapults us right out of this building into some mission or ministry. After all, the Greek word for church is “ekklesia,” which means “called out,” not “gathered in.” The Church is not a club, a nice place where nice people do nice ...
... , the goodness, and the grace of God. Our worship should be like that. It should not begin with the focus upon ourselves and our own needs, but upon the character of God; we should not proceed without the expectation of the visitation of his Spirit, but wait in his holy presence until He comes; we should not assume there is nothing new under the sun that we have not seen, but come expecting a glimpse of his glory.[4] It is in this humbling experience that we begin to realize that we can be imprinted by his ...
... ; and we sin by choice because that is our nature. We do what we do because we are what we are. Notice carefully that the Holy Spirit has been sent to convict us of sin, not sins. Now the world thinks that man's problem is sins: murder, lying, rape, stealing, ... that cup reached the end of the line, there would not be enough righteousness in that cup to save a little baby. But only the Holy Spirit can prove that to you. Now the other problem is this: God does spell righteousness D-O, he spells it D-O-N-E. ...
... . The diversity of ethnic, economic, and national backgrounds meant that each group did not see the members of the other group as neighbors to be loved. Such a reality is always possible for people, whether they are God's people called to be holy or not. For ancient Israel in the Holiness Code, one's neighbor was a member of the covenant community of Israel. A fellow Israelite was to be loved, fed, cared for. Later in the 19th chapter, the stranger who sojourns in the land of Israel is to be loved as the ...
... God as creator. We join the psalmist in Psalm 138, "Great is the glory of the Lord." In the presence of God our creator — the works of God the Father, I am humbled. In awe I worship and whisper, "It is good, Lord." We Recite And We Sing On The Holy Trinity Because We Know Our God Came Near We sing "Joy To The World" and celebrate Christmas even in June. We sing "Away In A Manger" and "O Little Town Of Bethlehem." When we celebrate not only the birth but also the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we ...
... his anxious disciples, “I will ask the Father and he will give you the Paraclete to be with you forever. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him for he lives with you and will be in you." I. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD WITH US. On Friday of this week, I visited a dear friend of mine who is hospitalized with severe mental depression. This fun-loving, church-going, former bank president who is like a father to me, was sitting motionless on the side of his bed. His ...
... your hand exactly as I am doing now. When you feel my hand, know that I will not leave you. If you need anything, just squeeze my hand. I'm going to be holding it." David said, “She did and it was tremendous comfort to me." The Holy Spirit is that kind of comforter. The Holy Spirit of God is present with us to comfort us in our time of need. Sometimes we translate the word paraclete as counselor. The wise Counselor is with us. We need someone who will allow us to talk until we know what we are trying to ...
... Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained' (John 20:19-23 ... him who knocks it shall be opened (Luke 11:9-11)." Sweeping words spoken privately to the disciples without any reservations whatsoever. "The Holy Spirit will teach you (in times of trouble) what you are to say (Luke 12:12);" "Fear not, little flock for it is ...
... . Yet peace appears to be a promise unfulfilled. In Zechariah's hymn he too concludes that the Messiah his son John comes to proclaim will guide our feet into the way of peace. This path of peace is the ultimate glory for those who serve God in holiness and righteousness. Peace is the final result of a life lived in Christ's presence and worked out in righteousness. But this peace isn't a destination. Zechariah does not sing of a place of peace. Instead his hymn promises that for those who live in light ...
... shake, and finishes off a twelve ounce Pepsi before coming home to dinner, of course neither one of them is going to want to eat dinner! Even the most favorite food will not be enticing to a body that is already stuffed full of junk-food. What makes Holy Communion "holy" is hunger. If we come to the Lord's table full of hatred, or greed, or jealousy, or envy, or just full of our own self-centered pride - if we come to the Lord's table after having served the false gods of material wealth and earthly power ...
... 't mean to say that you believe that the only way you can get to heaven is by being a Presbyterian, do you!" She thought a minute and said, "No, not really. But no genteel person would think of going any other way."(6) Ha! "I believe in the holy, CATHOLIC church." The word "catholic" is a good word, and it belongs to Presbyterians as much as it does to anyone else. Finally, the word "church." What do we mean when we say "church?" Strange as it seems, nowhere in scripture do we find a definition of the word ...
... of God, can the prophet hear God's voice, and that too is instructive for us. For when we enter into worship before this Holy God, the King of all life, the Lord of hosts, our first act when we realize God's presence in the midst of our ... to confess our sins. And only when God forgives our sins in the Assurance of Pardon can we then hear God speaking to us through the Holy Scripture and sermon. Cleansed, given a new beginning by the love and mercy of God, we can then hear plainly what it is that God desires ...
... I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. -- John 14:26-27 NRSV A Shalom Community The Holy Spirit desires peace. This was true from the beginning chapter of Genesis, where the Spirit of God hovered over the formless void of the earth bringing order, light, and life to the overall view of the Bible where the scriptures' central vision is that all of creation is one. Walter ...
... in God the Father Almighty creator of heaven and earth. We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Holy Spirit as the Divine presence in our lives whereby we are kept in perpetual remembrance of the truth of Christ and find strength and help ... 't have a good English word for this concept that Jesus was trying to communicate to his disciples about the power of the Holy Spirit to come among us and with us to help us, to hold us, to advise us, to give us strength to carry on ...
... the mark when we have sought to shape her apart from God’s vision. God called Israel to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.” Jesus was clear about ti. His church would be built on the faith commitment that he was the Messiah, the Son ... – the One who is omniant, all knowing; the One who is III The Church as an enclave of resistance will be holy, and also charismatic. By charismatic I mean that the Church came to birth through the Spirit, thus the Church lives and ...
... Moses least expected it… and it happened in a most unusual place… out in the wilderness. God’s presence made that desolate place holy and sacred. This simply suggests to us to be ready. God can speak to us at any moment, maybe even when we least ... picks up the dirty towels.” When I heard that, I wanted to take off my shoes because I knew that I was standing on Holy Ground… the holy ground of love and respect for others. Have you heard about the man who fell into a deep man hole? He tried and tried ...
... , the world, the flesh and the devil, are at work. Maybe it is your work place. Maybe it is your school. Maybe it is your neighborhood. Maybe it is your family. Maybe it is your church. Paul’s directive remains: “Greet each other with a holy kiss.” Be in genuine, Christ-directed relationship with all those around you. You are to respect those who are before you. You are responsible for your actions to these others. You are in relationship to these others. There are, in fact, no “others,” for this ...
... Its symbolic images, like the dove and the wildfire, are images of utter freedom." Have we created around ourselves a spiritual vacuum that allows no breath of wind to blow, no flame of fire to ignite? Instead of experiencing doves and flames swooping out from "Holy Spirit holes," are the well-insulated ceilings of our churches, like our souls, closed to any surprise visitations from above? Do you trust the wind? It is the wind-like quality of the Spirit that surprises us, that takes us where we don't want ...
... class. I use this analogy. Water comes in three forms. It is a liquid, but it may also be congealed matter, as in ice, or a vapor, as in steam. Still it is the same substance. So it is with the God whom we know as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." I had to reply, "You mean well, but you are guilty of what the early church called ‘the modalistic heresy,’ dealing with the three persons as mere modes or appearances behind which must be some unknown fourth reality of which they are modes." The same applies to ...
... Spirit descended upon them, and these scared disciples were empowered to change the world for the cause of Christ. That is history. We come today in the season of the Church year to celebrate Pentecost Sunday and my prayer for all of us is this: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. There are three simple things I want to invite you to experience today as a result ...
... , and it moves us to follow him into the work God has for us to do. May we be watching for signs of the Spirit, and go where it leads us, following Jesus. In his name, Amen. Prayer: God of mysterious grace, we thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. We praise you that you continue to touch us with your Spirit, knocking down our walls, giving energy to our faith, leading us toward you. We pray that you would nurture the gift of the Spirit within us and within all people, breaking down all that divides us ...
... be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you… If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?(Luke 11:9,13) It is dangerous to ask for the Holy Spirit. It is easy to fall into the routine, the habitual, the expected, the socially correct. The Spirit breaks out of these molds and replaces these banal forms with creative living. Jesus did not say that his followers would ...