The Holy Spirit: Our Help Right Here, Right Now

 

Romans 8:11

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

 

 

Thoughts for Today:

 

Christ's death on the cross is God's way of getting at the core of sin in our body, mind, and spirit. God condemned mankind's sinful nature on the cross so it would have no more right or control over us. However, He did not eliminate sin -- He only removed its consequence (for believers) which is death. It's important to realize it is the Holy Spirit who is our Deliverer from sin while we remain in our mortal bodies. He is our help right here and now.

Paul writes: "He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you." The Holy Spirit allows us to live the Christian life where we are today -- in the middle of this sin infested world. In other words, down here is where we need the help which God has given us through His Holy Spirit. In John 17:15 Jesus prayed for us: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." The Holy Spirit is God's answer to Jesus' prayer.

 

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

How are we to deal with our sinful nature?

How do we overcome our tendency to give in to fleshly habits, activities or desires?

 

Paul tells us:

The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is in us,

and He will live His life through us. God has given us His own Spirit to claim victory over our sinful nature.

 

Isn't that cause for great celebration?

Do You Have the Spirit of Christ?

Romans 8:9

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

 

 

Thoughts for Today:

 

In Acts 19, when Paul first arrived in Ephesus, he met some men who knew about Jesus, had been taught about Jesus, and even might have believed that Jesus was Messiah. However, the big problem was Paul didn't see any evidence of the Holy Spirit. So he asked them (verses 2-7), "'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' They answered, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' So Paul asked, 'Then what baptism did you receive?' 'John's baptism,' they replied. Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.' On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

If we are not conscious of the Spirit's presence in our lives then it would be wise to do what Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -- unless, of course, you fail the test?" Knowing about Jesus, reading the Bible, memorizing Scripture, doing good works, or regular attendance at church does not equate to salvation. Only a relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior will do. This is what Paul means when he writes: "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." I think we make an error when we divide Christians into the two categories of Spirit-filled and non-Spirit-filled. Paul's point today is simple: If a person does not have God's Holy Spirit, then they are not a Christian at all.

 

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

Do you belong to Christ ?  How do you know ?

Do you just have information about Jesus or a relationship ?

Ask yourself these questions:

Has the Spirit given you the desire to honor Jesus?

Is the Spirit guiding you to become more like Jesus?

Is the Spirit at work in your heart? In your life?

If you don't know or are unsure, ask God for His Holy Spirit.

The Bible says,

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

Equip your chidren to stand firm in their faith.

 

“…Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” - 1 Peter 3:15

As back-to-school approaches, now is the time to prepare your kids spiritually for what lies ahead. Forgiveness, jealousy, sin, purity and more the READY REFERENCE guide is a pocket-sized resource to equip students with the foundational truths that will help them stand firm and grow in their faith.  Kids often ask, "What does the Bible say about...?" Create a special family devotional time to answer their questions. And use the READY REFERENCE as a guide for family Scripture memorization. From the A-B-C's of salvation, key Bible passages by topic, prophecies fulfilled, how to live a Christian life and much more the READY REFERENCE guide is a great family resource for back-to-school and all year long!								This credit card size booklet folds out to reveal dozens of Bible verse references.

Have you invited your pastor?

Here’s what church leaders are saying:

“Our church membership has embraced The Pocket Testament League's "Read, Carry, Share" program with open arms. Many members who have never shared their faith before are now actively sharing God's Word.  As a pastor I have always encouraged God's people to share their faith and now we have a wonderful, God sent, tool for accomplishing this. I would encourage every pastor to challenge their people to get involved in building a Pocket Powered Church. It will change lives!”

Who is The Pocket Testament League?

Over 120 years ago, a young girl kept a part of Scripture in her pocket and would pray every day for one person to share it with! She and her teenage friends started The Pocket Testament League. Today, The League serves churches with free resources to help others catch the vision of how easy it can be to share the Word of God with a lost world.

The League provides:

• Free evangelism training
• Free pocket-sized Gospels of John (available in 9 languages!)
• And much more

Churches large and small are benefiting from these free resources. Please invite your pastor to learn more! As a special thanks for inviting your pastor, we would like to bless your personal ministry of evangelism by sending you 5 pocket-sized Gospels of John to share. Use our online form to invite your pastor today! 

Ever-Increasing Wickedness, or Holiness?

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Romans 6:19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.     Thoughts for Today:   In the Roman Empire, slavery was a very common practice. In fact, history tells us that in Paul's day over one half of the population were slaves. I think it is one of the reasons why Paul says: "I put this in human terms..." Rather, in words his audience can relate to. Many Americans have difficulty understanding what it means to be a slave. In our society it has become a foreign concept. We place an incredibly high value on freedom and independence. In John 8:31-34, Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. He said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They responded, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Sounds a little bit like Americans, doesn't it? Prideful in their freedom, yet not realizing how sin has placed us all in bondage. A slave doesn't have much difficulty understanding what it means to serve the master's will -- freemen sometimes do. A freeman thinks every decision he makes is of his own will; he foolishly discounts the effect of the sinful nature. Or as Paul puts it: "you are weak in your natural selves". So it doesn't matter if we are free men in our society or not -- we are still slaves. The choice is: Are we slaves to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness, or to righteousness which leads to holiness?     Questions to Ponder:   Do you truly seek freedom?   Jesus told us: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."   Jesus is truth and only He can set us free from slavery to sin.   Will you accept His freedom today?

Justification, Not a One-Time Event !

Romans 3:24a

...and are justified...

 

 

Thoughts for Today:

 

A long time ago I was taught an easy way to remember the meaning and concept of justification: "Just as if I hadn't sinned."

I was speaking with a young man recently who was concerned about his salvation because he had fallen back into some of his old sinful ways. He couldn't imagine why or how God would forgive him once again. I explained we are all susceptible to sin no matter how hard we try. Justification ("just as if I hadn't sinned") is not a one-time event -- it's an action which happens continually -- as long as we desire and pursue a relationship with the Lord through repentance: turning away from our sin while asking to be forgiven.

I think perhaps the King James translation of our passage today provides a clearer understanding: "Being justified..." Which means: Justification didn't take place only the day we were saved or baptized -- it's taking place at this very moment -- we are right now "being justified".

Sin can often make us feel as if we have forfeited the access and right to be in God's Holy presence. Not so. Justification is a continuous cleansing process -- a declaration of righteousness which God provides through faith and trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

Has sin made you feel a little dirty today?

Do you feel unworthy --

feel like you need to clean up your act before the next time you pray?
Paul tells us we are being justified right now --

the work has been done -- our sin paid for --

not just the past, but the present and future as well.

Isn't that Good News ! ?

Will you accept;

friendship, reconciliation, and forgiveness God offers through Jesus?

Shall We Continue to Live in Sin?

Romans 6:1-2

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

 

 

Thoughts for Today:

 

In our passage today is God's answer to whether or not we should continue to live in sin once we are saved: "By no means!" "Of course not!" "God forbid!" Or -- "You've got to be kidding!"

There are two concepts in the Bible that many of us have difficulty understanding: they are related to justification and sanctification. It is the difference between just being saved and being made into the kind of people we should be because we are set apart by God. "You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." (Leviticus 20:26)

Justification is an act; sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit. Justification happened for us the day we accepted and trusted Jesus -- we were declared righteous and our guilty verdict was over-turned. Then God began a work in us that continues to this day. Justification is instant; however sanctification is a lifelong process. Justification is the means; sanctification is the end. Justification declares the sinner righteous; sanctification makes the sinner righteous. Justification removes the guilt and penalty of sin; sanctification removes the growth and power of sin.

Many Christians try to fight sin by preaching what I call the "don'ts" -- don't do this and don't do that. However, Paul's method was something Bible scholars call "positional sanctification." In other words, know where you stand in Jesus -- your new identity (verses 3-5); know you have liberty by the cross of Jesus (verses 6-15); and know some things about Jesus' own heart and what's important to Him (verses 16-23).

 

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

Paul states: "We died to sin,"

then asks: "How can we live in it any longer?"

What sin are you keeping around?

What areas of your life can still use some work?

We know sanctification is a lifelong process --
has it continued or have you stopped growing in Christ?