Time with Jesus - Sunday, 10 February 2013
Hi all,
When it comes to the working of the Holy Spirit on
earth today, there are many conflicting views. Some say the gifts of the Holy
Spirit, were only available in the early days of the church. God used them to
“launch” the church. Then, with the death of the last apostle, they were taken
away. The theory is that Christians were by then sufficiently mature to have no
further need for the gifts of the Spirit. Some say, they are still available to
those who seek the Lord. Today He continues to pour out His Gifts of the Holy
Spirit as He wills. As a result, many are deluded into thinking that anything
from nervous ticks, hysterical laughter and similar manifestations must be evidence
of the moving of the Holy Spirit. Of course, it is possible that such
manifestations might be from the Holy Spirit. What we should never do. is
discard anything on the basis that it isn’t in line with our opinion. Many of
the Pharisees of Jesus’ day made this mistake.
The apostle John referred to this in his first epistle:
1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone
who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they
have comes from God. For there are many
false prophets in the world. 2 This
is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If
a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real
body, that person has the Spirit of God. 1
John 4:1-2 NLT
Referring to this passage, the Life Application Study
Bible states; "Do not believe
everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the
spirit they have comes from God" This means that we shouldn't believe everything
we hear, just because someone says it is a message from God. There are many
ways to test teachers to see if their message is truly from the Lord. One is to
check to see if their words match what God says in the Bible. Other tests include
their commitment to the body of believers (1 John
2:19), their life-styles (1 John 3:23-24), and the fruit of their ministries ( 1John
4:6). But the most important test
of all, says John, is what they believe about Christ. Do they teach that Jesus
is fully God and fully man? Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak
for God. Give them these tests to see if they are indeed speaking God's truth.
We should all seek to apply these few words of
instruction in our daily lives. It will go a long way toward keeping us on the
straight and narrow.
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Sunday, 10 February 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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Ask The Holy Spirit
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Twelve years ago,
Phyllida and I were in Syria. We lived in Homs and formed a close attachment
with several people. This accounts for our interest in what is happening in
Syria and Homs at present.
The majority of Syrians
are Muslim. There is a small number of Greek Orthodox Christians and a few
Jews, all of whom were more or less integrated into the population. There was
also a number of Palestinians among the inhabitants. People who claimed they
were displaced when Israel was established as a country in 1948. Strangely
enough, these people were not anti-Jewish. Their “beef” was with the state of
Israel.
Living in a Muslim
country was a fascinating experience. We found the people hospitable and
welcoming. They introduced us to concepts that were strange to us. Among them
was their idea, that anyone who came from UK or America, was a Christian. Of
course, we knew better. But we all make assumptions about what other people
are like in foreign lands. Phyllida and I were never asked whether or not we
were Christians. There was no need for them to do so. We were from a “Christian
country” so we were Christians. We were all “lumped together” as Christians,
regardless of our denominational, or non-denominational preferences.
This is a very common
error; one which we tend to make ourselves. Saying “Syria is a Muslim Nation”,
does not take into consideration the many different Muslim sects found there.
It follows, that when we say we are living in a Christian country, some
errors immediately spring into the conversation. The biggest error, is to say
that a country is Christian. By definition that is impossible. Only an
individual can be a Christian. There is no such thing as a Christian horse.
Likewise, there is no such thing as a Christian country. A piece of real
estate may belong to a Christian. But the real estate can never be Christian.
Taking this a little
further, we must understand that within Christianity, there is a plethora of
different belief systems. To gather everyone into one belief system is
foolish. Roman Catholics and Baptists are not the same. They may share a number
of beliefs, but they are very different.
Sadly, the word
“Christian” is misunderstood and is hated in some quarters. Too many wicked
things have been done in the name of Christianity. That’s why Phyllida and I
have dropped the word in favour of “Christ Follower”. It is more descriptive
of a life style. Perhaps we should go back to the original expression,
followers of “The Way”? In today’s meditation, I’ve contrasted the beliefs of
followers of “the way” with those of 1) a typical modern Liberal Christian, 2)
A New Age Believer, 3 An agnostic or 4) An atheist. These views and opinions
are very different. Sadly, “Christ Followers” are seen as fundamental
extremists!
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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20 Yes, He can strike a
rock so water gushes out, but He can't give His people bread and
meat." 21 When the LORD heard them, He was furious. The fire
of His wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, His anger rose against Israel.
Psalm
78:20-21 NLT
1 I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and
sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness
long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and
all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized
as followers of Moses. 3 All of
them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from
the spiritual rock that travelled with them, and that rock was Christ.
5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were
scattered in the wilderness
1 Cor
10:1-5 NLT
34 One of the soldiers,
however, pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water
flowed out
John
19:34 NLT
5 But he was wounded for
our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah
53:5 ESV
40 yet you refuse to come
to me that you may have life.
John
5:40 ESV
13 "For My people
have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living
waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.
Jer 2:13
NASB
37 On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus
took his stand. He cried out, "If anyone
thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
John 7:37
MSG
17 The Holy Spirit and the bride say,
"Come!" Let those who hear say, "Come!" Anyone who is
thirsty should come. Anyone who wants to take the
free gift of the water of life should do so.
Rev 22:17 NIrV
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Water is essential, for those who want
to live.
For people who are thirsty, its
essential that we give,
Water that is drinkable and largely
free of salt.
If you do not give it, they’ll die and
it’s your fault!
Back there in the wilderness, Moses
got it right.
“Strike the rock” God told him and
they beheld the sight,
Of water flowing freely, from a rock
that looked so dry!
Their thirst was quenched completely
and so they didn’t die.
For forty years it happened. They
dined on heaven’s food.
We’re told it had the flavour,
according to the mood,
Of everyone who tasted the water and
the bread.
About two million people would drink
and were well fed.
We wonder why God did it. He’d
sentenced them to death.
So why not kill them quickly? Why let
them waste their breath?
But that is not the method, which God
would ever choose.
Forever He’s compassionate and
wouldn’t hold such views.
This happened in the physical, while
they were on the earth.
Then Jesus made His visit and spoke of
second birth.
He spoke of “living” water. His “body”
was the bread.
It may sound very strange to us, but
that is what He said.
His Spirit would be in us and we would
overflow,
In ways that only God above could
understand and know.
This special kind of water, we’d get
from Him for free.
An undeserving gift of grace, He’d
grant to you and me.
It never could and never would, be
based on what we’d done,
But only on the Master; God’s One and
only Son.
But people want to work for it. They
think that they can earn,
The gift of Christ the Saviour. Some
folk will never learn.
They think that by self-effort they’ll
get to God Most High.
They keep on working desperately for
somewhere in the sky.
They do not want the Spirit. “It must
be done my way!”
Is what this kind of person will think
about and say.
They think that the atonement is
immoral and is wrong!
They think that they are good enough
and they will join the throng
Of those who are developing into divinity.
That Jesus Christ was just a man Who
looks like you and me.
They’re on their way to godhood.
Religion’s all the same;
That we are fundamentalists and that
our silly claim,
That Jesus Christ is God most High.
They say it is “hate speech”.
That all the “god’s” are equal and all
within our reach.
But they have been deluded by,
humanistic aims.
And so refuse to tolerate God’s
realistic claims.
So what is the solution? What can
God’s people do?
Let God’s Holy Spirit speak from deep
inside of you!
Jim Strickland
Written
10th February
2012
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