A SABBATH YEAR, THE SUPREME COURT AND A HERETICAL FILM - A RECIPE FOR AMERICAN DISASTER

                                              
 
   In the fall of this year, according to the Jewish calendar, we will enter into what is known as a Sabbath year.  A Sabbath year, according to the Bible, is a year of economic and agricultural rest for God's people and takes place every seventh year, just as the Sabbath day is the seventh day.   Since America was founded by men and women looking for a place to worship God in a Biblical fashion and since this nation was dedicated to God at it's inception, America, in many ways becomes a type of Israel.   For the sake of time and space, I will not outline the similarities, but, if you have not read the Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn, I suggest you get a copy and read it, especially before Summer.  Another amazing book by Cahn is The Mystery Of The Shemitah, in it Rabbi Cahn shows how America has been adversely affected by the last two Sabbath years, 2001 and 2008.  It would be foolish and unethical of me to rewrite Cahn's book in this space, but here is a link to a YouTube video of Cahn, explaining the concepts in his book.  Jonathan Cahn video.  To learn more about Rabbi Cahn's first book and to find a link to his groundbreaking speech at the President's Inaugural Prayer Breakfast please click here!   

If America is affected by the Sabbath year principle, and I believe it is, we will be in for a very rough time the last quarter of 2015.  I believe this for a number of reasons which I will present below.  

Romans chapter 1 deals with the inherent knowledge of God that all people are born with and can determine by looking at the world around them and understanding that a creation requires a creator.  Atheistic philosophy has led to theories of spontaneous life and evolutionary progression from chaos and simplicity to order and complexity.  All known scientific law repudiates the idea of progressing from chaos to order, all sociological study debunks the idea that mankind will choose order and benevolence over greed and not one shred of archaeological evidence supports the idea of one creature transforming into another kind over millions of years.  In fact, the fossil record, to the shame of evolutionists, shows animals reproducing exclusively after their own kind, just as described in the Genesis account.  Here is fun video you can watch demonstrating this fact. Evolution is Stupid  

   Romans chapter one also gives a dire warning about turning away from God's natural order.  Rom 1:19-32  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 
  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 
  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 
 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 
 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 
  and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 
 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 
 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 
  foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.  Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. I believe that this passage, very accurately describes life in America today. Because society has denied the evidence of God's existence, it has by default replaced Biblical truth with a neo-religious system that elevates man and nature to supremacy and kicks God out of the education system, replacing Him with a system that is contrary to true scientific study and common sense.  This system is called Humanism and ultimately pits man against God.  

Notice in the above passage, one of the results of rejecting the knowledge of God is sexual immorality becoming prevalent in society, specifically homosexuality, which completely denies God's order and design.  A society that falls so apostate as to embrace same sex practices is doomed to fall under what international known Bible scholar Chuck Missler refers to as "God's abandonment judgement."  I would have to agree with Mr. Missler on this point.  Any nation, or person for that matter, that rejects God will be rejected by God as well: Jeremiah 15:6  You have rejected me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting. God spoke this to his beloved Israel, whom he refers to as the apple of His eye.  How much more can we, as a nation, expect this response from God as we reject Him in every conceivable manner?  Also - 1Samuel 15:26  And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." This is not just a national rejection, but something that happens on an individual basis as well, here, King Saul Ben Kish, who was hand chosen by God to rule over Israel, is rejected by God for purposely disobeying the Word of God.  

     I have established this criteria as the specific criteria outlined in scripture that prompts God to remove His blessing and protection over a nation.    To this point, this is the year that the U.S. Supreme court will rule, once and for all, on the issue of same sex marriage.  As of now, this is a state by state issue, with, at the time of this writing, 36 states recognizing same sex marriage.  Many states have attempted to pass legislation protecting the Biblical definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, but federal appeals courts have consistently struck down most of those laws, thwarting the will of the people.  This summer, the Supreme court will rule on whether or not the constitution grants the right of same sex marriage.  Should the Court rule that same sex marriage is a protected right under the constitution, all states, regardless of their choice, will be forced to license and accept same sex marriage, thereby granting national endorsement of something God has expressly forbidden.  This can be seen as nothing more than outright rebellion against God and His natural order at a national level.  This single act by the Supreme Court of the United States of America will practically beg God to abandon America and place us under His judgement.  

   I have very little hope that the Court will rule with God on this issue, as, thus far, rulings of this magnitude tend to go toward Satan's agenda for mankind, rather than God's.  Roe v Wade and the abolishing of the Defense of Marriage Act are two examples of the evil ruling that can be expected from the highest court in the land. 

     Concerning the Church, a film is being released in coming weeks, that I believe will tear many churches apart.  The film is called Pass the Light and shows a very negative stereotype of conservative Christians while upholding a social Gospel of "God loves and accepts everyone".  This is a blatant Emerging Church message, the very thing we could expect from heretics like Mark Driscoll, who is currently Oprah Winfery's latest media darling.  The film is about an 18 year old boy who goes up against conservative Christian values (depicted as a ridiculous stereotype, making lunatics like Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church seem to be the norm) and brings a message of acceptance of all people, regardless of their behavior or lifestyle.  Of course, a major plot line deals with the "loving" relationship between two men, and their rejection by Evangelical Christianity.  There is no talk of holiness or repentance, no mention of God's standards or man's separation from God due to sin, only a message of tolerance and acceptance of all lifestyle choices.  The movie stresses the idea that "God loves everyone", and yes, John 3:16 acknowledges that, but God does not accept everyone's lifestyle choices, but calls all men to repentance, and clearly the Bible, over and over again, calls men and women to holiness and the pursuit of righteousness.  Jesus, himself, has commanded us to "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..."  

    What makes this film so spiritually dangerous is that it is being marketed as a faith based film directed at young people which means it will attempt to use faulty reasoning to convince the next generation that the Bible really teaches tolerance as the highest virtue.  Unless these young people have been equipped with the ability to understand who God is and what the Bible teaches about holiness and purity, entire youth groups will be indoctrinated with the Satanic philosophy of "do as thou wilt is the whole of the law."  Many uneducated church goers will be tricked into buying into the message of this film and churches around the country will see turmoil and inner strife such as has never been seen before.  Even the Pope is calling for acceptance of Gays, which is in direct opposition of Roman Catholic doctrine.  

    The Supreme Court will most likely rule in favor of same sex marriage, Pass the Light will undoubtedly cause a major rift in American evangelicalism, leading many to embrace sin in the name of God.   This, coupled with the fact tha we are entering the same spiritual time frame that led to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the two greatest stock market crashes in American history, the Sabbath year, does not bode well for America.  This September, we will enter into the third Sabbath year since 9/11/2001.  We were attacked by the enemies of God in September 2001, the stock market had it's single largest crash in history 7 days later and 7 years later, to the day on the Hebrew calendar, the stock market again, had it's largest crash in American history.  This is hard to call a coincidence.  This September may be an historically bad month for America, not only in light of what I have shared in this blog, but also for a multitude of other spiritual, economic, political and sociological reasons that would be impossible to describe in this format.  The information is out there, start in the Bible and then compare what the Bible teaches to today's headlines and see if you do not see a pattern that leads to America's judgment.  

     All is not hopeless, we know how the story ends, and we know that God is ultimately in control.  Our job is to honor God, strive for holiness and love one another.  I spoke quite a bit against homosexuality and same sex marriage, but the judgment is against the behavior, not the person.  God does indeed love everyone and we are called to love sinners into the kingdom.  The sin that sends people to hell is disbelief, all other sins are forgivable.   The danger is excusing and tolerating sin when Jesus clearly taught the concept of "go and sin no more."   We are to offer God's love and forgiveness without losing sight of His righteous requirements.  Love without the message of sin's consequences is no more virtuous than moral legalism without the message of love and forgiveness.   Both ultimately push people away from God's truth.

    Pray that you are the difference and ask that God would transform you into the image of Christ.


  

A LESSON FROM JOSHUA AND THE GIBEONITES - FINDING FULFILLMENT IN THE WILL OF GOD

    When I consider the words of our Savior, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you," I get truly inspired.  These words are recorded in Mathew 6:33.  This verse helps me keep my life and purpose in perspective.  Life can become overwhelming when I take my eyes off God and His plan for my life, especially when I start to make plans without considering God's input or direction.

     There is no greater contributor to depression, disillusionment and despair than unmet expectations.  Unfortunately, we make plans for our lives without consulting God and end up pursuing things that God never  desired for us.  These things may not be sinful, in and of themselves, but for some of us, they may become sin because they are not God's purpose for us.  How often do we see the Israelites inquire of God and meet success, only to forget to inquire of God later and meet with disaster?

    I am reminded of the story of Joshua being tricked by the Gibeonites.  When Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land, he was commanded by God to utterly destroy all the nations in the land.  God specifically instructed Joshua to not make a treaty with his neighbors.  The Gibeonites disguised themselves as travelers from a far off land and asked Joshua to make a pact with them that they would serve Israel and live in peace.  Joshua agreed to the terms of the treaty but never consulted God on the matter.  Had Joshua consulted God, he would have known that the Gibeonites were deceiving him and he would have destroyed them as God originally commanded.  Instead, Joshua made a hasty covenant with a sinful nation and Israel paid the price for it's disobedience, for many years to come.  

     When we make plans without God's guidance, we risk living in opposition to God.  God will not bless our opposition and we find ourselves unfulfilled and joyless.  This is when we experience the agony of unmet expectations.  No one enjoys  the reality of things not going their way.  In fact, this reality can be debilitating.  

How can we avoid this?  Mathew 6:33.  If we truly seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, we will be walking with God, experiencing His blessing and enablement.  Joy, peace, well being and spiritual fulfillment will be the result of seeking God's plan.  When we do things God's way, we can't lose and we will have the assurance of being in His will and under His protection.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God!

POPE FRANCIS CALLS CHRISTIAN IDEOLOGY AN ILLNESS WHILE CALLING FOR RESPECT FOR OTHER FAITHS

        

  Today, Facebook was lit up with a video of Pope Francis calling ideological Christianity an illness.  Based on the Pope's criticism of conservative Catholics, his attacks on capitalism and his obvious affinity to Islam, it is not hard to deduce the Pontiff is referring to evangelical Christianity.  Though these remarks on Christian ideology were made back in 2013, they reveal the true heart of the Jesuit in Chief.

     Also today, the Pope called for respect for Islam, condemning the mockery of Charlie Hebdo .  The exact words of the leader of the largest group of organized Christianity in the world were, "every faith has it's dignity."  According to the Pope, the Islamic animals that killed people for mocking their dead prophet were somehow justified because their dignity was impugned.  If lives were not lost, this would be laughable! This Pope is truly a disgrace to Catholicism in general and Christianity as a whole.

     Recently, I heard two professed born again Christians state that they respect other religions.  The Pope believes other religions have dignity.  I cannot help but ask these professing  believers, what is it about other religions that you respect?  Do you respect the fact that they deny Jesus Christ?  Do you respect that these other religions are leading billions of people to hell where they will suffer in torment for all eternity?  I am confused as to what it is that is so respectable....

     It is time that believers in Christ wake up and realize that we are in a spiritual war and that the other side has no respect or tolerance for Biblical truth.  Pope Francis has gone out of his way to show the world that he is opposed to Biblical Christianity.  The Vatican has tried to explain away many of the unorthodox heresies that have spewed from the mouth of Francis, but at some point, not even the best spin doctors in the world will be able to control the damage caused by this out of control Pope. 



     

    

STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND - EFFECTIVE HOLY LIVING ACCORDING TO PETER

                                

  In the book of  1 Peter, Peter the Apostle is writing to the “elect exiles of the dispersion” according to verse 1. This means that Peter is writing to Jewish believers who had been driven out of Jerusalem by the religious system. Living in Jerusalem as a first century believer was very difficult and often led to loss of friends, and livelihood. Greek culture was much more open and most Greek cities had established synagogues. As the Jewish believers moved into foreign Greek lands, they were seen as outsiders and brought natural suspicions as any ethnic group might coming in large numbers to a new land.

Peter is writing to these Jewish believers because of they have become strangers in a strange land. Peter does not want them to lose heart and assimilate into the culture, but to remember who they are in Christ and to be proud of their Jewish heritage.

For us, I believe we can find much similarity with these Jewish converts as we are living in a culture that is largely in outright rebellion against God

In chapter 2:9 -  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 

  Peter is reminding them that they are a chosen race – descendants of Abraham. A royal priesthood, and most importantly a people for His own possession.  The question we have to ask is how do we, as Gentile believers, relate to this pep talk Peter is giving to these Jewish believers?  The Apostle Paul answers this question for us  in Romans 11 when he tells us that we are grafted into the vine of Israel.

Romans 11:13-20  Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry   in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 

 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?  If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.   But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,   do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 

  Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 

That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 

By the virtue of the fact that we are spiritually counted as believing Israel, we can claim these titles as well.

Looking back at 1 Peter 2:9, notice our purpose – to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness.

I feel that the church has lost it's holiness in it's quest to assimilate and seem “relevant” to society at large. Instead of being encouraged with words such as these spoken by Peter, it seems we are either terribly uptight and come off prudish, or at the other extreme, tolerant of sin to the point of losing our ability to affect change. Peter wants these believers to be excited about their heritage and their purpose and to live in such a way as to draw positive attention to the Gospel.  

In verse 10 of 1 Peter 2, we see Peter expound on the idea that Israel is exclusively God's.   Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

 Historically, the nation of Israel did not exist until God created it through the calling of Abraham. Israel received mercy from God.  Israel did not seek out God, or just one day decide to follow; God created them as a nation and then provided them with a system of worship that allowed them to be in fellowship with Him.

As we are born into Adam, we are without mercy, until we respond to the Gospel and receive God's mercy.  

In verse 11, Peter, again, reminds the exiles that they are not citizens of the culture of which they live. 1 Peter 2:11  Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 

 They lived in a very indulgent society that was filled with sexual perversion and promiscuity, and pagan revelry. It was very tempting for them to indulge in sin as it was so acceptable in their new culture. Also, wanting to fit in, I am sure there was incredible peer pressure to participate in cultural practices that would displease God.  Peter does not say this flippantly – notice how he not only calls them to holiness, he also acknowledges how difficult it is to live in holiness in such an environment – passions of the flesh war against the soul.

Theses believers left a society that encouraged holy living and punished indulgence, now they are in a seemingly bizarro world where denying the passions of the flesh is considered odd.

We, as modern day believers, also live in a society that shows little restraint in the area of pleasure. We are considered odd and backward by not participating in the sinful behavior or enjoying entertainment that dishonors God. Yes, our desire to indulge can often war against our very soul.

This is why it is so important that we remember the exhortations of vv 9 and 10. We are special, we are different, we are called, we are holy, we are God's possession, set apart to glorify Him.

Sometimes we forget why we are to battle our flesh and once we forget who we are, it is very easy to begin to assimilate into our sinful surroundings.

1 Peter 2:12  Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 

It would appear that Peter is expecting some of his audience to see the return of Christ.  He wants them to behave in such a way that the people around them will understand when Christ returns, why they did what they did. Peter calls us to behave in front of unbelievers so that if Christ returned right now, they would realize what our lives were all about and acknowledge His Lordship.

Also, Peter is not calling us to holiness for the sake of holiness, he is calling us to fill our time and expend our energies on doing good. The danger we often face in the pursuit of holiness is walling ourselves off from the world and in so doing, make it impossible to minister to those in need outside the church.  I perceive that we have two major camps in American Christendom, one is very busy with social issues but not overly concerned with orthodoxy or holiness, while the other camp is busy trying to legislate morality and attack sin outside the church but not real proactive in showing love or actually serving others.

If we can find the place where we recognize who we are in Christ, have concern for the needs of those around us and strive toward personal holiness and proper behavior, I believe that would be a combination that would create that saltiness that Jesus told us to have.  

Peter gives us a good deal to think about.  How do we balance our abstinence from sinful indulgences and still serve those around us in an effectual manner?  By remembering that we are called to be a holy, royal nation of priests, set apart by God to bring glory to His name.  The key is knowing who we are in Christ and  remembering that our citizenship is not of this earth, but of a heavenly city in the presence of God.

STARTING A NEW DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAM - A KEY ELEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

    Tonight, I, along with 4 other men, will be embarking on, what I trust will be an exciting spiritual adventure.  We are beginning a 6 month discipleship journey.  We each come from varied denominational backgrounds and range in age from early twenties to mid fifties.  The key is that we will be focusing on Jesus Christ and our desire to glorify His name in our individual lives.  I am expecting the unexpected and I am anticipating foundational change in the lives of each of us as we submit our wills to that of Christ.

     The course is set up to be self replicating, as each man, upon completion, should be equipped to lead his own group.  We all attend different churches and this could be an opportunity for each one of us to bring this, or a similar program to our churches. I think this journey actually started for me a few months ago, when I met Dr. David Craig, a candidate for lead pastor at Berean Bible Church.  Dr. Craig described the discipleship program he utilized to grow churches.  I am not using Dr. Craig's program, but a hybrid program based on Oswald Sanders discipleship series and a study guide of my own design, but I am using the same principles explained to me by Dr. Craig.

    I have been involved in discipleship in the past, but on a much smaller scale.  I view the need and value of long term discipleship to be incalculable in today's church, as I see so much sin and Biblical ignorance in the Christian community at large.  I hope to develop and implement a program that is relevant to today's society while at the same time, recognizing the unchanging doctrines and precepts taught in the Bible.  One reason I am committed to discipleship is because many years ago, as a young believer, I was serving a church.  I felt as if I needed some mentoring and guidance from a more seasoned believer and was not aware of the concept of discipleship.  I contacted my pastor, who turned me over to an assistant pastor, and the assistant pastor told me that I was a self starter and did not need any help.  I was serving and involved with quite a few ministries, but I was young and still growing in my faith and knowledge of the Word.  Needless to say, I was left on my own and recognize how beneficial discipleship would have been to me.  I want to provide the opportunity to others that I was denied.

     I believe that God has blessed me with an opportunity to be involved in something that matters and can have long term value to the Christian community.  I pray that as others around the country implement similar programs of discipleship, the church can experience revival and see meaningful outreach that does not sacrifice Biblical truth for numbers, as so many Emerging and purpose driven models seem to be doing.  (Click on these links for examplse: Selling Jesus    New Evangelicalism - book review    on American culture )


    Discipleship is something commanded by Christ and should not be replaced with evangelistic programs that merely attempt to "win souls".  Evangelistic techniques that simply provide the plan of salvation, without intentional follow up and education are tantamount to creating a illegitimate spiritual babies and leaving them to fend for themselves.  This type of evangelism is ineffectual and does not allow for lasting change in churches or communities.  Discipleship offers the opportunity for people to become grounded in faith and to see that faith is a daily lifestyle choice, not a church membership issue.  

I encourage every believer to be involved in the discipleship process, either in finding a program that can enrich your spiritual journey or in finding someone to mentor.  Dr. Craig demonstrated to me that discipleship programs not only grow churches, but grows them through new conversions.  I believe time is short, but I also believe there will be one more big move of God before the final trumpet.  I believe that discipleship will be a key component to seeing that move take place.  

As I am very passionate about this issue, I am willing to help anyone who is interested in embarking on this journey.  Please leave your contact info in the comment section or contact me through Google + if there is anything I can do to help.   I will be posting the progress of this program, and detailing what works and what does not work so well.  I intend to create a complete program this year and will also make it available online at some point - God willing.  

May God bless your spiritual journey!

THE HOLY SPIRIT - INDWELLING VS INFILLING

  In the book of I Samuel, we find the amazing account of a young man, who, while out searching for lost donkeys, has a "chance" encounter with God's prophet and ends up anointed king of a nation!  Young Saul, the son of Kish, is sent out by his father to find, to find donkeys that had wandered off.  Saul's servant suggests they go to the Seer, Samuel.  God told Samuel that Saul would be coming and that he was to anoint Saul king over Israel.  After Saul is anointed king by Samuel, he heads home, but on the way, he meets a company of prophets and the Bible tells us that the Spirit of God came upon him and he was a changed man.  
 

     Saul experienced what many in the church today would refer to as the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  This infilling empowers God's people to experience and/or perform the supernatural.  Samson experienced the same empowerment when he exhibited super-human strength.  The Holy Spirit met Saul and empowered him to prophesy among the prophets.  This infilling was and still is, according to our obedience.  When Samson had violated all three commands God had given him, he lost his strength, likewise, when Saul disobeyed God, he lost his Spiritual favor and empowerment.  

     In the life of the believer, we have access to this spiritual empowerment as well.  In fact, without the infilling, we are powerless to serve God effectively.  The infilling is according to our obedience.  This infilling does not affect our salvation, as that is sealed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  When we accept Christ, we become indwelt by God Himself, through the person of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is not some cosmic power supply that enables us to experience the supernatural, but a living personal member of the trinity, in other words, He is God, just as Jesus is God and as the Father is God.  

     At salvation, we become indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are transformed into a new creation.  As believers, we are regenerated and sealed for eternity.  At the point of salvation, we become dual natured, on the one hand, we have our old sinful, nature and on the other, we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, making available to us the ability to serve and please God.  This indwelling, does not overtake us, nor does it control us, we enter into a partnership with God and we must cooperate with His spirit that is within us.  In I Corinthians 14:32, we are told that the Spirit is subject to the prophet, meaning that God does not force Himself on us or take control over us, but that we must be willing participants in His work.  Beware those who say, "I couldn't help myself, I was overcome by the Spirit."  

     The indwelling was not available to the Old Testament saints, it is only for the church.  The Old Testament saints experienced the infilling.  As believers, we too can experience the infilling, in addition to the indwelling.  Think of yourself as a cup with a hole in the bottom.  As you are in obedience to God, you are under the fountain of His spirit and you can experience peace and joy, enablement to serve Him and even, sometimes, miracles.  When we are outside of God's will, pursuing our own agenda or wilfully sinning, we leak the infilling of the Spirit and become filled with the pollution of the world.  In fact, we are in constant contact with the pollution of the world and that pollution is in constant competition with God over control of our lives.  The Spirit does not leave us, as we are indwelt, but the power the Spirit imparts to us leaves or is crowded out when we pursue interests that are not God's interests.  

    It is imperative that the believer remains in fellowship with God and shuns the sinful influences of the society around us.  This is accomplished by having a daily time of Bible study and prayer, fellowship with other believers, and avoiding the things that cause us to stray away from God's will.  There is no set of rules that fit every believer as everyone's relationship with God is personal and should be pursued in a personal manner.  Yes, there are some behaviors and activities that are universally wrong for all believers, such as immorality, but, on matters of food and observances, the Bible allows for each to decide for himself.  It is only when we express our faith in a personal way with God, that we can truly experience the infilling.

     Some churches teach that the infilling is a second blessing, or a baptism of the Spirit that we have to ask for or have imparted to us by the laying on of hands.  There is no Biblical basis for this belief, what we do see is men and women of God, who are faithfully serving, receiving supernatural assistance to accomplish God's will.  This infilling is not an event that we can bring on at a prayer meeting but an intentional lifestyle choice in which we choose to live lives pleasing to God and "putting off that which hinders us" as the Apostle Paul commands us in scripture.  The indwelling that all believers experience is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that takes place at the point of salvation.  

   If you are a born again believer, and you are feeling powerless or ineffective spiritually, examine your heart in light of scripture, ask God, as the Psalmist did, to search your heart and show your areas of your life that need cleaning.  Develop a plan and habit of Bible study and prayer, fellowship with those who will encourage your walk with God and flee from things that draw you away from God.  This is what we call the process of sanctification, allowing God's Spirit to transform us into His image.  This is when we can experience the infilling along with the indwelling and maximize our partnership with God to glorify His name and lead others to Christ.

   Your path to infilling began at your salvation, but is a daily commitment to holiness that allows us to experience all God has for us through His spirit.  I pray that you will be all that you can be, by the power of God!

A NEW YEAR AND A NEW FOCUS - RESET FOR 2015

                                           

As each new year dawns, I like to reflect back and evaluate my life from the previous year.  I generally focus on my failures and weaknesses and determine how I can do better.  I see the new year as a reset button of sorts where I get to start fresh and make new goals and aspirations.  Because we make such a big deal about the turning of the new year, it naturally becomes a time of evaluation and self inspection for many.  I am reminded of the scripture passage, "His mercies are new every morning..."  Just as the dawning on a each day gives us new opportunities to get it right, so too, with the dawning of a new year, we tend to think in these terms but on a grander scale.

Last year I determined to live a holier life and read at least 2 books per month.  To some degree I accomplished the first goal, but not any where near as well as I could have or should have.  You never realize how far you are from God's standard until you begin trying to move toward it.  I have much more work to do in 2015.  On my second goal, I blew it out of the water with over 30 books read.  I hope to increase my goal to 3 books per month this year.  

This year, my main focus will be different than any other, this year, I am going to pursue God and his calling on my life.  Yesterday, I was listening to a message by John MacArthur and was strongly convicted.  I gained from his message that the primary purpose of the believer is to live a life in pursuit of God's holiness and purpose.  I thought about that and what it meant to me, specifically, and realized that my focus and calling is discipleship.

As it so happens, I found myself in the privileged position of being able to come alongside a brother in the Lord and begin a study with him on the book of James.  This study has prompted me to develop a discipleship program which kicks off on January 12.  I, along with the men who will be joining the group, am looking forward to what God will be doing in our lives.  

What I realized from John MacArthur is that this discipleship program should be the main focus of my life for the coming year.  My goal this year is to develop a dynamic discipleship program that will have real impact on the lives of those who participate in it and can be replicated by anyone who completes the program.  My goal is not to create followers for myself, but to equip others for works of service unto Christ.  After 6 months, each participant should be able to lead their own group.  This is what I believe God intended for the church, from the beginning and what I believe Paul was doing with guys like Timothy and Titus.  

I would like to encourage you to set a spiritual goal for 2015, you will be amazed at what God can and will do with you and through you if you allow Him!