Stand Or Fall!

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

“If you do not stand firm in your faith,
    you will not stand at all.” Isa. 7:9

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Our youth Pastor, Brad Hackett preached the service last Sunday. His was a hard message about repentance and the hardest verse to read in the Bible.

At the beginning of his pastoral chat he made a prediction. 2016 will be a year when many people will have to make a decision to truly make Jesus Lord and begin obeying Him or forsake Him altogether.

He’s not wrong. There was a time when Christians could just sort of blend in. Our culture and our faith were close enough in appearance that being a Christian and being a non-Christian were not that different in terms of behavior. Most people, Christian and non-Christian thought things like abortion, sex before marriage, living together, homosexuality, rebellion in teenagers were bad things, problems for society. Most people, Christian and non-Christian thought sexual purity was a thing to be honored, life was a thing to be valued and marriage was a valuable and essential aspect of society.

Have you noticed Christians don’t blend so well anymore? When you say something like “Living together before marriage is an ungodly choice.” or “Homosexuality is listed as a sin in the Bible.” You might as well say,”I would really like it if you would just hate me and ostracize me from polite society.”

Listen, I am not much for focusing on people’s sins. I believe we ought to focus more on bringing them to Jesus, but the truth of the matter is the latter leads to the former every time and folks are coming to the place where they are not just down on our moral choices they are down on the God we serve. Jesus is OK as long as He is just a friend, buddy or acquaintance, but when He starts asking to be Lord, well that’s where many in our society are starting to get off the band wagon.

In such an atmosphere Christians are learning that if we are to stand at all we must stand firm or we won’t stand at all. We are given less and less wiggle room in this world where license is lauded and Christianity is considered more of a scandal than a faith. The world may hate us for it but they need to see a faith that will do two things: Stand firm and Stand firm lovingly.

So as 2016 approaches let me encourage you to first stay sweet. Don’t let the morality slide of our culture turn you into a hate mongerer BUT stand firm. Don’t let anyone shame you for taking a stand for holiness. Be kind in your convictions. Be loving in your convictions. Be biblical in your convictions. In doing those things you will stand firm.

 

Share Your World 2015 Week #52

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

And folks this week is a wrap for 2015. Next week we start a whole new season of sharing our worlds and I believe 2016 is going to be a whole new ball of wax. It’s going to be the bee’s knees. It’s going to be the cat’s pajamas!! Oh boy am I excited to see what the New Year brings!!

The great host of Cee’s 2015 contributors can be found by clicking HERE

HERE ARE CEE’S 5 QUESTIONS AND MY 5 ANSWERS FOR THE FINAL WEEK OF 2015!

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SHARE YOUR ROAR!

 

Tell how you are feeling today in the form of a weather report. (For example, partly cloudy, sunny with a chance for showers, etc.) 

Foggy with a mix of precipitation and an occasional thunderstorm. I am admittedly a bit tired and cranky today.

What is most memorable about your high school years?

The most memorable thing about high school was my involvement in a group called Christ’s Ambassadors ( C.A.’s for short). It was in this group that I made all of my long term friendships and truly learned what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. I met my wife in C.A.’s and was called to the ministry out of that group.

Have you ever owned a rock, pet rock, or gem that is not jewelry?

Yes! Yes! and Yes! to all of the above. I was a rock collector as a child and when my parents wouldn’t buy me a pet rock I made one. His name was Charlie.

Complete this sentence:  I like watching…

Sci-fi/ fantasy. I know…I know I should probably say Bible stories or preaching videos but I am a science fiction fantasy nerd . While there are many Scyfy shows I cannot in good conscience watch I do watch others. I particularly like shows like The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl. I just started watching The Expanse and dare I say it I am a Haven junky. I just saw that the Shannara Chronicles is coming to MTV. I am going to have to give it a look see even though MTV has never been allowed on my television set.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for a peaceful Christmas (I actgually had two whole days off). I am looking forward to all God will do in 2016.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Gathering

Posted on by under Photography

I noticed that I missed a week of Photo Challenge and so this is me catching up. Here are some photos of GATHERING.

Check out other gatherings at the underlined link above:

We gather to worship
We gather to encourage one another
We gather for fellowship
We gather to minister
Until we gather at the river (this one isn’t mine. It belongs to my daughter Melanie)

 

Pastor Wrinkles’ Sunday Quips & Quotes 12-27-15

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles, Uncategorized

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Hey there folks! Here is a new challenge for all my Sunday readers. Every Sunday I will post one quip or quote that struck me during the week. You can join along in the quipping and quoting. Here is what to do:

Publish a post of your own, using one quip or quote that grabbed you during the week. You can add a picture to it if you like or even photograph the quote from it’s source.

Link back to my post

You can include the Pastor Wrinkle’s Q& Q photo in your post if you think my mug worthy of your blog.

Quote of the week:

This week’s quote is in the form of a question

“Are you part of the INN crowd or are you one of the STABLE few?” Anon

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Road Through Romans: The Thing About Spiritual Gifts 4

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles, Uncategorized

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We have been discussing the baptism in the Holy Spirit in relationship to Romans 1:11 “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—”

If you need to play catch up you can do that on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

The question I want to discuss today is this, If the baptism in the Holy Spirit is such an important part of the Christian experience, how does one obtain it?”

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift, a promise. In one sense there is nothing we can do to obtain it. Jesus said, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49

According to this, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit and He clothes us with the Holy Spirit (baptizes us). Our job or part according to Acts chapter 1:4 is to wait for it, to put ourselves in a resting position focused on Christ until He baptizes us.

In my own experience I waited for two weeks. I spent time every day waiting quietly before the Lord, worshiping both at the church altar and at my bedside. I believed that it could happen and one day when I was worshiping I felt this great emotional swelling from the pit of my stomach. I can’t say why exactly but I knew this was it. I opened my mouth and began to speak words that came to mind. They were not English words. I don’t know what they were but I knew the experience was changing me. The feeling in the pit of my stomach just grew stronger and brighter and I was filled with a new certainty a deeper certainty of the reality of Jesus.

There are many misconceptions about tongues:

Some think that talking in tongues is a sign of being out of control. Not so. When I speak in tongues I am aware of what I am doing. I can start and stop at will. Many times now I even understand what I am praying about in the foreign tongue. I can even control the volume and the timing of  it. Not being able to control tongues is actually a sign of inner carnality.

Some would say that tongues is a sign that you have arrived and are on a higher spiritual plane than other believers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Tongues is a manifestation of the Spirit but does not indicate a person’s actual level of sanctification. The baptism in the Spirit can lead a person deeper into spirituality but only if that person allows the Spirit to move beyond the display of tongues into the work of inner sanctification. Many choose to stop at the side show and go no further. They allow themselves to be satisfied with making people think they are spiritually superior rather than actually growing in the things of the Spirit.

Tongues according to Paul in 1 Corinthians is the least of all the gifts. I consider it the gateway to the other gifts and a passage way to a higher level of sanctification. I need to go through the gate to get to what Paul calls the greatest gifts 1 Corinthians 13. If I choose to go through the gate and then hang out at the gate though I accomplish little (and believe me there are plenty of tongue talkers hanging out at the gates).

My goal in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit was not to talk in tongues but to become strong in the Lord and the power of His might and that thought will lead us on to tomorrow’s discussion in Romans 1:12

I know some of my thoughts are controversial even among conservative Christians. That’s Ok. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on Holy Spirit.

Road Through Romans: The Thing About Spiritual Gifts Pt. 3

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles, Uncategorized

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Last time we had a discussion on Paul’s letter to the Romans, we were dealing with Romans 1:11. I mentioned that I thought perhaps the spiritual gift Paul wanted to impart to the Romans was the actual baptism in the Holy Spirit.

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— Ro. 1:11

If you missed that discussion you can catch up with it on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

I believe the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a very important even (dare I say it) necessary part of salvation. Oh I am not saying we need the baptism in the Holy Spirit to get to Heaven. I am saying we need it to make us strong.

Jesus said it this way:

“very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:7-15

In another place he said,

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit….you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:4, 5, 8

What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Maybe our fellowship’s statement will help you understand a little better.

 

All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.

This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth.

With the baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as:

  • an overflowing fullness of the Spirit, John 7:37-39 [KJV/NIV], Acts 4:8 [KJV/NIV]
  • a deepened reverence for God, Acts 2:43 [KJV/NIV], Hebrews 12:28 [KJV/NIV]
  • an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work, Acts 2:42 [KJV/NIV]
  • and a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost, Mark 16:20 [KJV/NIV]
  • The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance.
    • Acts 2:4 [KJV/NIV]- Taken from ag.org

This gift was important to Jesus and as we learned in the last post it was important to Paul. I think in light of that it should be important to us.

Thoughts?