Tag Archives: Bible study

Pastor Wrinkles: House On Fire Pt. 1

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I was recently charged with the responsibility of holding a discussion class on the book of Acts over a twelve week period. Some of my readers have asked if I could share the class as an on-line discussion because they could not make it out to the Wednesday night talk backs. I have never tried such a thing before; But I figure, what’s to be lost by giving it the old college heave-ho? So let’s all have a discussion on the book of Acts shall we?

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “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.”

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But 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 1:1-8 NIV

Some quick notes as we begin:

The Book of Acts is addressed to Theophilus which basically translates “God lover” or  “Friend of God”. He could have been a real person or maybe the book is simply addressed to any person who loves God.

The Book is officially entitled The Acts of the Apostles, but it is important to note  the chief actor in the book is the Holy Spirit through the apostles.

The author of this book is traditionally accepted as Luke the physician who accompanied the apostle Paul on his missionary journey. This is the testimony of the early church fathers: Eusebius, Clement, Origen, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. Further both the Gospel of Luke and Acts are addressed to Theophilus seeming to make them two parts of a whole.

The book is dated to around 63 A.D. and covers the span of time from around 33- 63 A.D. when Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Neither Paul’s death (65 A.D.) or the fall of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) are mentioned.

Here is my first question for discussion:

Acts 1:1-8 mentions that Jesus taught many things after his resurrection. We see some of these teachings in Acts 1:1-8/ John 20:19-21:23/ Luke 24:13-49/ Mark 16:9-20/ Ma 28:16-18

Create a list of  things you see Jesus teaching post resurrection. If you could only sit in on one of these teaching which would you choose? Why?

I will give you a few days to ponder this first question before I post the next. I look forward to our discussion. 🙂

Pastor Wrinkles: Shaken & Stirred Pt. 4

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Here is the next excerpt from Sunday morning’s sermon.

If you missed any of the earlier portions they can be found here:

http://wp.me/p39vIx-zf

Here

http://wp.me/p39vIx-zt

And here

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We were  discussing the believer’s need to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have often heard it said that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not for everyone. Yet Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2: 39.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for everyone!

Hear me Christian, if you will receive His baptism you will also receive His freedom  from condemnation sin and failure: For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

The final point I want to make today is … being filled with the Spirit involves releasing the Spirit through our lives. Many believers will recognize God’s ownership of their lives and will receive His baptism but they never come to know the Christian life that shakes and stirs because they never release the Spirit through their lives in faith. So many are living dull, drab, lukewarm lives even while believing and receiving because they are not releasing the gifts in living and ministry. We can have great powers of recognition and wonderful willingness to receive from God the free gifts of salvation and supernatural power but these gifts were never meant to be held in a reservoir. They are meant to be poured out like a river and only when we pour the gifts out through faith-filled victorious living and ministry will our Christian lives be shaken and stirred with the vitality that Jesus desired.

You say, ‘I am baptized with the Holy Ghost.”

Great! I would ask,  “What are you doing with the baptism? ”

Your answer should not be, “Well I am a prophet to the pastor.”

You know what a prophet to the pastor is don’t you? That’s someone who comes to the pastor and says “ Pastor I think God wants you to do thus and so…. Have fun!”

Releasing the Spirit doesn’t involve you telling other people what to do. It involves you living and doing everyday according to the giftings God has poured out in your life. Paul the apostle said,

 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your  faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:3-8

So Christian…

Have you recognized Jesus as Lord and have you recognized His Spirit’s ownership of your life?

Have you received the powerful baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Are you releasing the gifts of the Holy Spirit through faithful living and the ministry He has directed you to?

Let’s pray: Father God, I thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for my sin. Forgive me of all I have done wrong in this life and come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior. Send your Holy Spirit to live in my heart and cause me to be born again so that I can begin a new life with you. Lord I willingly open myself to your Spirit and all the gifts He has to offer. Lead me in using your gifts as you direct I declare right now I am willing to be used by you in any way that you desire. In Jesus name A-men

Did you just pray that prayer for the first time or as a rededication of your life to Christ? Drop me a line and tell me about your experience!

Pastor Wrinkles AKA Pastor J

Pastor Wrinkles: Shaken & Stirred Pt. 3

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I want to jump right in where we left off with yesterday’s session…. If you missed the last two sessions they can be found here:

Pastor Wrinkles: Shaken & Stirred Pt. 1

and here

Pastor Wrinkles: Shaken & Stirred Pt. 2

Shaken & Stirred Pt. 3

Being filled with the Spirit mean recognizing that Holy Spirit lives in us 24/7 and owns us 24/7. But  being filled goes beyond just recognizing those two facts. It means recognizing and receiving the Spirit… by

Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues.

I want to share with you the testimony of Florence Crawford founder of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Portland Oregon.

When I was a girl, brought up in a home of unbelief—never knew what it was to hear a mother pray, never laid my hand on a Bible till I was a grown woman—the God I serve looked down into my heart and saw that I wanted something real.
One night as I was dancing in a ballroom I heard a voice speak out of Heaven and said, “Daughter, give Me thine heart.” I did not know the voice of God the first time and went on in the dance. Again the voice spoke from Heaven, and it seemed that Heaven came down into that ballroom and my feet became heavy and the place was no longer beautiful to me. Again the voice spoke much louder, “Daughter, give Me thine heart!” The music died away and I left the ballroom; and for three days and nights I prayed and wept and wrestled for my salvation. If ever I realized my soul was a sepulchre of dead men’s bones, I did then. It seemed there was no hope for me, but I thought: Why did God speak out of Heaven if there were no hope?
At last I remembered a woman I knew was a Christian, and I went directly to her home; and when she looked into my face she said, “You want God.” I said, “I want Him more than anything else in the world.” I fell on my knees right there, and she prayed for me—and God came into my heart.
Oh, it was wonderful, the rest, the peace, the quietness that flooded my soul! And as I wept for joy, I said, “I must go and tell the others.” I went into the house where my friends were. They had cards on the table ready to play, waiting for me; but I lifted my hands to Heaven and said, “No cards for me; I have found Jesus whom my soul has hungered for so long.” When they looked at me they saw the light of another world on my face. The cards were put away and we sang sacred songs, and oh, how God blessed my soul!
The flowers went, the feathers and the fine clothes. Everything I had loved that was of the world was taken out of my heart; but, oh, how I loved lost souls and wept as I saw those who looked sad, and many times I would stop and tell them the story of Jesus.
And when I heard that God could sanctify wholly, for years I sought that experience. I went from place to place where they taught sanctification, willing to kneel at any altar, no matter how humble, if only I could find satisfaction to my hungry soul. I consecrated my life to God, hoping that that would bring it, and thought consecration was sanctification. But oh, it is not! While it takes consecration, laying your life, your all, at the feet of Jesus, it is more than that. You surrender your will, your innermost soul and being to God for time and eternity; and that brings the fire of God, the holy, sanctifying flame down on the sacrifice, and your whole being is saturated with the presence and power of another world. Question it—doubt it? You never can! Depart from it? Never! It is the very choicest treasure your life holds, for it is the purifying of your life, the preparation for the bridehood. It is the purity that God demands for the wife of His Son. It stands like the Rock of Ages against every false thing that could rob Christ’s Bride of her purity. The holy living flame burns through every fiber of your being. Oh, how I thank God it was for me!
When evangelists would come to the city, I found my way to get a private interview with them, if possible, and told of my hunger. They would say, “But you are sanctified.” But I knew I was not. The hunger, the craving, the thirst that was in my heart, no human could know unless he had it. And while I lived a consecrated life, yet the fire had not fallen on the sacrifice.
How I thank God that when I heard of the latter outpouring of the Holy Ghost, He led me to that little mission. It was not a fine hall, just an old barnlike building with only an old board laid on two chairs for an altar. The floor was carpeted with sawdust; the walls and beams blackened by smoke. I looked around to see if anybody saw me go in, but I would not have cared if the whole world saw me go out. I had found a people that had the experience I wanted. The first “hallelujah” I heard echoed down in my soul. When I went out of there that day I felt so little. The only thing I wondered was, can I ever get From Monday morning till Friday at four o’clock, I lay on my face, between my duties (you can do your work and do it well and seek God, too). I lay on my face and shed tears and read my Bible. That Friday afternoon at the mission, the preacher stopped and said, “Somebody in this place wants something from God.” I pushed the chairs away in front of me and fell at the altar. And the fire fell and God sanctified me. The power of God went through me like thousands of needles.
“He sanctified me” were the only words I could speak for days after the fire fell on my heart. If you get the real experience you will never deny it. It will stand when you face all hell. It can weather any storm.
Three days later, after living with Jesus alone, a great hunger seized me and down I went before God. He showed me I must be baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire. He showed me that the temple was clean, that the Holy Ghost could come only on clean vessels. And how I pled with Him and prayed and praised God and consecrated! Yes, I consecrated again, deeper and deeper, and sought for the power to tell the world what great things God had done for me. I sought till the following Friday.
As I sat in my chair in the mission, the Holy Ghost fell from Heaven and a rushing mighty wind filled the room. This tongue that never spoke another word but English began to magnify and praise God in another language. I was speaking in Chinese, and it was the sweetest thing I ever heard in my life. The power of God shook my being, and rivers of joy and divine love flooded my soul. Oh, it was wonderful! But the greatest joy to my heart was that I had received the power to witness to lost souls that they might find Jesus.”

I would love to hear your stories about how the Spirit of God has moved in your life.

Pastor Wrinkles: Shaken & Stirred Pt. 2

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We ended yesterday’s excerpt by stating… ” God’s desire is for you enjoy your relationship with Him! ”

This is borne out by Scripture for God has said,

“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; … ou have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Hebrews 12: 18, 22-24 NIV

For that reason He has commanded us to, “stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” I Tim. 1:7          

How do we accomplish this? By coming away from the world’s way of doing things “excess” as Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 5 and by being filled with the Spirit of God.

I want to share with you three keys to being filled with Spirit and for the sake of memory each key begins with the letter R

Being filled with the Spirit involves…

Recognizing the Spirit. Specifically we need to recognize that if we are born again then the Spirit of God now lives inside of us. Born again is not a term we use a lot anymore. Maybe we should use it more because it helps us to understand what actually happens when a person becomes a Christian. Christianity is not just a decision of the mind. It’s not just a changing of philosophies. In fact, at the heart of it becoming a Christian is not about us deciding anything at all. It is more about us accepting and receiving the truth and the truth is that we are all born dead in our sins. It is about accepting the fact that from our conception we are sold under sin and we are completely helpless to change that fact no matter what we decide. Truthfully, as a non- Christian the best I can do is trade socially unacceptable sins for socially acceptable sins. It makes me look better to other sinners but it never changes my standing with God.

Becoming a Christian is about realizing that the only way I will ever become acceptable to God is if I let Jesus into my life to do His work. And when I accept and invite his work He sends the Holy Spirit to live in me and I am born again. Paul tells us that when we are born again by the Spirit of Christ we are no longer counted guilty of sin because we are no longer the same people. We have literally been spiritually born again and we have become new creations in Christ capable of doing and being things we were never capable of doing or being before. The time has come for us to start being filled with the Spirit by recognizing that as we are born again we are lived in by the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit doesn’t live in a building. He doesn’t live in Cornerstone church. He lives inside the people of Cornerstone church. For this reason Paul the apostle said in I Cor. 1:19 “19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

Not only does He dwell in us, He owns us. Holy Spirit is not a renter. God does not sublet. He owns!

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body  and in your spirit, which are God’s. I Cor. 6:20

 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. I Peter 2 :9

When you were born again you became the renter and Holy Spirit became the landlord. How does that change your view of your relationship with God?

Join us for more tomorrow!

Pastor Wrinkles: Shaken & Stirred Pt. 1

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Here is an excerpt from Pastor Wrinkles’ (yours truly) latest sermon, Shaken & Stirred

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine,which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18, 20

Ian Fleming made famous the statement “Shaken not stirred” in reference to how his quintessential character, James Bond, enjoyed  martinis. I use the reference to ask a question as I begin. Which is more exciting to you, a James Bond movie or your Christian walk? O.K. maybe you’re not a Bond fan. Allow me to rephrase it, Which is more exciting to you your devotional life or the Patriots game? Which is more exciting to you Six Flags or prayer meeting?

I can hear someone  saying “That’s Not fair Pastor J. You are asking us to compare apples and oranges. Church is church and fun is fun. Church is not fun and fun is not church.”

Ah and now you may  have discovered the root of lukewarmness. You see somewhere along the line we have taken church, the divinely created and appointed ecclesia of God, the most dynamic world-changing agency of all time and we have turned it into dry boring religion that somehow is less adventure than Disney land.

Read my words very carefully now because I do not want you to miss this. Christianity, your Christianity, was meant to be an adventure that both shakes and stirs you to the very core of your being. If it is not doing that there is something missing. You must find the missing piece if ever you are to truly enjoy your relationship with Jesus and let me tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt God’s desire is for you to enjoy your relationship with Him!

Join us for more tomorrow!

Pastor Wrinkles: What Are You Not Praying For?

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7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “SovereignLord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

3 So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.

4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

6 So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.

7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[a] with a plumb line[b]in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

9 “The high places of Isaac will be destroyed
    and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined;
    with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.” Amos 7:1-9

I was meditating this morning on the power of prayer.  In Amos chapter 7 prayer was even able to push-off a sovereign judgment (that is a HUGE DEAL in case you are wondering).Prayer does change things but not because it is intrinsically powerful. Prayer changes things because it moves the heart of God. Maybe it would be better to say, God changes things because His people pray.

However you choose to relay the message it must be noted that prayer is a necessary part of the work of God in the world. We must pray because for whatever reason God has tied His movement in our world to our prayers. When we pray in faith God moves. When we don’t pray in faith God limits His movement.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” MA. 21: 21, 22 NIV

“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:2,3 NIV

So let me ask you, “What are you not praying for?”

Sunday Post: Perspective

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WATER SNAKE 2013

Our word this week is perspective:

Just a part of the pot

Just a part of the pot

Raphael Petrucci was quoted as saying, “The fact is we have confused one system of perspective with perspective as a whole”.
Let’s face it our eyes and our minds are easily deceived. What we perceive as real many times has more to do with where we are standing than what is true. Perspective is important. The story as we see it lends a piece of the truth to the world, but lets not confuse what we understand with the whole truth. Only God knows that and He has yet to show all His cards.
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 2 Cor. 2:9 NLT

 Tell me about a time when your limited perspective caused you to second guess God.

If you would like to write your own perspective post join the gang over at: http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/sunday-post-perspective/

Pastor Wrinkles: Ways or Deeds

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He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: Psm. 103:7 NIV

He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: Psm. 103:7 NIV

 

We discussed this verse of Scripture during our staff devotion this morning. I suppose a Bible study on the verse could lead to a discussion about the sovereignty of God versus the free will of man. But whichever way you choose to lean there is an intimation here that  what Moses was given (the knowledge of God’s ways) was far and away better than what the people of Israel were given (knowledge of His deeds).

Now while I see in Scripture that God is sovereign (and who wouldn’t see that) I also see in Scripture that man has free will. I can’t do anything about the sovereignty of God but I am fully able to choose my own will. So as far it concerns me I want to have the better part of Psalm 103:7. I want to know God’s ways!

As I was pondering this verse the Holy Spirit dropped three nuggets of grace into my soul that helped me to understand why knowing God’s ways is infinitely better than knowing just his deeds:

1. When I know God’s ways I no longer doubt the Holy Spirit’s motives. Knowing God’s character helps me not to be afraid of the move of the Holy Spirit in church. Conversely only knowing his deeds can leave me shaken and afraid like the children of Israel before the fires of Mt. Zion when His supernatural power moves in my life.

2. When I know God’s ways I become all that God wants me to become as an actor in His Divine Drama. When I only know his deeds I remain a spectator in the audience of the Jesus Show.

AND FINALLY

3. When I know God’s ways I understand that God can be relied on in every situation. When I only know his deeds I again doubt his motives and lean more towards  trying to solve all of my own issues.

I have to admit that as I read through these blessings of knowing God’s ways I am coming to understand I have some more knowing to grasp. Number three in particular is one I struggle with. How about you?

Pastor Wrinkles:The Ever-Present Now

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Keukenhof Gardens

Keukenhof Gardens

 

In his well-known book, The Screwtape Letters,  C.S. Lewis writes from the vantage point of a devil. He writes, “The humans live in time but our Enemy destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself, and to that point of time which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which our Enemy has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present–either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure. “

Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” MA. 6:34 NIV

The truth is God dwells in eternity which is not lots of time but no time and all time together. He is able to inhabit past, present, future and something else besides which is beyond any of those things. But He has made us different in that we cannot dwell in anything but the ever-present now. We remember the past. We can minimally plan for the future, and He has set eternity in our hearts according to Ecclesiastes. But we can only dwell in and deal with the present.

While this may frustrate us it is God’s plan. The Psalmist writes, “As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—Psm. 103:13-17

To paraphrase Lewis the present is the context in which we identify with eternity. We understand eternity only as we come to, “obey the present voice of conscience, bear the present cross, receive the present grace,  and give thanks for the present pleasure. “

While I suppose we can’t speak absolutely about why God has made this so I believe we can say with some authority that the reason God has made us like this is because in this form we are continually offered the opportunity to put forth that attitude which He so deeply enjoys…faith. As we walk in faith He becomes our hope and we then have access to that greatest force in all the universe…God’s love. So it is our very diminished capacity, living in the ever-present now, that has the potential to create the cycle of which I Corinthians 13 speaks so highly…“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I Cor. 13:13