Tag Archives: God

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.

 

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?

Weekly Writing Prompt #16: While They Slept

Posted on by under The Stories, Uncategorized

THE SECRET KEEPER has released our 16th writing prompt. This week our poetic forms are:

Haiku (5 – 7 – 5)
Tanka (5 – 7 – 5 – 7 – 7)
Shadorma (3 – 5 – 3 – 3 – 7 – 5)
six lines – no rhymes – multiple stanzas [your choice] – just follow meter
Nonet (9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1) progression downward of syllables
Cinquain (2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 2) five line poem on any theme with the earlier mentioned syllable pattern

Our buzz words are:  | COMFORT | HEAD | SPACE | MELT | WICKED |

After you have read and made your comments on my Nonet please check out the other submissions at the underlined link above.

While They Slept

by JE Lillie

“Comfort! Comfort my people!” He said.

Space  melted time and memory.

Spirits slumbered. Sleepy saints

Mistook the Living Head

For just another

Among wicked

Masses bent

To a

Cross.

Sunday Quips & Quotes 12-20-15

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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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:

“God takes life’s broken pieces and gives us unbroken peace.” Anon

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“Remember Jesus left Heaven and went to the lowest place the soul could go to bring the highest number of souls back to Heaven with Him.” JE Lillie

Merry Christmas! 

 

The Thing About Spiritual Gifts Pt. 2

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles, Uncategorized

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We are still in Romans 1:11 in our discussion through the book of Romans. If you have missed any of our conversations you can find them on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

Romans 1: 11 reads,

 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—

The things about spiritual gifts is that they are spiritual. That may seem obvious, but for those of us in the western world when we think “gift” one of our first go-to thoughts is not “Oh I hope it’s a spiritual gift. I really like spiritual gifts.”

Some of my first thoughts when someone says they want to give me a gift are:

“How big is it?”

“How much did it cost?”

“Will it fit in my house?”

“Will I use it?”

I go to the functional. The useful. The practical aspects of the gift. Don’t you? Maybe you are more spiritual than I.

I seldom think.

“Will this gift make me a better person?”

“Will this gift make me a more effective Christian?”

“Will this gift help me to win people to Christ?”
“Will this gift help me to crucify the flesh?”

But the spiritual gifts are more important than any earthly gift could ever be.

The first spiritual gift we are given is salvation. The gift of eternal life. It comes when we put our faith in Jesus Christ and call Him Lord.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.- John 3:16

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

It is this first spiritual gift that Paul spends a good deal of the next 15 chapters expounding on. I wonder though, is this the spiritual gift he wanted to impart? I am thinking it is not. I am thinking his letter imparts the spiritual gift of salvation quite well. I am thinking perhaps the letter is a foundation, a 101 class, for another spiritual gift he desired to impart to the Roman church. It is a gift he imparted to many other churches as he worked his way through Asia and into Europe.

In Acts 19 we read,

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 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.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

Could this “baptism in the Spirit” as it is called, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, have been the spiritual gift Paul wanted to impart to the Roman Church? If so what is it? What is it for?

I would love to hear your thoughts and we will explore more tomorrow.

A Photo A Week Challenge: Religious Buildings

Posted on by under Photography, Uncategorized

This one would seem to be right up my alley (being Pastor Wrinkles and all). But when Nancy asked us to offer just one photo of RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS, I got really stumped. I was stumped not because I couldn’t find any but because HOLY COW I HAVE A LOT OF PICTURES OF CHURCHES!!!!!!

See what churches others have posted at the underlined link above.

Here is the one I chose. It was really hard.

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This is the Youth With A Mission Building (YWAM) in Amsterdam.

For more information on YWAM go to http://www.ywam.org/