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Hey friends… Did you know that you have a spirit? Most of us have heard of the “Holy Spirit” (hint: He’s the good guy in the story). Most people have a vague awareness that some “evil spirits” are messing around out there (the bad guys). But what do you know about your spirit? We all have one. Some are dead within us; some are brilliantly alive. But how steadfast and willing is your spirit? Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below…
BUT first… just a couple of notes to know…
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts The concept of a “spirit” is a bit vague and mysterious. That’s sort of the point, since a “spirit” is something that operates in dimensions mostly unfamiliar to us. I just asked Mr. Google “what is the definition of a spirit?” He came back with two things. One matched our topic today; the other was a picture of several bottles of booze. Human beings have been talking about spirits for as long as history has been recorded. Ancient religions all addressed the presence of spirits, typically with much fear and anxiety. Superstitions abound in various primeval rituals to ward off “evil spirits.” Other religious practices sought to connect us with good spirits who would aid us with the basic necessities of life such as food, water, and warmth. Almost every religion in history has also acknowledged that we all have our own personal spirit within us—a part of us, not something distinctly separate from us. Here’s how the great Google A.I. Overlord defines it: “A force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power.” And from the more academically tested Oxford Dictionary: “The non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character.” The Bible speaks of three different kinds of spirits: The Holy Spirit; evil or “unclean” spirits; and our spirit. I know you’ve heard of the first two, but have you considered lately both the existence and the condition of your spirit? When King David was in serious trouble, he was keenly aware that the problem might be rooted somewhere deep within his spirit. Even though he was known as “a man after God’s own heart,” (1 Samuel 13:14), David had crossed just about every conceivable moral boundary known to man. He abused his power, took advantage of a married woman, impregnated her, tried to cover it up through complex deception, and finally murdered her husband so he could marry her and dodge political scandal. It all miserably failed. When confronted by the prophet Nathan about this great evil, the man who had such love for God broke in weeping repentance. He wrote Psalm 51 right in the middle of his crisis. (Side note: When God uses an adulterous, lying, murderous thug to write the Holy Word of God right smack in the middle of a moral collapse, this should inspire us that His mercy and love can meet us in the middle of whatever problems or sins we are dealing with. No matter how far gone we might think we are, we are never beyond the reach of our holy and loving God to do amazing things within us.) David instantly knew what he needed God to do for him. He knew where the problem was and therefore knew exactly what needed to be fixed. “Create in me a pure heart, O God,” he cried out, “and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Did you see it? He needed a changed heart and a renewed spirit. His heart needed to be clean; his spirit needed to be steadfast. Oh… and there was one more thing: “grant me a willing spirit to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12). Checklist: 1) Pure heart; 2) renewed spirit; 3) steadfast spirit; 4) willing spirit. How are those things going in your spirit? Jesus promised radical help with all four. God Almighty promised the same thing centuries before Jesus. 585 B.C. – God speaking: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… I will put my Spirit within you and move you to follow my decrees…” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Pure heart. Renewed spirit. Willing spirit. Check. 33 A.D. – Jesus speaking: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth… [He will] teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you… [and] guide you into all truth” (John 14:17, 26; 16:13). With us forever = steadfast spirit. Check. The whole point and the entire promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to place within us a new heart, a new spirit, and the Holy Spirit to be our guide, Counselor, Comforter, Advocate, and friend. David instinctively knew he needed this gift even 1,000 years before Jesus promised and fulfilled this. So, how is your spirit doing? Is the promise of Jesus being radically fulfilled in you? Or does your spirit need some maintenance? Let’s talk more about this as we meet for this week’s Resurrection Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your your Bible and a pen!! Much love to you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend [email protected]
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Hey friends… We asked last week on Easter, “So what?” Why is the resurrection of Jesus relevant to you? This Sunday, let’s go a layer deeper. Not only “so what?” but now, “what’s next?” Let’s check in quickly about it in Deeper Thoughts below…
BUT first… just a couple of notes to know…
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts I have a scavenger hunt for you to do before Sunday. Jesus said something very relevant, and I wonder if you know about it. Or could find it. “It’s good for you that I go away,” he said. Jesus bailing out on us seems like the opposite of what we want. I don’t know about you, but my whole goal of faith is to get closer to Jesus, not farther away. I want Jesus active in my life, helping me, being present with me, relating with me. You? So, when he said it’s better that he take off, wha…??? Scavenger hunt: Can you find where he said this? Google might point you in the right direction if you have no idea. Seriously… can you go look it up? Scavenger hunt part two: Don’t just read it and be proud you found it (though, great job in getting there!). Now… figure out the context. What is the point and the goal of why he wanted to bail out? What good will it do you? What do you get in return? Why is that relevant to you? Finally, scavenger hunt part three: Look inside yourself. Do you have what Jesus promised and what Jesus wanted to accomplish thriving within you? Are you uncertain of what it all means? Do you need help figuring it out (which is totally OK, BTW)? I know I’m leaving you hanging. I’m doing it on purpose. (“Thanks, Chris. You’re my bud.”) I am SO excited for you to discover what Jesus was up to after the resurrection. As I have been telling you the last couple of Sundays, Holy Week really wasn’t about all that happened on Holy Week. Yes, the cross was important (understatement of the year!), but it wasn’t the end goal. It was just the beginning. The resurrection was monumental. We learned last Sunday it was so that you and I, too, could be resurrected (see Romans 6:4-6 and Colossians 3:1-3). But wait! There’s even more!! Jesus is bailing out on us in just about 40 days. He will spend some quality time with his disciples for forty days after the resurrection, but then he is out. And he said this is really good. Let’s do this: You do some digging into when and why Jesus said this. Search out the whole context. Ask the Lord to reveal some stuff to you. Pray for God’s revelation to you. Listen carefully in your spirit. Write down your questions and doubts. Then, we’ll talk more about it as we meet for this week’s Resurrection Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your your Bible and a pen!! Much love to you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend [email protected] A blessed Good Friday to you, dear friends. Notice I did not say “do not miss HIS resurrection.” You know we celebrate that this Sunday, right? The most important day in all of Christianity is when we contemplate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know you won’t miss it… Easter Morning at 9:00 or 10:30 a.m. I’m not worried about that. I am concerned, however, about YOUR resurrection. *That* one could get missed if we’re not careful. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below…
BUT first…
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts Roughly one-thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-six years ago there was a violent earthquake in Jerusalem. A massive angel shook the earth as he rolled back a 3,500-pound, five foot tall and one-foot-thick stone, plopped down on it and sat. Gosh… wouldn’t that have been so cool to see? Bam, the angle takes a seat. The Roman guards who were filled with hate and sin “were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:4). “Greetings,” Jesus said to the ladies who had come to the tomb with spices for his embalming. Translate that to modern English: “Hey there, ladies. What’s up?” So cool. But so what? Is this merely a story in the Bible meant to encourage and inspire us? Is this to just create in us a fairy tale image of Jesus’s memory being alive in our hearts? Or did this really, literally occur? And what do I DO with this? This story is not meant to stand alone. This is because it is not just a story. It is a reality. This event was the most transformative experience that humankind has ever known. Not because it happened to one man—Jesus—but because of what has happened to hundreds of millions of believers who have embraced not only HIS resurrection, but also THEIRS. When Jesus died on the cross (remembered today on Good Friday), a grand transaction occurred in the spiritual realm: “When you were dead in your transgressions and sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sin, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross… and triumphing… by the cross” (Colossians 2:13-15). Did you miss it? Your sins were forgiven. Check. The letter of God’s Law that stood opposed to our wickedness was nailed to the cross. Every detail, every code, every regulation we have violated before God was cancelled. But wait! There’s more!! Did you miss it? “God made you alive” (Colossians 2:13). You and I were dead. Spiritual doornail. Done. Failed. Six feet under. Kaput. But then there was a resurrection. HIS resurrection, yes. But that wasn’t all. YOUR resurrection occurred, too. “We were therefore buried with him…into death [our sins were nailed to that cross, and our sinful bodies were spiritual buried with him in that tomb] in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). “If we were united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection” (Romans 6:5). This has tremendous implications for our lives… *IF* we will not miss it. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2). Beloved, if this physical resurrection really took place; if that big and tall angel sat so hard on a 5-foot boulder that an earthquake rocked the city; if the God of the Universe embodied in Jesus could not be held down by the grave… then you and I need to respond. There is a setting of our hearts and minds that we are called to do. There is a change of focus that will change our reality. In short: We need to show up for our own resurrection because Jesus showed up for his. Let’s talk more about this as we meet for a mighty Resurrection Sunday, 9:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your friends and your Bible!! Much love to you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend |
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Jesus said, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Matt. 22:37-39
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