Hey Friends…
Anybody want to put the brakes on God? I’ll admit it might not be the smartest idea. But let’s be honest. Sometimes we are afraid God will do something, give us something, or lead us somewhere we do not want. So, we may very well unconsciously pump the brakes when God is trying to move. And then other times, we really are crying out for God to do what He has promised, and it seems He is nowhere to be found. Even in those cases, is there any chance we might unknowingly have our foot on the brake pedal? Let’s talk more in Deeper Thoughts below… But first… a few important happenings… · Are you enjoying “The Daily Six” video series? We’ll continue every morning Monday-Thursday to help you study with us through the Book of Acts. Click here to sign up to receive the daily reminder emails, or just go find us on our YouTube channel! · All-Church Workday TOMORROW, Saturday, September 21, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Come fellowship with an amazing group of people and help spruce up the church facility and campus! Fun, laughter, hard work, and pizza all included! · Kick-Off Prayer and Worship Night – Sunday, September 29, 6:00 p.m. – Join us for a very special night of worship, seeking God, guided prayer, and discussions about our Mt. Hope future. As a church family, let’s seek the face of God for our future, to believe God for supernatural provision for our facility expansion, and to listen to the Holy Spirit for each of our individual callings. · Do you want to connect with others at Mt. Hope? Did you know we have an online church directory? You must sign up to participate… we’ll have resources and information for you on Sunday. We’ll even grab a profile photo of you if you’d like! · Ladies: Join us for a one-day women's retreat featuring Cynthia Campbell who co-led our workshop on "The Steps to Freedom in Christ" a few months ago. Cynthia will be revisiting some of those concepts, especially the importance of forgiveness. Saturday, October 19, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at Mt. Hope Church. Click here for more details and to RSVP! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who prefer God stay right where He is. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… Let’s level-set on one important truth: God wants to move in your life. Period. The prophet Joel said it this way: “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on *all* people…even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days’” (Acts 2:17-18). Last Sunday, we began to explore this biblical promise. We looked at the distinct difference between the ongoing, consistent “indwelling” of the Holy Spirit—which every believer has without condition—and the specific event of being “baptized” or “filled” with the “outpouring” of the Holy Spirit. These are two distinctly different works of the Spirit in our lives. If you missed last Sunday’s teaching, or if you feel like it’s still foggy for you what all this means, I’d encourage you to click here to pull up the video and dig in. It is not a question that God wants to pour out His Spirit upon you. Jesus called this a “gift that my Father has promised” (Acts 1:4). As a gift, it is not contingent on anything you do. We do not earn it. As a promise, it is not subjective to shifting whims or conditions. God won’t be swayed. “So, why don’t I see it? Why doesn’t God get moving? Why do I read about this “outpouring” of the Holy Spirit, and I’ve never seen it or experienced it in my life? Why doesn’t God do what He wants to do? Isn’t He all-powerful? Can’t He just do it?” We often wonder why God has not moved more powerfully in our lives. But a firm belief in the integrity and inerrancy of scripture will confirm that God keeps His promise without fail. God wants to move in your life and mine. Period. *But*… these next two sentences are super important: His promise is unconditional in the sense that He will not be swayed away from keeping it. But His promise is not without conditions. Did you catch that? His promise is unconditional in the sense that He will not fail to keep it. But there are conditions that must be met for God to be able to fulfill His promise. If the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the promise of God for every person--including you and me—why doesn’t God get done in more believers what He has promised to do for *all* believers? Is it possible that we have a part to play in this? Is it possible that we are the ones who are holding back the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Is it possible that we are stopping God’s movement in our lives? Acts 2:37-38 lays out two important prerequisites for being filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit: “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘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.’” Do you see the prerequisites? The first is repentance, which means to pivot away from all that is opposed to God in our lives. The second is salvation—to be certain we are “born again” by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (see John 1:12 and John 3:1-18), which Peter expressed as being baptized in water* in the name of Jesus. (* Remember an important distinction here: The word “baptism” is used in two entirely different meanings in the same teaching in Acts. “Baptism” is a word that simply means to be “immersed.” When we are baptized in water in Jesus’ name, this is a symbolic event we use to express our faith in Jesus and our salvation. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, this is an entirely separate experience of God’s power poured out into our lives (see Acts 1:4-8).) This Sunday, as we continue our fall teaching series on “The Normal Christian Life—Not Weak, Not Weird, Not Wandering,” I am going to tell you a powerful, hope-filled, and yet tragic story. We’ll look carefully at the scriptural prerequisites for God’s movement in our lives. Then, let me illustrate it with a very noteworthy example of how this works. Throughout history, there have been many, many powerful outpourings of the Holy Spirit. Some you have heard of; others you have not. Massive changes to human culture often result from these outpourings. One of these would have absolutely revolutionized America’s struggle with justice and equality had it been allowed its full course as the Holy Spirit fell upon tens of thousands of believers in a humble dirt-floored warehouse all day long, every single day, for three years. Society was about to pivot as the worst leaders of human oppression fell under conviction, repentance, and transformation. And then one man stopped God dead in His tracks. Let’s not be that guy. Join us this Sunday to discover the hope and promise of God’s outpouring, learn how we can do our part to be in position for it, and what we could do to stop it (so we will NOT do that!). Gonna be powerful… here we go!! See you Sunday… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend
1 Comment
Gwen
9/23/2024 06:57:22 pm
Chris: this was an amazing message that I am still processing. Thank you for being such an awesome teacher and unapologetic messenger to His people. May God continue to use you and bless you.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Chris EadsMt Hope Pastor Archives
November 2024
Categories |