Waiting on God

If you are anything like me, or any other human that has ever walked this earth, chances are that you hate to wait. I know I do. And the reason is a mix of laziness and living in a culture of instant gratification. Sometimes I find myself or others around me asking these questions or similar ones:

Why should I wait on a home cooked meal when I can go to the drive through and get food instantly served to me?

Why wait in a line for a human to process my order, when I can go through the automatic check out?

Why should I go to the gym when I can take a fancy pill to help me lose weight?

Why read a book when I can just watch the movie?

Why pursue marriage and a relationship when I can just get a one night stand?

Why read my Bible and find out who God is, when I can have some charlatan tell me what I want to hear about God?

The above questions reflect this mentality of our culture of instant gratification. We simply refuse to work hard or wait for things to happen. We must have them NOW.

I've been caught up in these things myself over the past few months. It has taken its toll on me in many ways. See, I've stopped laboring so much in my personal life, because the results were not coming as soon as I want. This is especially so in the realm of waiting on God to fulfill His promises. I want those things NOW. It doesn't feel good enough to simply be promised them. I want God to give them to me. Right now.

How arrogant of me! How childish! And how utterly ridiculous, right?

It is especially ridiculous given all I have seen in my life. If I can say anything about my life, it is that God has fulfilled every promise that He has made me. I can go through my life as a believer and see how God has shown me favor.

It's funny; when I think like this, suddenly I can see the foolishness of my mindset and lifestyle. It is like I have completely disregarded all other things that God has done because I am not getting my way at this point in time.

I want to relate this to a Biblical story of some sort. There are plenty of obvious ones. Abraham was promised a son by God. He refused to wait on God, and took matters into his own hands. Joseph had to wait through many trials before his vision came true and his brothers bowed before him. Israel waited for a Messiah to come, and when He did, they rejected him. These are all typical stories of waiting on God. In all these stories, God promised something and it came true, in ways outside of human understanding, and outside of human control. Despite the flaws of some of these people, God still made the promises come true.

There is one story that I have found that is sticking out in my mind, outside of the one's above. You see, there was this boy who told that one day he would be the King. But from the time that he was anointed until the the time that he became king of all Israel, he waited somewhere around 15-20 years before he had his promised fulfilled. And this isn't just idle waiting. This is running from a crazed king. This is having inner struggles. This is waiting through periods of war and chaos.

I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure I would have given up after the first year or two. Seriously. I think many of us would have similar reactions. But David waited almost TWO DECADES to be King of Israel! Wow! When I think about that, I look at the promises God has made me, and I think to myself:

"Why am I having such a hard time waiting just the past few months?"

And it dawns on me with such a simple answer. The answer is that I don't have enough faith. Which, again, is utterly ridiculous. I have seen God come through for me in so many ways, even in the past year. How can I doubt that He would come through with those things that He has promised me?

I'd have to be a fool to remain in this state of doubt.

I need to be like the father of the boy in Mark chapter 9, and cry out "Lord, I believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Because, the purpose of these promises is not to simply reward me, but that my faith can be tested and refined in the fire. Why? Because God is cruel? Not at all. God wants me to grow closer to Him. Time after time, I am given things I turn away from the Giver. But, in the time of waiting, I have seen my relationship grow. This time should be the same as those times.

I do believe that God will make good on His promises to me. Even if I must wait years, He will restore to me those things which faded away. But in that time, I know I must strive to not lose hope; to not lose faith. God has blessed me immensely in the past. And he has blessed me the most with His presence while I wait.

"The longer the wait, the sweeter the reward" is a variant of something I was told before. But in this case, the reward is not simply what is at the end of this road I am traveling. It is the journey that I am taking, with God. This is why I am choosing to wait on God, in peace and with faith.

God has never steered me wrong. He never will.

I pray others will come to know this truth in their own life.


Blessings,
Thomas

Our Greatest Fear

Sometime ago, there was an already famous quote by Marianne Williamson, made more famous by the movie Coach Carter. It goes like this:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Before I get into talking about what is on my mind, I must first say this: I do agree with the above quote. And I believe there is a big difference between humility that a believer should practice, and the "shrinking" that the quote speaks about. Humility is accepting that your ability/talent/work is from God and not your own accord. You know that it is He who has given you this, so you cannot boast in yourself about doing whatever it may be. "Shrinking" is denying the ability God has given you. It is like pride reversed. "I am so bad, that I can't do anything at all", is no different from 'I am so good". The focus is on I am, and not God.

That being said, I want to address this quote in regards to my own life. I have come to be the embodiment of the 'shrinking' person it talks about. I have that greatest fear... I am afraid to acknowledge any talents or skills that God has given me. Why? Because I am scared of having a responsibility, and failing to live up to any expectations. I think this is a pretty common fear among people. And I think it is rather common for people to live lives that are far below their potential. I know that I have lived this way. When I was in school, I lived a life far below my potential. I thought it was good enough to just get by, and my grades reflected that. I went from being always above 3.7GPA in High School, to graduating with a 2.7 my final year of University. I set the bar low. It was laziness through fear that lead me down that path. That is not a pretty path to take, especially when you know your skills are far above where you have set yourself.

It has often been that laziness through fear that has also hampered my spiritual journey. Maybe I don't read as much scripture, pray enough prayers, do enough good deeds, disciple enough people, share my faith enough times, and so on. I am not saying I need to do any of those things, like they are what leads me to salvation. No, I will always say salvation comes from God's grace through faith. It is God's gift to give. However, that doesn't mean I shouldn't do those things. In fact, I have all the more reason to do it. But I prohibit myself from doing. I think I, like a majority of people, are afraid to do those things which God has equipped us to do. What if we fail? Do we fail God? What if we succeed? Do we want that type of power and responsibility? Do we want that close connection to God?

We may say yes that we want to be connected to God, but the truth is that we are scared for some reason. I am scared of being God's ambassador to people, and failing that role. I am afraid of turning people away from God by what I may say or do. What if I am a leader, and I tell someone the wrong thing? I am held accountable for that, and it frightens me.

Yet, God, for some reason, keeps thrusting me into situations where I am a leader, or seen as someone with some authority. People are attracted to me. I don't know why. I never feel like I have anything good to say. Yet people come to me with their issues, concerns, and needs. And I eventually become responsible for helping these people through their times of need. And though I am scared, I rely so much on God and I run forward, eyes closed, hoping for the best. And God is faithful.

So, my friends, I ask that you look at those things which God has given you,and don't be afraid of using them. God gave them to you that you may bless the world around you, for HIS glory. He didn't make you a talented singer, so that you can be afraid to praise Him aloud. He did't allow you to be a diplomatic person, just that you may watch people fight and divide. He didn't make you an intellect, for you to skip class and get below average grades. He didn't make you compassionate, so that you could sit at home and feel bad about the world suffering from sin. NO! He made you these things, to be a beacon of light to the world. You are his flag bearer. Flag bearers were a very important part of the military. The were a symbol of morale. They guided the movements of the troops. Losing a flag bearer could mean a major change to the battle. So if you are a flag bearer for Christ, then why are you sitting down in this battle? He has equipped you to lead with him through this life. Your skills and talents are given that you may go into this world, spreading His kingdom to the hearts of men everywhere.

Don't be afraid. Don't lose hope. Don't sit still. Don't shrink yourself. Go forward, and use those gifts.

Blessings,
Thomas

Reflections from Saranac

I was away for a week in Saranac Lake, New York. While I was there I decided to write some notes down, as a sort of journal. I will share those things I wrote, and learned.

Day 1 (Friday)
Didn't sleep. Ate and drank very little. Why? I wanted not to work on my own devices or strengths, but on God's strength through the Spirit. So far, so good. I am operating now on the Spirit, and not on Thomas. I've had fun connecting with the kids. We did an obstacle course, and I was covered in mud. But despite the dirt and grim, we worked together as a team. How wonderful. Cabin time tonight was GREAT. The Holy Spirit allowed me a chance to speak my testimony to the kids, and this is just night one. They seem to GET IT. Praise God.

Day 2 (Saturday)
Wow. How can I say more? God has blown my mind beyond all comprehension! Spending time with the teens is a great experience. They were asking the important life changing questions. "God, I pray that these questions break the hearts of the kids. Lord, tear them down. Let them know of their need for you. Please God, give us seed to soil upon this fertile soil. Give the water. give the sunshine. Provide the growth and multiply the increase. Lord shower your grace and mercy upon this camp. Drown us all in your love. Amen"

P.S. Blacklight party was great. Oh, and did I mention that someone caught my eye? Oh well, gotta keep focused on the mission.

Day 3 (Sunday)
Today has been the PERFECT day. I had to overcome some fears of mine. The two I had to face head on were the fears of failure and what others think of me. Today we did first did the ropes course. I won't lie- I was flipping scared. But I knew I had to be brave so the kids could overcome their fears. A leader always puts others first, despite his or her fears. We got all but 1 to go through the course. I say this is a success. One of our kids had an unfortunate experience or two, but at the end I spoke this to him "Do you know Espiritu Santo? He has gone before and will catch you before you fall". After that, he got up and jumped to the end of the course. Maybe it was what I said? Maybe he felt the Spirit speak to him? I know not. All I know is I came away feeling confident, both as an individual with fears and a leader. After this, we had half of our crew on the parasail boat. Again, WOW. Fear came over me. They go up like 200 feet! And it was cloudy, windy and sprinkling off and on. But, I did it. I embraced my fear and trusted in the Lord. And guess what? I enjoyed it. I wanted to go again! I see how everyone has that fear deep inside them, which will consume those who don't check it. Some choose to be ruled by fear, but I must allow Christ, who overcame the grave, to overcome my fears for me. I choose to live my life to the fullest, as God intends it. I will NOT be consumed by fear.

That is just part of the day. I am writing an addition to the day. Remember that girl that caught my eye? We danced. Okay, so she came over and asked if I would, and my roomie, Aaron told me to go for it....So I did. Evidently she is a good dancer, and I am such a terrible one. I was so nervous about dancing with a beautiful woman, but now...Well I feel more comfortable. Did I mention her eyes and smile are very nice? Heh. Anyways....

Today I have overcome so many fears, and God is working it to the best. He is providing me with a great time, and I see that life should be enjoyed. It is a praise to Him, so long as we don't let those things consume us.

Day 4
Remember how I talked about dancing last night? Well, I did a lot more dancing tonight at dinner time. And this time, I was the one asking girls to dance. Heh. My boys would say I have "swag". But something more impressive is happening outside of the sudden appearance of gusto in my life. These guys are opening up to one another and being completely vulnerable. They, like me, have looked fear in the face, and have chosen freedom over oppression. And their vulnerability causes me to be even more vulnerable to their needs. This both delights and frightens me. I am delighted to help the helpless to find hope in hopelessness. But I am very afraid of not being to help them. On my own, I WILL fail. But through Christ within me, their needs will be met and nurtured. God, bless me with the Spirit, that my life may be a testimony to your great works. Amen!

Days 5&6 didn't have entries, because i was busy talking to the guys about their need for Christ. I was also able to share my testimony with the camp with a cardboard testimony time. God really changed me through this experience. Since coming back, I have been acting out of faith in so many ways, and its just amazing me. Praise God!

Poems

I felt the sudden urge to write some poems. They happened to come out as love like poems..Whoops.

You had me with that smile you wore
And those eyes, mmm
So inviting.

Swaying, like a tree in the wind,
We danced into the night
Feet not in synch,
But our hearts,
Pounding like drums,
Were in beat.

Lost in the midst of a sea of people,
Tossed back and forth among the waves
Frightened I would lose control
And down we’d go
But your eyes spoke to mine
“Peace, be still”
And all was well.
And we danced upon still waters,
The moon our guiding light
Just you and I,
A heavenly sight.


-------
Lovely eyes, lovely eyes
why the look of surprise?
As if love wasn't possible
But just a minnow in a sea of lies.

Lovely eyes, lovely eyes
Why are you so scared
to embrace what we had
or the future we could share?

Lovely eyes, Lovely eyes
Turn away from despair
Love is before you
Your love is here.

O lovely eyes,
Come, smile once more
Let your joy met my heart
Like waves meet the shore

Lovely eyes, o’ lovely eyes
No words can suffice
The way that I feel,
When I look into your lovely eyes

Reconciliation

Turn on the news. What do you see? Some pretty depressing stories, right? It seems non-stop, hearing stories about wars, rebellions, murders, fights, etc. Even in the highest offices of our country, there is constant fighting, name calling, and attempts to undermine what the other side does.

For example, consider the debt ceiling talks that are going on. Or a few years back, the talks about health care reform. Or there are always talks about social issues like abortion, gay marriage, welfare, immigration, and so on. These are all issues which have deeply divided the political realm, all of which have spilled into every day conversations.

Now, as a political science major, these ‘conversations’ are very interesting to me. It is a great passion I have! And as it is a passion, I, of course have my opinion on everything. Opinions are not wrong, mind you. However, the way we present our opinions has become so hostile! People use fear mongering tactics, fallacies, and outright lies to discredit the other side, without even coming to the table to discuss the issues. Now we have a problem where if one affiliates with a particular group, they are automatically written off by an opposing group! If I am a liberal, I will write off the conservative and she will write off me! Jesus famously said “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand”. It is clear to me that if this, or any country wants to prosper and continue, there needs to be reconciliation!

Reconciliation is a very powerful word. The dictionary lists these definitions for reconcile:

To settle or resolve.
To become compatible or consistent
To reestablish a close relationship, as in marriage

Just within the example of politics that I listed above, one can see how far from reconciliation things really are. But it is not just in politics! What about those people who are at odds with a spouse? Parents and children? Co-workers? Churches that have split? How about the divide that exists between classes, races, and religions?

What about the divide between man and God? Isn’t there a gap between us? Scripture indicates so:

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior” (Colossians 1:21)

And

“… while we were enemies of God…” (Romans 5:10)

An enemy of God?!?! WHAT? Isn’t that like the Devil or something? Yes, the devil is the enemy of God, but if man is called God’s enemy, due to the depravity and inclination towards rebellion against God, then man will face the same fate as that old wicked Devil- God’s eternal wrath.
Sounds depressing, eh?

It would be, but God has given us hope. Let’s look at the rest of Romans 5:10, 11:
“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

And Colossians?

Colossians 1:19-23
“ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.”

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 says it like so:

“16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

WOW! How great it is to know we are no longer enemies of God is we are in Christ! God’s wrath is satisfied, and we are made righteous before Him. We are reconciled to God, through God, for God. How insanely awesome is that?

But you know what?

While being reconciled to God is what saves us, it is just the beginning of reconciliation in our lives. What about those who we are separate from? As I said above, what about family, spouses, ex’s, children, co-workers, churches, friends, etc? There is indeed biblical proof to bring about reconciliation:

Ephesians 4:24-27
“24…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.”

And

Matthew 5:23,24
“23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Scripture makes it absolutely clear that reconciliation between people should be a top priority for the believer. You are even supposed to leave your worship towards God at the altar to first make right what is wrong between you and another. And we are not to let the sun go down on our anger, because this gives a foothold to the Devil. Footholds, as my mentor told me, become fortresses over time. In war, you send up a small force to hold a strategic spot. It’s not big and glamorous, but it gets the job done. From that small foothold, the forces can call in air or naval bombardment, to clear out the oppositions’ defenses. Once the opposition is on the run, the attacking forces can build up the small foothold to become fortresses- large bases of operation which can continue to call strategic strikes against all defensive positions. In the same way, if we give the Devil an inch, he’ll take a mile. We should not give him a strategic spot to allow him to completely bombard us with attacks! Therefore, we should not even go to sleep without first having reconciled our differences with another. The longer you hold it off, the easier it is to be attacked.

It is quite clear that God takes reconciliation serious. It was said to me that the greatest problem in this world isn’t the myriad of sins out there. There are some pretty wicked things that go on, but at the root of them all is a broken relationship and subsequent alienation. What did Christ do? He “reestablished a close relationship, as in marriage” making us “compatible and consistent” with God’s will, by “settling and resolving” the issue of sin. Now we are made right with Him, and we can be made right with others. Reconciliation without Christ is doomed to fail.

This issue of reconciliation has hit home with me. Within the last week, there was an issue that came about which put a rift in a friendship of mine. Instead of immediately reconciling, I went away from the friend angry and hurt. In that anger and hurt, I began to think some pretty bad things about this person. But I was so blessed to have the Holy Spirit speak conviction in my heart, showing my sin. Immediately I sent a message to this person, asking for forgiveness for any wrong I did, and for feeling that way. Now, things seem okay. So I praise God for showing me a clear example of reconciliation in my life!

Yet, I ask for prayers! There is another who I desire to reconcile with. This person has been very important to me, but circumstances caused a rift between us. Before, we would talk every day, but now we no longer speak at all. I want nothing more than to be the friend of this person once more, even knowing that we cannot have that same friendship as before. So please pray that the Holy Spirit would discern to me what must be done to reconcile with this person.

I pray this message will convict your heart, my friends. I hope my experiences would cause you to think of your own experiences. I pray you make things right with whoever has wronged you, or who you have wronged. Who has been forgiven of many things should, in turn, forgive others of their many things. Don’t let the sun go down before you reconcile with whoever it may be.

Grace and peace,
Thomas

A poem

This is sort of a sad poem. Sorry for the emoness. I find it to be a good release, writing poems. And after being brokenhearted twice in the past year, on top of an ever burning desire to find someone who will love me,I feel like I have a lot to release from within.

Thank God that HE alone is faithful to love me, even when others will not!



I dreamt today that you let me love you,
Of the flowers I’d pick
The gifts I’d buy,
The poems I’d write
All for you

I dreamt about waking up beside you
Your flesh caressing my flesh
Your heart beating in rhythm with mine
Your eyes meeting mine in a moment of first light bliss

I dreamt about children we’d make
Their precious names,
Their matching silly little outfits
And who was on diaper duty.

I dreamt about all our misadventures
Lost down country roads
Without a care in mind
For we had each other

I dreamt about the passionate nights
The childish pillow fights
Two lovers, between the sheets
Under dimmed lights

I dreamt about you, my bride
I yearned for your touch,
I craved that covenant,
Sealed with your kiss

I dreamt today that you let me love you,
I dreamt I was whole and complete
I dreamt today that you let me love you,


But dreams end,
Soon fading from memory
How I wish today, that you’d let me love you

Sinful Lifestyles.

I admit the fact that I don't shy away from controversy. There is just something in me that thrives on speaking on those topics which normally make people cringe or even get put on fire. I am forewarning that this is one of those topics. In this topic I am going to call out a lot of people. Now, this is not for the sake of calling people out. You see, I have noticed this lack of consistency among evangelical Americans. I always hear about how terrible it is that so many people live a homosexual lifestyle. This has come back into the vocabulary with last week's decision to allow same-sex marriages in New York. I've heard all about how so and so pastor is declaring that God will destroy America for allowing the homosexual lifestyle to go on.

BUT, I have also began to notice something; a lot of these people who are out there yelling about gays being evil living a sinful lifestyle, are themselves living sinful lifestyles. How many times have you seen one of these people yelling about this and that, and you look and realize they are way overweight? Now, I am not poking fun at anyone! God forbid me to do that, when I have a few pounds to lose myself. However, I am all for consistency. Scripture says that we should avoid gluttony. Proverbs 23:20 and 21 says this:

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags

Just a few verses before that:

Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

Now, we know that people become overweight for a few reasons. One of them is a poor diet, such as overeating(gluttony). Of course, there is also the lack of exercise(sloth), that also plays part in this. It really is a lifestyle choice, being overweight. I mean, you can say no to that extra helping right? You can get up early and go to the gym? You can change yourself, right?

It is quite upsetting to me to see so many brothers and sisters hollering about sinful lives, yet the church has made a sinful lifestyle a staple of church services! How many times have you been to a "fellowship dinner" and seen people just eat and eat and eat. All the men have big bellies, and just go to make them bigger. And these men are leaders in the churches. How can they lead a church, if they cannot control their tummies? ( I am sure that is scripture! I just can't find it, at the moment). If they cannot remove their own plank, how are they supposed to ask a gay man or lesbian woman to remove the speck from his or her eye?

But this isn't just about overweight people(I'm serious, I am not against them!). Let's look at other sinful lifestyle that are common in the church:

*Gossip. This one is outright forbidden, especially for the wife of a leader (1 Timothy 3:11). Yet gossip is one of the top things I hear among Christian circles. The other night I had to leave a conversation on Skype because some of my Christian friends began to talk about another Christian on a forum. This is common. This is not acceptable. This is a sinful lifestyle.

*Failure to Pray and read the Word. Scripture says we are to always pray(now, that's not meaning like every second of the day, but to do it as often as possible). Most Christians do good to spend two minutes in prayer a day. I am confident that this is a sin because it is a failure to do what God tells us to do (pray), and it shows our true devotion to Him. If a person can spend 5 hours on the internet, playing a game, going out to see a 2 hour movie, going out to spend hours dancing in a club/bar, etc, then can't that same person spend a few moments in honest, humbled, devoted prayer to God? I would imagine that should be the case. The same can be said of reading scripture. We manage to make excuses about why we can't read the Word(I'm too busy, except when I am on Xbox Live, or texting my friends all night long), but yet we have ample time to do anything else out heart desires. I say with certainty that failing to come in contact with God on a regular basis is indeed a sinful lifestyle.

Now, I can go on and on with other examples, such as pride, being too lavish(which can fit in with pride), not attending a church, etc. However, I think with just the few examples I gave, I hit most American Christians. The point, again, is not to call people out for the sake of being a jerk. Instead, it is a call to get serious.

I am not saying we cannot call sin out. However, I believe firmly Jesus gave the teaching about the plank in one's eye for a reason. How can we, who claim to be redeemed and different from the world, show the change that Christ brings, if we live exactly like the world. If a Christian truly believes a person is sinning, he or she should obviously try to correct them. But how can you correct a person if you live in the wrong? If I cannot properly do mathematics, can I be a teacher of mathematics, correcting students when they are wrong? Surely not!

I think it is time we pull a Nehemiah. There is a lot of junk in our churches. And by junk, I mean sin. And I don't mean "those" churches down the road. I mean the church you and I sit in every Sunday (or SHOULD be sitting in). Nehemiah, when he came from captivity to rebuild the wall, also went into the Temple to clean out the idols in there. Idolatry was the sin that caused God to pour His wrath on the Jews in the form of captivity. We are being held captive in our own Church, by the sin we continue to let go on. Once more I ask: How can we tell the world to repent and leave their sins behind, when we have all these idols stored up in the temple, living JUST LIKE THE WORLD?

This is a call, not to be silent, allowing the world to slip by. RATHER, this is a call for the body to purify itself, that it may go into the world with boldness, authority, and the Grace of God. As it is now, we are laughed at, mocked, and ignored, not for the sake of the Gospel, but because we, ourselves, are failing to understand what the Gospel truly means for US. Is it not a lifestyle changing power? Then let our planks removed.

God I pray you will remove the planks from my eyes, that I may see your truth and show that truth to a world that is dying. Amen

Christian Community.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

What is the image you conjure up when you think about the body of Christ? What do you picture when you hear the word "fellowship"? I was reading an article today which said this:

Today, churches have fellowship halls, fellowship dinners, and fellowship retreats, but very few have real fellowship.

This quote really caught me off guard. I, like many, have taken up the idea of fellowship as meeting once in awhile to have a lunch, movie night, game time, etc. Those are all nice, and can be part of the fellowship experience. However, if our community is limited to a game night once every few months, or a dinner every few weeks, doesn't it seem as if we are missing out on something?

I've seen both sides of the coin, regarding this issue. I have been in churches where there was no community. I look at those churches today, and I see them struggling to hold on as members pass away, or other move on to other churches. At the same time, I have been blessed to have been involved in ministries where my brothers and sisters in Christ are as close as my biological brothers and sisters. I was very blessed to have become a follower of Christ and accepted into a body of believers who I lived with, worked with, played with, ate with, lived with, shared my entire life with. Even now, a few years after leaving them, I am still touched by their willingness to love me and accept me. I love them more than any of them will ever know.

Yet, I realize I cannot live in that past, as nice as it was. Since then, I have both struggled and flourished. There were months of darkness, when I gave up on going to church and being with believers. Sin crept back in. It destroyed me. It destroyed my hope. It destroyed my relationships. I changed from one who know their purpose in Christ, to one who barely knew how to move on. Yet, in that darkness, I was able to find light. I re-established old friendships, and even met new people. Three dears brothers helped pick me up out of the dirt and showed me what it means to be a body of believers. I am forever indebted to Eric, Billy, and Blake. They helped me see the love that Jesus told us to have for one another. That love rekindled the fire in my heart, and soon after I was in full fellowship once more.

And here I am now. I thought I would move out to DC and have a hard time finding a place to connect. Yet, I have found a church that I adore. I have been connected to a group of teens that I think I would honestly die for, to protect. I have people who I barely even know, who are bringing me into their home. I have others who will invite me to breakfast, to pray with me, to mentor me, to help me find my place in the world....only after two talks! I am so blown away by the generosity, the love, the support, the willingness to help and mold. They are simply living out Christ's command to us all; love another, as He has loved us. This love will show the ENTIRE world that we are different from any other group. We are the elect in Christ. Nothing can break the bond that we have. Our bond is Christ, who reigns forever. Death could not stop Him. Hell could not overcome Him. If we are bound in him, together as one, then who can stand against us and prevail? Jesus himself said that the gates of Hell could not prevail against His Church!!!

If you are like I was, and are avoiding connecting with your brothers and sisters, then I HIGHLY suggest you get out and mingle with them! Hebrews 10:25 says;

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

I know that some churches are totally lame. I know there are places where they judge you, or where cliques are formed. I FULLY understand those places. I have been to plenty. Don't let that stop you from meeting regularly with a group of Christians though! Make those relationships, water them, and watch them blossom. I promise that the effort is worth it in the end.

I will leave you with part of the prayer that Jesus prayed in the garden, according to John's Gospel:

I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Something New.

I think I have too grand of plans at times. When I started this blog I wanted to get into the pressing issues of Christian faith. I wanted to explore the complexities of theology, and fashion myself after the great thinkers. However, I get burnt out on the heavy thinking, to be quite honest. I think most people do. I am not saying it is bad, that I will stop, or anything of this sort. I am simply saying I am going to switch things up a bit, every now and then, and return to more simple posts. I think this will help keep me writing on a more consistent basis. I know that there were several weeks in between me saying "I will do blog posts on Heaven and Hell" and actually doing the one blog post on Hell. I am not sure Heaven is going to follow anytime soon. It isn't because I don't dislike Heaven, or think it is an important issue to discuss; I do. However, I believe there are other issues which people deal with on a daily basis, and they need to be addressed. For example, I have been thinking about how to address the typical Evangelical church is very inconsistent in thought about sin. Or how do Christians handle politics and government? What about the Spiritual disciplines? These are all things which shape our world view, and need to be addressed.

SO, I will still have theological discussions (things like hermeneutics, soteriology, eschatology, etc). However, I will add in simply devotionals and talks about everyday topics.

I will start with this, a mini devotional.

Grace and Mercy

I admit it. I struggle with the two most basic concepts of Christ and Christianity: Grace and mercy. It isn't that I doubt God is gracious and merciful. Nor is it that I wrestle with the idea that God is Good and loves man and desire to see man be redeemed, through His grace and mercy. The reason I struggle with these concepts is because I know how unworthy I am. I feel like part of me is Jonah, and the other part is Nineveh. Jonah saw the sins of Nineveh and saw they were evil. God desired for the city to be redeemed, but Jonah couldn't see past the sin. He limited God to just a god who brings destruction and justice to evil. God indeed does this, yet it is only part of who He is. Jonah, and this part of me inside, both fail to see God in the full picture. Not only is He the judge who brings justice, but he is the redeemer who cancels the punishment for those who repent.

Imagine it like this: A man is driving well over the speed limit and is caught by the cops. He is put before the judge, who has the power to get him real bad for his transgression. The man, sorrowful for his crimes, reveals how sorry he is for the crime. The judge, instead of punishing, acknowledges the man is guilty of the crime but says his crimes are forgiven. Not only are they forgiven, but the judge will take the man out for dinner! The crime is completely forgiven, and the judge gives something wonderful to the criminal!

This is what Christ has done for us. He didn't just say "Thomas, you crimes against me are forgiven", but rather, said "Thomas, your crimes against me are forgiven, and here are all the riches of Heaven that I alone have the authority to give away".

Apostle Peter said this:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Think about what this means. We are not simply 'saved' from a bad thing, but are given good- no, the BEST- things from God above. Who can say they deserve it? Can the liar, whose lies have distorted reality and hurt people? Can the thief, whose envy has lead him to take from others? Can the adulterer, whose lust and sexual depravity has divorced them from their God-give spouse? No, NONE, for "none are righteous, no not one".

This is why I struggle! I know the depths of my heart, and the darkness that has filled it! I know the sin I commit, even if it remains hidden. I know that sin has separated from God in the beginning. That should have been the end. BUT, (and a MAJOR but it is), God took my punishment...OUR PUNISHMENT... and when He rose from suffering our punishment, He rose to Heaven and now blesses us with all the treasures of above, not only to know now, but to know forever! These are not simply treasures like gold or silver, women or men, or whatever. But the greatest treasure is the full communion and fellowship with God. How can any gift be greater? Even more, how can I say that I deserve that gift?! How can I say I deserve the gift of God himself?!? And this is why I, a fallen man who has sinned and deserves death, struggle. I know I am not worthy. I know I deserve only my punishment. Yet, God is so good, and has given hope.

This is my challenge for my friends. Since you know the gift you have is a gift, something you can NEVER earn, but is given by God's grace and mercy, I want YOU to show this same thing to someone else. Take something which you find precious and give it to someone who doesn't deserve it. Go to a person who has hurt you and hug them in love. Go to a homeless man and give him money/food/time/etc. Go to a prisoner and give them time and forgiveness that they don't deserve. Go to anyone, anywhere, anytime and impart some gift to them. Let them know you are simply doing what God has done for you. Share the love. Share the hope!!!

Hell and Wrath.

When you think of Hell, what is the first image to pop in your mind? Is it like this picture? Do you imagine little imps with horns and pitchforks? Rivers of lava? Who do you think is there? People like you? No, can't be. Hell is reserved for only the worst of the worst- the Hitlers, Stalins, Maos, and Bin Ladens. Don't forget all the icky Atheists, Muslims, Hindus, etc! Most of them are probably there. How about the non-churchy type in America? Well, if they live good enough lives then they can go to heaven!

If you cringed at all while reading the above, then congrats!!! You probably already know the truth about Hell. Everyone else, have a seat. We have some discussing to do.

Before we get into that, I want to add that this is the typical type of reading about Hell. I'm not trying to scare you. I'm not trying to preach fire and brimstone. I am simply stating what the Bible has to say about this place called Hell. And this will not, of course, be an exhaustive study.

So what is Hell? Most people would answer something like "the place where evil people are punished forever". This is sort of correct, but not quite. The first thing we need to look at all the terms associated with what is commonly called Hell.

*Sheol- This is the first term found in the Bible to signify an afterlife for those who have died. The ancient Israelites believed that all people who died, regardless of wicked or righteous, would go to Sheol to await the Resurrection.

*Hades- The Greek equivalent to Sheol. In the Parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus seems to imply a separation in Hades/Sheol, as the rich man is being punished with Fire and Lazarus was in "Abraham's Bosom", a place of comfort.

*Gehenna- Literally named after the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. The valley was a very wicked place where pagans and apostate Jews sacrificed children to the god Moloch or Baal, by burning them. (2 Chronicles 33:6, 2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 19:2-6). Jesus spoke about Hell using this word (Mark 9:43-48, Matthew 10:28)

*Lake of Fire- This is different from Hades/Sheol as Revelation 20: 13&14 point out:

13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

The Lake of Fire, therefore, cannot be the same as Hades/Sheol. However, when Jesus does talk about Gehenna, he mentions fire and darkness and such, so I think it is reasonable to assume that Gehenna and Lake of Fire are referring to the same place: Eternal Hell.

Now, the big confusion about the proper usage of Hell has come from poor translations of the above words. In the KJV Hades/Sheol is often translated as Hell, along with Gehenna. So people have this mumble jumble view of the after life in regards to Hell. My use of Hell in this blog is not that mumble jumble view where Hades/Gehenna are combined. My use of Hell will strictly be used for the concept of Gehenna/Lake of Fire, the eternal death. Any place where I say Hell, I mean that. If I mean Hades/Sheol, I will explicitly say those words.

Okay, so we have the basic concepts down. Let's starting building a picture here. When a person dies, Scripture says they will go into Hades/Sheol until the Second Coming of Christ and the Resurrection of believers(1 Corinthians 6:14,15:12-13; 2 Corinthians 4:14,Hebrews 6:2 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16.)or final judgement for unbelievers (Revelation 19:20, 20:10-15, 21:8). Upon being judged and receiving eternal death, people will be cast into the Lake of Fire, where there is no escape.

So far, so good, I hope. We did the "what", now its time to do the "who" and "why". This is really easy to answer: Hell is for those who do not profess faith in Christ. They will be judged, not simply for taking a namesake, but are punished for rebelling against the fundamentals of God's character and His commands. It is easy to give that answer, simply for an answers sake. However, when I think about what that implies it causes me physical illness. My stomach gets in knots.

That is why I wrote this particular blog.

There are quite a few people in the world, heck even in my own life, that reject Christ. I am not the Judge, but scripture makes it quite clear that those who reject God will be punished in Hell, eternally separated from His grace. I can name a whole host of people who I know who are without Christ, and if they die, it is almost certain they will spend eternity apart from God. This is a depressing thought, is it not? Family, friends, co-workers, people I admire and love dearly; all will be cast away. I know we all have these people in our lives. This brings up another question: why don't we do more to express this reality to those people? Hell isn't simply reserved for Hitler, Stalin, and Satan. It's reserved for every, mom, cousin, husband, child, best friend, pew-filler, cop, soldier, postal worker, manager, lawyer(yeah, duh!), etc.

There are, I imagine, many people who assume they will be in Paradise, but will be surprised to find out that simply living a 'good life' won't cut it before a Holy and Righteous God. People don't realize that simply not murdering(in their heart), not lying(too much), not lusting(in front of your spouse), isn't enough to gain God's favor. Nothing we can do will make up for the rebellion we have. That is why it is imperative we stress the Gospel of Christ, which alone saves people from Hell. Man is depraved, and if God is in anyway at all a God of justice, the evil will be punished. Either we accept Christ's punishment on our behalf, or we take the eternal punishment on ourselves. It is that simple.

So our picture now looks more like this:

A person who lives a life apart from God. They may do various good things, such as avoiding murdering a person, but those deeds alone are not enough to bridge the gap between them and God. As a result, when they die they will, along with the believer be sent to Sheol, awaiting the Second Coming of Christ. They will be separated from the believer, who is in comfort while waiting. Instead, the unbeliever will face some torment and darkness. Christ will come back and raise His saint and judge them as Righteous. Those left will face Christ and give an account of their life, which will be lacking of Him. They will then be cast away into the Lake of Fire to be punished.

This brings us to the most controversial part of Hell, which is, undoubtedly, hardly spoken on. Not everyone agrees with this viewpoint, and it isn't explicitly stated in Scripture, but I believe following logic a person would come to this conclusion. There is no sugar coated way to say this, so I will be blunt. God is in Hell.

Whoa. HOLD UP. God...in HELL??? Before you assume I am some Heretic or smoking the marijuana, let me explain. Trust me, when I first heard this idea I was like WHAT??? That is crazy!! God cannot be in Hell. After all, most Christians believe Hell will be absent of God.

First we must understand that God is everywhere. This is one of His characteristics: omnipresent. As such, there is NO place that God cannot go. Hell is no different. Theologian Wayne Grudem said this in his book, Systematic Theology:

The idea of God’s omnipresence has sometimes troubled people who wonder how God can be present, for example, in hell. In fact, isn’t hell the opposite of God’s presence, or the absence of God? [No.] This difficulty can be resolved by realizing that God is present in different ways in different places, or that God acts differently in different places in His creation. Sometimes God is present to punish.

Sometimes God is present to punish. Now, there are some who believe that Satan is the one in Hell who punishes people. This is where we get the image of Satan with a pitch fork, I think. However:

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10

If Satan is tormented day and night, then how can he punish others? Who is punishing him? There can only be one: God.

I suppose I take a very Eastern Orthodox approach to God in regards to both Heaven and Hell. They believe (roughly summarized) that Hell is where God is present releasing His unrestrained wrath on sinners who rejected Him. On the other hand, Heaven is where God's mercy and grace is completely unrestrained for the Saints. No matter where you are, you will be in God's presence(Psalm 139...especially verses 7 and 8).

It's up to you to decide if you want to face wrath or enjoy mercy. God's wrath isn't something to take lightly. Take in consideration what happened to Jesus in the Garden before He died:

Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Why was Jesus so worried? What could possibly have Him worried that he SWEAT BLOOD? Some may say He was worried about being crucified. This seems reasonable enough, but I don't think its the whole answer. Sure, crucifixion is terrible, and I'd hate to have it done to me or anyone else. And I know for sure that Christ suffered much pain. I don't discredit that. However, I agree with a point that David Platt, author of "Radical", made once (I'm taking the point he made in a sermon, and using it in sort of my own words :P): "I don't think Jesus was scared of being crucified. Jesus isn't a wimp or weak. This is considering, especially, that many of His followers died JOYFULLY in far worse ways, such as being boiled alive, burned, eviscerated, etc. What had Jesus worried was knowing that He was going face an eternities worth of the wrath of the Father".

Now, as I said in the beginning, I am not preaching the Fire and Brimestone, like the old time preachers. I am simply giving an accurate view of Hell, and more importantly a part of God that is not spoken about in Christian circles. You see, we've reduced God from being God, into being our soft hearted best friend, who seemingly lost his anger in the 400 years between OT and NT. This is simply not so. Yes, God is indeed love. His love is vast and far beyond our imagination. His grace is completely and utterly amazing. He is, indeed, the lover of my soul. I recognize all of this and will tell anyone about this side of God. YET, I am afraid that if I just speak of love then people will not take God seriously, because they have not known the full picture of God. A.W. Pink(oddly, I'm quoting Calvinists tonight :P) said this, in The Attributes of God:

It is sad to find so many professing Christians who appear to regard the wrath of God as something for which they need to make an apology, or at least they wish there were no such thing. While some would not go so far as to openly admit that they consider it a blemish on the Divine character, yet they are far from regarding it with delight; they like not to think about it, and they rarely hear it mentioned without a secret resentment rising up in their hearts against it. Even with those who are more sober in their judgment, not a few seem to imagine that there is a severity about the Divine wrath which is too terrifying to form a theme for profitable contemplation. Others harbor the delusion that God’s wrath is not consistent with His goodness, and so seek to banish it from their thoughts.

Yes, many there are who turn away from a vision of God’s wrath as though they were called to look upon some blotch in the Divine character, or some blot upon the Divine government. But what saith the Scriptures? As we turn to them we find that God has made no attempt to conceal the fact of His wrath. He is not ashamed to make it known that vengeance and fury belong unto Him.

He further claims:

A study of the concordance will show that there are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God, than there are to His love and tenderness.

Yet, it was His love and tenderness, which saved us from wrath. That is the Gospel. Man rebelled and deserves God's eternal wrath. God, who is both love and wrath, therefore developed a plan, before time existed, upon which He himself would take the flesh of man, so that He could both pour out an eternities worth of wrath, exposing His justice and raw power as God, while simultaneously exposing His deep love for us by drinking the wrath Himself. Now, because of Christ Jesus, I do not have to face God's wrath in eternal Hell. Neither do you, or anyone. This is the Good News.

I hope this exposes some new light for people. As I mentioned before, this isn't 100% everything about Hell,or wrath. Nor will people agree with me on many things. That's cool. I've posted verses for a reason. The truth is there. Read them yourself. Seek God's wisdom in understanding. I'll admit it, the biggest problem I have had with my faith was this concept of Hell. I echoed the sentiments of many "How can a good, loving God send people to Hell?" On the surface, it seems like a valid point. That is, until you realize the full character of God. Then you ask yourself "How could a just, righteous God not punish evil?" That is why Hell exist. Evil must be punished. But praise be to God that we have a way from punishment and into Mercy.

Blessings,
Thomas

Hot as Hell, High like Heaven.

Okay, I know. What's with the title? Well I don't know! I tried to think of something catchy, because, while "Theology about Heaven and Hell" is straight to the point, such a title isn't all that inviting. And I want many people to read these posts. I've notice some things lately, especially after a conversation a few weeks back with a close friend. Many people are confused about the very basics about Heaven and Hell. I mean, REALLY confused. I am not surprised if some people think Heaven is a big boring church service, and hell is where the party is at. In fact, I have even heard some church goers say things like this. Or they imagine fluffy clouds with harps, or imps with pitchforks. And this diluting of the images of both Hell and Heaven have caused some major problems.

What type of problems??

Here is one example:

With the death of Bin Laden came a lot of Christians saying things like "good riddance, burn in Hell" Or "enjoy Hell, you scumbag' or Mike Huckabee, former minister saying in a very casual way "Welcome to Hell!". This upset me quite a lot, because it made me realize how little people really know about Hell. I barely know much of what there is to know, but I know enough that I NEVER will wish Hell upon anyone. But many Christians, against the wishes of scriptures, do, and have, and will continue.

So my goal is this: To use scripture to paint as clear a picture of both Hell and Heaven, as possible. I will limit my own guesses and speculations as much as possible. This is a topic of most importance, with no room for errors.

So, as I compile my though I want you to get your own images of heaven and hell in your mind. Ask yourself why you believe them this way. Write it all down. And then in a few days we will begin with the first lesson, which will focus on Hell.

Blessings,
Thomas

What is the Gospel?

If you are looking for a deep theological discourse, then this isn't the post for it. I might do this another time. Instead, I want to give an insight on the Gospel as it pertains to me. This is how the Gospel has changed me, is continuing to change me, and will change me more in the future.

I used to lie. Why lie? Because, it made me feel like I was worth something. A friend and I used to always tell lies to each other, as teenagers. We'd say "Oh, I was with so and so girl, and did such and such thing". Now, I know we both lied, and I am sure we knew that we both were lying. So why did we continue this terrible thing? Because, it was a competition to see who the best was. We just tried to see who was better liar.

The Gospel saved me from this.

I used to have an issue with lust, and looking at pornography. But hey, guess what? The Gospel saved me from this.

I used to live in the confines of a demonic world system, but, yeah, you guess it, the Gospel saved me.

The Gospel not only saved me, but it healed me. It is healing me with my battle of self worth/depression. This is a battle that is being won!!! The Gospel healed me from the need to always be right. It healed me of the desire to be approved by everyone.

It redeemed me from the bondage of self. I lived very much for self. I wanted to help people, to get glory and fame. I want to go into politics to be known by people. I wanted to make all this money to live nice. But I was redeemed from self living. And I was transformed into one who cares immensely for the suffering and weak, and less about my own achievements.

It has taught me to live, to love, to laugh, to learn. It has given me freedom from fear. It has soared my soul high, and now I sing psalms of salvation from heavenly places.

I have learned who I am, as a creation in Christ. I have learned who he wants me to be, and how to get there. I have learned, more importantly, who He was, he is, and will always be. I have gained intimate knowledge of a Father who bruised his beloved son, the pinnacle of humanity, that we, the depraved and diseased, may be counted righteous in His eyes.

I don't think people fully grasp what this means. I don't think we fully understand the notion that we are seated in Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father. I don't think we know what it means to be called Royalty, by God. I don't think we quite get the physical punishment Christ suffered. And by the Glory of God, if we are in Christ, we will NEVER have to know what it feels like to be fully away from God's mercy and under His wrath.

If we did, I then I know there'd be more emphasis on Gospel, and less on everything else.

Suddenly, politics wouldn't matter. Nor would sports. Or movies. or games. or Do's and Don'ts. We would not be content with simply telling people they need Jesus to save them. Save them from what? Most people look at us and see us using Christ as a crutch. We haven't shown the how inadequate everything is compared to this Gospel of Jesus. We, instead have reduced it down to a meaningless formulaic prayer. There is no suffering, or discomfort, or giving up. There is a nice little prayer, a warm feeling, and life that resembles the former, only instead sleeping in on Sunday, the person is now wasting an hour of their life in a pew.

Where is the Gospel in this? Where is the real, life changing Gospel? Where are those people who go out and not only preach the spiritual need, but fulfill the physical needs? Where are the Churches who stop playing pulpit politics, and are instead welcoming in all those who most need the touch of God?

The Gospel saves us. And if it saves us, then it transforms. And if transforming, then it is giving urgent motivation. And if there an urgent motivation going on in our hearts, then why aren't we acting upon it?

The Gospel saves, but how will people know it, if those who have it, keep it hidden?

My earnest prayer is that every brother and sister in Christ falls to their face, and cries out to Abba, our Father in Heaven, and asks to know the cost of the Cross. I pray we will be filled with the urgency of knowing millions of people are starving, homeless, abused, living a life away from the grace of God, and are dying without knowing Christ.

So what is the Gospel? For me, it has been everything. It has changed me from who I was, to who God called me to be. It saved me, redeemed me, healed me, and has given me the urgency to spread this same love to everyone.

The Gospel is fundamentally more important than my next breath. It is more important than any achievement, any thought, affiliation, or desire.

The Gospel tells of the love and mercy of a Father, who looks upon his children who have rejected him and have loved many other false fathers, and feels pity for them. He desires them so much, that He would spare the best, brightest, most wonderful, in place of us. This is more than just a story, my friends. This is God, stepping down into his own creation. Unlike other gods, he didn't do it to have fun, or to fulfill manlike carnal desires. He, the True God, stepped down to be punished for our sins, so we could be with Him.

So the Gospel is really a love story of Creator and creation. Father and children. God and man.

It is of a God who desires us more than anything else, and pursues us all the days of our lives.

That, is the Gospel.

Gratitude

Hebrews 12:28,29

Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

As I have grown and matured in the American society, I have seen how increasingly difficult it has become for the majority of people to be grateful. I have seen the transformation from me excitedly opening Christmas presents and loving everything I got, to seeing my little brothers grumble and complain when they get less than everything they see on TV. They literally are not grateful for what they got, and instead, let their lust for more ruins their experience.

And how can we blame them?

We live in a society in which greed is espoused as a virtue, and is spoon feed to children from the earliest ages. Of course it is NOT limited to just children. I have seen people who have more than plenty in their life, yet are very miserable because they don't have more. I, too, have fallen in this trap. I see a man with a better job than mine, a house, a nice car, a beautiful wife, and so on, and I grow very discontent with my own life. I am sure we've all been there at some point.

Yet, this is quite different than what we SHOULD do. As a believer I am fully aware that all my blessings are from God above. Everything I have is a *gift* to me. And many times, these gifts are simply just for me, but they are also meant to bless others as well. For instance, I am gifted with a car, but I can also bless others by giving them a ride some place. So what does it say to God when I say "I don't want THIS gift, I want that gift over there. It is so much better than what you have given me!" ? I think it show God that I am not deserving of either gift. If I cannot appreciate what God has given me now, why would He think that giving me a newer gift would suddenly change me?

We should be certain that we most certainly have wonderful gifts from God above. The greatest of these is grace. Grace is the gift that can never be taken away, only rejected by us. Grace allows us to be in right standing with God. And with right standing we are given all the treasures of Heaven! We are co-heirs with Christ, after all; a royal people! So, we ought to be a people who are on our knees praising God for this great gift, for none of us are deserving of anything, lest it be death. And if we deserve nothing, and are given the treasures of heaven, why do we grumble about not having the next fad? Why do we act as ungrateful children on Christmas morning?

My prayers for you, brothers and sisters, as well as myself, is that we will never cease to praise God for his great gifts in our lives, whether it is the gift of redemption, the gift of a junker car, the gift of a hand me down, or whatever it may be.

Forgiveness.

Forgive me, I may have wrote about this before, but I think it is something worth revisiting, if only to help clear my mind and pour my heart out.

I am a fairly forgiving guy. I'v had my fair share of back stabs, heart aches, disappointments, lost friendships, etc. Some have take time, others have been fairly quick, but I have forgiven everyone. Not simply the forgiveness in word only, but actual forgiveness; the type where you treat the person as if they never harmed you in the first place. I can do this for every single person who has ever done wrong to me.

Except for one guy. I think we all have this person in our life. It is that one person who gets underneath your skin, no matter what he or she does. He may open his mouth, and it sound like nails scratching on the chalk board to you. She may walk by you, and you get that terrible knot inside. Or perhaps his name is simply mentioned, and you feel the uncontrollable rage to blot him from all of existence for all of eternity. Needless to say, this person has become quite a problem for me. I really hate even being in the same room as them. If I didn't have such restraint, I'd punch them in the face just for showing their face around me!!!

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. However, I said that to make a point. This point is that this person is very hard for me to see favorable, and even forgive them for how they've screwed up my life. This person is ME.

I don't intend for this to be a pity post. Trust me; I don't like wallowing in sorrow. However, I did find myself in that a bit tonight, and it highlighted something that I've known to be true for a while. I simply cannot let go of my past mistakes. This is a big problem for me. I claim to be a Christ follower. As a Christ follower, I proclaim quite boldly that Jesus took upon himself all the my sins and my failures, and drank the wrath of the Father, in my place. This is basic Christianity 101. Yet, I have such trouble with this fundamental.

How can Christ forgive me, if I can't forgive myself? Further, how can I even begin to think I can be used by Him in the future, if I can't let go of the past, here in the present? See, I have knowledge this mindset is very wrong. Knowledge of a situation is different from changing said situation, though.

How do I forgive myself for not being able to keep my family together? How do I forgive wasting two years of my life, resulting in the loss of many dears things to me? How do I forgive the inaction that led to me becoming stagnant? How do I forgive myself for allowing my ex to think I wasn't worth the time and effort anymore? How do I move on from these pains that I have caused myself? How do I right my wrongs? What does it take to erase these memories?

I have so many things to let go, but I simply cannot, and I don't know why. Only a fool would hold on to his chains when he's been released from prison. Yet, I know I embrace these chains of my past, when I should be embracing the cross. The cross is where all this oppression was put to death once and for all, for those in Christ Jesus. And here I am, chains around my legs, grasping all I can, to hold on the Cross of Christ. Either these chains will break, or my strength will run dry and I will lose my grip. Either way, this stretching must stop soon.

This is what I ask: PRAYER. I know it may sound cliche. Yet, prayers have saved me before, and I know they will serve the same purpose now. I need prayers, not for self confidence or anything. Be that far from my mind, so I may focus on Christ and boast in Him. No, instead, pray that God would crush the enemy who whispers condemnation and regret into my ear. Pray that I am given comfort by the Spirit. Pray that He would always let me remember what the truth of the sacrifice means to me, a humbled sinner. Let it remind me that I don't have to keep strapping these chains back on my legs, for Christ holds the key to freedom.

I don't want to keep this fight up anymore.

I want to let go of the pain and hurt that I have caused myself.

I want to let the memories bring joy and not sorrow.

I want to forgive myself, and move on to enjoy the bountiful blessings the Lord has given me.

Blessings,
Thomas

Transforming Wind

I know, I know. It has been 2 or 3 weeks since I last posted here. I am awful about keeping things going.

This pretty well describes me lately:


Anyways, on to the blog post!!!

Today, I am going to post another installment on the Holy Spirit. I previously covered the Holy Spirit as the source of Comfort for the Christian. I hope to give an insight on what it means to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Specifically, I am going to look specifically at the Apostle Peter.

We know from scripture that Peter was a Jewish man born, with he name of Simon, in the town of Bethsaida, Galilee. Peter and his brother, Andrew, made a living by being fishermen, which was evidently profitable because he owned his own boat. He lived, for a time, with his mother in law in Capernum, meaning that he was married(his wife was said to have been martyred, when he was away in Rome), and likely had children at some point. In all reality, Peter seemed like your 'average joe' type of guy. Blue collar worker, wife and kids, and all that.

After Peter becomes an Apostle, he sort of has this mixed record. For example, he was very willing to say that Jesus was Christ(Matthew 16:13-18), to which Christ commended him saying that his faith was the rock which the church would be built on, and not even the gates of Hell could prevail against it. This is a very awesome positive check mark for Peter. On the other hand, we have other accounts where he didn't have the faith to continue walking on water(Matt 14:28-31), was called Satan by Christ, when he said Christ wouldn't have to suffer(Matt 16:23), and most famously was known to deny Christ three times.

Here is one account of his denial story:

Matthew 26: 33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

And:

Matthew 26: 69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed.
75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Essentially, Peter knew how to talk the talk, but fell very short while walking the walking. From this same chapter in Matthew, and recounted in the other Gospels, all the apostles, including Peter, were seen as cowards as they ran from the area when Christ was arrested, beat, and crucified. John says they were even hiding behind a locked door(John 20:19).

Even when there was a report of Christ's body being missing from the tomb, Peter ran over to the tomb, saw the empty tomb and linen, and this is what scripture says:

Luke 24:12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Okay. SO let me get this straight. Peter was with Jesus for three years, having watched him work all these miracles, predicting things to come true, and all this. He then says that he will be crucified, and then will rise on the third day. Peter had to have heard this many times from Christ. It wasn't like he was hiding it form anyone. YET, Peter has seen his master and friend crucified (as he said), and then three days later Peter see this empty tomb. And instead of jumping around for joy, and looking for the risen Christ, he simply "went away, wondering to himself what had happened" This is the character of pre-transformed Peter

Yet, two marvelous things happened to forever change not only Peter, but the other apostles, and eventually all of us. First, he came face to face with the resurrected Christ. Luke and John detail how Jesus appeared to them and they were both filled with fear (Luke 24:37,38) and then filled with joy(John 20:20), so much that they could hardly believe it(Luke 24:41). Even at one point, Peter was so excited to see Jesus that he jumped out of his boat while fishing when the apostles saw him on shore.(John 21:7-14)

However, this wasn't ultimately what set him on fire to be a bold witness. Don't take my word for it. Here is what scripture says that Jesus said before his death:

John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you

And then Jesus says this as well, after his resurrection:

Luke 24: 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 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 further records this conversation in Acts 1:4-8

1:4 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 water, but in a few days you will be baptized with 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.

Jesus seemed to be very clear in these passages, saying they will be the bold witnesses ONLY after they are filled with the spirit. Notice that the didn't go out and start proclaiming even after having seen Christ alive, on three different occasions.


After saying all of this, Jesus ascended into heaven. At this point, Peter starts to fill his role as the leader of the apostles, by speaking to all the disciples on choosing a replacement for Judas, who had committed suicide after betraying Christ. Yet, they are still waiting around for that spark. And that spark finally came in the form of a wind from heaven filling the room, and setting them on fire. They began to speak in other languages, declaring the wonderful works of God! The people are half amazed, half amused. Some thing they were all drunk. With this, Peter steps fully into his role as chief apostle. He begins to speak very boldly to those mocking them. Later on, he begins to speak before the Sanhedrin, who had condemned Jesus and called for his death, and directly defied their orders to stop speaking about Christ( Acts 4:7-22, 5:18-22). Peter was critical in the decision to reach out to Gentiles, as well as going on a mission to Lydia, Joppa, and Caesarea. After this point not too much is known about Peter, unless one considers extra biblical accounts, which say he went to Rome and was crucified for Christ by Nero's orders.

So, Peter went from an average joe, who talked big things but failed to show up with action, and even being a coward who ran away from his best friend and master, to being one who became a leader who spoke boldly of Jesus Christ to all people, even into his own martyrdom. This is quite a change for anyone person, and this change was only made possible by the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. Here is one more proof of this:

In the time that Jesus was arrested, it was recorded that Peter actually drew his sword to attack one of the captors and struck his ear off. Jesus condemned this action, saying that living by violence would lead to violence. From scripture, we know that the some of the marks of the Spirit are peace, meekness, and love. Here is what Peter later said in his first Epistle:

1 Peter 2: 11Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,
14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.
20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Peter is writing that we should obey all authority, as Christ did! What did Christ do? He was beat, mocked, and killed, yet he never once struck out at those doing these things, instead praying for them! Peter went from pulling a sword ready to kill, to one who said believers should endure suffering for the sake of Christ(In acts, it said John and himself even rejoiced for being considered worthy enough to suffer for Christ.

This is a change that only the Holy Spirit is capable of bringing.

Now, I know what you are thinking "Thomas, Peter was special. He was chosen by Jesus to do all these things. Do you believe that you or I can be anything like that?!" Be like Peter? No. Peter was Peter. He had a certain role to fill, and He did it. You and I have our roles to fill. Maybe we will do things greater than Peter, or less than Peter. I actually even hate saying it like that, as if it is some sort of competition. It is not. We all work for the same kingdom, slaves to the same King. The Spirit transforms every believer to fit the role they will playing for this kingdom. So to ask whether or not we are going to be a Peter, or Paul, or John, or whoever is silly.

I am Thomas(not the apostle!) and the Spirit has transformed me so much from my old man into a new man. I drank. I partied here and there. I lied. I doubted the existence of God. I lived to make myself the best. I desired so much to be known by everyone, to be loved and desired, to have fame and power. Yet Christ saved me from the sins I was committing, and gave the Spirit to change me into one who wants only to make Him famous and adored. This Spirit convicts me of sin when I do it. It leads me away from temptations to avoid sin. It even gives me wisdom to help those who are sinning. I love this Holy Spirit so very much. It has changed me from an unstable, stumbling man who swayed with the wind, to one who is more firmly rooted. And though I am changed a lot now, I know that as I grow more mature, this Spirit will lead me to be more and more like Christ. That is the goal of the Spirit. It praises the Son, and gives the believer reminders about what the Son did. But most importantly, it changes the believer to look more and more like Jesus every day.

So it comes to this: as a believer you can be as I was, as Peter was, as many people currently are. You can say all the right things, yet fail to show true belief when it matters. You can say all you want that you will love Christ forever, yet continuing in the love of your sin in those secret times. You can do that. OR, you can let your life be completely overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit of God. I pray that any who believes this, no matter how mature they are, will take upon the challenge of being immersed in the Spirit more than they currently are. And with that challenge, I leave with this picture as the final thought:

Wind of Comfort

Not exactly my best post ever but....here it goes:


I celebrated a special anniversary recently (March 3rd, to be exact). It was the anniversary of when I became a Christian. To be short, I will simply say that my path to Christ was full of confusion, wishy-washiness, and so on. The day it happened, I was out by myself, trying to find some sort of clue from God to see what I needed to do with my life. There was one problem; I kept trying to find things which sounded appealing to my own ears. However, God had another plan in mind. There was a light breeze (I was inside, mind you) that kept blowing the pages of my Bible over to a passage in the book of James(4:7-10). After reading this and having it on my heart, I was in a group worship time, and I felt the same breeze hit the back on my neck, and I felt like I had a hand on my shoulder, and I dropped to my knees, submitting my life to Christ and becoming a Christian. Fast forward a year and a month, and I was stepping into a cold lake, in the middle of the night submitting to God in being baptized. As I came out of the lake, I remember a wind coming and causing the bonfire on shore to shoot up (it did this every time a person was baptized that night, in fact). Since that time, there have been uncountable amounts of time where I’ve been in prayer, worship, meditation, fasting, reading of scripture, etc, and this same familiar, comforting wind has descended upon me.

So what is this wind? This post will be discussing the Spirit as Comforter.

As I mentioned in my introduction to this series, one of the words used for the Holy Spirit in Greek is Pneuma(πνεύμα). It literally means breath. As a friend of mine pointed out to me, when God gave life to man in Genesis, He breathed it into his nostrils. This, I believe, is to be interpreted as showing intimacy between the created and Creator. This is, after all, why man was created. God made everything for His glory, but made man to also be intimately in love with Him. This is, in fact, the ultimate form of worship. With this in mind, we need to realize and remember that God is one who is intimately connected with that which He loves most: us.

This is one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit, as outlined in the Gospel of John. For example:

John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper(or advocate/comforter), to be with you forever,”

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

John portrays Jesus speaking of the Holy Spirit as one who helps, comforts, and advocates for the believer. So what does this mean for you and me? I mentioned in the opening how I felt a calm breeze in many of the important events of my life. For me, this is the comfort. Some days I am really stressed about life, and I pray or cry out to God, and suddenly a wind hits my face, and then I feel the pouring of the Spirit flow over my head, down my body. It brings complete peace and calmness. It gives me hope and strength. It whispers into my heart that everything is fine, for Jesus is still alive, sitting on His throne, and because of this I have the hope of Life. When I am lonely, the Spirit comforts my heart, and helps me through the pain. When I am scared, I am given strength. When I have questions, I am helped by being given answers. When I doubt, I am given faith. The Spirit is a guaranteed promise to me, by my Savior. He even went as far as to say that it would be MORE beneficial for HIM to leave and send the Spirit.

I think this is often over looked, and we tragically fall in the traps of the world.

Why?

We don’t realize the potential of what the Spirit is offering us. How can we enjoy a deeper, fuller relationship with God, if we don’t realize that He is offering it? Furthermore, it is BECAUSE He offers the Spirit to comfort us, that we can honestly say that what we have is more than religion, but is rather a deep and intimate connection with God! After all, if I were married and didn’t comfort my wife when she was sick, hurt, depressed, upset, scared, etc… how long would our marriage last? Not very long at all. In fact, it’d be hard to even see me getting married if I didn’t promote comfort towards my significant other. In the same manner, we say God is love, right? We always talk about how He loves us, and wants a relationship with us, and all that. So why don’t we live it and believe it? I think it grieves the Spirit when we face the troubles of life, and He is there waiting to comfort us, and instead we seek refuge in things of this world, people, or whatever it may be.
So my advice is this, and I think it is sound advice; use the gift that you are given. You don’t need drugs or alcohol, sex or sin at all. You don’t need to live in fear or doubt or depression. You don’t have to deal with things on your own, or even go through a 12 step self help group. All you need to do is pray for the Holy Spirit to comfort you. He is waiting this very moment to pour the love and mercy of God over your body, mind, and soul.

Blessings.

The Holy Spirit, part one

Lately I've been thinking quite a bit about the Holy Spirit. I think over the next few blog posts I will be discussing the Holy Spirit. First, I am going to give a general introduction. This is a paper I wrote a few years back for a religion class, at a secular university. Be kind, I wrote it, like I did every paper, the night before it was due. :p

"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). If there is one verse that could describe what the Holy Spirit meant to the First Century church, one could make a very well placed bet that the preceding verse would have hit the nail on the head, so to speak. The Holy Spirit has been a very important aspect of the Christian faith, both in times ancient and even still today. As seen in the book of Acts, the recordings of the earliest Christians, the Holy Spirit played an important part in emboldening the Apostles and early converts through signs, healings, and acts of supernatural means. This will show that through Scripture, the Holy Spirit is a part of God, given to those who follow Christ, as a testament of their faith as well as Spiritual guidance, as this is how the 1st century Christians saw the Spirit.

To understand the purpose of the Holy Spirit and its actions, as written in scripture, one must first come to understand the nature what the Holy Spirit actually is. The word used for the Holy Spirit in Greek, is most associated with wind or breath(1). Acts 2:2 says “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting”. The word usage of wind is not likely accidental. When one imagines breath or wind certain images come to mind. For example, if one were to look outside as the wind blew, one would be able to see the effects of the wind, while not being able to see the wind itself. The Holy Spirit is seen much in the same light. There is no record of the Spirit having ever taken a physical, seen presence. Instead, it is this invisible force that is only measured by the works that are performed by it(2). And just like wind, it can be very subtle, like a gentle spring breeze, or as a heavy wind, as seen in Acts 2. But, as mentioned, it’s not only seen as wind, but as a breath. Why? Breathing is a sign that a person is a life. It is essential for those who are alive to take breaths. Christian Scripture is loaded with rhetoric about new life, especially after baptism, when the Holy Spirit fills a person(3). The idea of filling a person is also tied into breathing. Take a breath. When one breathes in, one’s lungs are filled with life giving breath, until the point that one is so full of it that they have to literally expel some. Essentially, this is the same with the Holy Spirit. The idea is that God will pour so much of himself into a believer through the Spirit, that that believer will in turn pour it into others to witness to them the wonders of God. God is using a part of Himself to allow others to know him fully. Then again, how does one know that God and the Holy Spirit are of the same ilk?

Luke answered the aforementioned question in Luke, while narrating the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5: 3-4 says “Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” Luke mentions first the Holy Spirit, as saying that Ananias had his heart filled with Satan, causing him to lie to the Holy Spirit. However, in the very next verse it says that God was lied to. It seems that the author realized that the connection would be made that God and the Holy Spirit are one. A similar word exchange is used in 1 Cor. 3:16 and 6:19, where the Christian is described as a Temple of God, and then as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Both of these will be important later on when Christians begin to think more in depth about the relationship of the Godhead, in terms of Trinitarian theology. Matthew 28:14 has also been used to show that the Godhead is composed of multiple parts, including the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in that verse, that the Apostles should go and make disciples in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, showing a relationship between the three. Jesus also is recorded as saying in Acts 1: 4-5, that the Father would give a gift to the believers, in the form of the Holy Spirit. Can the Father give away something that is not His? Surely this is the logic that many early Christians used when explaining the Holy Spirit.

Up to this point this paper has focused on what the Spirit is, including that it is part of the Godhead, and is of supernatural or divine origin, per Christian scripture. But what exactly does the Holy Spirit do? Several passages in the book of Acts reveals to us that the Holy Spirit preformed several miracles for believers to witness to them the power of God. The most famous example is in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit comes down on the day of Pentecost to a group of believers in Jerusalem. The Spirit could have done a multitude of wonders for the believers and non-believers alike there, yet it chose to give the power of speaking in tongues to believers. One could only assume that the reason for this action is that the Holy Spirit desired to get people of various tongues to hear the wonder of Christ. Readers of the Bible know that the Spirit glorifies Christ(4) , so this would make sense as to why the Spirit chose this particular supernatural event. But perhaps another reason was attached to this. As mentioned before, the Holy Spirit was known by the Greek word for breath. However, it was also know by the word for Comfort, paraklete. Jesus said in John 15:26 ““But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”(5) The Helper here is more accurately translated as comforter. In acts, we see the Spirit working as that comfort and that help. Take for example Acts 9:31: “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”(6) Notice that the Holy Spirit here is seen as helping and comforting the believers by encouraging them. Though there was a time of peace, no doubt that many of them were unsure about the times ahead of them. The Holy Spirit gave them encouragement as well as strength in numbers, so that they could continue to do the work of Jesus Christ.

The last rather important piece of information about the Holy Spirit is that it has much to do with the process of salvation. While the Father begot a Son which died for mankind, it is the Holy Spirit which convicts people of their sin. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit this: “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). Not only does He convict the heart of sin, but He also has a great deal to do with Baptism, and important Christian rite. In Acts, every time there was talk about salvation, there was talk about Baptism afterwards, and then the Holy Spirit would fill a person’s life. For example, Acts 2:37-38 is a point where Peter is speaking about what to do in regards to being saved. 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.” Even in the case of Jesus, the Holy Spirit only came upon Him once and only once He was baptized. This author personally believes that this is the case because the Holy Spirit is involved in a process known as sanctification, in which a person is cleansed of the past sins and desires through faith and acts of said faith(7).

Much more can be said about the Holy Spirit than what has been covered. Consider other works it does, such as giving wisdom(8) , interceding(9), giving guidance(10) , etc... One can even say that the fruit of the Spirit is a work of the Spirit(11). Or perhaps one could also consider a less spoken side of the Spirit, such as when people who were baptized were not given the Spirit(12). Yet, this author believes that with what has been said about the Spirit in the selected Scripture is sufficient to paint a picture of a force that is not of this world, which is divine in nature, and works miracles and wonders in whomever it comes in contact with. It is clear that 1st Century Christians relied heavily on the Holy Spirit. They relied on it for strength, guidance, hope, comfort, and so much more. And like a fresh spring breeze, it never failed, nor fails in this day and age, to comfort and bring serenity. At the same time, like a tornado, there is nothing, neither ancient nor modern, that can stand against its power.

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Notes:
(1)Pneuma is the Greek in this case.
(2)John 14:16-17: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you
(3)Matthew 3: 16-17 says that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after He was baptized.
(4)John 15:26, 16:13-14;1 Cor. 6:19-20
(5)See also John 14:16.
(6)Compare to Romans 8:26. The Spirit helps us in weakness.
(7)Romans 15:16
(8)John 16:13
(9)Romans 8:26
(10)Romans 8:14
(11)Galatians 5:22-23
(12)Acts 8:16