EmmDev 2022-06-30 [Spiritual Growth] Help from the Holy Spirit #4

Help from the Holy Spirit #4

Do not get drunk with wine which leads do debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians5:18)

When we want to get practical about the infilling of the Holy Spirit then this is one of the most useful passages around. Paul uses the well-known phenomenon of being "under the influence" to explain how we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament often talks about being full of the Spirit. But how does this happen? Does God pour the Holy Spirit, like a liquid into our bodies till it gets up to our "full" mark? How do we know whether we are full or empty?

Paul is not simply warning us against the dangers of drunkenness. He's using the effects of alcohol to teach us something. We know when someone is full of alcohol because it affects their speech, actions, and mood in a very negative way. In the same way when a person is full of the Holy Spirit, their speech, actions, and mood are also affected, but in the most positive way - they become better people.

How does one stay drunk? One has to keep on drinking. So too, being filled with the Spirit is not a once off event - it is an ongoing process. Paul's verb "be filled" in the original Greek is in the present continuous tense i.e. "Keep on being filled."

Therefore: Being filled with the Spirit is an ever on-going process of allowing God to be in control in our lives. It is being "under the influence" of the Holy Spirit and bearing His fruit. It is the best way to live.

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EmmDev 2022-06-29 [Spiritual Growth] Help from the Holy Spirit #3

Help from the Holy Spirit #3

There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit There are different kinds of service but the same Lord There are different kinds of working but the same God works all of them in all people. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1Corinthians12:4-7)

With these words of introduction, Paul introduces one of several New Testament lists of Spiritual Gifts. The list in Corinthians is well known: It includes faith, healing, prophecy, discernment, tongues and such like. Because some of them can be dramatic, sensational or spectacular, Christians have tended to put the gifts on a pedestal.

As we saw yesterday, it is the fruit that are vital and not the gifts.
The gifts are given for the common good of the church. They are God's toolbox which He gives to His people to get the job done. He gives gifts to the body as the body has need. This means that we will not necessarily get the gifts we want, but we will be given the gifts that the Church needs.

There are some gifts unfortunately that attract more attention than others, but all are equally important. Some people are shocked to discover that administration and generosity are gifts too!

Talents and gifts are not the same thing. It is true that sometimes some of our talents can be gifts, but not every talent is a gift. Sometimes God will take a talent I have and enhance it as I use it for Him - then it becomes a gift. The three main lists of gifts are in 1Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.

The important thing is that we should realise that when it comes to getting the job done, God does not leave the church to struggle along on its own - He gives gifts. These are not our gifts but His: He lends them to us to help build the church and as the needs of the church change, so may the gifts that God lends me...

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EmmDev 2022-06-28 [Spiritual Growth] Help from the Holy Spirit #2

Help from the Holy Spirit #2

People often emphasize the gifts of the Holy Spirit. While they are important, they are secondary to the fruit of the Spirit. More than once Jesus made it clear that His followers would be known by their fruit. A tree must bear fruit. So too with Christians - it is more important that we bear fruit than receive gifts.

When the character traits of love, joy and peace are evident in our lives, when others remark on our patience, kindness, and goodness and people can see that we are faithful, gentle, and self-controlled then it is clear that God is at work in us.

None of these nine fruit come easily to us as human beings. We need help to be more loving and more patient. The Holy Spirit working in us will release the potential that will enable us to be the people God wants us to be.

The more we allow God to work in us, the more these nine fruit will be evident in us. I have heard people say that one must fall over to be filled with the Spirit or that speaking in another language (tongues) is the only evidence of the coming of the Holy Spirit. But neither of these is true.

I know many people who have never had a dramatic experience like that and yet are full of good fruit. They are truly filled with the Spirit!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians5:22)

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EmmDev 2022-06-24 [Spiritual Growth] Help from the Holy Spirit #1

Help from the Holy Spirit #1

The fourth way to grow as a Christian is to remember, appreciate, and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit who lives in us and who wants to work in and through us.

God created us in His image which means that we can have the Holy Spirit living in us. When we become Christians it is because the Holy Spirit has been working in our hearts.

The more we allow Him to live in our hearts and the more control we give Him, the more we will grow in our faith.

Paul reminds Timothy, a young man who was made responsible for an important church, that he does not need to be fearful because the Holy Spirit will work in him to give him:

• The power to change
• The ability to love God, himself, and others more than ever before
• The courage to change deep-rooted habits and become a new person through self-discipline. (Some translations translate self-discipline as a sound mind which implies the mental strength to become a new person)

God's Holy Spirit is in the business of helping us to become more and more like Jesus. We do not have to be afraid or helpless - God will help us.

Over the next few days we will look at what the Holy Spirit does in our lives, and then we will look at how we can grow closer to the Spirit and give Him more control...

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. (2Timothy1:7)

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EmmDev 2022-06-23 [Spiritual Growth] Fellowship: Corporate Prayer

Fellowship: Corporate Prayer

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned he will be forgiven. (James5:14-15)

Prayer is amplified when we pray together. When God's children unite in His name and agree in prayer in His name, we can expect mighty and wonderful things to happen. Why? Because God has chosen to operate in this way.

He wants us to be a real body where the rest of the body feels the pain of one part and unites in support of the hurting part and when we do, He does great things in that body.

The elders of the church are involved because they are chosen as representatives of the Body. Throughout the Old Testament oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit and the symbol of being set apart. Faith is needed too, but the clear implication is that it is not only the faith of the person being prayed for, but the faith of those praying.

One of the reasons why the elders are the ones who should pray is that sometimes the need for healing comes from sin that needs to be confessed. Due to the abuse of the confessional just before the Reformation, the Protestant church has shied away from confession.There can, however, be incredible healing for people who suffer from guilt or who are unable to break a habitual sin if they confess their need to a group of mature, trustworthy Christians who will pray for them, hold them accountable, and keep their own mouths shut.

It takes courage to be vulnerable to a group of fellow Christians, but when Christ's love operates in the group, the results can be amazing.

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EmmDev 2022-06-22 [Spiritual Growth] Fellowship: Christ's presence when we gather

Fellowship: Christ's presence when we gather

Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew18:19-20)

Throughout the New Testament Jesus promises that He will be with us: "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Hebrews13:5) "I will be with you always"(Matt.28:20) So why should He give us yet another conditional promise here? Why do we suddenly have to be two or three before He is with us?

The answer to this question lies in the Old Testament understanding that God lives within the praises of His people and that He is therefore especially present when His children gather specifically in honour of His name.

It is not that He is not present during the rest of the time, but that He is especially present when we gather as His Church and in His name.

This has profound implications: The always present God is even more present when we honour Him in our gatherings. This means that we can expect to be more aware of His holiness and more open to His unfailing love when we gather in His name. It means that we can expect to encounter the living God in the context of Christian fellowship even more than anywhere else in the world. Our prayers are even more effective when they are owned by a group who pray together.

It also has profound implications for prayers for healing and we'll talk about this tomorrow.

God is especially close to those who meet in His name. Why on earth would I want to miss out on that???

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EmmDev 2022-06-21 [Spiritual Growth] Fellowship: Skipping is a bad habit...

Fellowship: Skipping is a bad habit...

The Christians who first read the letter to the Hebrews suffered greatly for their faith. They expected that Jesus would return very very soon, and the extent of their suffering certainly heightened their expectation. Because they believed that "the end was nigh" they narrowed their focus to the things that were really really important.
It is significant that getting together with other Christians was considered one of these important issues.

The purpose of getting together was encouragement. When we were in Grahamstown, I visited a lady who was going through a very rough time. She had this to say: "There are times that I am so low when I come to church, that the hymns, the sermon, and the prayers all mean nothing to me. What keeps me going is to look around at the other 200 people who have come: The young, old, healthy or frail who have taken the trouble to get up on an ice-cold morning to sit on a hard pew, sing ancient old hymns and listen to words from a 2000 year old book. Then I know that it is real and I am encouraged!"

But the encouragement does not only come from everyone's presence: It is the kind word in conversation, the thoughtful enquiry to one's well-being, the timely offer of assistance, the hearing of the preached Word, and so many other possibilities.

Fellowship is not confined to Church on Sundays. Ideally we should all be part of a midweek fellowship group that gives us the faith top-up we need. Someone once said: "Coming to church is like coming to the big gathering of the extended family with all the aunts, uncles, babies, grandparents, and all the rest - It's good and it's fun. But coming to a fellowship group is like coming home to one's immediate family."

Skipping church is a bad habit. Giving Sunday morning worship a miss is something we should do with great hesitance and only with very good reason. And when we go, we should not only go to be encouraged or ministered to. Maybe there is someone you can say a kind or thoughtful word to. We're to go to "spur each other on" not only to be "spurred on." We don't only go to receive - we go to give.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews10:24-25)

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EmmDev 2022-06-17 [Spiritual Growth] Fellowship: Friction

Fellowship: Friction

There are many people who opt out of fellowship these days. Some of our massive churches allow people to be anonymous and this is seen as a good thing!!! People hide behind their walls, electric fences, and intercomms not allowing others near. Now after Covid, many are not finding their way to back to face to face services. While online services have become a great way for those who can't get to physical services to continue in worship and teaching, there are many have fallen into the habit of not attending. Some argue that they do not need others and they claim to be able to believe in God on their own.

The Bible does not know about "lone-ranger" Christians. If we want to grow, we must share our faith experience with fellow believers. This is never easy. When iron sharpens iron the sparks may fly and heat may be generated. When iron sharpens iron there are rough edges that must be honed to form a sharp blade. When iron sharpens iron, there is shaping and filing to produce an attractive or useful product.

When we meet with other Christians, some may rub us up the wrong way, some may trample our favourite corns, and some may miss the point. This should not detract from the fact that we are all just parts in the bigger body or like stones in a wall. If we work at learning to care for and share then our interactions with Christians will be a very important part of society.

If the world will see that we are His disciples by our love for one another, then we need to practise somewhere. The social bits of church attendance, the inane small talk, putting up with someone's off-key singing, volunteering for tea duty to serving on an outreach team are all ways in which we hone our skills to love others and show the world that we are disciples of Jesus.

As iron sharpens iron, one person sharpens another. (Proverbs27:17)

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EmmDev 2022-06-15 [Spiritual Growth] Prayer: Why don't I get answers #3

For some reason I managed to send out yesterday's one again - apologies.
Here's todays emmDev.

Prayer: Why don't I get answers #3

In our passage for today Peter is talking to those who are expecting the second coming of the Lord and wondering why He has not come yet. His answer to them is also helpful to us who wonder why God hasn't come in answer to our prayers.

Peter's first point is that God has a different view from the one we have. We are bound by time - He is not! We are caught up by the "urgent" and "crisis situations" - He is not! We see the short-term and He sees the long-term.

Furthermore, it may even appear that God is slow in answering our prayers. When this is so, it is often because we have a faulty perception of when, where, and how the answer should be delivered. God works on His own schedule, but His promises remain secure.

Furthermore, we are assured that any apparent delay has to do with God's desire for our good and benefit! God has our best interests at heart. There are times when God's answer is not "No!", but "Wait..."
And when we do, it is worth it.

Someone said: "God is never there when I want Him, but He is always right on time!"

But do not forget this one thing dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. (2Peter3:8-9)

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EmmDev 2022-06-14 [Spiritual Growth] Prayer: Why don't I get answers #2

Prayer: Why don't I get answers #2

Sin is the second reason why our prayers are not answered.
Sinful rebellion short-circuits the work of God in our lives.

On the face of this, it looks like we're all in trouble! We're all sinners aren't we? Yes, but not all of us have unanswered prayer in our lives! We need to understand that Isaiah is addressing a stubborn, rebellious, resistant nation that are guilty of inflexible disobedience and rebellion. They do not want to change their ways. They are sinful. They know it and they don't want to change.

It is not the day to day sin that I regret and am sorry about that keeps me away from God. I call these sinful-mistakes - they are serious and need to be dealt with, but they are different from deep-seated and deep-rooted sinful rebellion!

Regretted and confessed sin will not keep me from God, but deep rooted unyielding rebellion and unbending insistence on doing things that displease God will result in my prayers not being answered.

And God's discipline is always aimed at restoring us: His silence is aimed at bringing us back to Him in repentance.

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. (Isaiah59:1-2)

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EmmDev 2022-06-14 [Spiritual Growth] Prayer: Why don't I get answers #2

Prayer: Why don't I get answers #2

Sin is the second reason why our prayers are not answered.
Sinful rebellion short-circuits the work of God in our lives.

On the face of this, it looks like we're all in trouble! We're all sinners aren't we? Yes, but not all of us have unanswered prayer in our lives! We need to understand that Isaiah is addressing a stubborn, rebellious, resistant nation that are guilty of inflexible disobedience and rebellion. They do not want to change their ways. They are sinful. They know it and they don't want to change.

It is not the day to day sin that I regret and am sorry about that keeps me away from God. I call these sinful-mistakes - they are serious and need to be dealt with, but they are different from deep-seated and deep-rooted sinful rebellion!

Regretted and confessed sin will not keep me from God, but deep rooted unyielding rebellion and unbending insistence on doing things that displease God will result in my prayers not being answered.

And God's discipline is always aimed at restoring us: His silence is aimed at bringing us back to Him in repentance.

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. (Isaiah59:1-2)

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EmmDev 2022-06-10 [Spiritual Growth] Prayer: Why don't I get answers? #1

Prayer: Why don't I get answers? #1

One of the hardest things about prayer is when we don't receive answers. This leads to discouragement and disillusionment. To pray is to go out on a limb, and when this bears no fruit we are very disappointed.

There are a couple of reasons prayers go unanswered and we'll work through a few of them...

The first reason for unanswered prayer is selfish self-centeredness. When our prayers are consistently focused on ourselves and our own wants and pleasures, then God stops answering. When our prayers reinforce the notion that there is only one god in our lives and that that god is ourselves, then the true God refuses to be the vending machine that dispenses this false notion of deity.

Does this mean that we cannot pray about our needs? No! Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread. It is when we pray for wants more than we pray for needs that God begins to refuse our requests.

If your prayers are unanswered have a candid look at your motives - you may discover more selfish greed there than you thought...

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James4:3)

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EmmDev 2022-06-09 [Spiritual Growth] Prayer is like breathing

Prayer is like breathing

My wife, Brenda, and I do lots together. Because I do a lot of work from my "home office" we have many days where we work side by side and share the ups and downs of each day. We were able to communicate constantly with words, grunts, smiles, signs, and expressions. In fact, we actually say very little - it just isn't necessary.

Prayer can be like this: If we carry with us a deep sensitivity to and awareness of God's presence, we will be able to adopt an attitude of communication where we will be able to pray continually. 

When I get this right, then my "prayers" sound something like this: (Driving in the car) "What a beautiful morning Lord - thank you" (later whilst looking around) "Gosh, Lord, the lady in the car over there is crying - please would you be with her." Arriving at the church: "There's a lot to do today Lord, please give me the energy I need!" Faced with a pile of work: "Groan! You gotta help me Lord!"

Joy and Gratitude are both important attitudes and I don't think that it is an accident that Paul sandwiched Prayer between them. I think each day can be a stream of communication between us and our ever-present God - a stream consisting of joy, prayer and gratitude. And I think you'll find that the words don't matter much.

Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1Thessalonians5:16-18)

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EmmDev 2022-06-08 [Spiritual Growth] Prayer: Getting real

Prayer: Getting real

Prayer is about asking and about thanks, but it is also about opening up.

One of my favourite images is that prayer is like a camera. The lens is focused and the shutter opens... The light shines in and leaves an image on the film negative or sensor.  Prayer is very similar to this: We focus in on God, we open the shutters of our hearts and He shines His light in and our hearts (the film/sensor) are changed...

Psalm 139 is all about opening up to God. In the first part of the Psalm, the psalmist struggles with the almost relentless knowledge that God has of him. (Even when he tries to escape God he cannot!) Then he begins to realise that God loves Him with the tender love of a creator, and that he, the Psalmist, is a precious creature. His response is to give even more of himself to this tender, merciful, loving God. 

And so, where the Psalm began with the Psalmist running away from a God who knew too much, the psalm ends with the author running toward God all the while offering everything he (the Psalmist) has.

Our prayers should involve some of this: that we open our hearts to God - even the scary and ugly bits - that we stop pretending and that we stop hanging on to a false dignity. We need to turn to Him and call for His help, we need to expose ourselves to Him.

When we ask Him to scrutinise our lives like this, He shines His light and love into the whole area of our lives and we can be changed!

Search me O God and know my heart Test me and know my anxious thoughts See if there is any offensive way in me And lead me in the way everlasting (Psalms139:23-24)

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EmmDev 2022-06-07 [Spiritual Growth] Prayer: Bringing our needs to God

Prayer: Bringing our needs to God

This week we move to prayer...

Do you struggle to pray? I do... Part of my problem is that I try too hard to say the right things and even to talk at all!

God has given us prayer so that we can talk to Him, but also listen to Him. We sometimes feel guilty bringing our "shopping lists" before God, but we need to understand that God, like a good friend or parent, is interested in whatever may be bugging us.

We are invited, no, instructed to present our requests to God. We are to talk to God about our requests (prayer), we are to nag God about them (petition), and we are to give thanks for His answers. My good friends are the ones who will listen when I need to get stuff off my chest. Prayer is me trusting God with my baggage because He is my friend.

I am learning that one of the best things I can do is simply to be in God's presence. I've learned I can pray while watering the garden and occasionally sending up an arrow prayer all the while being very conscious of His presence. I've found that riding my bike and looking around at the beauty of the veld and praying for people or situations as they pop into my mind has become another special way of praying.

Do good friends struggle to be together? Sometimes they talk, sometimes they're quiet and sometime one speaks and the other just says "mmmm" or "uh ha". 

Prayer is me, dropping my defences and becoming real with God. As I do that, He begins to work in my heart giving me peace and comfort as I spend time with Him.

So don't struggle - just do it!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians4:6-7)

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EmmDev 2022-06-03 [Spiritual Growth] Mirror mirror... Deceiving ourselves...

Mirror mirror... Deceiving ourselves...

It is possible for us to deceive ourselves. 

We can get up early each morning to read three chapters of scripture each day and it can mean nothing! Bible study is never only about head-knowledge - it is always about life-change. The purpose of Scripture is to be our life manual - and a manual must be put into practice.

What good is it for me to read a helicopter manual if I will never own one or fly one? It could be vaguely interesting and I may be able to impress a few folk with my knowledge, but I would be much better off mastering the manual for my car! Reading the manual for my car will lead to action, I will drive it correctly, maintain it properly, and service it appropriately.

When we study God's manual for life and we don't put it into practice, we are as ridiculous as the person who can't remember what their face looks like in the mirror! However, if we read only half a chapter and we let it speak to our hearts and lives, then we are better off than the person who reads many chapters and quotes many verses but hasn't changed at all.
And we are in line for a blessing!

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word, but does not do it is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently at the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does. (James1:22-25)

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EmmDev 2022-06-02 [Spiritual Growth] Is Bible reading important?

Is Bible reading important?

It's Resurrection Day. Jesus accompanies two unknown disciples for an 11km walk on a dusty road (they did not realise it was Jesus walking with them...) Along the way they get into a religious discussion  and He spends most of the trip explaining Scripture to them.

With all due respect, was this not a waste of our Lord's time? Surely He could have appeared to some important people and done some important things - He has just risen from the dead you know? He could have held a press-conference or something!

Instead, Jesus remains incognito to teach two disciples that their faith must come, not from circumstances, but from the truth of the Word! He spends 4-5 hours with two of his lesser-known followers to teach them about God's Word. And it paid off! - Even before they recognised Him, their hearts were burning.

Apart from the appearances by the graveside, this is Jesus' first public appearance and it is interesting that the emphasis is on His Word and not Himself, although it was an honour he could have claimed. Out of all Jesus' public appearances after the resurrection, this one stands out in terms of time spent and priority given. He gave His maximum time and highest priority to some unknown disciples who we never hear of again - Why??? To do some Bible Study - leaving them with burning hearts.

Is Bible reading a good thing? You betcha!

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke24:32)

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EmmDev 2022-06-01 [Spiritual Growth] Getting Pure

Getting Pure

In the computer industry they say: "If all else fails, read the manual!" Many people comment that children come into the world without a user manual. They are partly right: there is no manual that is issued at the birth of a child, but there is a manual that will help us to live properly.

Purity and right living were important to the Israelites. They understood purity as something Godlike and that if they wanted to become more like God, they would need to seek purity. But purity is not a destination so much as it is a quality of a relationship. In the process of knowing God better we should be drawn to what pleases Him and drift away from that which saddens Him.

God's Word is a key part of this process as it imparts values, truths, examples, and principles that help us understand what pleases and saddens God. We should always be looking for ways to sit quietly and absorb the ethos and personal message of Scripture once again.

Reading this Manual for Real Life is not always easy! Sometimes the readings are tedious, sometimes the call seems too much, but the more we immerse ourselves in the rich soil of Scripture, the more prepared for life we will be!

The Bible is our key to pure, righteous, good and holy living. If we are to become the people Jesus made us born again to be, then we need a guide and catalyst which will help us become more like Him.

The Bible is that catalyst!

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word. I seek You with all my heart: do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. (Psalms119:9-11)

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