Does The Holy Spirit Leave?

 There are those who teach that after the Rapture of the church the Holy Spirit will be absent from planet Earth. Is that true? They use 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 as scriptural proof of their theology. 

"...only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."

But even a casual reading of the book of Revelation shows me a God who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is active and working until the end of the book. The Holy Spirit was present at creation and He will be present for eternity.

"And the Spirit and the bride say, come!..." Rev.22:17

"...And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2

So the Holy Spirit has been active on Earth throughout it's existence. He is active all the way to the end of Revelation, and throughout all eternity.

So to say that the Holy Spirit leaves because Satan takes over the political world is foolish. But these are the same people who slander the Holy Spirit and who claim that God stopped working once the last original apostle died. You cannot be wrong in some areas and right in other areas.

"Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Matthew 23:26-27

The Perpetual Growth Myth

 "For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed,..." Malachi 3:6

Some preachers say, or at least imply, that with God's help we can continue to grow and be more than we are. Pastors want their church to grow in numbers and in influence.  We claim the increase in the number of churches as evidence of God's blessing on our Fellowship. We believe that if something is alive, it will grow.

Let me ask this first. Has God grown at all? Is He bigger or wiser or stronger than He has ever been? God say that He never changes, as our text states. God is bigger than us, but He is the same as He has always been.

People grow at first, but stop growing at a young age. They may mature and gain knowledge and wisdom, but at some point they are all they will ever be. Every person spends their early years discovering what to do and then they live out the rest of their lives doing what they do best. Fasting and prayer will not change that.

Churches can grow exponentially at some point, but they level off and do what they do over and over and over again. Every church will grow to the level of skill and ability of the pastor and his staff and the core of faithful saints. Gimmicks may bring temporary spurts of growth, But time will tell how big you really are.

The experts say that success is the enemy of growth. I say we do what we do and that's all we can ever do.

I am grateful that God is unchanging and faithful. He never gets bored or tired. 

Our Excuses Don't Add Up

"...Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and sign which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know." Acts 2:22

This morning I saw something that I had never noticed before. It seems that Jesus did what he did, not because he was God in the flesh, but because God worked through him by the power of the Holy Spirit. If God could work through Jesus by the Holy Spirit, could not God also work through us today by that same Holy Spirit who was given on Pentecost?

Another thought for you God in the flesh believers. Why did Jesus have to pray if he was God in the flesh? God does not pray. He hears and answers prayer. Why did Jesus need to learn obedience as it says in Hebrews 5:8?

"though he were a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered."

Jesus surely suffered on the cross. Was he disobedient up until then?

I think that making Jesus to be Christ before the resurrection is an attempt to cover up our unbelief. We grudgingly allow miracles and divine healing through the original apostles, but not after they all passed from the scene. They believe that God can do anything if God wants to, which he rarely does. It's easier to say that healing and miracles and speaking in tongues passed away after the death of the apostles and the printing of the Bible than to admit that we cannot heal anyone and that we do not speak in tongues in prayer and in worship. If Jesus did what he did in olden days because he was God, we cannot be expected to do greater works than Jesus because we are not God.

I fear that much of the church world today does err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

For the Evangelical world the only miracles that God does anymore is to save sinners. The Bible teaches that salvation is only the beginning. God has so much more!

Blasphemy

 In Matthew chapter 12 the Lord warns against the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. This is a deep subject that I have been studying. The basic meaning of the word blasphemy is to slander and to despise the working of the Holy spirit. Bullinger describes it as the very worst kind of slander. Vine says that the word is confined to speech speaking defamatory words against the divine majesty.

Blasphemy is one of the evil things that comes from the defiled human heart. It is an attitude of heart that always come out in words spoken out loud.

"...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34

In the text the religious leaders reviled Christ by saying he cast out demons by the prince of demons. They despised the working of the Holy Spirt through Christ. They slandered Jesus to discredit his legitimacy.

One fearful aspect of this warning is found in the text.

"...but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." 

Could it be that those who claim to believe the Bible is the word of God also despise the working of the Holy Spirit in divine healing and deliverance from demons today? Are those opposed to speaking in tongues in danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit?

People use the argument that Jesus was God in the flesh to excuse their unbelief and rebellion. We cannot do what Jesus did because he was God and we are not. They do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 

Milestones

 Several notable dates have come up recently. In December I have been saved for 50 years. Today it has been 10 years ago that my wife died. And coming up soon our church in San Antonio celebrates 40 years since it's founding.

If you live long enough you will pass milestones along the way that tell you how far you have come.

Praise The Lord For Healing!

 After a recent bicycle ride I ended up with pain in my lower back. I do not know what caused it. But it hurt. I almost did not make it to church last Sunday morning. But I managed to get there in spite of the pain.

I was determined to have one of our pastors pray for me. So pastor Martinez did pray for me. I instantly felt much better. And since then my pain is almost all gone! 

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Foundations Of Our Walk With God

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1Cor. 13:13

Faith, hope, and love are the foundations on which the Christian's faith stands. Christ is the rock of our salvation. These three attributes form the basis for everything else. These are the threefold chord that is not quickly broken we read about in Eccl.4:12.

Faith is what connects us to God through Christ. We believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Love is what connects us to others. We love the saints. We love the lost. We love God because He first loved us.

Hope is the topic that we are currently studying in our home Bible studies. Hope is a big topic. Hope is the least understood of these three ideas. Hope sustains us. Hope encourages us. Hope for us is based on God's faithfulness and His ability towards us. And hope is the one thing we find hardest to define.

I'm glad we are studying hope for 7 more sessions. We all need hope in days like these.

Gratitude Is The Key

 "Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:21-22

Pastor Martinez mentioned something last night that I have never thought of before. How was it that Adam and Eve, living in paradise, walking with the Lord, were so easily tempted to disobey God and do evil? 

I think that the Serpent was in the Garden and he was watching Adam and Eve. He saw something that became obvious to him and he devised a plan to deceive them and cause them to do evil. What did the Serpent see? He never saw then worship or thank the Lord for all the blessings He had given them. He saw, and no doubt heard them speaking, and discovered that they felt that they were equal to God. Adam and Eve felt superior to all of creation. They talked over Garden business with the Lord regularly. The Serpent did not tempt them with sex, drugs, or alcohol. He tempted them with the prospect that the fruit was the only thing left to make them fully equal with God. He appealed to their pride.

It makes me wonder if Adam and Eve were not grateful or thankful and that maybe they never expressed their gratitude to the Lord for all they enjoyed freely. They knew God was real and that He had created all that they saw.

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." Romans 1:20.

Adam and Eve made excuses for actions for which there was no excuse. They were rejected and forced out of the Garden. Their influence evaporated. Their rule ended.  They became fools who acted foolishly and they disappear from the pages of history. The last words of Eve are recorded in Genesis 4:25; "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.". All Adam did was have children for the next 800 years. He said nothing notable, he built nothing lasting. He just lived until he died. What a wasted life.

Pastor Martinez told us that the key to walking in the Spirit for us is worship. Honoring God and being thankful. Gratitude involves our mind, our heart, and our mouth.

A Question

 One quick question. When is the last time you had a young man get saved, become a disciple, and get sent out to pastor in 3 years? That's how it used to happen.

An Aging Generation

According to AARP, about 12,000 Americans a day will turn 65 in 2024. And yet, in spite of real facts, our Fellowship is still stuck thinking that only young people matter when it comes to outreach and ministry and focus. That figure of 12,000 people per day means that this year alone about 4.4 million people will hit that milestone. 

People who were teens in the 1970's when revival began in Prescott are in their 60's or 70's today. What are our churches doing to minister to this growing segment of our Fellowship?  Are we just preaching the same youth oriented message and ignoring the senior citizens in our midst?

I don't know what the answer is. But focusing on youth is focusing on a dwindling segment of American society. People no longer get married and start families like they used to. They just grow old and childless and are often ignored by our churches.

Does that number do anything to you? 12,000 per day is a lot of people. We still have rock or rap concerts, often making folks sit on the floor like children.

Pray for our aging pastors and churches. And do not ignore us who have grown up and grown old in the faith.

There is a sure way to find out what seniors are thinking. Talk to them. Spend time with them. Earn their trust. Pray for wisdom.

Dreams

 In the past few days I have had dreams about Prescott. Last week I dreamt that I bought a big house in Prescott for a ridiculous price. Last night I dreamt that I was visiting with pastor Greg and two other young pastors from the Prescott fellowship about our goals for the next two years.

I do not know what these dreams mean. I lived in Prescott for many years. But I left to be closer to my children after my wife died. This is the first time that Prescott has been in my dreams.

I pray for pastor Greg and the Prescott church regularly. We all need them to do well.

Christmas is Over, Why Are You Still Celebrating?

 There are no rules governing Christmas in the Bible. No guidelines or timelines. Just a vague and questionable connection to the birth of Christ. Most theologians believe that Jesus was born in September or early October, not on December 25th.

The Christmas we celebrate in America is historic, but to an earlier time in our history, not back to ancient days. Santa is a fairly modern invention. There is no Santa Claus in the Bible.

God is not concerned with your Christmas decorations. Unless you make offerings to your Christmas tree as to a god. There is no reason to leave you Christmas decorations up weeks after Christmas is over. It is not a sin to take down your Christmas tree the day after Christmas.

"making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down...." Mark 7:13

So my question is, why are you still celebrating a holiday that is long over? Why do you let your tradition negate common sense?

Faith Out Loud

 Pastor Rubi at first reminded me a lot of pastor Mitchell. But after a while I see that there is little similarity. One big difference is how they pray. Pastor Mitchell prayed out loud. He was wise enough to know not to pray for sensitive situations out loud. But you could hear him pray. Pastor Rubi prays long, but I never hear him praying. He is loud when he preaches. He is loud when he leads worship. But he is very quiet when he prays.

I have noticed that some people who are very zealous in one area are not always zealous in all areas. Some give loud amens but are subdued in other expressions. Some people are wild in worship who say nothing of importance when praying. 

Balance is a rare quality in church life. We sing out loud, we worship out loud, and we pray out loud. We do not get out of control in any area of church life. Balance is a work of the Holy Spirit.

On the Holy Spirit. You shall receive power is often said to mean dynamite. Dunamis is actually the word for dynamo. A power generating station, not a flash in the pan explosive experience. It is this steady, strong power that has kept me saved for 50 years. Whiz bang Christians make a splash and fade away to nothing.

No Regrets

I have made it a goal in life to end the year with no regrets. That, as I turn the page on the old year, I can look back knowing that I am right with God and that I have done nothing or said nothing that I regret. So, again this year, as I close in on three years living here, I end with no reserves, no regrets, and no retreat.

The only way to lose with God is to quit. I have not quit. I will not quit. I have come to far to turn back now.