The Gift of the Spirit

The Gift of the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (excerpt from Be the Message: The Gift of the Spirit)

Life in the Spirit is not only the key to understanding the Christian life but also understanding the Christian Church.  If you think that our life as a church lies in the abilities of our staff or the strength of our programs or the gifts of our people - you have not yet understood what a Christian Church is.  The life of the church comes from the Gift of the Spirit (Holy Spirit).  We hang on and live by the life of the Holy Spirit.  Without the breathing of the Spirit into everything that we do, we will be ineffective.

You prepare a Sunday School class; you organize a small group; you rehearse a song; you run a kids/youth camp; you organize another mission trip; you write another sermon - and in all these things we are like Elijah arranging wood on the altar (1 Kings 18).  It is God who sends the fire and without the fire (without the Holy Spirit)- it is only another class, it is only another group,it is only another song, it is only another camp, it is only another mission trip, it is only another sermon.  But when God's fire (His Holy Spirit) comes, lives are transformed to truly BE THE MESSAGE.

I wonder - Do you ever feel your need for the Holy Spirit?  Do you ever feel our need for the Holy Spirit?  Have you ever come to a place in your life where you are tired of all that you can do and HUNGRY for more of what only God can do?  I want us to be a church that is HUNGRY for more of what only God can do!

In order for us to really Live Life in the Spirit - we must rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances!  We are able to do this because of our position IN CHRIST JESUS!

Regarding Prayer:  What do you want to see happen when you pray?  I want people to know that they are saved from their sin, their rebellion & their self. You see, it takes the same power to bring spiritual life to a polite rural religious girl like me as it takes to bring spiritual life to a drug pusher or gang member.  That's why we need to pray for our children.  Because without the movement of the Spirit of God, our kids will end up being nice, self-centered, money driven, convenience seeking people with a religious faith but that is not New Testament Christianity.

Prayerful Intimacy: The Essence of Closeness to God

When the word "intimacy" is used, people normally think of something sexual.  Why?  Because media sells "sex." As Christ followers, we must begin to think of "intimacy" in spiritual terms and not in sexual terms.

A former colleague & mentor of mine writes this inspiring note about prayerful intimacy:

My desire for intimacy with God is a common desire. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until we find rest in thee” (Confessions 1.1). We hunger to live intimately with God. Prayer enables us to know more of God and to know that we are known by God. Prayer enables us to walk with, talk to, and listen to God. With revolutionary equality, prayer is available to everyone, everywhere, any time because God loves us equally and desires for each of us to know his love.

Since we are a diverse people with sixteen personality types who live in diverse circumstances, we need various ways to commune with God. Consequently there are more than a hundred ways to pray. We can pray with or without words, early in the morning or late at night, and whether we are happy or sad, glad or mad, tired or rested. We can pray with eyes open or closed, kneeling or standing, with hands folded or lifted high. We can pray when confused or clear, with prepared words or spontaneous expression. We just need to pray humbly and through the Spirit of Christ.

J. Lee Grady says, "Spiritual Intimacy with God will inspire you and prod you to leave the realm of spiritual mediocrity so that you can experience a dynamic, face-to-face relationship with Jesus, who truly is the Lover of our souls."