Holy Spirit – Page 33 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: April 10, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44

The Father does a work by way of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who are responsive to His love. None can take the credit for the saving of even one soul. We do our part, but must wait on God to arrest the hearts and wills of those who would otherwise be eternally lost. Our prayer must be a constant ascension of incense, the aroma of our passion and desire to experience an environment where the deepest need within each heart may be realized. Our petitioning His Throne will set the atmosphere for the Divine will of God to be given expression that can reap much greater benefit than the striving of individuals and groups of people who think that their efforts can save the world. We are powerless without Him. Not His work in conjunction to our efforts, but rather His work through us as His initiative and not our own. God alone can do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ask or even think. So why should we ever think that our persuasion is sufficient to cause a sinner to be a saint? No, we wish to participate with Him as we trust Him with our whole lives. Then He will draw those to the remedy of what they have been made to know as their deepest need. As Jesus is lifted up on the cross as crucified, people will see that the sin debt they have been made aware of has been paid in full! But why should any wish to take advantage of His great provision unless they first know that their need is great?

30 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 30, 2013

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“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16

Sublimation according to Dr. Hadfield, was “the process by which instinctive emotions were diverted from their original ends, and re-directed to purposes satisfying to the individual and of value to the community.” Man will instinctively fulfill the lust of the flesh. The energy to carry out that end is within him and if nothing is changed, it is inevitable that he will follow after that path. It is only when the Spirit is given permission to intervene will his course be changed. Hia instincts will be diverted away from what comes natural and the more he yields to the Holy Spirit the more he will find pleasures equal to and ultimately greater than what formally occupied his time and attention. The energy that was expended towards self-gratification is now used for the benefit of the community. When we walk in the Spirit, we are moving in the direction and the ultimate destination God. All other paths lead to isolation and death. Habits are broken and new passions are ignited in place of the dominating forces that lead to frustration. The evidence that one is walking in the Spirit is the willingness to continue with the Spirit. There is no place in that individual’s life to engage in the contrary and unfruitful works of darkness.

03 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 3, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“ For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; (8) but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” Hebrews 6:7-8

What we have experienced and participated in with God is not merely for ourselves. He allows us to experience His goodness in order to provide healing for others. Either we will bear healing herbs for wounded, restless, and reckless souls, or we bear thorns and briers to further wound them. The deepest wound is wielded by sword-handlers who are unskilled in spiritual warfare. They cannot effectively interpret God’s grace in ways to benefit the wayward. We have been enlightened, tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. Therefore we are the ones that are to bear herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated. The fruit of our lives is for those who wish to know the Source and purpose for our being alive. Then we are able to live our lives has a blessing to others and a praise unto the Lord.

31 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 31, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:25

Is Church the place that we attend or a people in the process of being made? Many place more emphasis on place than in purpose. It is not a matter of getting what we consider to be our needs met. To be honest, we do not really know precisely what our needs are. There are symptoms, but our needs go much deeper. God knows. He knows our frame or the substance on which all that we have become was constructed upon. The foundation of our soul; mind, will, and emotion, is taken into account when the Word of God is spoken under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are challenged at the very core of our being in order to discover His intentions for our lives. We are not in place to merely receive affirmations. They will only strengthen the soul in its rebellious state against the knowledge of God. He is our Father. He rebukes us, challenges us, and affirms us. Oftentimes Church becomes a very uncomfortable place. We are called to reckon with God in relation to the sin that so easily beset us in order for His character to be formed in us. We are not human beings, but rather human becomings. We are a work in process. Whatever we are becoming, all that we expose ourselves to contribute to the formation of our lives. Every moment counts. Time is too valuable to be wasted.

Many have opted out of attending Church altogether. Their expectations were not met, or a disappointment was so devastating that they distanced themselves from the Church. Maybe unrealistic expectations have driven you away. It could have been the test of character warranting a difference response from you. The Church does not comprise of perfect people, but rather committed people. The commitment will be tested but the Word of God will bring understanding over time. Patience is the virtue which must be established with our hearts. God is beckoning His people to come home and be established.

Attend Church this week in order to worship God. Allow Him to reveal Himself to you and do not lean to your own understanding. The definition that I use for worship is “worship is our active response to God’s revelation of Himself whereby we declare His worth.” It is not about us. If worship is to be real it must be about Him! Out of our worship He will be glorified and His glory will always be for our good. You may not see it now, but when patience is perfected we are made to see further. We can then see aspects of the Kingdom of God unknown to us before His work in us began!

29 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 29, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.” Job 42:5

When God is abstract, one must use his imagination in drawing a composite of Him. But when one is close enough to see Him, all they have to do is report to others what has been made known to them. What we hear of Him ought to wet the appetite of the hearer to be drawn closer by the Holy Spirit. When we are drawn close enough to see His features we see in Him what we so desperately need. Then it does not take any exaggerated language or overly dramatic expressions to convey to the heart of others the knowledge that has now become a part of us. It is as easy as breathing because we are reporting and not selling. He does the work in our hearts and imparts to us wisdom that is beyond their years. It is the personal experience that transforms us from seekers to saints. As eyewitnesses of His glory, we are changed. The change within us is sufficient to invoke the change in others. Once we have seen Him through the eyes of the Spirit, we have a story to tell and a message to deliver. He becomes greater than what we first thought of Him and we become diminish in size in our own eyes.

24 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 24, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift”: 2 Corinthians 9:15

The gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the description of His Personhood in words from heaven through vessels of clay yet ordained to carry the message. God uses ordinary people but imparts to them extraordinary power. They are no longer mere men but the Word that they carry changes them into becoming vessels of honor. The message preserves the messenger so that as he partakes of what he has to deliver, his heart is set ablaze with the unction that comes from the Holy Spirit. The gift of Jesus Christ is indescribable, but what is equally indescribable is how God can choose from among the people those whom He wills to chose and use them in such remarkable ways! The sufficiency is not in them, but He continues to remind them that without Him they can do nothing. Thanks be to God for the methodology He has chosen to get His Word to us. And most of all, thanks be to God for a changeless but a life-changing message.

20 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 20, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Diligence is required in the preparation for the presentation of oneself as an authorized worker who is able to wholly participate in the work of God. God’s work must take place within the worker before the Holy Spirit is able to work through the worker. We must be careful not to engage in efforts we deem to be important prior to the life-changing experience of conversion. We are converted into seeing things from God’s point of view in heaven rather than ours which is limited to what we observe on the earth. He then takes the worker and places him among other workers in order for the work to be complete. No worker is able to complete his without the assistance of others who have been assigned to assist. The work of God is not just what we do but who we become. We are the raw material God uses to erect a spiritual house in which He will dwell throughout eternity. Our proper placement adds to our worth. Whatever it takes in assuring that our efforts are according to His specifications and is not in vain is of utmost importance. Be diligent that each may qualify as living stones in their rightful place.

19 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 19, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart” Psalm 15:1

The benefit of abiding with Christ is the motivation to act is governed by the Holy Spirit rather than merely our own minds. The thoughts generate from God and are transferred to the heart so that the will is to do His will rather than what previously occupied our time and attention. It is not a matter of consciously manipulating the mind to think right. There is a continual flow from the heart to the mind maintaining an awareness of God’s Presence at all times. Then it is not as much of a strain to make the right decisions in relation to our walk. Though temptations may come and trials may test our faith, we know that He is with us and we know that He working in us. Now when we speak, we speak from a changed heart. His Word is hidden in our hearts and no other language is our own other than what is being translated into life within us. What marvelous position to occupy when God is able to convey His truth boldly through an earthen vessel that has been transformed by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit!

12 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 12, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Diligence is required in the preparation for the presentation of oneself as an authorized worker who is able to wholly participate in the work of God. God’s work must take place within the worker before the Holy Spirit is able to work through the worker. We must be careful not to engage in efforts we deem to be important prior to the life-changing experience of conversion. We are converted into seeing things from God’s point of view in heaven rather than ours which is limited to what we observe on the earth. He then takes the worker and places him among other workers in order for the work to be complete. No worker is able to complete his without the assistance of others who have been assigned to assist. The work of God is not just what we do but who we become. We are the raw material God uses to erect a spiritual house in which He will dwell throughout eternity. Our proper placement adds to our worth. Whatever it takes in assuring that our efforts are according to His specifications and is not in vain is of utmost importance. Be diligent that each may qualify as living stones in their rightful place.

07 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 7, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“How you have advised the one without wisdom, and abundantly revealed your insight!” Job 26:3 (NET)

God’s advice to those who are void of wisdom can be translated as those who lack the ability to plan ahead. Those who lack foresight to make plans for the future are advised by God in things only known to Him. Forward thinking is the key to spiritual progress. Our sights must be set on things above as we journey from here to there. Each situation and every message must be weighed on the basis of their spiritual content. Are we growing in grace and the knowledge of God, or becoming content in our current state? The Holy Spirit guides us beyond the level of wisdom known to the world to insights revealed to us from heaven. Only then will we feel the sense of estrangement in an environment that is not our home and seek those things pertaining to life in the Spirit. Sound advice is required in order to have good success. Spiritual things are compared with the spiritual once we have been made aware of God Presence and humbly submit to His will as knowing nothing on our own.