Wednesday Through Sunday Night breaks upon us. Sometimes fatigue at the end of the day can be mistaken for weariness. One has to make a distinction between the two. One is the common reward of a hard day’s work. The latter is a condition of the soul. I have generally felt fatigue between Wednesdays and Sundays. Thursday through Saturday seems like a long stretch of time with a lot of work. If I become weary and weakened in the fight,... Read more
A Word on Hope From a Surprising Source Recently, I was in a discussion with a Supervisor at work about current work opportunities, professional development, and advancement. I normally count it an honor to speak to a Supervisor candidly, and even more of an honor whenever one takes the time to share nuggets of wisdom. These people are busy. Every moment counts when they’re on the clock. However, the corporate culture must hold onto relationship-building as a core value, because... Read more
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37.4, NLT Take delight To “Take delight” is not only a verb, the verbal tense is in the imperative. In other words, we are commanded to “Take delight…” What if we have no choice other than to delight ourselves in the Lord? Take delight is a primitive verb, meaning it’s a root word. It can mean to be soft or pliable. It’s generally an effeminate verb. It... Read more
Spirit Filled Community TOC Table of Contents (TOC) The 2 Great Assumptions | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 1 CLICK Christ’s Authority | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 2 CLICK The Spirit’s Power | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 3 CLICK Steadfast Unity | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 4 CLICK Growth | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 5 CLICK Sharing Their Lives | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 6 CLICK Sharing a Common Life | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 7 CLICK Worship | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 8 CLICK Mystery &... Read more
Mystery & Wonder | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 9.b To read Mystery & Wonder | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 9.a CLICK II. PETER AND JOHN STAND THE TEST Peter and John are whisked away from the crowd before the altar call of 5,000 souls (4.1-3). They’re set before the religious elite, the Sanhedrin: Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes (4.5-7). These are the ones who put Christ to death. Peter and John are questioned by these jealous leaders. Then Peter, filled with the Holy... Read more
Mystery & Wonder | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 9.a There are many indescribable moments in Acts 1-5. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. Acts 3.9-10 A couple of terms have been generally used to describe moments like this: mystery and wonder. A leading theologian,... Read more
Worship | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 8 Think about the history of worship in the last couple generations You may have heard about the hippie movement that started in the 1960’s. American music went through the Big Band Era in the 1930’s and 40’s [love it]. Rock and roll started in the 50’s as bands scaled down and guitars were used more. Then the 60’s came along and we’re still trying to figure out what happened. Music was changed radically, everything was. Have... Read more
Sharing a Common Life | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 7 We just talked about the Spirit Filled Community, and how they were constantly Sharing Their Lives. Now we’re going to follow the Early Church a step farther than sharing their lives. We’re going to see how they are marked by Sharing a Common Life. The Passages we’ll look at are considered to be the 2 great summary statements of Luke. This is what the Early Church is known for. Before we get... Read more
Sharing Their Lives | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 6 In the Spirit Filled Community, the Early Church (E.C.) knows how to share. There are a couple of passages that tell us about all the Church shared (Acts 2.41-47; 4.32-5.12). Luke highlights the Early Church to inspire other Churches around the Roman Empire. When we think of Spirit-filled living, we may think of spiritual formation. We may also think of spiritual formation in individualistic terms like personal discipleship, private devotions, interior life,... Read more
Growth | Spirit Filled Community, pt. 5 Think back with me about communication, before any of our modern ways of communication: FaceTime or Zoom or Skype; texting, instant messaging, chat rooms, or social media; wifi, mobile hotspots, and even before the internet; cell phones, before “land lines” (we just called them phones); telegraph machines and morse code; before any of our modern ways of communication. The Early Church started with the Disciples. They didn’t have any of these advantages. In... Read more
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