Viewing entries tagged
power
Most people read the Bible and look for the “practical parts.” We want to see how the Bible applies to our lives. In the process, we often end up skipping over the passages that show how God gives us the strength to apply those practical passages. The result can be frustration or hypocrisy. One of the areas of Scripture that we need to come to terms with if we want to grow is the theme of identity. Let me explain.
Today, there’s a tendency to understand our sense of who we are in light of our feelings and ourselves. ‘The answer’s in our heart,’ we’re told, but many people don’t like the answers they find there. Our heart can be cruel and often it misleads us.
There’s a song by Casting Crowns called “Who am I?” that captures the comfort and reassurance of somebody who has built their sense of identity from the Bible. It says:
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever-wandering heart
In a single stanza of their song, they express a number of unique aspects of the Bible’s perspective on identity. Notice that there’s no disguising the weakness. He can acknowledge his hurt and even admit to having a wandering heart. He can do this because he feels the care and attention of a God who sees him for who he is and still loves him. He can also do this because he sees Jesus ‘lighting the way’ and helping him to become all that he longs to be. These three aspects of a healthy identity come straight from the Bible. Let’s consider them.
Christians have been taught some strange things about the Holy Spirit over the years. There were some who taught you had to “tarry” to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, based on the King James rendering of Luke 24:49. By tarry, they meant that people have to wait, often in hours-long prayer meetings, for a sign of the Holy Spirit. Many people found the wait exhausting and never experienced what they were told to wait for. There are others who have so tied speaking in tongues with the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit can take a backseat to speaking in tongues and God’s power is missing in people’s lives as a result. Others have been so freaked out by horror stories of “tarrying” and fiascos related to tongues that they want nothing to do with the Holy Spirit altogether. None of this is helpful. Over the last several weeks we’ve been looking at who the Holy Spirit is, why He’s just what we need, and what He seeks to do in people’s lives. Today, let’s consider three basic ways Scripture gives to connect to His power in our lives.
It was Jesus’ final night with the disciples. How could He prepare them for all that would come? How could they face losing Him? How could they go on without Him? I think of times when I’ve had to leave my family because of work. The separation will be difficult, but you try to reassure each other. I’ve been with many families as a loved one faced their final hours. There are affirmations of love and gratefulness. But I’ve never heard anything like what Jesus told His disciples. He didn’t just tell them that His departure would be hard, but they should try and make the best of it. He said that it was better for them that He was leaving. Let’s consider why.
For many people who are introduced to Christianity, the Bible’s teaching about the Holy Spirit can be one of the most bewildering topics they face. Jesus is entirely relatable. The idea of an all-powerful, heavenly Father we get. But the Holy Spirit is tougher to get your head around. And the older translations that called Him the Holy Ghost only made things harder. Until we understand who He is, it’s difficult to relate to Him. It’s like when you get a call from someone. They may have your best interest at heart. They may have called to help you. But until you understand who it is on the other end of the line, it’s hard to trust them or really hear what they’re saying. There are three things you should know about the Holy Spirit.
