Archive for the ‘Spirit’ Category

Who will set the captives free?


07 May

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Posted in Church, Spirit, parenting | 2 Comments »

In case you haven’t noticed, your kids don’t like going to church with you. They’re bored out of their minds. Many of those teens who do attend can’t wait to move from out under your scrutinizing gaze. Just wait and see. Give your graduate just two or three months away at university, and they’re gone. That’s because they’ve been gone for a long time, only you never knew it. There are books and studies wholly devoted to this Western Christian tragedy, such as Ham’s book, Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it.

We as parents want so desperately to impart our faith on our children. I know that I do. I naively believe just because I live out my faith in daily life that my beliefs will be my children’s beliefs and that my God will be their God. But, personal experience proves it just ain’t so, just ask my mom.

I was raised in a God fearing home. I learned the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  I studied the Lutheran catechism, learning that by faith alone is one saved. I followed all the rules, a dutiful daughter, a disciplined student, and a model citizen. I appeared to love God, country and family with all my heart, just a couple of problems, freedom is intoxicating and human hearts are easily led astray. Only two months at The Ohio State University and I was caught up in the excitement and freedom of campus living, a way of life that had nothing to do with God let alone the beliefs of my parents. A new exciting world had opened up before me and I was diving in head first – no toe-dipping for me.

My inner animal finally freed from parental confines.

My inner animal finally freed from parental confines.

The great big world had proclaimed its message of freedom to me.  No more oppression, no more imposed rules, no more boring, irrelevant church or stained glass Jesus. This captive had been set free. The “world” had made new proselyte. Who once lived as found, now was lost and loving it.

Now as a parent of four boys, ages 16, 14, 12 and 10,  I can’t help but wonder, “What will become of my children’s faith?” Will they flee the church as I once did? What will happen to them as they venture out on their own? Will they too plunge head long into the thrilling darkness of campus living? Are they biding their time awaiting their jail break? Ponder that.

Whether you know it or not, the world is proclaiming its “good news” to our young collegiates. The world says, “You are free. You are no longer are bond to the rules and traditions of your family. Knowledge will enlighten you and set you free from your ancestral bonds. Look how shiny and dazzling this place is. There is nothing that you cannot accomplish or experience.” 

Wake up. Your children are captives. They are either imprisoned by your parental rules and obligations or by the delights of the world. They are enslaved and oppressed by you, mom and dad. They are blinded by the dazzling beauty of this world. They have been caught - hook, line and sinker.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15

And the truth shall set them free…

Even if the youth hear the truth, will they understand? If they understand, will they even care? Is ”truth” still all they need to be set free?  Today experience is desired more than truth or knowledge. This was also true in the 1960′s. People were fed up with their parents ways and the oppression of the established systems. The young were sick to death of the truth, or so it seemed. The Beatles said it best, “All you needed was love,”  coupled with a sweet joint, good friends and some occasional LSD. Experience life in the moment, no strings, no regrets. Put a flower in your hair.

Who will set the captives free? This is a good question. I wish I had a good answer. Perhaps, we could look to the 60′s – to the Jesus Movement. Out of that movement, a young hippie stepped forth to proclaim the good news. His name was Lonnie Frisbee. He was empowered by the Spirit to set the youth free from the slavery of LSD, eastern mysticism, the occult, and the other captors of the day.

Lonnie was a flawed young man, who had a drug history and an secretive struggle with homosexuality, yet God still used him in powerful ways.  His ministry of“kerygma” cut the youth of the day to the “quick,” as evidenced by mass baptisms. He proclaimed the good news and the youth rejoiced in it. They were convicted and repented and came to Jesus.

Calvary Chapel and Vineyard both have strong historical ties with Frisbee. At Calvary, Frisbee proclaimed Christ and Chuck Smith equipped the converts. A new denomination rose from their combined ministerial gifting. Not only was Lonnie a key leader in establishing Calvary Chapel, but he was deeply involved in growing Vineyard. Both evangelical church movements are tied heavily to the ministry of the charismatic Frisbee, who was empowered to supernaturally proclaim truth and to reveal freedom to those who so desperately longed for liberty.

In this clip Lonnie gives a testimony. His soft spoken demeanor and the authencity of his message reached into the longing hearts of the hippie generation. He proclaimed Christ. Those deemed too far gone and lost came into a relationship with Jesus. Witness what joy that young movement exuded.

YouTube Preview Image 

So I started telling other people. I wanted everybody to experience the experience of Jesus Christ. That when I first got turned on to doing drugs, I thought that was the truth and so I turned others onto drugs. But when I found the real truth, I really started spreading the gospel. It didn’t all happened with a big gigantic crash of thunder and lightening and then I was enlightened, but it was listening to his voice through his word as he spoke to me and then being obedient to what I read and obedient to His Spirit, as he led me these series of what seemed to be coincidences in my life started happening in my life and there became so many coincidences that I realized that wasn’t anymore room for coincidence. I started telling everybody about Jesus, and that resulted in I lost everybody. I lost my parents and my brothers and my friends, all my friends they just left me. They marked me off as a fanatic. And I was crazy and I flipped out on another trip, like maybe what I did on LSD, except that this lasted. I was real and it was solid and it changed my life. ~ Lonnie Frisbee

So, then who will set the captive youth of today free? Who will proclaim the favorable day of  the Lord? I wonder, will this generation’s young  have ears to hear? Are they able to hear the truth in a culture where truth is relative? I’m sure people, like Chuck Smith once said the same of the dirty hippies of his day.

Remember – and see what the Spirit did. Open your hearts and lend an ear. Hear what the Spirit says. The captives can be set free.

Love Long and Prosper


26 May

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Posted in Christianity, Spirit, Video, body life, love ethics | No Comments »

Star Trek, quite possibly the pre-summer blockbuster of the year, at least record sales indicate as it opened with $75.2 million in weekend ticket sales, has more to offer viewers than breath taking chills and thrills. It offers depth – on a spiritual level.

New Life to an Dying Franchise

New Life to an Dying Franchise

Though fans, both old and new, are clamoring about the non-stop action, the special effects, and the snappy dialogue, as well as drooling over the actors and actresses who make up the smoking-hot, young cast, there’s just something about Kirk and Spock that demands attention (and it has nothing to do with how delicious they are in this film). This long awaited “reboot” has wet the appetite of a new generation of potential fans. The town is all abuzz with the talk of Star Trek.

(Warning: contains some small spoilers.)

Why all this talk? What is the huge draw for old and new fans? Why the renewed interest in a franchise that has been dying a slow and painful death for years?

The answer, in a word, is friendship. Although the timeline of the Star Trek universe has been altered through a single cataclysmic event, and what “has been” may now not be, destiny pulls the “original crew” together as Starfleet cadets. In spite of odds against it, these youths begin to form unexpected yet amazing friendships.

The tumultuous friendship between Kirk and Spock stands paramount from them all. Spock and Kirk are at odds before they even meet, as Kirk has cheated during a test simulation which Spock developed and programmed himself. A brash and reckless Kirk continually creates disorder and wrecks havoc in the life of the emotionally repressed (not to mention control freak) Spock. This tension builds throughout the rest of the movie. They are at odds. It seems that they will never build the friendship that existed in the alternate timeline.

This point is amplified in a scene where young Captain Spock strands cadet Kirk on a desolate, icy moon. There Kirk encounters an old Vulcan who just happens to be the original timeline Spock, wisened through time and space.

Old Spock: “Kirk, how did you find me?”

Young Kirk: “Whoa…How did you know my name?”

Old Spock: “I have been and always shall be your friend…”

Herein lies the true climax of the the movie. The audience could have leapt to its feet, for this friendship was what has attracted so many people to Star Trek for generations. It is friendship that will draw and keep a new generation of fans. It was this same friendship that made Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, a fan favorite.

Defining moment of a friendship

Defining moment of a friendship

Time worn Spock had an agenda when he spoke with this “other” James Kirk. His purpose was not to undo whatever had altered time, but rather to ensure that Kirk and Spock found one another in this universe, not as rivals nor as obstacles to be overcome, but rather as friends. Old Spock knew that they needed one another.

As a Christian, I immediately thought of the Body of Christ. In the Body of Christ we need one another. Each member of the Enterprise crew had been strategically placed. Each cadet had a role to fulfill. Each cadet had duties which had been put forth before them. All that each member of Enterprise needed to do was walk in them. In short, each crew member had a place, a role, and a purpose set before him. Scotty was placed as engineer. Uhura was placed as the communications officer. McCoy, the doctor, as the tormented, walking conscience of the crew.

So too is it with the Body of Christ:

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.  If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

1Corinthians 12:12-17

As I watched the movie unfold, it was apparent that each member depended on the other members of the Enterprise.  If one member faltered, then there were dire consequences. For instance, if Chekhov had not configured the transporter so that it could lock on moving objects, then Sulu and Kirk would have fallen to their deaths on the surface of Vulcan. I could expound on this matter ad nauseum.

As in the Body of Christ, each member has a vital role.

As in the Body of Christ, each member - even a teenager - has a vital role.

In the Body of Christ, each member is placed, knit in love together. The crew of the Enterprise was not yet knit together in love. They had yet to be tested. They were building relationships. Before this diverse group of people could function well together, for the benefit of all, they had to learn how to love one another.

Paul understood this about the local church. He wrote about it in Colossians.

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. Colossians 2:2

This was especially true of Spock and Kirk. If these two men were to ever grow together, being knit together in love, Kirk had to violate Spock’s rules. Kirk had to penetrate Spock’s hard heart, so that trust could be built. The barriers – the willful walls, had to come tumbling down.

The scene where Kirk moves Spock to violence closely parallels the scene where school-aged Spock beats up the bullies who taunt him about his human mother and traitor father. All of Spock’s rage surfaces, an act which disqualifies him as able to command Enterprise. What is a seeming defeat for Spock and a victory for Kirk is actually a victory for all.

Sometimes friendship needs some conflict

Sometimes friendship needs some conflict

Kirk had the skills and character which made him a more suitable captain than regulation bound Spock, while Spock complemented Kirk, bringing reason and stability to the emotion-driven man.

So the movie ends with the youthful Kirk and Spock learning to appreciate one another. Each member of Enterprise was strategically placed while growing closer in purpose – becoming unified. Though this crew has a lot to learn about each other, the viewer is left with a sense of confidence that they will somehow become the close knit – dare I say even loving – crew found in the alternate timeline. The question of how they become unified in love is all that lies open to ponder.

As for the church, how do we plan to maintain the unity given through the Spirit for “we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit“?

I think that the answer lies in Ephesians 3:16-19. Unity is maintained through dependence on the power of the Spirit.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Perhaps Spock should have said it this way:

“Love long (wide, high and deep) and prosper.”

Just a thought. Perhaps we as a church have something to learn from this extended, modern parable.

Oh, That Creamy Spirit Filling


29 Apr

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Posted in Christianity, Spirit | 2 Comments »

After reading the articles found on Katey’s Corner concerning the four temperaments, I decided to read the books that she recommended. She suggested these books: O. Hallesby’s Temperament and the Christian Faith and LaHaye’s Spirit-Controlled Temperament. Both of these books are no longer in print, but I found gently used copies at Half.com for a reasonable price. I especially enjoyed reading LaHaye’s book as he addresses “how to be filled with the Spirit and to walk with the Spirit.” These topics were weighing heavily on my mind. I had just returned from a retreat where the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of Christ was discussed as pertaining to the growth of the church. It is the work of Christ to grow the church and this is accomplished through Spirit-filled and Spirit-lead Christian workers.  This is some of what LaHaye had to say on the subject:

So what should someone expect who is filled with the Spirit?

Foremost, he should display the traits listed in Galatians 5:22-23:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Second, he should have a joyful, thanksgiving heart and a submissive spirit as in Ephesians 5:18-21:

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The same results flow out of a Word-filled life as found in Colossians 3:16-18:

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.  Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.

Third, the Holy Spirit empowers us to witness (Acts 1:8):

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Finally, the Holy Spirit will glorify Christ (John 16:13-14):

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.

The Holy Spirit does not glorify Himself, but Christ. LaHaye points out that anytime anyone other than Christ receives the glory you can be certain that is was not accomplished under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

How To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?

Look back at Ephesians 5:18. Paul uses the imperative form of the Greek verb meaning “to be filled.” We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit; this is not an option for the disciplined Christian. God makes it possible for His children to fulfill his commandments. LaHaye gives us five steps (which he calls “simple”) to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

  • Self examination. (Acts 20:28 and 1Corinthians 11:28)

Acts 20:28 So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.

1Corinthians 11:28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

This examination is not to see how well you measure up to your brothers and sisters in service and character, but rather to determine if the fruit of the Spirit is evident in your life.  If not, that believer needs to seek the source of that – namely what sin is holding him back from bearing fruit.

  • Confession of all known sin. (1John 1:9)

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

This confession will restore you in a right standing before the Lord and He will fill us as the Spirit fills cleansed vessels.

  • Submit yourselves completely to God. (Romans 6:11-13)

So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

To be used by God one must first make himself available. How God uses someone is not determined or dependent upon that person’s abilities. If there is something that you are unwilling to do with your life, then you are holding out on God and this limits the Spirit. Also, resisting the Lord through rebellion is also stifles the filling of the Spirit. At Kadesh-barnea Israel hardened its heart and most were not permitted to enter into the Promised Land or the rest of the Lord. Where do you refuse to serve or to go?

  • Ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13)

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

We never need to wait for the filling of the Spirit – all we need to do is ask for His filling.

  • Believe that you are filled with the Holy Spirit and Thank Him for His filling! (Romans 14:23 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Romans 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Believe that you are indeed filled with the Spirit; do not doubt for this is unbelief and unbelief is sin. Do not wait for your feelings to align with what is true. If new believer had to wait for their feelings to align with the fact that they are saved then many or most would never be saved. We need to take Christ at His words in Matthew 25:35.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

Well, that about covers what LaHaye has to say about being filled with the Spirit. Later I will write about “walking in the Spirit.” Then, finally I will interact with this material as it pertains to being used by the Spirit and how the Spirit will grow Christ Church.  Well, that is at least what I shall attempt.

The Heart Matters

Striving together “that God may be all in all”