Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 April 2023 Acts 1:5.

18 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Acts 1:5.For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Ah chuh! It’s a chilly, windy, cloudy Tuesday morning in mid-April! The bout of summer weather we had last week has disappeared just as quickly as it came, and now we’re back to regular spring temps, with much wind and rain. But let’s look at it from a positive angle nuh, we’ve gotten a preview taste of summer, and it looks like it’s going to be fine! Glory be! We’ll take a week of hot weather anytime. The important thing though is that we’ll be joyful with whatever we get, and handle it with aplomb, knowing that the Lord’s presence, His grace and mercy are with us, through His Holy Spirit. 

And that brings us back to our refresher course, Introduction to Holy Spirit 101, that we were doing yesterday. Then, we mentioned two prophecies of the Holy Spirit coming upon men at a later date, which happened when Jesus came and then returned to heaven. We quoted the prophecy from Ezekiel, so let’s see what the one from Jeremiah says. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: 

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (minds), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more.’ (Jer. 31:31-34) 

And all of that happened when Jesus came and did His thing, then returned to heaven. Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends, that New Covenant was made with Israel and with us Gentiles, so that we could be a part of the salvation story. And the major differences there was that animal sacrifices were no longer required to relieve the sins of the people, because Christ’s death had paid for ALL sins, and then the Holy Spirit, which hitherto had only appeared to or dealt with men on a one by one, every so often basis, is now, as the Lord promised, indwelling each believer, and allowing each one to know Him personally. 

That’s the beauty of this new Comforter or Helper that Jesus prayed the Father to send. And it’s interesting to note that before ascending back to heaven, He told the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, ‘but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of (from) me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5) 

Now that must have been hard for the disciples to understand, because the Good Book tells us that ‘When they therefore were come together, (at the Mount of Olives) they (the disciples) asked him, saying, Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both from Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:6-8) 

Then Jesus was taken up into the clouds and they saw Him gradually disappear. Not like the other times after His resurrection when He suddenly appeared and then disappeared. This was an intimation that it was final. Although they might not have understood that at the time. But He would not show up to them again until His Second Coming. And like obedient disciples, they went back to Jerusalem to wait for the fateful moment, for the power of the Holy Ghost to fall on, to baptize them. 

And we all know that this happened on the Day of Pentecost, when the whole church, about a hundred and twenty of them were in an upper room, ‘all with one accord (one purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4) 

Wow! What an occasion that must have been; a baptism of enormous significance in our Christian faith. That’s because prior to the coming of the Holy Ghost to indwell those first believers on that Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit’s work had been done from without, (the Spirit came upon), and it was temporary, and only fell for exceptional reasons. However, after that Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit automatically indwells each and every believer. Once they come to faith, every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit. 

But there’s an important difference we should all note, that’s between the baptism and the filling of the Holy Spirit. The scholars explain that ‘the baptism is permanent, happening once and for all. But the filling is not received by all believers and thus is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit.’ Yes my brethren we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that’s allow the Spirit to fill us with God’s own character, life and values, and not allow the devil to fill us with wine, so that we can live a godly not a dissipated life. 

And that concludes our refresher course in the Introduction to Holy Spirit 101! Thanks for coming, but please note that that’s just an introductory course, (smile) now you have to do some studying on your own, first to assimilate all that we’ve spoken of, then reach the point where you can move on to a higher class on the subject. (smile) Now, for those of us truly interested in living for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

As one strong voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now let’s get out there and do just that; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others! Much LOVE!

…don’t be contented with mere baptism of the Holy Spirit…but seek to be continually filled with the Spirit of God…for that’s where the abundant life is at… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 May 2013 Acts 2:4

22 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

  Acts 2:4.  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Oh my beautiful Friends in Christ Jesus! How goes it this awesome Wednesday morning eh? I sure hope it’s going as well as possible with all of you. And if by chance it’s not going too good, then please don’t despair, turn to God, cry out to Him, lay your troubles before Him, and He will definitely help you through whatever problems you’re facing. That’s His faithful promise.

So ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised:) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works.’ (Heb.10:23) Now that shouldn’t be anything new or strange, because that’s our basic mandate for earthly living. 
 
And with those few words of preamble, we’re going to jump right into our Bit, before I get sidetracked again today. (smile) ‘And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’
 
A couple days ago, we began trying to explain the workings of the Holy Spirit, centred on its two basic aspects; baptism and filling. We talked some about baptism, today I want to finish that and move on to the filling aspect. Now most of today’s Bit will consist of the scholars’ explanations, because they do a much better job than I can.
 
And we’ll begin with some of their thoughts on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, based on this scripture, where Jesus is talking to the disciples. ‘He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (John 7:38-39)  
 
The scholars then explain that, ‘One of God’s purposes since the beginning has been to dwell with humanity and enjoy fellowship with us. He does it in this dispensation through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1) occurs automatically when a person is saved; (2) is not an “experience” but produces spiritual experiences; (3) remains permanently; (4) is the basis of all the other ministries of the Holy Spirit; and (5) is the source of new life in the believer.
 
Illustration: When Paul met 12 disciples of John who did not know of the Holy Spirit, he knew they needed to be saved. So he preached the gospel to them (Acts 19:1-5).
 
Application: The Holy Spirit’s indwelling should motivate the believer to be careful not to harm his body nor indulge his body in sin. (1 Cor.6:19). (First Ref, Ex.35:31; Primary Ref. John 7:37-39; cf. 1 Cor.12:13)’
 
That gives us a basic foundation on the purpose of the Holy Spirit. Now let’s turn to a bit more in depth explanation of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, based on this verse: ‘For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.’ (1 Cor.12:13)
 
The scholars explain: ‘The baptism of the Holy Sprit is an act whereby the individual believer becomes united with Christ. Even though the effects of the Holy Spirit are realized at a believer’s conversion, which is thus experiential, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not experiential.
 
Illustration: The fact that all the Christians at Corinth were baptized in the Spirit shows that the baptism of the Holy Spirit does not itself eradicate the sin nature. Some Christians are confused as to when the baptism occurs.
 
There are four biblical answers to this question: The theological answer states the baptism of the Spirit is the effect of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and that the believer is united with Christ by this baptism. (Gal.2:20) Initially, the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurred on the Day of Pentecost when the new church was baptized by the Spirit. (Acts 2:2) Personally, a Christian is baptized in the Spirit at the moment of conversion (vs.13) As the believer submits to water baptism, he testifies of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Rom.6:4-6)
 
Application: Because all Christians have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, they should also submit to the biblical ordinance of water baptism and become a part of a local church. (First Ref. Matt.3:11: Primary Ref. 1Cor.12:13; cf. Eph.1:13)
 
Oh Friends, that should suffice for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Let’s hope we’re all better informed now on that point.
 
As per the filling of the Holy Spirit, the scholars explain that ‘Though verse 4 (our Bit) mentions only the filling with the Spirit, both the filling and baptism occurred. Christ promised that the baptism would occur (1:4-5) and Peter later affirms that it did happen at Pentecost. (11:15-16) (1) Following Pentecost every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor.12:13);hence the New Testament never commands the Christian to receive it.
 
But the filling of the Spirit is not experienced by all believers, and so is commanded. (Eph.5:18) (2) The baptism is permanent, happening but once for all. The filling is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18, that is “Keep on being filled.”
 
The verse commands: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (riotousness), but be filled with the Spirit.” Since Paul compares the influences of wine and the filling of the Spirit, the word control can aptly express the idea of either.
 
The filling of the Spirit is the controlling influence of the Spirit within the believer. Such control is neither universal nor unending, thus it must be commanded and does recur within the believers (cf.4:8,31) Peter and the others had been previously filled on Pentecost (vs.4)
 
The adjective ‘full’ expresses the abiding character of a Spirit filled man. (6:3,5; 7:55;11:24); but the participle form ‘filled’ (used in 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9) expresses an action performed at that moment.
 
The baptism is the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer a part of God’s people, the church. The filling is the continuous experience within the Christian whereby the Spirit, who already indwells him, keeps control over his life.’
 
Ah Friends, I do hope that those explanations from the Bible scholars help us all to understand the reasons for and the workings of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. It can be confusing for believers, but like everything else practice, study, and personal experience are needed for each of us to mature and grow in our walk with Christ.
 
So please study the material, there are lots of references in the explanations, look them up. For others can tell you all sorts of stuff, but until you look them up for yourself, you’ll still be lacking in true and total understanding.
 
Please realize that it’s ever so important for each believer to read the Word them self, to fully grasp its real meaning. And there’s plenty for us to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest today, so let’s get to it nuh. Much LOVE!
 
…the Father created the universe and all therein…Jesus paid for its sins…and the Holy Spirit helps us to walk a righteous path…
 
 
 
   
  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 May 2013 Acts 2:4

20 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Acts 2:4.    And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! And I receive two different reactions to that news: An irritable ‘Chuh! Steups!’ from those who had to get up and go to work. While those with the day off in honour of Queen Victoria, exhaled a grateful sigh of relief, turned off their alarms, rolled over and uttered an enthusiastic, ‘Thank You Lord!’

But what can I say eh Friends? Them’s the breaks. You win some, you lose some, but it will all work out for our good in the end, as our wonderful God has so faithfully promised. (Rom.8:28) Anyway, in solidarity with those who have to venture out to the battlefield of work today, let’s all sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to help them go out there safely, brimming with confidence and energy.

All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
 
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
 
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
 
 Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
 
And a word of warning to those who are not going to work; please don’t get too smug and reckless in any celebrations today, because the enemy never takes even one minute off. He’s always on the prowl for ways to cause our downfall. So please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’
 
And here are the answers to the Bible questions I posed yesterday. Re the most frequently mentioned woman, between Eve, Sarah, the Virgin Mary and Rachel? That’s Sarah! And as to the most frequently mentioned man other than Jesus, between Bruh David, Moses, Abraham and Bruh Paul? The winner, hands down was Bruh David! (smile)
 
Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’
 
And what I want to do today, is offer some enlightenment, some information on the workings of the Holy Spirit. The scholars have provided me with so much info, in different places and contexts, let’s see if I can pull it together and make a coherent whole, so that even the newest believer can get a decent understanding of that miraculous force and power that indwells him.
 
Now there are two basic acts or parts to the Holy Spirit; baptism and then the filling and regeneration. Baptism occurs when a person receives Christ as Lord and Saviour. As per the scholars: ‘that’s the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer part of God’s people, the church.’
 
We can attest to that from John telling the Pharisees and Sadducees who enquired about his baptism: ‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.’ (Matt.3:11)
 
The scholars further explain that ‘John’s baptism in water was not Christian baptism. The death and resurrection of Christ had not yet occurred in order to be depicted by this baptism. John’s baptism was similar to the Old Testament offerings (washings) that symbolized a cleansing of personal repentance on the part of the believer. Notice that Jesus submitted to this baptism to “fulfill all righteousness.” (v 15)’
 
That’s when Jesus came to John to be baptized. ‘But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer (allow) it to be so now: for thus it becometh us (is fitting for us) to fulfill all righteousness. Then he (John) suffered (allowed) him.’ Matt.3:14-15)
 
The scholars then explain Jesus’ baptism by John thus: ‘By identifying Himself with those He came to redeem, Jesus inaugurated His public ministry as the Messiah. In regard to the Jewish religious observances, such as synagogue worship, attendance at feasts, and payment of the temple tax, Jesus always met the duties of a faithful Jew.’
 
So although, He came to provide a New Covenant, a new way of life, He always met the requisites of the Old, once it did not contradict or contravene His moral requirements.  
 
And we’ll look at one more passage of scripture that deals with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That’s when Peter is rebuked by the Jewish Christians for hobnobbing with the Gentiles at Cornelius the centurion’s house. (Acts 10)
 
In his defence, Peter states: ‘And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. (Pentecost) Then remembered I the word of the Lord how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.  Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?’ (Acts 11:15-17)
 
And that’s a very good question my Friends. Who are we, mere mortals, that we should try to withstand the Living God, Creator of the universe and all therein?
 
Enough for today though. Let’s now read, mark and inwardly digest all that we’ve heard today, and come back for more tomorrow, God in favour of course. Because it’s ever so important that we learn as much as possible about that mighty power that lives and works in us, the Holy Spirit. Much LOVE!
 
…in His infinite wisdom…the Father marks us as His…by putting His wondrous Spirit in us…to lead and guide us in all truth…