The Holy Spirit is God and Empowerer

Philippians 4:8      Matthew 28:19-20             

 Knowing God has many facets. We know him as the Creator, we know of him as our Father, and we know He both sent his Son and Lives in the Son. In the same manner He comes to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. God as the Holy Spirit is the 5^th Spiritual Truth.

I’ve read that some say the Holy Spirit comes to us at the moment of salvation, but I don’t think the Holy Spirit is bound by our lack of awareness or full acceptance of God. I believe the Holy Spirit draws us to God even before we realize how much we need God. The Holy Spirit is like a prompter in a great play called Life. The Holy Spirit prompts us and draws us closer to God by showing us our emptiness. Often, before we even understand our need for God, the Holy Spirit reveals to us a hole that wealth, career success, popularity or even human love cannot fill.

Once we recognize our desire to claim God as our life’s priority, the Holy Spirit takes on a new role in our lives. As God’s child we are challenged to put Him first and measure everything in our lives against what is right and pure. When we are tempted to put something, someone, or some way before God, the Holy Spirit convicts of our sin and provides us with the tools and courage to take correction.

 The primary tool we have is God’s Word but He also works in the lives of others as His clouds of witnesses to encourage those seeking, but falling short. The more we claim the Truth of the Holy Spirit, the more we truly in God’s image. In God’s shadow the Holy Spirit prompts and guides us so that our faith can grow and mature until the day God returns. Seek the Holy Spirit as you claim this fifth Spiritual Truth to empower you to live for God.

Jesus is God and Savior

While growing up I often heard people say that if all of the Bible was lost except for John 3:16, there would still be enough to grasp God’s great love for us. From a human perspective it makes no sense for God to create a great world, have sin enter into it and then to send his only son back to that same world through an unbelievable birth, only for Jesus to die for everyone else in this world who in no way deserve God’s love.

.On top of that, Jesus was perfect!

I don’t know about you, but I get angry when I think I am being falsely accused of something and would be even madder if I was then wrongly punished too. Even worse, is when I learn someone has wrongly accused one of my children of something! Yet, that is exactly what happened with Jesus and God.

God allowed his son to suffer for us all and Jesus accepted the judgment without trying to run from it. Sure, we read in the gospel texts that Jesus struggled with the burden but he didn’t fight it! To our human ears, this makes no sense and I can only begin to understand any of it by recognizing God’s and Jesus’ actions as a sign of great love. A Father’s Love .

Not everyone has experienced a Father’s Love, but God’s love is that of a perfect Father, one is always there when we fall, make a mistake, seek forgiveness for being mean, selfish, or narrow-minded. He is always waiting to receive us back when we think we can run from him for a little while. When we are cold or lonely, he is always there to comfort us and provide encouragement.

This forth Biblical Truth states that to seek God and claim his love, we must also accept the story of Jesus and every detail of his life as Truth. To know God, we must know Jesus.

Biblical Truths: Created in God's Image

It's Friday night as I write, fellowship is tomorrow. I'm enjoying the challenge of examining these Biblical Truths, but I have a hard time keeping it simple. I hope my examples help the women to understand the point.

As God’s creations we are created to glorify God. Many believe that we are God’s most important creation, that’s why he gave us the command to care for His world. Before we can fully enjoy and embrace our relationship with God we must confess our sin and understand that we are born with a sinful nature.

In today’s world this emphasis on sin is not an easy one to accept. Many people in the West believe “if it feels good, it must be right” or that everyone’s views should be accepted, though less and less time is given to the Christian view since it places God before anyone or anything.

I think one of the best things about living in an African culture is that African society has a better understanding of the importance of God and the need to keep God as a priority. Granted, equal time is often given to the Islamic tradition and the materialistic emphasis of developed nations is threatening Africa too, but at least respect is still usually given to God and His role in our life.

In the Lutheran faith, the Apostle’s Creed acknowledges our need for the “forgiveness of sin”. As Lutherans we understand that we are not perfect and that sin separates us from God’s love. Some people don’t like to admit sin dominates our human life, but it’s an easy concept for me to accept. If you consider a new baby and watch it during its early hours, days, and months you will notice how quickly even a newborn begins grabbing for whatever is in its reach and crying when it doesn’t get what it wants. From the beginning, we want to be #1 and dominate everyone’s attention. But its only through admitting our wrongdoing that we can find forgiveness.

Like a child, adults too always want more; more food, more power, more toys, etc. It isn’t until we realize that only God’s love will ever fully satisfy us that we can be content with the blessings God brings into our lives. We should also understand that God placed us here on earth with others and He calls us to live in community. Together we worship God and encourage one another in our walk with Him.  By placing Him before all and seeking His will, we slowly reflect His image in our lives and all we do. This third Biblical Truth challenges us to seek Him above all, in spite of our human nature to put ourselves first.