Straight to Jesus
His main function: revealing the will of God.
We have seen the Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament, particularly in inspiring the prophets. His work did not end there. Continue reading “The Holy Spirit and the New Testament”
The Spirit was active in the Old Testament.
The work of the Holy Spirit can be seen throughout the Old Testament. He often inspired men to deliver God’s message, called forth-telling. He also caused men to declare things that would happen in the future, or foretelling. We will look at just a few of these. Continue reading “The Holy Spirit and the prophets”
The Holy Spirit is one of three people who comprise God.
Some believe the Holy Spirit is merely a power or force. One group says, “[I]t is logical to conclude that the holy spirit is the active force of God. It is not a person but it is a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will” (Reasoning from the Scriptures, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society 381) Continue reading “The Holy Spirit is a divine person”
The Almighty uses people who do not recognize him as existing to achieve his purposes.
Exodus begins with, “And these are the names,” indicating Moses is penning the continuation of the Genesis story. A list of the sons of Jacob who entered Egypt with their father is then given along with the fact that the entire group leaving Canaan numbered 70, not counting Joseph and his family who were already there (Exodus 1:1-5). Continue reading “God provides for a deliverer”
In the spiritual realm, light comes from God’s word.
As I write this, we are expecting a super blue moon. That means we will experience the second full moon of this month and it will be especially bright. It is rare and beautiful to behold. I cannot wait to see the earth lit up at night! Continue reading “Have you seen the light?”
Three more essential qualities of the fruit of the Spirit.
The last several articles have described various aspects of the fruit of the Spirit. We have seen that it includes love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness and goodness. It also produces faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Let’s take a look at the impact of these characteristics. Continue reading “Faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”
Each of these parts of the fruit of the Spirit makes the church a special place.
Any good fruit is comprised of multiple parts. An apple has peel, flesh, stem and seeds, each with its own unique characteristics. The fruit of the Spirit also has many parts as well. All of those parts have unique characteristics. Paul described it in his letter to the Galatian churches. Continue reading “Peace, longsuffering, kindness and goodness”
Jesus ties loving obedience to joyfulness.
Jesus came to earth to bring joy, as the angels announced (Luke 2:8-10). Following his resurrection, he greeted his disciples with “Rejoice!” (Matthew 28:9).
Christ’s followers have joy because they have been released from their past sins, like the Ethiopian who learned of the Savior by asking questions about the suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 (Acts 8:26-39). Continue reading “You can have joy”
Love should naturally grow out of a proper relationship with God.
Characteristics in an individual may be so strong that they instantly come to mind when the individual’s name comes up. Mention one man and “egotistical” comes to mind. Mention another and we may think “stern.” Still another name may cause us to think “cold.”
God’s dominant characteristic is love: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). It was God’s love which opened the door to our salvation (John 3:16). Continue reading “To be like God, love”
What will God lovers who have restored a right view of the Bible?
The Bible has become a source for trivia lovers. Some part of it often serves as a category for game shows. Christians need to do all within their power to restore a proper view of the Bible. We would do well to heed the advice of the Lord. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls’” (Jeremiah 6:16).
There are several reasons to restore a proper view of the Bible. Continue reading “Restoring a proper view of the Bible”
