The Rejoicing Overflow of the Spirit

There has been much talk for some time now about the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. This third member of the Holy Trinity has always amazed me. How can we understand Him? How can we know how He operates? I believe we flirt with spiritual arrogance if we try to label
Him in a way that fits with our own framework. We must be biblical. We must also be worshipers in His powerful Name. Below are some of my notes that I recently used in the sermon I was allowed to preach at Summit's OIKOS (the HS worship service). I pray they will edify you as we rejoice in the overflow of the Holy Spirit. The "He" I am referring to is our glorious Savior in Acts 1:1-8.

1. Before He ascended, He promised the gift that leads us today. Take a few moments and read Acts 1:1-5. You'll see Luke mentioned as the author; connected to the book of Luke in verse 2. You'll see a glorious connection with 1 Corinthians 15:7-9 in verse 3. The rest of the passage gives us the promise of the Holy Spirit. We must be careful not to get so absorbed into our studying that we neglect the role of the Spirit. In case you want a quick overview of the role of the Spirit, here are some references that I found to be useful:


i. Genesis 1:2 – Spirit created the world.
ii. Judges 14:6 – empowered Samson to tear apart a lion
iii. Psalm 51:11 – begged for the Spirit NOT to leave him (David)
iv. Joel 2:28-32 – Spirit is poured on the people to communicate with him.
v. Matthew 1:18 – part of delivering the Christ to Mary.
vi. Romans 8:9-11 – key and central for our salvation.
vii. Ephesians 1:13-14 – Spirit seals our salvation
viii. 2 Timothy 1:14 – Spirit dwells in us, guards us.

A quote from Francis Chan that I find to be useful -
I’m willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can. The benchmark of success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit. The “entertainment” model of church was largely adopted in the 1980’s and ‘90’s and while it alleviated some of our boredom for a couple of hours a week, it filled our churches with self-focused consumers rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit….The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world….We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God….shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not?”

The Spirit will NEVER lead us to say or do anything contrary to God’s Word…because it is the Spirit that gave it to us! (2 Peter 1:21) The Spirit CONNECTS us to the Word. An example from my own life recently was our recent mission trip to New Orleans. Brooke and I prayed for an opportunity to share the Gospel with a family. We believe the Spirit led a Hindu couple to us within seconds after we ended the prayer! The true Gospel was preached. So, the Spirit's role, in that situation, was connecting a couple to hear the Word...which the Spirit gave men thousands of years ago to write! Go back and read 2 Peter 1:21 for more insight on that. This makes sense…the author (God, the Spirit), would want us to know what the book is about!

2. Before He ascended, He gave the commandment that we live by today. Take a few moments and read Acts 1:6-8. In verse 6, we see the desire of the disciples was still leaning toward a military and political power to drive out the Romans. In Acts 1:7, we see a beautiful reminder of the sovereign control of our great Lord. May we not walk in our own ways of thinking that neglect to daily worship the Lord for His sovereignty! In Acts 1:8, we see our commandment given. We must live by this commandment daily! Part of millions of pictures of God's grace is His Spirit empowering us (with both the Word and the Opportunity) to preach His Gospel! Are you doing that? In verse 8, we see the word “witness” – martyreo – used. This word translates the idea of willing to live and die for the Gospel. It goes far beyond the simple command of witnessing…it's to live the Gospel! Romans 12:1-2. Are you doing that?

How does this apply to you? I believe C.H. Spurgeon said it best when he once wrote, "A sinner can no more repent and believe without the Holy Spirit's aid than he can create a world." May we as broken sinners, trust and rejoice in the overflow of the Spirit. May we submit to His leadership...which points us to Christ...which glorifies the Father.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Dave

Sheep or Goat?

This post comes from the message that I was privileged to give yesterday at Northstar church; a church just a few miles from where I live. During my recent mission trip to New Orleans, this text really challenged my walk. I have a simple question for you; are you a sheep or a goat? Are you on the RIGHT side of the King…or are you LEFT out of His kingdom? Take just a few minutes and read Matthew 25:31-46. I’ll wait.

These are some points that I’ve gathered from the text.

1. Sheep = RIGHT with the Lord.
a. His Right Defeated Sin (Salvation)
- Moses teaches us in Exodus 15:6 that the Lord’s right hand is glorious in power…and shatters the enemy. This verse occurs after the glorious parting of the Red Sea and the defeated of the Egyptians. I love the promise of this verse. We are given the defeat of sin, the glorious right hand of God…by way of the cross. Jesus tells Caiaphas in Matthew 26:64 that He alone will be seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. This verse brings chill bumps to my soul! Jesus, the glorious One, tells one of His accusers that He alone is the RIGHT and glorious treasure that will conquer sin and return in glory. We are told in Hebrews 12:2 that we must, “Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of God” What glory! As sheep to His right, we are given the gift of Jesus…the one that endured the cross and gave us the perfection of our own faith! Finally, we see in Colossians 3:1 that we must, “been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the RIGHT hand of God.” Christ is seated at the RIGHT hand of God…and as sheep, we join Him on His side. What grace!
b. His Right draws us to the Pasture (Worship)
- Looking to Matthew 25:40, we see the ROOT of our mission…to worship Jesus. Whenever we help the homeless, feed the hungry, take care of the oppressed, and preach the Gospel…we are doing it all for worship. Are you in His pasture? Are you grazing on His glorious field? Is Christ your shepherd? Psalm 23 comes to mind here. What field are you grazing? What satisfies your soul? Jesus told us in John 10:27 that, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they will follow me.” Does He know you? Do you know Him? What do you worship?
c. His Right identifies us with His mission (Evangelism)
- Matthew 9:36 really jumps out to me. Matthew writes that when Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them as sheep without a shepherd. When we realize His saving power and worship Him for His grace…we must look to others with the same compassion. What mission are you on? Matthew 25:35-39 tells us the mission.

2. Goats = LEFT out of His Kingdom
a. Left side people aren’t saved.
- John 3:36 really jumps out here. John teaches us that, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not OBEY the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Left side people, goats, aren’t saved. They don’t turn to His saving power over sin. They don’t listen to His commands. They live for themselves. Jesus tells us that one day He will command us to depart from Him, because he never knew us! (Matthew 7:23)
b. Left side people rob Him of His worship…for now.
- Galatians 5:20 shows us how this happens. Left side people, goats, live by the desires of their own flesh. What do you live for? Matthew 6:19 tells us that left side people spend their resources on treasures of this earth. They aren’t looking after the needs of others. They are seeking what will please themselves. Does this fit your life today? Philippians 2:10-11 tells us that one day…left side people will worship…but only when it is too late and the wrath of the Holy God is on them. Don’t let that happen to you!
c. Left Side people live by their own mission.
- Go back and read Matthew 25:41-46. Does this fit you? Left side people reject the mission of the Savior. They live for themselves. Don’t fall into this sinful trap. Leonard Ravenhill once said, “Christians spend more money on dog food than on global missions.” What a tragedy! I’m not saying dogs should starve…but we should approach the mission with great joy and urgency. John 14:15 really hits it on the bull’s eye. If we love our Savior, if we are RIGHT with Him…than we should do what He commands.

Friend, today, come to the RIGHT side of the King. Repent of your left-sided, sinful, selfish living. Turn to the only One that has redeemed you from the darkness of the left. May you enjoy and graze upon His field of glory forever.

Soli Deo Gloria!
Dave

Why is Resurrection Day so important?

Why is Resurrection Day so important? In order for us to fully get a glimpse of the beauty of this weekend, we must tackle this question. This weekend is a glorious reminder of the grace, mercy, kindness, power, and glory of our Lord. For just a few minutes, let's focus in on a few points together that will guide us in celebrating over the empty tomb. You may want to have John 20 open with me as we look at these points together.


The Empty Tomb brings excitement in worship.
-You may notice in John 20:1-2 the excitement that arose to the early morning followers. The first verse lets us know why we gather on Sunday morning for worship. We gather, on the first day of the week, to worship in great excitement. I'm not too legalistic with the fact that it HAS to be Sunday we worship as a church body...but I'm sold on the riches of Sunday morning. I wonder...do we wake up on Sunday mornings with great excitement in worship? Do we sing, fellowship, listen, read, and serve in a way that radiates the power of the empty tomb? It's sometimes difficult for me to worship with excitement because of a long list of responsibilities that come with being a staff member. I'm convicted by this. I want to wake up on Sundays with excitement over worship.

I remember a time early in my ministry when I was asked to play the organ in my church. I wasn't familiar with all the organ buttons...and pedals. Well, during the invitation...I experimented with the pedal of the organ. My curiosity led me to believe that the pedal was to serve as a sustaining tool for the instrument. It wasn't. It was the volume pedal. I managed to make an entire row of blue-haired women jump during the response to the Gospel. There was excitement that morning in worship.
-I love how John 20:3-4 shows us the fact that John was more athletic than Peter. How important is it that we know that John beat Peter to the empty tomb? I love the Bible. May we wake up this Sunday morning with Psalm 100:2 in our souls; "Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." Let us worship with the JOY that our Savior is alive! Let us worship with gladness that He is ALIVE and we are ALIVE in Him!

The Empty Tomb brings clarity to Scripture.
-John 20:8-9 shows us the importance of Scripture in the life, ministry, atonement, and resurrection of our Lord. I love how the Scriptures tell us that the disciples were overwhelmed with excitement over the empty tomb...and were focusing on the ramifications the experience had on understanding Scripture. 2 male witnesses came to the tomb...to verify the testimony of the women. This perfectly connects to Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15. The Empty tomb was a believable and credible story with Scripture being fulfilled in the witness of the 2 male disciples. I wonder if we approach the empty tomb with the certainty on our questions being answered in Scripture? Do we see the resurrection as the culmination and definition of the entire Bible? Paul reminds us that, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith," 1 Corinthians 15:14. I love this story. John and Peter had a Biblical discussion on the way home. Peter would later take the encounter of the empty tomb and use it to preach...Scripture. Take just a moment and read Psalm 16:10. After you read this verse, see how Peter uses it to help bring clarity to Scripture in preaching on the empty tomb in Acts 2:25-28.

The Empty Tomb brings Transformation.
-Finally, we see in John 20:11-29...two stories of two people being transformed by the empty tomb. Mary becomes a missionary (John 20:11-18) and Thomas becomes a believer (John 20:24-29). The empty tomb transformed the lives of these two heroes of the faith. How has the resurrection transformed you?

When I was a child, my mother MADE me take piano lessons. I hated it. I had to practice each day for about 15-20 minutes...in order to impress someone that I didn't care about in a 30 minute lesson. For years, I had no joy or passion for the piano. I wanted an escape. After many years of nagging, my parents allowed me to quit taking lessons. When I turned 15, my aunt Leta passed away. Leta was an incredible pianist. I loved visiting her home and sitting in the living room as she played for us. I'll never forget the immediate transformation that took place in my life as soon as she passed away. I blew the dust off of my piano books and began to play. In just a few days, I wrote a song for her that was played at her memorial service. Now, as a 27 year old, I have passion and excitement to play. What happened? I saw the treasure of the instrument.

So often, we go to church because we HAVE to. We do quiet times because we feel like we HAVE to. We develop a distaste for the very treasure that we should celebrate. I truly believe if we look at the victory and infinite worth of the empty tomb, we will daily live as transformed, adopted, children of the Most High. Instead of going to church this Sunday morning because you HAVE to...why not read John 19-21 and see the importance of the celebration? See the victory that is both yours and mine in the empty grave.

Friend, Resurrection Day is important. Let us celebrate together this Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Faith in...

Last week, I had the joy of reading "Big God" by Britt Merrick. This incredible book highlights the necessity to live and walk by faith. It was a great read. Several chapters of the book highlight the heroes of the faith as mentioned in Hebrews 11. As I read this book, I was challenged with the level and intensity of my own faith. A few questions came to mind that I gladly submit to you today:

1. Are you living by faith?
2. What is faith?
3. How are we justified by faith in Christ?
4. What would the world look like if believers lived daily by faith?
5. Is your faith in the imperishable or the perishable?

Right now, some dear friends of mine are waiting to take their baby home from the hospital. Chris and Kristin Colquitt welcomed sweet Emma Katherine into the world last Tuesday. Emma is still in the hospital due to complications with her birth. My dear friends left the hospital on Saturday night without their baby. I hurt for them. I'm tearing up as I type these words. Please join me in prayer for sweet Emma to come home with her parents.

What is getting my friends thru each difficult day? Faith. What is guiding their joy? Faith. What is keeping them strong in their marriage and health? Faith. Their faith and assurance in the providence of God has been a refreshment to me. The least I can do is mention their names in this post and honorably place them as heroes of the faith in my eyes. They are still suffering. Please pray.

I have faith in the gracious and Sovereign Lord of this world. I have faith that the tomb of His Son is empty. I have faith in His saving grace. I have faith in His eternal joy. I have faith that He is fully able to strengthen Emma Kate and allow her the privilege of going home with her parents. I have faith in His blazing glory that outweighs the frailty of man's thoughts and opinions.

Perhaps if we spent more time lifting each other up in prayer...in honor of our Lord...we wouldn't have the issues in our churches that we do today? Perhaps if we lived by our faith and not by our selfish sight, we would continue to see His Kingdom advance on this earth? Begin today, in faith, and pray for my dear friends; the Colquitts.

Soli Deo Gloria

Dave

Outward appearances don't impress me

Today, I was in Lifeway Christian bookstore casually looking at children's books with Brooke and Eden. While we were in the store, I noticed a man entering the store dressed in his finest. His luxurious car was parked just a few spots away from mine. As I watched and listened to his conversation, I quickly picked up on the fact that he seemed to be a pastor. Trying my best not to judge him, I looked at books to steal away my attention. It was hard. His expensive suit, loud talking, and arrogant demeanor simply floored me. Outward appearances don't impress me.

This morning, I read 1 Thessalonians 2. Verse 8 was a challenge for me. In this verse, Paul writes, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." Paul's love for that church drew him to give not only eloquent sermons and letters...but also a passion to share some of his life with the people. The verse dripped humility right off the page. I was speechless. I was convicted. I was burdened.

Please join me back in my Lifeway story. As I was watching this man pace back and forth in the bookstore, I began to wonder about what pastors should and shouldn't do. My area of ministry today is students. Some would call me a "youth director" or "youth coordinator." I personally see myself in the role of being a pastor to students at my church. I see the importance of not only preaching the Gospel to them, but living it with them daily. This man in the bookstore seemed to be important...and I'm convinced he knew he was! I wonder if those in his church see the Gospel in him? I wonder if my students see the Gospel in me?

I'm not impressed with flashy accomplishments or large successes in ministry. What impresses me is seeing pastors and leaders preach AND live the Gospel with their churches. We can't afford to waste our time and money on the worldly aspect of our jobs. May our words, our money, our resources, our time, and our passion be on living the Gospel.

I typed much more...but accidently deleted it.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Jesus, the Supreme Savior

This post was inspired by the message I gave last night to our middle school students. Last night, we looked Christ being the perfect and living Word of God. We took time to examine three points from Scripture. This post will simply highlight the third point, for it had the most impact on my life. This has been a tough week of ministry and seeing this point from God's Word last night brought joy to my restless soul.

The third point from last night's message was simply, "The Perfection of Jesus reaches to our need." With this point, we examined Hebrews 4:15. This is what the author of Hebrews writes, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."(ESV). What is this verse actually teaching us? How can Jesus sympathize with what we struggle with here on this earth? Does He even have a clue to what we battle? I believe if you take the time to examine the Scriptures, you will be surprised to note how many issues you deal with were experienced by your Savior long ago. Last night, we covered 4 issues. I may sneak in a 5th issue if time allows.

Issue #1 - Friends deserting you –
1. Luke 22:54-62 – Peter denies knowing Jesus. (Peter, who walked with Jesus and traveled with Him, denied Him at His toughest hour.)
2. Matthew 26:36-46 – Disciples sleep in their last night with Jesus. (Jesus requested the disciples to stay awake and to be alert...they slept. Have you trusted your friends to help you or do something for you...and they drop the ball? Jesus experienced that.)

Issue #2 - Death –
1. John 11:35 – Jesus wept. At the death of Lazarus. (Jesus wept at the death of his dear friend. True, He did raise Lazarus back from the grave, but before that miracle took place, our Savior experienced the brokenness of losing a loved one.)
2. Mathew 4:3-13 – death of John the Baptist (Jesus lost His precious cousin to a sinful monarchy system. His own cousin that prepared the way for His ministry.)
*This shows us that Jesus experienced losing both a friend and family member while He walked the earth.

Issue #3 - Temptation -
1. Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4…in the wilderness. (Jesus experienced a strong attack of temptation while glorifying His Father. When we find ourselves in strong attacks of temptation, let us cling to the Savior who is able to sympathize with our temptation.)

Issue #4 - Family issues -
1. John 7:2-5 – brothers rejected him. (In this passage, you will read about His own brothers ridiculing and rejecting Him. When we find ourselves in situations in our own families of rejection, let us cling to our Savior who experienced that pain before us.)

Issue #5 - The Most Important Issue...YOUR SIN.

Genesis 2:17 - God ordained a law in the garden. Death would occur if this law was broken.

Genesis 3:1-7 - The Law was broken by our parents. Sin came into the world.

Genesis 3:21 - God showed His marvelous grace by replacing their death with a substitute sacrifice...a verse to later show us the treasure of Jesus (John 1:29)

Romans 3:23, 5:12-19, 6:23 - God's Word shows us that we all have this problem, this issue that is non curable. The only remedy is found in a substitute death for our problem.

2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:7, Romans 5:8, Galatians 3:13, 1 John 4:10 - We see these verses showing us the love of our Father. In His mercy, He poured the death sentence on His only Son and giving us in replacement His grace...as shown to our parents in Genesis 3:21. We are forgiven. We have adoption. We have the perfect definition of love.

Let us worship today Jesus, our Supreme Savior. Let us quit fighting battles that hinder the Gospel mission. Let us quit living as religious people that know it all...but as children of God who love the One that knows it all.

My rambling is done. Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

What am I doing?

I recently read a book entitled, "Brothers We Are Not Professionals" by John Piper. I recommend this book to anyone that is actively involved in a position of ministry leadership. Many times, I've asked myself the question, "What am I doing?" I mean, honestly...what is this thing called "ministry" all about? I'm reminded of this question when people ask me what I do for a living. It's often times very humorous to see the response of others when I give my answer.

Piper writes with such eloquence, "Our first business is to pant after God in prayer. Our business is to weep over sins...our business is to strain forward to the holiness of Christ and the prize of the upward call of God ... to pummel our bodies and subdue them lest we be cast away ... to deny ourselves and to take up the blood spattered cross daily." This quote was taken from the book I mentioned above). I love this quote. It has helped me to draw my affections to what the Word instructs when it comes to answering the great question..."What am I doing?"

2 Corinthians 4 is arguably one of the finest chapters in the New Testament to explain the joy of ministry. Paul begins this chapter by writing, "Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." (2 Cor. 4:1) I love this verse. What is "this ministry" that Paul is speaking of? You must read the rest of the chapter to see the ministry. One verse that jumps out at me is found in 4:7. In this verse, Paul writes, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." Think about this verse with me. We have this treasure (the light of our Savior shining in the darkness) in us! We are given the grace of shining the light of our Lord so others may see Him for His infinite worth (Matthew 5:16).

Paul really leads us to understand more of what ministry truly means. It's not just simply sitting in an office all day answering emails and pleasing every person that stops by. It's not just simply standing on a stage each week to speak or lead in some form or fashion. It's not just simply attending conferences and listening to others share how to do ministry better. It's not just simply setting up a twitter account so we can complain about the day to others that are superficially interested. It's not just demanding more and more for us while others in 3rd world countries are perishing without the Gospel. I can easily fall into the trap of what I just mentioned...as well as countless other flaws that my Father so graciously offers His patience over.

What am I doing? I hope and pray that I'm joyfully shining the Gospel Light of my Savior to the lost and dying. I hope and pray that I'm diligently lifting up prayers to my Father in hopes for His Spirit to revive His church, for His great glory. I hope and pray that I'm not wasting my hours in the office...but effectively engaging in opportunities that can fulfill the Great Commission daily.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave