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Advent Day 05 – The Mystery of the Word Made Flesh – Part 2

Written by TimMaynard on December 3, 2020. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Advent Day 05 – The Mystery of the Word Made Flesh – Part 2

THE MYSTERY OF THE WORD MADE FLESH (Part 2)

“…God sent forth His Son…” (Galatians 4:4)

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to give Him praise
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

It matters that we believe correctly what the Bible teaches us about Jesus. Getting this right is incredibly important, though fully understanding it is not possible. There is a great deal of faith involved when we begin to gaze into this mystery. And questions will always linger for our human minds.

God did not “create” Jesus at Christmas. In the virgin Mary’s womb, God implanted Jesus’ body in cellular and then in embryonic form. He did so without the aid of a man. Of this, the writer of Hebrews quotes a Psalm which states “a body You have prepared for Me.” It was the birth of this Divinely orchestrated body which we celebrate as a baby at Christmas.

Yet in Heaven, the Son had eternally existed. There was never a time when the Son of God did not exist, and in fact scripture affirms that “the Lamb (Jesus) was slain before the foundation of the earth.” Jesus existed in eternity past as the Second Person of the Trinity.

Though Jesus was “sent” by God, it is not the same sense in which we would “send” a child to their room. Jesus fully entered into the plan of redemption, and His part of that plan was to come to earth and be incarnated in flesh and blood. He came willingly.

He came to “tabernacle” (to dwell, to camp, to live) among us. In fact, He picked the worst neighborhood, with the worst forms of violence, among the most oppressed of people, and “pitched His tent” right in the midst of it. The Son was sent on a rescue mission by God. It was not a vacation trip in which He expected to be coddled. It was an eternal life-and-death attempt to redeem the souls of human beings lost in sin.

He “dwelt” (camped) in the midst of us and we “beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father” John’s Gospel tells us. He was sent on mission in the same way that those who believe in Him are also “sent” on a mission: to tell the world about Him!

This, this is Christ the King… the Babe, the son of Mary.

Advent Day 04 – The Mystery of the Word Made Flesh

Written by TimMaynard on December 2, 2020. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Advent Day 04 – The Mystery of the Word Made Flesh

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a virgin, born under the Law.” (Galatians 4:4)

“King of kings yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood
Lord of Lords in human vesture…”
—Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent

Perhaps the greatest mystery in all of Scripture is the mystery of how God became flesh. Throughout the years, different theories have emerged from people wrestling with everything from the makeup of Christ’s material body to the question of how God could become man and yet remain… God? Tens of thousands of pages have been written trying to explain or understand this mystery.

But of this teaching of the Deity of Christ the Bible says little by way of explanation, though much by way of proclamation. Our text in Galatians 4:4 is one such place of proclamation. It tells us that Jesus was God’s Son SENT by Him to earth. And then, in the same sentence, it proclaims that Jesus was born of a WOMAN in the way every child is born.

One thing is clear. Jesus was the most completely unique person that ever lived. Though He took on flesh and bone and blood and skin and bore our weaknesses and our temptations, yet He lived without ever committing sin.

His Deity was not diminished in its capacity even though, as Philippians says, “He emptied Himself…” of the rights and privileges that should have been His. In that self-emptying He did not cease to be God, and in his humanity, He was fully a human being. He was always, fully, both.

The wonder of Christmas is to gaze again upon this mystery of God made flesh… this babe in a manger… this King Who caused the angels to bow…

…and worship Him.

I Understand

Written by Guest Fruit Cove on December 1, 2020. Posted in Fostering Hope. No Comments on I Understand

Do you ever have encounters that you cannot shake? You continually offer it up to the Lord, but the awkwardness of the exchange lingers, and you get stuck trying to make sense of it all. I recently had a conversation with a youth leader that still makes my stomach turn, even months later. I had spent months wondering how my oldest son, Nolan, who struggles socially, has been adjusting to the much larger and louder culture of our church’s middle school youth group. When I had an opportunity to speak to the leader away from Nolan’s listening ears, I jumped at the chance.

I asked how he was fitting in and explained that I feared he could be easily picked on. The leader nodded agreeably and said there was no bullying in the group. In the midst of my breathing a heavy sigh of relief, he quickly followed with, “They pretty much ignore him.” It came across as though it was meant to be reassuring.

I immediately looked to the sky, to give the illusion I was in deep thought. I suppose it was not an illusion, as I did have many thoughts I desired to share. It was intentional on my part, as I feared that, even though I was literally biting my tongue, the rest of my face would convey the message I was not allowing my mouth to share. Thinking before speaking has never been a spiritual gift, so I stood there, dodging anymore eye contact. No other words were added to the exchange, as I gathered my flock and herded them towards our passenger van. On the way home, I acknowledged that my son was not the only one awkwardly navigating interactions with the middle school leadership. It ran in the family.

Being a special needs parent really sharpens a person’s advocacy skills. If being an advocate was equivocated to knives, we would be Ginsus. We are razor sharp. It was time to put those skills to the test. But I quickly realized that there was no easy answer to this problem. What was I going to do? Make a morning announcement while the kids were all eating donuts that my son is precious and made perfectly by God and he should be treated like the coolest kid in the bunch? Who else could tell you how many pieces are in any given Lego set? He has amazing skills. Which you would know if you ever spoke to him. On second thought, this route seems the opposite of helpful. I would probably need to send him pre-wedgied to the next gathering.

And even though I can speak of some of my thoughts with humor, my heart remained grieved as the days and weeks went on. I would be going about my day, and the statement was right there in my head again. I kept placing it in God’s hands, as I had already determined it was not my battle to fight. Still it came back, almost daily. I knew, it was time to find the joy in this horrendous comment. I started recalling how many lives Nolan had touched and how he had helped people to see Autism differently. I thought about how he had made everyone more compassionate and understanding. How being comfortable with Autism had led us to foster care. But I found a recurring theme: he made Us better, he made Us more compassionate, he made Us more comfortable. He had bettered us, but it was not a betterment for him. Tears began to flow as I shared the conclusion with God. My son being ignored by people he considered his closest friend brings me no joy.

And God said something so beautiful to my broken heart. “I understand.”

That is true. You do understand what it feels like to have your son ignored by people he thought were friends. God knows that on a much deeper level then I could ever begin to imagine. A solution was not the answer, but rather remembering I was not alone. Jesus experienced and witnessed more sorrow than any other man who has ever existed. There is no hurt or heart break that we cannot lift to him.

As I thanked God for this reminder, I was so grateful that I am never alone in my heartbreak, or my fear, or my anxiety, or my joy. His word does not promise us that we will not ever be ignored by people we love, but we know that we are never ignored by our Heavenly Father. He will never leave us or forsake us. This we can always rejoice in.

Amen

Advent Day 03 -The Fullness of Time Continued

Written by TimMaynard on December 1, 2020. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog, Uncategorized. No Comments on Advent Day 03 -The Fullness of Time Continued

Well it’s almost here! As December rolls around on our calendars, the official December countdown to Christmas has begun. There is an unusual expectancy in the air this year. My neighborhood has already gone “over the top” in decorations. The time is ripe… for something.

There was a constant sense of expectancy in Israel in the days and years before Jesus’ nativity. Messiah had to come soon. God had promised His arrival from days of old. The prophets had prophesied. The conditions were right. And, indeed, they were.

“When the fullness of time had come…” Paul writes in Galatians. Why was this time the right time? History gives us some important clues:

The Romans had conquered and, for all intents and purposes, tamed the known world. The “Pax Romana” (peace of Rome) lay like a blanket over Europe and parts of Asia.
A system of roadways called “the Roman road” (any one of which would literally take you to Rome) crisscrossed the previously treacherous countryside.
Unemployed Roman soldiers, idle due to lack of war, were put to work keeping the peace and protecting travelers on the roads from thieves and hijacking of goods being transported.
A common language was shared, uniting the Greco-Roman world with “common” Greek; the language in which our New Testament would ultimately be written.
The Jews had now received favored religion status under the Roman Empire, and they began an aggressive program of building synagogues in every city.

While others could be added, these realities alone show that the stage was set for Jesus to come. The conditions of the world would allow the Gospel to begin to travel to “the uttermost parts of the earth.” Missionaries could journey safely, protected by elite Roman soldiers. The common language would allow the pages of the New Testament to be written and understood by multitudes. And the synagogues became the first places for evangelism as the first Christians entered cities unreached by the Gospel.

How wise of God! These are just a few physical things that made the timing of Christ’s birth to be, well…perfect. It is so important that we learn to trust God when He says “wait,” or when He says “go.”

He knows when the time is right. And His timing is never wrong!

Could it be you?

Written by Guest Fruit Cove on November 30, 2020. Posted in Fostering Hope. No Comments on Could it be you?

Could it be you?
Cayela Moody

Have you ever been on a mission trip? That feeling that washes over you as you do the work God intended for you, is almost indescribable. It is the great commission in action and living the new commandment: Love God, Love People. Sadly, it always comes to an end. We come home, we go back to work and the day to day grind. We know God has us where he needs us, but our hearts long to go back and crave that feeling again. So we commit to another week next year, because that is what the mission field looks like for us as Americans.

I have struggled with this way of life for years. I am not called to full-time missions, but yet I still want to live on mission. My church tells me to love my community, to bloom where God has planted me. But if I am being honest, I don’t know how. I didn’t know where to start. So we donated food to pantries so we could feed the poor. We packed Christmas boxes for children so that they could learn more about Jesus. But, my soul needed more.

So what was I missing? The answer was relationships. Because, at the heart of all of this is a relationship. I can read my bible everyday and do amazing deeds and be one of the greatest “Christians” ever known, but without a relationship with Jesus, it is only filthy rags.

So what is the next step? How can I develop these relationships? It seems so easy, but this part is tricky to put into action. Did you know there is a system already set in place? You don’t have to find people who need served, they are already asking for your help. It has been around since our nation was founded and was more formalized over one hundred years ago. With a heavy heart, I fear it has been neglected by the church for far too long. This mission field exists in our nation’s foster care system.

Before you stop reading because you can’t be a foster parent, let me reassure you that God may not be asking you to play that role. His word says:

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

1 Corinthians 12:18-20

Once again, you ask. How can I help if I am not fostering? Over fifty percent of foster parents will quit within their first year alone. But ninety percent will stay with much needed support. Locally here in Jacksonville, Florida, Fostering Hope stays busy daily meeting needs. We need your help. Because, honestly, we can’t continue without you. The needs are just too great. And there are foster care ministries all over this country that feel the same. You can be the hand and feet of Jesus when someone needs you the most and build relationships where the Holy spirit leads you.

Every day, Karen and I wake up and we say, “God, where will you take me today? What are your plans?” This is the very heart of living missionally. Some days we are hoisting car seats and diapers into a dump truck, because the woman who drives it took her nephews into her home to keep them from going into the system. Can you imagine, waking up one day and going to work as usual, then getting a knock on the door with a one and two-year-old standing there needing a home?

Some days, we just cry with people on their doorstep.

Everyday, we pray… a lot. We even prayed for you today. We prayed that God would raise an army to love the marginalized and vulnerable in our society. Because in a city the size of ours, it is going to take an army. We get requests almost daily for tangible items that are needed. Can you donate gently used clothing to a foster closet? We can’t keep cribs or car seats because they go out as quickly as they come in.

What if my children are grown and I no longer have these items? When Susie Foster Mom picks a newborn up at the hospital, we can provide the diapers, formula, and some freezer meals to sustain them until they can get situated and get to the store. We need people to drop them at their door. The look of relief on her face will say it all. And, chances are, you will want to help again tomorrow. Because loving others in Jesus’s name changes everything.

Maybe you truly don’t have the time, but the Good Lord has blessed you financially. There is a grandmother across town who needs minor home repairs so that she can take her grandchildren. God designed the family. It is His heart to keep it intact. Could you help keep this family together? We can help make that connection for you.

Statistically, if ten percent of churches are involved in some sort of foster care ministry, there will be more than enough beds for foster children in your town. There will be more than enough adoptive homes for every child who needs forever. God is stirring his Bride. I can feel it in the air. If God is moving in you to start a foster care ministry in your church, we would love to share ideas and support you. Even if it starts small, God will multiply the work of those who desire to care for the orphan and the widow.

The mission field is here and the harvest is plenty. We just need some good workers.

Could it be you?

Advent Day 02 – The Fullness of Time

Written by TimMaynard on November 30, 2020. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Advent Day 02 – The Fullness of Time

“When the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a virgin, born under Law….” Galatians 4:4

Time. We’re obsessed with it. I noticed as I was thinking through this article while driving that I had immediately available access to four different time-keeping devices. In the days of my youth, the song “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” by Chicago was playing continually on the radio.

When the Bible speaks of time it does so using two different words. One word, “chronos,” is the common definition of time. It is linear time. Time in increments, measured in seconds and minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and years. It is time that we all live with, or live enslaved to in our culture.

But there is a second word also translated “time” in English. That word is “kairos.” That word is “pregnant” time. It is a word filled with expectancy. The difference is the difference between “moment” and “momentous.”

We actually live with both. “Chronos” is something we are aware of constantly. “Kairos” is something we can miss. “Kairos” is our opportunity, a chosen season that God selects to do something momentous through us or for us. It is the “pregnant” pause or the moment about to give birth to something new.

That was the word the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to use in describing Christ’s coming. When time was fulfilled, when the moment was right, when the expectancy of Christ’s coming was about to give birth… that was “the fullness of time.”

It takes no faith to live with “chronos.” Time does, indeed, march on (ahem, check the mirror) whether we cooperate or not. But “kairos” takes eyes of faith to see what God is up to in our days on earth. At Christmas, “chronos” and “kairos” intersected. The eternal Son, sent from God, became human, and lived under “chronos” time in our flesh for thirty-three years.

Don’t waste “chronos” is always good counsel. “Live as wise people… and redeem the time (chronos). But while time should not be wasted, make certain you don’t miss the “kairos”… the opportunity God brings to begin something new in your life.

“For now is the appointed time…today is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

Advent Day 01 – The Right Time

Written by TimMaynard on November 30, 2020. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Advent Day 01 – The Right Time

“When the time was right, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman; born under the Law.” Galatians 4:4 NLT

By now, you doubtless have finished up seconds… and thirds… of Thanksgiving meal. The pumpkins and fall decorations are now being tucked away to await the next arrival of autumn. And now, ON TO CHRISTMAS! Decorated homes and bright lights are beginning to dot our neighborhoods, and Christmas shopping lists are being made and checked off.

I’ve heard more than one person say, “I can’t wait for Christmas this year; it means we’re almost finished with 2020!” Maybe you have felt the same. It’s been a hard year… the hardest for many. And as much as I would wish turning the calendar from 2020 to 2021 means all of this difficulty would fade into history, I am doubtful it will.

The people alive when Jesus arrived in Bethlehem around 2,020 years ago were, like us, eager to see better days. Political unrest, riots in some areas and persecution in others, injustice, illness and poverty riddled their daily lives. Old men would gather and discuss in whispered tones about the coming one. Jewish synagogues were filled with conversations and questions about the arrival of Messiah.

They were expectant. And suffering. And weary. It was then that the Bible says, “When the time was right, God sent forth His Son….” When the time was right? What could that possibly mean? Was God oblivious to what was happening in the world? Didn’t He know people were hurting?

Or could we allow that God doesn’t see things as we see them? The prophets had promised for hundreds of years prior that “a child would be born” and “a light would shine forth in the darkness.” And now, “the time was right.” The darkness was now dark enough. Light was on its way!

God knows right where we are today. And no, He isn’t oblivious or calloused to our pain or our cries for help. In fact, it was in the midst of His people’s pain and hopelessness that our Lord first entered the world. Can we await expectantly in these dark days and believe that He will not leave us nor forsake us? Can we wait with hope in spite of the challenging days we are living in and believe that Light will come?

Perhaps we’ve never needed the hope of Christmas… or the promise of a Savior… more than now.

Keeping In Step With The Spirit

Written by TimMaynard on November 24, 2020. Posted in Sermon Notes. No Comments on Keeping In Step With The Spirit

KEEPING IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22-26

It is our nature as Christians to produce fruit. Spiritual fruit. We don’t strain to do it—we don’t go to “fruit bearing” seminars. We can’t learn to produce fruit watching a self-improvement or personal growth videos on YouTube.

We just do. IF… our inner nature is truly the life of Jesus. But let’s explore what this fruit is, that every believer in Christ should be bearing. What does it look like as it is lived out?

“Fruit is the result of a long organic and living process. The process is complex and intricate. Fruit is not something made, manufactured, or engineered. Fruit is the result of a life of faith created by God. We do not produce fruit by our own effort. We do not purchase it from another. It is not a reward for doing good deeds, like a merit badge, a gold medal, a blue ribbon. Fruit is simply there.”

Let’s review for a few moments what we said last week about fruit:

The fruit of the Spirit is SINGULAR, not PLURAL. Not “fruits” of the Spirit. All the fruit grows out of the same tree and root system. The fruit of the spirit is more like a bouquet of beautiful flowers than just a sprig of daisies here or a rose there. It’s symmetrical.

2). The fruit of the Spirit is AVAILABLE, not AUTOMATIC. Just because it’s there in potential doesn’t mean we always avail ourselves of it. There are certain conditions that must be met, just as we fertilize and water and keep the plant in sunlight. “Keep in step with the Spirit.”

3). The fruit of the Spirit is VISIBLE, not UNSEEN. If the Spirit of the Lord is in you, if you are “abiding in the vine,” “keeping in step with the Spirit,” then these characteristics will be evident in your life. They will be seen by you and by others.

4). The fruit of the Spirit is GRADUAL, not SUDDEN. No botanical or biological growth is sudden in nature. You maybe suddenly NOTICE it, but it’s been coming on for a while. And let’s be clear. Like fruit or vegetables or oak trees, you can’t see the growth until it’s there. It’s a mysterious process. Be careful about judging your own fruit production or another’s. Let me also say that the fruit of the Spirit doesn’t save us. We are saved by grace through faith, not fruit. But it’s equally true that a fruitless faith doesn’t save us either. A true Christian will produce fruit.

5). The fruit of the Spirit is ORGANIC, not ARTIFICIAL. The fruit of the Spirit is simply the character and nature of Christ being reproduced in you. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to point people to Jesus. So, the work of the Holy Spirit is to form Christ in us and give expression of Jesus through us.

These character traits cannot be forced. We are never commanded to “bear fruit” although every one of these characteristics is commanded somewhere in the Bible! But it’s not something you can make happen. This is not multiple choice, nor is it a self-help program. If you are bearing spiritual fruit, it is evidence you are connected to the vine. And if not, it’s because you are out of step with the Spirit.

When you set up your Christmas trees this year, there is one thing you will not do. You will not examine your artificial tree for fruit, will you?

Why not? It looks like a tree. You may even spray it with something that makes it smell like a tree or hang ornaments on it that look like apples or oranges. But it’s not real. My Mom used to have some plastic shiny fruit ornaments that she’d put on our artificial tree. (pic). But we knew they didn’t grow out of the plastic tree. Only a living, organic tree or plant has that capacity.

THE FRUIT OF THE FLESH

We sometimes produce rotten fruit. We detailed that last week. Let’s remember that we are to live with our flesh crucified, and our lives in step with the Spirit. If either of those are not true, if we are living to gratify ourselves, then this is how we know. This is an ugly list. They are characteristics that destroy life and destroy relationships. And if we are seeing these rotting, fleshly things as characteristics or hanging on us as a normal part of our life, it should serve as a huge warning sign to us.

THE PROOF OF SPIRITUAL FRUIT

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Love, Joy, Peace: Godward

This has to do with how we relate to God, and how He relates to us.

We start with the fruit of LOVE, which, I believe begins the list because all the other fruit flows from love. We are to love one another. We love because He first loved us. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts.

But then we come to joy. Joy is actually irrational and comes independent of our outer circumstances. Happiness has to do with our circumstances being in a good place around us. Joy comes despite those.

A man told about his friend who was a believer and had been hospitalized for a brain tumor. One of his attending PA’S came into the room to speak to him, and wrote on his chart, “The patient seems to be inappropriately joyful.” Isn’t that awesome! “Inappropriately joyful!” The joy of the Lord makes no sense to a lost world. “The joy of the Lord is our strength.”

And after the fruit of love and joy comes peace. If there is a woman listening named “Irene,” you were given a Greek name. Your name means “peace” or “peaceful.” That might have been the intent of your parents who named you, hoping you would live up to your name, “Irene: peace.”

Do you have peace? Most of this world doesn’t. Most of the world simply has stress. Stress as a condition was only identified by psychologists in the mid-1950’s. Before that, the term stress meant something entirely different. But now, it’s the common condition of most people: “You stress me out. I’m so stressed.”

Having inner peace is a prized condition to find. How much would most people give just to have peace? We look for it our whole lives, but right here is the answer we need. God will give us the peace we are lacking. “We have peace with God…and peace from God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have peace with God, that was brokered for us at the cross of Jesus and by the payment of His blood.

The problem with humanity is simply the “a-b-c’s:” We are ALIENATED from God, BROKEN because of our sin, and in CONFLICT inside of ourselves and with everyone else because we have no peace with God. But one of the fruit borne by the believer is this “peace that passes understanding,” that guards of our hearts and minds.

All of this comes about as we relate to God.

Patience, kindness, goodness: External fruit (toward others).

This is the social dimension of the fruit of the Spirit. It has to do with how we relate to people around us. We relate, first, with patience. Patience is long suffering toward those who aggravate us and frustrate us. You don’t need to have patience for people who don’t aggravate and frustrate you do you? “Love suffers long…” It’s more than simply “grinning and bearing it”

The patience being described here is a God-given grace that the Holy Spirit puts in us and marks us by it. Some people seem to be more patient externally, but inside they are seething while they’re smiling on the outside. That’s patience as humans practice it. It’s just a mask. The patience that is the fruit of the spirit is far more positive.

Then there’s kindness, which is really a disposition of attitude. There was a sense in which Jesus was kind to people and they saw that kindness flow from Him. It attracted children to Him. The opposite of kindness is crankiness, irritability, a critical attitude, or complaining. Kindness is welcoming of people. By nature, we are not kind. We push people away.

While kindness is an attitude, goodness is an action. It’s words we speak and actions that are consistent with what is right and good. The word “good” is actually derived from “god.” When you tell your kids to “be good” you’re actually telling them to be like God! To be “good” is to reflect the kind of things that God would do. Goodness has to do with behaving ethically, righteously, and justly in line with God’s description of what is good and right.

One of the ways we are “good” is when we forgive those who wrong us. (Woman caught in adultery—Jesus’ disposition was kind and He was good to her).

This fruit pointed toward others seeks their best and puts up with their worst. Only God can produce that capability in us!

Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control: Internal fruit

This third grouping of fruit is the quality and grace that allows us to live out a godly life. Remember again that none of these nine qualities are something we self-produce. God by His Spirit produces them in us, and as we “walk in the Spirit” or “keep in step with the Spirit” they will flow naturally from us.

“Faithfulness” is the quality of being a person who can be depended upon, whether that is faithfulness in your marriage, or just the integrity of keeping your word. Faithfulness keeps you showing up because you said you would!

“Gentleness” is sometimes translated “meekness.” But it’s actually the ability to restrain strength. We have a brother who works with our preschool children who spent his career in construction as a carpenter. He is physically strong, but his strength is restrained and the children are drawn to his gentleness.

“Self-control” is the ability to restrain those urges that would cause you to veer off into sin if you “let go.” Every person has characteristics that need to be constrained and controlled; every person has temptations that you have to continually say “no” to expressing.

This fruit is the grace God gives us to align our lives with the life He wants us to know and gives us strength to say NO to the wrong thing even when it’s very tempting to us. We are no longer slaves to our sin. We have the grace of self-control.

IN CONCLUSION

So, we don’t have to live a life consumed by the pursuit of things that never satisfy. We can live a fruitful life, that attracts a lost world to us. But it begins by (1) SURRENDERING to God and then (2) SUBMITTING to the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (3) STAYING in step with the Holy Spirit. “Walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

The Ultimate Proof

Written by TimMaynard on November 20, 2020. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on The Ultimate Proof

There are many today who claim to be living a spirit-filled or spirit-led life, and they demonstrate it by some sensational or remarkable and sometimes even miraculous means. But IS THAT THE GOLD STANDARD… the ultimate proof that a person is really being controlled or moved along by the SPIRIT of God?

Actually, it is not. The ultimate proof does not even lie in a demonstration of the gifts of the Spirit, whether that is tongues or healing or prophecy or others as the Bible defines those. In 1 Corinthians, a body of believers who were apparently demonstrating works done by the Holy Spirit were critiqued by Paul as not showing a true Christian character and lifestyle.

No, the ultimate evidence that a person is being controlled by the Spirit is not sensational acts. It’s not even something that a TV ministry would be built around.

Quite simply, it’s fruit. Is there fruit? Jesus said clearly you will know His authentic followers by the fruit demonstrated in their lives. Fruit is not attendance numbers, or numbers of converts, or social media followers. Largeness in a ministry is sometimes a blessing from God, and sometimes not.

And make no mistake. Jesus gave an unbelieving world the RIGHT to judge the followers of Christ using this metric: Does their personal and private character match the character of the Savior? If it doesn’t, this person is to be rejected as deceptive at worst or inauthentic or maybe self-deceived at best. “By their fruit you will know them….” (Matthew 7:20)

Spiritual fruit. The fruit proves a connection to the Vine, who is Jesus. Far too many gullible Christians are swept up in a search for sensational signs and wonders, whether or not the person performing the miraculous signs demonstrates evidence of this fruit. We would save ourselves heartache and the church much dishonor if we would take this simple test seriously. No fruit… no follow. It’s that easy. No matter how much charisma, or popularity, or charm the individual may have. Whatever it is it is not from Jesus if fruit is not also in evidence.

You have every right, and in fact, a responsibility to examine those who are in positions of spiritual leadership for evidence of that fruit. And you have every right to call any leader out who is showing signs of being out of step with the Spirit and living a fruitless life…

…even the one writing this to you!