Have you ever made the Lord a promise—a promise that with all your heart you intended to keep?
Maybe you said to Him, “Lord that’s it I’m going to quit smoking or drinking or looking at pornography.”
Or maybe you said, “Lord, things are going to be different between us, I’m going to start getting up earlier so I can spend some time with You in prayer before I start my day.”
Or “I’m going to stop watching so much T.V. and spend that time in the Word.”
Or maybe you purposed to start being more of a verbal and visible witness for the Lord at work or some other place.
In Ephesians 5:18 Paul admonished believers to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” as an essential element of our walk with and work for the Lord. But what exactly does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit”?
Well the Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest gives four things that come through in the Greek that will help us to understand what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
1. “Be filled with the Spirit” is a command (imperative in the Greek) that God expects us to obey.
It’s a command that is plural in the Greek which means it applies to all Christians—not just to a select few like missionaries, pastors and evangelists. It’s a command because we can’t begin to do the work God has called us to do without the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:49)
(Originally published 3/16/11)
We all remember the adage growing up, “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.” Our parents taught us to say that to the kids who were making fun out of us by calling us names.
As a kid I tried using that tip several times as a defense against the mean words that some directed at me, but I have to be honest it really didn’t stop the pain of those hurtful words. As I got older and reflected on that saying a little I came to realize that, although our parents meant well, the reason their advice didn’t help to stop the pain of unkind words is because that saying isn’t true. Sticks and stones can inflict physical pain and may even break a bone or two—but those wounds usually heal without any lasting effects.
(Originally published 6/30/11)
Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV)
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
When Jesus likened His disciples to ‘salt and light’ He was basically telling them that the sum total of their Christian character should have an influence on those around them for good. Now that’s not to say that those we have an influence on will necessarily think it’s good and appreciate us—why? Because the world is an open sore and we are salt; the world is living in darkness and we come along shining as lights—both hurt which explains the world’s reaction to us as Jesus described it in v.11-12:
In Revelation chapter 2 Jesus dictated a letter to the apostle John that was to be given to the church at Ephesus. In that letter the Lord commended the church for the zeal and tireless effort that went into their service for Him. This was a church that had a lot of good things going on. However in verse 4 the Lord Jesus went on to say, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
All of these positive works of service were erased by one negative—they were going through the motions but they had lost the emotion in their relationship with Jesus. Their church was a well oiled machine—but God doesn’t want machines cranking out emotionless service—He wants a love relationship with His people. Jesus said the greatest commandment is “That you love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, mind and strength” –Not that you serve the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
In Ephesians chapter 2 Paul is talking about the riches of God’s grace toward the human race in sending His Son to save us. However, before a person will appreciate the riches of God’s grace toward them and receive God’s gift of salvation they must first be convinced of their own sinfulness.
Let’s put it this way—say you have a terminal disease and yet you don’t realize you are infected with this disease. And say I recognized the symptoms you have because I too was once infected with that same disease. And so I came to you and told you that I have a cure for the disease you are infected with—a miracle cure, the only one in the world that could save your life. You would probably say to me, “Get lost, I don’t have a disease, I feel fine.”
As long as you’re convinced that you’re healthy you wouldn’t appreciate the cure I was offering to you because in your mind you would not see your need for it. But now let’s imagine that I began to tell you the symptoms of this disease, and as I did you began to realize that you did have those symptoms. If I could eventually convince you that you were, in fact, infected with this deadly disease—then how do you think you’d appreciate the cure?
