Bible | The Spirit of God

Holy Spirit speaks

Posted on December 3, 2016 by evanlaar1922

But recognizing that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began affirming loudly in the Council chamber, “Kinsmen, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” When he said this, an angry dispute erupted between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the [whole crowded] assembly was divided [into two factions]. For the Sadducees say that there is no [such thing as a] resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees [speak out freely and] acknowledge [their belief in] them all. Then a great uproar occurred, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and began to argue heatedly [in Paul’s favor], saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has [really] spoken to him?”And as the dissension became even greater, the commander, fearing that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered the troops to go down and forcibly take him from them, and bring him to the barracks. – Acts 23:6-10

Here we see again, that the Holy Spirit of God has told Paul exactly what to say to get these two groups off of him, and fighting each other, over whether there is life after death or not. Again, he has not lied. He is a Pharisee.

These people, who were supposedto be the learned people in the law, really knew very little about God. The Sadducees did not even believe in the Spirit. The Pharisees and the Sadducees had missed the whole meaning of the Bible. The entire Bible, Old and New Testament, is focussed on Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, and yet they did not believe Jesus of Nazareth to be the Christ (Messiah).

The edge of their zeal began to turn from Paul against one another. Nor could they go on to act against him, when they could not agree among themselves, or prosecute him for breaking the unity of the church, when there was among them so little of the unity of the Spirit. All the cry had been against Paul: but now there arose a great cry against one another; and so much did a fierce, furious spirit prevail among all orders of the Jews at this time, that everything was done, even respecting religion, with clamour, tumult, and noise. – Benson

The Ethiopic version reads, what if it was the Holy Spirit that has inspired him, or God by an angel has revealed anything to him, who has to say anything against it? This they said in agreement with their own principles, and more for the sake of establishing them, and in opposition to the Sadducees, than in favour of Paul. – John Gill

Some people think that if they’re not having an apparition of some kind, the Holy Spirit doesn’t speak to them. How sad! Of course the Holy Spirit speaks to them! The Holy Spirit speaks to everyone who is willing to listen. The Holy Spirit works through anyone who is willing to serve. – Lucy Fernandez

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Inspired by the Holy Spirit

Posted on September 14, 2016 by evanlaar1922

And the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building as commanded by the God of Israel and in accordance with the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.This temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the ^[a]sixth year of the reign of King Darius. – Ezra 6:14-15

Prophecy is the bringing forth of spoken words that are inspired by the Holy Spirit. It brings to life the message and Word of God to a group of people in a particular place at a particular time. Prophecy should bring a consciousness of God’s will and desire for His people.

It can well be understood that Haggai’s earnest exhortations, his warnings, his threats, his sarcastic reproaches (Haggai 1:4, 9), his prophecies of a coming glory to the house greater than any known previously (Haggai 2:9), would rouse the spirit of the people, and make them labour diligently and perseveringly; but the visions of Zechariah seem less calculated to stir popular feeling. Still the knowledge that the angels of God were interesting themselves in the restoration of the temple (Zechariah 1:9-21;Zechariah 2:3, etc.), and the many promises that God would “comfort Zion,” and “choose Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1:17; Zechariah 2:12; Zechariah 3:2), and that the temple should assuredly be brought to completion (Zechariah 1:16; Zechariah 4:9), helped no doubt to strengthen the hands of Zerubbabel, and to keep up the zeal of the people. – Pulpit Commentary

The place which the spiritual element must occupy in all national and social organisation for the good of the people. Secular power, Act of Parliament power, intellectual power, public opinion power, philanthropic power, have been tested and tried to the uttermost, but no one of them nor all put together have ever succeeded in regenerating a nation or converting a soul. That people is on the high-road to apostasy which teaches for doctrines the commandments of men. – Sermon Bible Commentary

I’m thankful that turning around from our own destructive ways to God’s ways is possible. I was reading this past week from a book called The Blessing, by Thomas Trask and Wayde Goodall. This book is excellent in its thorough coverage of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people. One person can make a huge difference (click here to find this book). On pages 166-169 there is the story of Steve Crew. His life was a total mess, and but for the grace of God, he would’ve spent years in prison. Instead, he repented, was transformed by Christ, and became a preacher of the Gospel. He was the preacher for several weeks in a church in Brownsville, Florida, when God poured out His Spirit in what became known around the world as “The Brownsville Revival.” It is a fact that God, with the co-operation of His people, does come in power to revolutionize His people. My former co-host on 100 Huntley Street, Lorna Dueck, interviewed the Pastor of that Brownsville church. I recommend that for encouragement everyone should take the time to view this interview. I am greatly encouraged by this story (click here for the interview). – David Mainse

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Spiritual health

Posted on August 8, 2016 by evanlaar1922

Is there no balm in ^[b]Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has not the [spiritual] health of the daughter of my people been restored? – Jeremiah 8:22

So Jeremiah’s question is, “How can a people who traded in balm be so sick?” Of course its even worse than that – this is the physical illustration of a spiritual point. The real question behind the illustration is, “How can the people of God, with the Law in their midst, be so sinful?!”

When God appears against us, every thing that is against us appears formidable. As salvation only can be found in the Lord, so the present moment should be seized. Is there no medicine proper for a sick and dying kingdom? Is there no skilful, faithful hand to apply the medicine? Yes, God is able to help and to heal them. If sinners die of their wounds, their blood is upon their own heads. The blood of Christ is balm in Gilead, his Spirit is the Physician there, all-sufficient; so that the people may be healed, but will not. Thus men die unpardoned and unchanged, for they will not come to Christ to be saved. – Matthew Henry

The balm of Gilead will heal those who buy and use it. The heavenly physician grants spiritual healing to those who ask. But people don’t ask.

Yes, the most excellent in the world. “Is there no physician there?” Yes, persons well skilled to apply it. “Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” Because ye have not applied to the physician, nor used the balm. Ye die because ye will not use the remedy. But to apply this metaphor: – The Israelites are represented as a man dying through disease; and a disease for the cure of which the balm of Gilead was well known to be a specific, when judiciously applied by a physician. But though there be balm and a physician, the people are not cured; neither their spiritual nor political evils are removed. But what may all this spiritually mean? The people are morally diseased; they have sinned against God, and provoked him to destroy them. They are warned by the prophet to repent and turn to God: they refuse, and sin on. Destruction is come upon them. Might they not have avoided it? Yes. Was it the fault of God? No. Did he not send his prophets with the richest offers of mercy? Did he not give them time, the best instructions, and the most effectual means of returning to him? Has not mercy, the heavenly balm, been ever at hand? And has not God, the great Physician, been ever ready to apply it? Yes. Why then are they not converted and healed? Because they would not apply to the Divine Physician, nor receive the only remedy by which they could be spiritually healed. They, then, that sin against the only remedy must perish, because they might have had it, but would not. It is not because there is a deficiency of grace, nor of the means of grace, that men are not saved; but because they either make no use, or a bad use, of them. Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, has tasted death for every man; but few are saved, because they Will Not come unto him that they may have life. – Adam Clarke

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Bible Scriptures on Healing

Spiritual and moral

Posted on July 15, 2016 by evanlaar1922

How blessed and graciously favored is he whose help is the God of Jacob (Israel),
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them,
Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,
Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets free the prisoners.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the ^[a]righteous [the upright in heart].
The Lord protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow;
But He makes crooked the way of the wicked.
The Lord shall reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) – Psalm 146:5-10

The Lord gives sight to the blind both physically and spiritually.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know;
I will guide them in paths that they do not know.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These things I will do [for them],
And I will not leave them abandoned or undone.” – Isaiah 42:16

See a connection with the Messianic text of Isaiah 61:1-3, as well as the words of Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 and 7:22-23?

Webster’s defines “righteous” as “acting in a just, upright manner, doing what is right.” The word’s drawn from “right-wise”. The root “right” is one of those words with scores of meanings, but in our context it means that which is straight from a spiritual and moral standpoint.

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Spirituality and the moral life

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Sow to the Spirit, from the Spirit reap

Posted on July 13, 2016 by evanlaar1922

They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing.
He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting],
Will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. – Psalm 126:5-6

The beginnings of mercies encourage us to pray for the completion of them. And while we are in this world there will be matter for prayer, even when we are most furnished with matter for praise. Suffering saints are often in tears; they share the calamities of human life, and commonly have a greater share than others. But they sow in tears; they do the duty of an afflicted state. Weeping must not hinder sowing; we must get good from times of affliction. And they that sow, in the tears of godly sorrow, to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting; and that will be a joyful harvest indeed. Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be for ever comforted. When we mourn for our sins, or suffer for Christ’s sake, we are sowing in tears, to reap in joy. And remember that God is not mocked; for whatever a man soweth that shall he reap, Ga 6:7-9. Here, O disciple of Jesus, behold an emblem of thy present labour and future reward; the day is coming when thou shalt reap in joy, plentiful shall be thy harvest, and great shall be thy joy in the Lord. – Matthew Henry

Spiritual husbandry when it comes to ourselves — Sorrow and suffering are the result of sin; and sin is interwoven with our very nature. But the Christian has not done with sorrow and tears, although through faith, which is of the operation of the Spirit of God, he has been led to trust in that Saviour who died for him, and the burden of transgression has been rolled from his oppressed spirit. Could the veil which now separates us from futurity be drawn aside, and those regions of everlasting happiness and sorrow which strike so faintly on the imagination be presented fully to our eyes, it would occasion, I doubt not, a sudden and strange revolution in our estimation of things. Many are the distresses, for which we now weep in suffering or in sympathy, that would awaken us to songs of thanksgiving; many the dispensations which now seem dreary and inexplicable, that would fill our adoring hearts with thanksgiving and joy. – W. Carter

Living for the Heavenly Kingdom:

The kingdom is Christ as the Spirit,

Who works within our heart alway;

Dispensing all His riches to us

And building up His church today.

Our inner man empower now by your grace and glory;

And by your Spirit fill us daily, train us daily, change us daily, work unceasingly.

Oh, Christ our hope of glory, conform us to your image;

That we may now be faithful servants, and partakers of the kingdom in the coming age!

We’ll pursue the reality,

Build the church in sincerity

And deny all the worldly lust and vanity.

We give our heart to you, Lord, do rule and reign within us;

We’ll learn obedience in the things wherein we suffer, press toward the goal so glorious!

Harvest

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Spiritual truth

Posted on July 12, 2016 by evanlaar1922

Open my eyes [to spiritual truth] so that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law. – Psalm 119:18

Those that would see the wondrous things of God’s law and gospel, must beg him to give them understanding, by the light of his Spirit. – Matthew Henry

This is a simple but powerful prayer for spiritual illumination, asking God by His Spirit to remove the scales from our natural, spiritually blind eyes, that we might see and receive supernatural truth. Spiritual truth cannot be apprehended in a natural way, but requires a supernatural means. – Precept Austin

J Vernon McGee – This is the verse I used to begin the “Thru the Bible” program years ago when I first taught it in a little weather-beaten church on the side of a red clay hill in Georgia. I used this verse as a theme for many years.

The Bible’s filled with spiritual truth that can only be seen with an eye opened by the Spirit of God.

But if so, it may still be asked what is the meaning of this prayer, and why does the Bible itself insist so often on the indispensable need of the Spirit of God to teach? Now there is a side here as true as the other, and in no way inconsistent with it. If prayer without effort would be presumptuous, effort without prayer would be vain. The great reason why men do not feel the power and beauty of the Bible is a spiritual one. They do not realize the grand evil which the Bible has come to cure, and they have not a heart to the blessings which it offers to bestow. The film of a fallen nature, self maintained, is upon their eyes while they read: “The eyes of their understanding are darkened, being alienated from the life of God” (Ephesians 4:18 ). All the natural powers will never find the true key to the Bible, till the thoughts of sin and redemption enter the heart, and are put in the centre of the Book. It is the part of the Father of lights, by the teaching of his Spirit, to give this to the soul, and he will, if it humbly approaches him with this request. Thus we shall study as one might a book with the author at hand, to set forth the height of his argument, or as one might look on a noble composition, when the artist breathes into us a portion of his soul, to let us feel the centre of its harmonies of form and colour. Those who have given to the Bible thought and prayer will own that these are not empty promises. – John Ker, in a Sermon entitled, “God’s Word Suited to Man’s Sense of Wonder,” 1877.

Maybe it’s not so much the time that you spend in the Word as it how you spend that time, and what you get out of it. But to get something out of the Word, you have to spend time in the Word. Bible reading is a primary source of power in our Christian life over sin and temptation, a source of intimacy with God and Jesus Christ, a source of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and sensitivity to His leading.

So let us pray this prayer and cultivate the habit of doing this often, remembering that the Holy Spirit is with us and in us, waiting to answer our prayer and to give the illumination we need.

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After God’s Spirit has once touched a soul

Posted on July 5, 2016 by evanlaar1922

As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks,
So my ^[a]soul pants [longingly] for You, O God. – Psalm 42:1

THERE is something to be lamented in this state of mind, for if the psalmist had maintained unbroken communion with his God, he would not have been so much panting after Him as enjoying Him. It is deeply to be deplored that we who sometimes bask in the sunshine of God’s countenance, cannot live so as always to enjoy it. Why do we wander? Why do we grieve His Holy Spirit? Why do we turn aside from God, our exceeding joy? Why do we provoke Him to jealousy, and cause Him to make us grope in darkness, and sigh out of a lonely and desolate heart? There is much of an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; if therefore we can join in the language of the text, we must not too much congratulate ourselves, for though it is a sign of divine grace to pant after God as the deer pants for the waterbrooks, yet it is an equally certain sign of a need of more grace, and the loss of a privilege which we should always strive to possess. We are yet but poor in spiritual things when we might be rich; we are thirsting when we might put flagons to our lips, and at the same time there is very much which is commendable in the desire expressed in the text; the insatiable desire which burned in the psalmist’s heart is a heavenly flame enkindled from above. If I have not my Lord in near and dear communion, it is at least the next best thing to be unutterably wretched until I find Him; if I do not sit at His banquets, yet blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness. If my beloved is not in my embrace, yet so long as I am not contented without Him, as long as I sigh, and cry, and follow hard after Him, I may be assured that I am in the possession of His love, and that before long I shall find Him to the joy of my soul. – Spurgeon

He saith not, after my former dignity and greatness, before Absalom disturbed me, and drove me out (though he could not but be sensible of such a loss; we know what miserable moans Cicero made when sent into banishment; how impatient Cato and many others were in like case, so that they became their own deathsmen), but after thee, Lord, and the enjoyment of thy public ordinances; from which I am now, alas, hunted and hindered. Amo te Domine plus quam mea, meos, me (Bern.). After that God’s Holy Spirit hath once touched a soul it will never be quiet until it stands pointed Godward. – John Trapp Commentary

Clearly, because of the obvious analogies, thirst is a prominent theme of the Bible. The term thirst or thirsty, etc., is found 57 times in the NASB. The word “drought” referring to a scarcity of water in the land and conditions that cause great thirst is used eight times. But in addition, three terms that refer to the arid and dry portions of the Middle East, the words desert, wilderness, and Negev (the wilderness or desert to the south of Palestine) are used altogether nearly 300 times. While these terms generally refer to specific locations, they are often used with the spiritual connotation of spiritual drought and barrenness.

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Spiritual teachings

Posted on July 2, 2016 by evanlaar1922

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. – Proverbs 25:2

No genuine spirit of trust can spring up in ignorance. In God’s dealings with us, profound silence and ringing oracle, the hidden and the revealed, the mystery and the defined truth, alway alternate with each other. It is “the glory of God to conceal a thing,” because by the very shadows in which He hides it we are cast with a more pathetic dependence upon His sympathy and care, and come into truer and more childlike contact with His spirit. God conceals many things, so that He may protect us from needless pain and fear, and magnify His own gentleness. Many a thing must be hidden from a child, and the more sensitive he is, the stricter must be the concealment. God conceals some things from us to excite us to nobler and more strenuous endeavour in our search after the truth. There are truths that we shall come to know through our own thought and struggle, and deepening spirituality of life, temporary mysteries that it is best for us to know through conflict, experience, sustained contemplation. God hides many things from the world, so that He may have secrets with the custody of which He can honour His own chosen servants. And He conceals some things from us, so that He may impress us with the solemnities of the unknown. God never conceals what may be necessary to furnish His people for the work and service of life. Let the revelation inspire your faith, and let the mystery awaken your awe. – Thomas G. Selby

When God wrote the Bible and completed it in 95 A.D with the book of Revelation, He wrote it in such a way that it would need two things to begin to unravel its teachings. First, a person must be born again so they may be indwelled by the Holy Spirit so He may illuminate passages of Scripture for our understanding. Secondly, it requires much time to be dedicated to the study of the Bible. There are some passages which are not that difficult to interpret and there are many that are. Sometimes we may gain truth from one or two passages and sometimes we must search out many passages to learn the meaning of one passage or one teaching. God conceals truth in the Scriptures because He wants only His children to understand it. Whenever you hear an unbeliever expound the Scriptures, it is always from a very superficial point of view. The deeper spiritual teachings are not present because they do not have the Holy Spirit.

God has hidden so much for us to find. It’s not just spiritual matters, either. God has hidden all the secrets of nature for us to discover.

There are things that we stumble upon in the spirit. There are those that we seek and then there are those things that are unsearchable and only God can get us to them. It means that there are things that are concealed of God entirely for the purposes of being sought out.

Spiritual salvation

Posted on June 16, 2016 by evanlaar1922

Then Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all the people in his group, and stood before him. He said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel…” – 2 Kings 5:15

The healing of Naaman, the Leper is not just a story of the healing of a man from one of the most dreaded diseases of ancient times, but it is a story of salvation, one which illustrates the spiritual salvation man finds only in Jesus Christ and how men come to find that salvation in Christ. In Naaman’s healing are a variety of people who play different parts; some good and vital to the salvation and healing of Naaman and others not so good. All illustrate the various good and evil persuasions of people who either aid or hinder bringing men to Christ. – J. Hampton Keathley

Actually, this well-known story is a masterpiece of narrative power. A number of persons are portrayed here in a way that is sharper and clearer than in the most fascinating novel. That is not amazing since it is the Word of God, which is living and powerful. Let us first introduce the principal persons: (1) Naaman, commander of the Syrian army: a very esteemed and loved man, in the eyes of both his master and his servants. Yet he had an unsolvable problem: he was a leper. (2) A young girl from the land of Israel. She lived as an exile in a foreign country, but remained faithful to the God of Israel. She had a great faith and she loved her enemies. This young girl remains anonymous, but she is quite remarkable because of her spiritual qualities. (3) The king of Israel. His name is not mentioned either, but we suppose it was Jehoram, the son of the wicked Ahab. He was characterised by unbelief, despair, and suspicion. (4) The prophet Elisha, the spokesman of the living God. He is the central character in this chapter and is noted for his simplicity and decisiveness towards both the earthly rulers and his own servant Gehazi. (5) Gehazi, the servant of the prophet. He stands here in sharp contrast to his master because of his greed, ignorance, and worldliness. The deepest stirrings of his heart are laid bare, just as later a Judas was to be exposed by the Lord Himself. The chapter finishes as it begins: with a leper! Naaman’s leprosy would cling for ever to Gehazi and his descendants.

The bible mentioned clearly that new flesh started to cover him. Not only Naaman, his army and servants who had been with him for years were shocked beyond belief. There was no denying that Yahweh was indeed Almighty and powerful. He and all his soldiers accompanying him were amazed then the realization slowly hit him that the God of Israel is truly a mighty God. He wanted to worship Yahweh every day so he asked Elisha that he be given as much earth a pair of mules could carry, maybe he believed that the earth he was taking would sanctify the place when he worshipped in his own country. This came from the mouth of a Gentile who worshipped idols throughout his life. This wonderful proclamation and confession was through the servant girl from Samaria. Naaman life was transformed completely, not only his physical and mental wellness but spiritually too he found peace in accepting Yahweh as his personal saviour. This is called the true conversion from heart.

Elisha, Naaman & the offence of the cross

With God’s Spirit

Posted on June 5, 2016 by evanlaar1922

What advantage does man have from all his work
Which he does under the sun (while earthbound)? – Ecclesiastes 1:3

Ecclesiastes expresses the view of the natural man whose interests are focused on vanishing pleasures and empty satisfactions. The natural man is not aware that all the answers to life are found in God. The natural man grovels in the earth and seeks and finds that which is futile and temporary while the spiritual man soars on wings of eagles and seeks and finds righteousness and God’s incomparable and everlasting blessings and companionship. – Amplified Version Study Notes

This book, given by divine inspiration, is a record of the bitter disappointment that awaits people whose faith soars no higher than the sun. – Paul Van Gorder

With God’s Spirit, a person can have a greater sense of contentment. But even in that, it takes a great deal of maturity before one comes to the place where they can truly be content. Paul said he had learned to be content with what he had; he had learned to be content with life. It did not come naturally. The growth in the Spirit of God is what brought him to the place where he was content.

People today spend a lot of physical, emotional and spiritual energy trying to control their schedules, jobs and relationships. We assume that the solution to our lack of control is to find new systems, new rules, new methods, new “laws” for doing things. We think that if only we have the right systems, we can control the chaos.

In a life lived without God, there’s no gain, no advantage, no meaning.

“No man can live without delight, and that is why a man deprived of spiritual joy goes over to carnal pleasures.” – Thomas Aquinas

Bible verses about Alignment with God’s Spirit