Great Trip and Creekside Sunday!!
We had a great visit with my brother and family. We spent from Thursday-Saturday without a tight schedule. We just took our time and enjoyed being together, even when that meant doing nothing but just sitting and talking. I would ask all of you to keep my brother and his family in your prayers. That's really all I want to say about that, but just pray for them.
Sunday was a good day at Creekside. I am continuing our study of the Holy Spirit and His work among us. I finished the sermon I started a week ago on being filled with the Spirit. It is awesome what the filling of the Spirit in our lives supplies us. He empowers us to speak into situations like we never have before. He gives us direction in life--His direction. He enables us to be comforted in situations that would cause us deep hurt before. There is so much more.
One of the men in our church family came up to me after the sermon and made an interesting point. He said he read through the book of Acts again to listen to what they where all about in order to see why the church experienced such spiritual and numerical growth. His observance led him to the following understanding.
He said that the Christians then had three things that were always present. They prayed, they had the Holy Spirit, and they fellowshiped or spent time together. That was it. He said that if we continue to fellowship, and pray that God's Spirit be poured out on us, we too would experience great things for God.
He also observed that the first Christians were not all about "church numerical growth." They really didn't know what to expect. They were simply open to the "power from on high" and acted the way they felt convicted. Simple as that! When that happens to us, there is no telling what God will do through the Spirit in us.
God bless you all my fellow-bloggers.
Sunday was a good day at Creekside. I am continuing our study of the Holy Spirit and His work among us. I finished the sermon I started a week ago on being filled with the Spirit. It is awesome what the filling of the Spirit in our lives supplies us. He empowers us to speak into situations like we never have before. He gives us direction in life--His direction. He enables us to be comforted in situations that would cause us deep hurt before. There is so much more.
One of the men in our church family came up to me after the sermon and made an interesting point. He said he read through the book of Acts again to listen to what they where all about in order to see why the church experienced such spiritual and numerical growth. His observance led him to the following understanding.
He said that the Christians then had three things that were always present. They prayed, they had the Holy Spirit, and they fellowshiped or spent time together. That was it. He said that if we continue to fellowship, and pray that God's Spirit be poured out on us, we too would experience great things for God.
He also observed that the first Christians were not all about "church numerical growth." They really didn't know what to expect. They were simply open to the "power from on high" and acted the way they felt convicted. Simple as that! When that happens to us, there is no telling what God will do through the Spirit in us.
God bless you all my fellow-bloggers.
posted by Keith Davis at
10:33 PM
4 Comments:
I remember growing up like Greg with the Spirit not being a living being. It sure was an eye-opener to realize that he was alive, well and WORKING.
Greg: Mike Shula was fired
Keith: I have a question on my site I would like your input.
Love ya.
By
Three C Farm, at 11:29 AM
Excuse me Keith for a moment although you can listen as well:
You can add Larry Coker of "The U" (that would be Miami)to the fired coaches list. I guess we can add Bobby Bowden's son Jeff who was also let go for FSU.
Interesting points made by your friend and Greg, great point as well. "Acts of the Apostles" my foot. I never thought of it that way before.
We'll keep your brother in our prayers. How is Danielle doing?
By
cwinwc, at 12:18 PM
Actually there was kinda a fourth thing they had (down around 2:45-47), and that is something that I'm not sure many churches have today. Some translations say that they enjoyed the "goodwill" of the people in the community, some versions say "favor". The question I asked in class this Sunday was "do we enjoy the favor or goodwill of our community?" Or do they even know who/where/what we really are? Seems like a good question for a church to include in a self-evaluation.
Take care brother.
- Randall
By
Anonymous, at 4:47 PM
Great points. It is interesting if you look up all the occurences of "pneuma" in a Greek concordance for Luke-Acts. The Spirit is clearly the main character in Luke and Acts. A good point seems to be that we cannot do anything on our own. We need to live, walk with, and pray to God at all times in humble submission. It is He that works in us.
By
Anonymous, at 11:43 PM
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