You Supply The River Bed, He Will Supply The River

I went camping and canoeing with our church youth group last Friday and Saturday. While we were going down the river in our canoe, we hit a sand bar and had to get out of the canoe and carry it off the sand bar. That was not fun. Then I got to thinking. How much fun would it be to take a canoe into an empty river bed. It would not be any fun at all without the river.

Sometimes as Christians I think we are empty river beds. Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit..."(John 7:38-39). If we supply the river bed, He will supply the river. I don't know anybody that is blessed by a river bed.

I believe the primary responsibility of the Christian is to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says, "...Be filled with the Spirit." Notice:

1. This is a command of God. It is an imperative verb. The Holy Spirit is not optional equipment for the believer. I cannot do anything for myself in the spiritual realm. But if I make myself avaiable like a river bed, Jesus will supply the river...out of my being shall flows rivers of living water. I can't quench anyone's thirst, but if I come to Him, drink, and appropriate what He gives me, the river will overflow the river bed and people around me will be blest and ministered to. And the interesting thing is that you start out thirsty and you end up a fountain. "If any man is thirsty let him come unto me and drink" Jesus said. And the fellow that is thirsty ends up quenching the thirst of others.

2. This is a command to be controlled by God. The verb is passive. "Let the Holy Spirit fill you." One man translated this verse as, "Let the Holy Spirit possess you completely." This simply means that He is no longer just the owner of you life, but operator as well. Your life is under new managment. The Holy Spirit wants to empower you to dethrone yourself and enthrone Jesus.

3. This is a command to be continually controlled. The verb is in the present tense. The initial filling can extend into a daily walk. I read in Acts 6 where those deacons were not filled with the Spirit, they were full of the Spirit. There is a difference. They were men whose lives were characterized by fullness, a habitual continal experience, every day.

Is the Holy Spirit filling you right now? If you supply the river bed, He will supply the river!

The Four Freedoms

Norman Rockwell painted a series of four paintings called, "The Four Freedoms". They were inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address. The four freedoms are: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom From Fear, and Freedom From Want.
We are slowly losing these freedoms. We need to thank God for them and take advantage of them while we still have them.
I am grateful for our soldiers that have fought and died for us so we can enjoy these freedoms. I also am grateful to Jesus for setting us totally free through His sacrifice on the cross for us. Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free..."
Have you read the story of the "Immortal Four Chaplins"? Read it at: www.immortalchaplins.org.
Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

A Pentecostal Heritage

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday. I would like to share my Pentecostal heritage. It all started with my grandparents, Orson and Eva Hobart. My grandma was a Christian, but my grandpa wasn't. They were living in Whitehall, WI. The church was having revival services. The whole church was praying for my grandpa to get saved. He was a good man, but not saved. Every night he had went to the services, but had not gone forward to receive Christ. It was the last night of the revival and the pastor's wife was standing by the back door greeting people as they came in. An old drunk came to the door and she thought about not letting him in. But the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart saying that he was needed in the service that night. She thought, "How could an old drunk be needed in the service," but she let him in. He came in and sat right behind my grandparents. The evangelist preached and when he finished he gave the altar call. The old drunk tapped by grandpa on the should and asked, "Mr. Is that for everybody." My grandpa answered, "Yes." He then asked my grandpa, "Will you go up there with me?" My grandpa did and was gloriously saved. The old drunk prayed for a few minutes, got and up and left. They never saw him again.
When my mom and grandparents moved to Union Grove, WI. there was no Assembly Of God church there, so they started having Bible studyings in their home. My grandpa feel very sick. A pastor from Illinois, Hugo Ziebe, came and prayed for him. My grandpa was miraculously healed. My grandparents talked hin into starting a church in Union Grove and that is how the church got started. I was saved at 9. Baptised in water and the age of 11 just before Pastor Anderson retired. Larry Liebe followed him, and under his ministry I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at the age of 12. I thank God for my Pentecostal heritage.

All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name

I love this story.

Saying's of Mom in the Bible

I once came across these sayings of mom in the Bible.
Samson, get your hand out of that lion. You don't know where it has been!
David, I told you not to play in the house with that sling. Go practice your harp. We pay good money for those lessons!
Noah, no you can't keep them. I told you not to bring home any more strays!
Abraham, stop wandering around the countryside and get home for dinner!
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I told you never to play with fire!
Gideon, have you been playing in the wine press again? Look at your clothes!
James and John, no more burping contests at the table. People are going to call you the sons of thunder.
Judas, have you been in my purse again?

Happy mother's day to all you moms!

Life's Master Key

Salvation is the house that grace built and faith is the key that opens the door. Inside the house of salvation are many rooms. All of the doors are locked but faith is also the master key that unlocks all of the doors in the house. Paul said that as we have received Christ, we should also walk in him. He meant that we live the Christian life the same way we received it and that was through faith. There are doors in the house of salvation for you to open: victory, healing, spirit baptism, etc. I encourage you to take your master key and open some doors.

How Do You Know If You Have Made A Disciple

According to the "Great Comission" we are not to win converts, but make disciples. How do we know if we have made a disciple? How do we know if we have been discipled? The answer lies in the Great Commission itself. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing then in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..."
To disciple someone then is to teach them the commands of Christ. This would go along with what Peter said when he told us to add to our faith, virture, and to virtue, knowledge. (See 2 Peter 1:5). If we teach knoweldge before building virture we bring pride to the life of the disciple since knowledge "puffs" up (makes one proud). Teaching the commands of Christ builds the character of Christ in one's life.
If you are interested in learning the "Commands of Christ" visit http://dailysuccess.org. There you can sign up for free daily emails on these commands.

The Secrets Of Jonathan Sperry

Sunday night our church showed the movie, "The Secrets Of Jonathan Sperry." I really enjoyed this movie. There is not a lot of action if you are looking for that, but the lessons taught are excellent. It was good to show a movie that demonstrates how the elder can influence the younger. I highly recommend this movie. You can check it out at www.sperrymovie.com.
The DVD will be released in a couple of months. Since, our church showed the movie we will be able to purchase copies for a discount ($15.00).

Introduction

Welcome to my blog. I have set up this blog in order to share book reviews, stories, and Scriptural truths. Many people enjoy the stories I tell in my sermons. I thought I would put some on here and make practical applications for our lives. I hope you check back here often. I pray that we can all be fed some fodder. I welcome your "feedback".