The Holy Spirit

 

    The Holy Spirit is God.  He is the feminine element of the trinity.  The pronoun should be it or she, but since we think of God as this big alpha male, we clump the Holy Spirit as a part of the He.  His presence is just as impactful and important as God the father and God the son.  He is always there.  His ministry is in the believer's life.  

    The Holy Spirit is another helper.  He is smart.  He knows and understands reality.  He has his own mind, but he is aligned with God in perfect unison.  He is a researcher.  He looks into depth into everything including God's ways.  He knows everyone's thoughts and understands where each person is coming from.

    The Holy Spirit has emotions.  We are ordered not to grieve the Holy Spirit.  He has volition where he can determine situations and feelings.  He is decisive.  He is the one that decides what Christians get as a spiritual gift.  He sets people apart for certain things.  He understands our value and gives us things that will help us serve God and each other.

    The Holy Spirit's attributes are omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, truthful, caring, witness, and integrity.  He is deity.  Wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.  If you try to lie to Him, then He will know.  It is the same as if you were lying to a person, but you will never get away with it.

Psalm 139:7-12, Isaiah 40:12-14, John 14:12-21, Acts 5:3-4, 13:1-3, Romans 8:26-30, 1 Corinthians 2-10-12, 12:7-11, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18,  Ephesians 4:30, 2 Timothy 1:5-7, Hebrew 9:13-15, & 1 John 5:6-10

Salvation Applied

 

    Salvation is revealed by your good works.  It is lived out by love and hope that endures.  It requires faith that is willing to serve others like Jesus did.  When you accept salvation the Holy Spirit starts working in your heart to help you love the way Jesus loves.  You can't be a true Christian if you do not love other people.  You love is revealed by your actions.

    A true Christian's hope will endure until the end.  You can't endure on will power alone.  You have to have a deep motivation to follow Jesus because your really believe the promises he made.  This hope makes you righteous.  It gives life to salvation and motivation for eternal life.

    Salvation is more than calling yourself a Christian.  It is having faith in Jesus.  It is developing a love for the saints.  It holds onto the truth of the gospel.  It is submitting to God's authority to show how His grace has changed you and given you purpose.  

    God chose you.  He gave you salvation.  He made you blameless through His love.  Having gratitude and feeling cherished are natural responses for Christians.  In response to God's love you should exhort your mind, body, and soul to righteousness.  A true believer will be convicted of sin and turn from it to exhibit good works, love that labors, and hope that will endure.  

Psalm 116:15-19, Matthew 10:21-23, Romans 6:12-14, Galatians 5:5-6, Ephesians 1: 3-14, Colossians 1:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8, 1 Timothy 4:3-10, Titus 3:3-7, Hebrews 5:4-6, 6:9-12, & 1 John 3:18-20, 4:7-8

Is your Salvation Evident?

 

    Salvation enables Christians to become slaves to righteousness.  You are a slave to Satan or God.  If you choose God, then a righteous lifestyle becomes the source of evidence of whom you belong to.  You are no longer a prisoner on death row. You are free from condemnation and the penalty of sin, so you should be living like a freely for God.  The evidence is in your spiritual fruit.

    Evidence of your salvation can be found in your sanctification.  Sanctification is the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus.  It starts with faith and is seen in your labors of love and hope in Jesus that endures.  You become an example to other people in how to live a life for Jesus. 

    Faith that reflects Jesus will be proven in your character and deeds.  A proven character is refined throughout the faith journey.  It produces praise, glory, and honor for Jesus.  God has prepared your path, you just need to take every opportunity to glorify Him along the way.  Be careful to devote yourself to good works that will profit everyone.

Romans 6:15-23, 8:1-4, Ephesians 2:2-10, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-7, Titus 3:8, James 2:18, & 1 Peter 1:6-7

Conversion

 

    People have been sinning against God since the beginning of humanity.  God still love people, so He sent Jesus to become the final sacrifice for sin.  If you believe in Jesus, then you will have salvation.  When you have salvation, you start experiencing conversion.  Conversion is the change that the Holy Spirit produces in you.

    The Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin to reveal your old nature.  Sin is powerful, but God is more powerful.  Jesus showed us that there is another and better way to live.  The Holy Spirit shows us how to do that in real time.  The law showed us what defined sin, but Jesus showed us how we are meant to live out the laws.  Sin should grieve the heart which brings about a response to change.

    When you see your sin as sin and it grieves your heart, then repentance is the next logical step.  Cry out to God about all you have done and ask for forgiveness.  This is not like an apology where you hope the other person will forgive you and you can move forward.  God accepts your repentance immediately and removes your sins as if they never happened.  It will not be brought up again by Him or used against you when you mess up.

    Sin should bring upon your heart Godly sorrow which means you regret and are ashamed of your sin.  Repentance means that you turn away from your sin as you turn to God.  You can't embrace a life of sin and God at the same time.  You either follow the path of sin or you follow the path God.  Following God while you are alive is your investment into your eternity.

    Faith in Jesus is the only way to obtain salvation and follow God.  Call upon God and you will not be rejected.  All you have to do is believe in your heart that Jesus is who he says he is.  That he died for your sins, resurrected, ascended to heaven, and will return again one day.  Then proclaim to the world what you believe.  Faith is trusting, clinging, and embracing Jesus as God.  It will bring conversion into your life.

Numbers 21:4-9, Luke 18:11-14, Acts 2:36-37, Romans 3:19-20, 10:5-13, & 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

Reveal Salvation

 

        Jesus revealed the secret of salvation when he manifested it.  He made God known among nations leading people to obedient faith.  Before salvation, we are convicted to eternal death for our sins.  When we encounter Jesus and follow him in faith, we acknowledge that sin is sin.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of what we deserve to be judged on and shows us how to be righteous.

    Jesus is the only way to salvation.  He grants it to anyone who believe and declares their faith.  If you don't die right then, you also are expected to follow him obediently.  He opens the doors to the truth, so you should repent your sins and get in right standing with God as his child.

    Salvation is not something you can be born into.  It is not a religion.  You can't earn it or will it into happening.  Faith in Jesus is the only way to obtain salvation.  God uses it to help people grow and resurrect into new people.

    When you become a Christian through salvation, you start looking like Jesus.  He is the first born of many people from many cultures and nationalities.  He becomes your big brother when you become a real Christian.  You are spiritually reborn into the glory of Jesus so you can enter heaven as a citizen.  Jesus gave you love that will never die.  How can you not respond?

 John 1:10-13, 16:5-11, 17:22-24, Romans 8:26-30, 16:25-27, 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, 6:12-14, Ephesians 2:1-3, Philippians 3:17-21, & 2 Timothy 2:23-26

Salvation Part 2

 

    A life without Jesus is a life sitting on death row just waiting to die.  You can distract yourself.  You can pretend things are different, but the reality is this life is short.  Eternity is long especially without God.  Salvation is the only found through Jesus.  Jesus is the only way to the eternity that each person wants and needs.

    I can't make anyone face reality.  I can't force people to fear God.  I can't convince people that salvation is the key to life.  All I can do is proclaim the truth and pray.  They have to hear the message in their heart and come to salvation on their own.  People have to realize for themselves that they need help, restoration, and resurrection.  

    Jesus revealed the plan of salvation.  It is recorded in the Bible how to find and live out your salvation.  He told us that he is the only way.  Any other path is a lie.  Your journey is still going to be different from anyone else.  Once you have salvation, you never travel alone again.

    Salvation is for everyone, but only a few will have it.  You have to believe in Jesus and be willing to follow him.  You conform your life to be more like Jesus.  He justified you at the moment of salvation to glorify God.  If you accept his gift, then you are justified on judgment day.  You get to live free now.  You are no longer locked up on death row.

    Salvation is choosing to be holy and blameless because you love God.  The purpose is to reveal God's glorious grace that is lavished on us through Jesus.  Grace is God's free and sovereign act of love and mercy displayed through salvation.  Jesus died and resurrected to open the door to heaven to all people.  To accept salvation, you are set apart like Jesus was.  Jesus sustains you to glorification.  It is time to live free.

Psalm 116:1-14, Acts 4:1-4, Romans 8:26-30, 10:5-12, & Ephesians 1:3-8, 2:8-10

Jesus' Work Continues

 

    When Jesus died on the cross his redemptive work was completed, but the world did not end there.  The fact that world is still functional means that Jesus is still working.  Death could not contain Jesus.  He resurrected and with that a new work began: salvation and making people complete through himself.  His new work is still about having a relationship with us, but not based on works.  It is based on real and pure love.

    Jesus is powerful.  He is the son of God.  His is holy.  Anyone who follows in his resurrection is made holy.  He purified sin for anyone willing to follow Him faithfully.  He ascended and was exalted to sit at God's right hand.  He uses his place to make a home for all his people in heaven.

    Adam brought spiritual death into the world.  We all follow his leadership and sin too.  Jesus came to rectify what Adam did.  Follow Jesus and you will bring your spirit to life.  He is the first fruits and we are the ones that benefit.  He was always set apart because of who he is, but following him sets us apart too.  We are the harvest and will are the gardeners to plant more fruit.  Jesus brings that fruit to life.  When the time is right, Jesus will harvest all who followed him.  Everyone else will be removed and burn for eternity.

    Jesus draws us closer to God.  He is the only reason we are able to have a real relationship with our creator all because he interceded for us.  We deserve what is going to happen to all unbelievers, but Jesus made the way where no one has to die the eternal death.  No one could hold Jesus' position.  It is exclusive to him.  He is the mediator between God and people.

    Before Jesus ascended he promised to make a place for all who follow him.  He promised to return one day to bring us home.  He promised that we would spend eternity with him, God, and the Holy Spirit.

    Everyone is going to be confronted with this reality.  Those who do not follow Jesus will realize their error.  It is better to realize you need Jesus now.  Allow the Holy Spirit to convict your heart to the truth.  Acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you need Jesus to remove all your sins.  Repent and seek forgiveness as you call upon him in faith.  He will respond and you will be set free immediately.  He is the rightful ruler of your life and eternal soul,  Embrace the truth that Jesus' love and grace is your salvation.

John 14:1-4, 19:28-30, Acts 2:32-37, Romans 1:1-5, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Philippians 1:3-6, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Hebrews 1:1-4, 7:23-25, & 1 Peter 1:3-5