A Book Every Christian Should Read

My friend Daniel Henderson recently published a book I believe every Christian should read.  I won’t spoil it for you, but here is a review I did on Goodreads.  The book is titled Transforming Presence:  How the Holy Spirit Changes Everything From The Inside Out

In a day when there is so much confusion about spirituality, power, and the work of the Holy Spirit, Daniel Henderson provides some much needed and timely input and clarity through this book. I believe one of the most important parts of the book is the section that points us to the “why.” If we know the “why” of something we will be open to hear the how’s and the what’s. This essential is summarized on page 49:
“Let’s keep the plumb line of God’s purpose in mind. The Holy Spirit was given to glorify Jesus in our hearts, minds, and actions; in our homes and relationships; in our service, fellowship, and worship in His church. All this occurs as a witness to nonbelievers in our relational circle and beyond, into the near and far reaches of a lost world desperate to see and hear of our Christ.”

Daniel pushes for us to examine (and abandon where necessary) our previous understandings of the Holy Spirit as interpreted through the lenses of our traditions and experiences. He also gently prods us to listen to ourselves. Some of our verbiage and songs betray thoughts of the Holy Spirit being a force rather than a Person; something for us to ask God to send rather than responding to the One who has already come. 

The clarion call is for us to embrace and respond to the Holy Spirit who is God Himself living in us for the sole purpose of bringing glory to Jesus Christ and to empower us to fulfill His mission on earth. He, the Spirit, works in our minds, emotions and will to accomplish all this.

I believe every reader who approaches with an open mind and heart will be confronted, affronted, encouraged, revived and motivated after reading this book. I commend it to you.

It’s Not That Hard

This past weekend at our church Gary Stith gave a humble yet powerful testimony of how seeking to be the best music teacher he could be and showing a loving interest in people’s lives opened opportunities for him to share Jesus with them.  It wasn’t hard.  It was just doing life in the Spirit.  He gave us an endearing picture of doing his daily devotional time down in his basement with his pre-school daughter waking up to join him, cuddled together under blankets.  It’s not hard, it is doing life in the Spirit.

We read messages from those Gary worked with and taught.  They spoke of his godliness and humility, his generosity and graciousness.  They all said that his influence and the impression he made still lingers in their lives today.  It’s not hard, it is doing life in the Spirit.

I can graciously say that Gary was embarrassed to have the questions asked and the attention put on him.  But he was willing to go through the experience for one sole reason:  giving all glory and praise to Jesus.  His life has been focused on Him.  His heart has been transformed by Him.  Jesus’ love for people has flowed through Gary.  What I appreciated was how Gary told us his own amazement about  the doors opened for him, like being given a professorship at Houghton College without an earned Doctorate.  Rare in our world but not in God’s world.  Jesus opens doors that no one can open and shuts doors no one can shut.

If you missed the message, including Gary’s testimony, take 45 minutes this week and listen.  It may help you to realize that excellence may draw, but love influences.  It may also help you realize that leaving a powerful witness for Jesus is not hard, its just doing life in the Spirit.

Independence

Happy 4th of July.  We celebrate today as the birthday of our country.  It is the day when the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain and began the journey toward a Constitution that sought to protect the unalienable rights of every human being, especially those of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Self-governance was its central theme.

Yet we know that God’s design for us is not self-governance in a sinful state, but Spirit-controlled governance in a redeemed state.  The mind controlled by our “flesh”, our human intellect and instincts, is death but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.  (Romans 8:6)

If we are to win new friends, our desires must line up with God’s desires for them.  In fact, our lives must not be able fighting for self at all, but for the ability and opportunity to fulfill our God-given purpose in creation.  And that purpose is to bring glory to Him and goodness to others.

As we celebrate today as Christians, the reality is not about patriotism and parades and government, it is about freedom in Christ and ours absolute dependence on Him.  In this we rejoice and find true life, liberty and happiness.  And we get to share it with others.

Have a blessed day.

Dispensers of Hope and Grace

““Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.     Job‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

One of the values we hold is that of God’s grace.  When we have received undeserved kindness from the Lord, how can we withhold it from others?
Therefore when we are seeking to walk along side current friends or encountering a new friend, our countenance and words should ooze of grace.  Grace is given as a signpost for healing.  It points the way to the solution.  Grace is one wounded person who has found healing telling another wounded person about the remedy for their condition.Job was suffering.  Terribly.  And his friends, rather than helping to point him to the solution, were busy telling him about his failings. They were trying to explain to him how his arrogance, his pride, his self-righteousness, were the cause of all his problems.  The problem is that they were wrong.  Totally wrong.Friends don’t need us to diagnose the cause.  They need a remedy.  And the remedy is the grace of God.  And that remedy is obtained by confession of our neediness and repentance of any sin that we have committed.  Challenging conditions do not always mean we have sinned.  The Lord may bring a situation to us to strengthen our trust in him, like He did with His friend Abraham in Genesis 22.  But even those situations demonstrate our need to turn to and depend on Him.So don’t neglect kindness when dealing with your friends.  Point them to Jesus just as you have turned to Him many times in your life.  Friends are not dispensers of justice but of grace and hope.#summerofwon