Jason's Blog

We see the phrase “filled with the Spirit” once in Paul’s letters (Ephesians 5:18) and repeatedly in Luke & Acts.  What does this actually mean?

• “Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3).
• “Stephen full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the Glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55).
• “The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52).
• “Jesus full of joy through the Holy Spirit said, ‘I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children (Luke 10:21).

1. To be filled with the Spirit is to be someone who is empowered of God
2. To be filled with the Spirit is to be a person of ministry and service.
3. Those who are filled with the Spirit usually have wisdom, courage, and joy.

The Reality

The world that we live in contains plenty of negative emotions and dispositions can can fill us:

• Jealousy (Acts 5:17, 13:45)
• Bitterness (Acts 8:23)
• Deceit (Acts 13:10)

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a living reminder that Satan can fill our hearts and lead us to lie against the Holy Spirit even to our own deaths (Acts 5:3).

In Us

1.  When the Spirit of God is at work in us – we experience a ‘lightness’ about us.  This is a joy in being delivered from darker things.

2.  We also have a deep sense courage.  Peter and John’s courageous actions in the temple and under a thumb of persecution revealed Jesus to the Sanhedrin.  They could well recognize that these men were “unschooled and ordinary.”  But they could recall Jesus:

He had healed the hurting in the synagogue on the Sabbath – a timely act of kindness (Luke 13:10-17).  They in turn healed a cripple at the hour of prayer at the temple.  They stood with resolve proclaiming Jesus when it was uncomfortable and dangerous to do so.  This was only possible because the Spirit was with them (Acts 4:8-13).

When they were released, the congregation began to pray.  They asked for boldness.  They asked for God’s hand to be with them.  The answer from heaven was swift.  They were filled with the Spirit and they spoke with boldness (Acts 4:31).

Lord,

Enable us to do the work that is needed.  Help us to be receptive to your Spirit.  Open our ears.  Fill our hearts.  Give us courage.

“No, you shouldn’t!!!”  That’s the dominant message that I heard for years.

However, I have found that keeping a Lenten season can be valuable.  I would not hold this opinion over anyone, but I find that celebrating Lent– in one form or another– has helped me.

Before you become overly critical, ask yourself these 2 questions:

1) How many of the Consumerist Holidays do I celebrate and why?

It’s holidays include  New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, the 4th of July, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, (and perhaps Christmas).

2) What exactly is Lent?

A Definition:  Lent is a forty day period of preparation leading up to Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus.   The number of days seems to have been drawn from biblical sources.  For example, Jesus and Elijah were in the desert 40 days (1 Kings 19:8, Luke4:2).  Moses was on Mount Sinai 40 days (Exo. 24:18).

Historical Notes:

• It’s an old practice.   We find a mention of  40 day Lent in Canon 5 of the Ecumenical Council of Nicea (318 AD).  At this point, the practice is  as an established church tradition.  Irenaeus (a second century figure) mentions a short term (2 day) Lenten-type fast before the celebration of Easter.
• Daniel Sahas notes that the word Lent itself is drawn from an Anglo-Saxon term lencten, meaning Spring (Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (Garland, 1990): 533.

How can I practice Lent?

There are many creative ways to celebrate Lent.  John Marks Hicks has given ten suggestions at his blog.  It is a period of time for self-examination and self-denial.  Should you choose to give up food or some activity– the purpose should be to create a space where you can be close to God.

So be creative and seek after the Lord as fully as you are able.

One of our daughters is preparing for state standardized testing these days, and they are teaching her how to write.  They have this scorecard where they evaluate 5 writing rubrics:

• focus (does this make sense?)
• organization (is your paper organized?)
• depth of development (how much detail do you use?)
• voice (is your writing original and with personality?)
• conventions (can you spell? use good grammar, etc.)

This scoring scale reminds me a little of the discussion of J. P. Prichard’s “Understanding Poetry” as quoted in the Dead Poets Society (1989).  Blah!!!!!!!!

But to their credit, the model encourages young writers to focus on details.  Without details, our ideas are stale and forgettable.  We need concrete adjectives and surprising turns in order to hold a reader’s attention.  Otherwise our words are cheap and hollow.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

When God wanted to communicate with us, he didn’t use an abstract idea.  Jesus came in the flesh.

• He was born of Mary.
• His stomach growled as he spoke with a woman from Samaria.
• His sweat dripped down in his eyes under the afternoon sun.
• He was so tired that he could sleep in moving boat.
• His crucifixion and death was deep physical struggle.

God is definitely into details, and the truth is that we can– in our flesh and blood– be changed into the image of Jesus.  This is what discipleship is all about.  We let the incarnation of Jesus drip into our bodies.

A friend and I were recently talking and he described how he was letting the Holy Spirit gradually drip into his body like a cancer patient does when they are hooked up to an IV.  Drip. . . Drip. . . Drip.  It may take a while but the drug makes its way down a tube and into our veins and our being.

The Word becomes flesh.  Can that Happen to you?  Will you give God permission to be IN your life?

“In an age of information overload, when a vast variety of media delivers news faster than most of us can digest- when many of us have at least two e-mail addresses, two telephone numbers, and one fax number– the last thing any of us need is more information about God.  We need the practice of the incarnation, by which God saves the lives of those whose intellectual assent has turned as dry as dust, who have run frighteningly low on the bread of life, who are dying to know more about God in their bodies (Barbara Brown Taylor, Altar in the World, HarperCollins, 2009): 45. “

How does this happen?  How can we let more of God’s truth reach into the deeper places in our lives?  It doesn’t happen by a mathematical formula.  It won’t happen by accident.  The place to start is prayer.

Father,

You are our rock and shield and deliverer.
Fill us with mercy and concern.
Give us hands to serve.
Feet that walk in peace.
May we come to know Jesus more fully today. – Amen

The Arctic Blast that came (and has finally gone) really took the center stage of our time and attention over the last week.  We’ve had to make all the basic checks of pipes, pets, and plants.   Cabinet doors were left sitting open to increase air circulation, and we listened to the drip, drip of faucets for days.  All of this was done so that we could avoid major inconveniences, damages to our property, or worse.

Yesterday in our assembly time I pointed out that the worship of God does not make the demands of weatherization.  We do not have to spend any money, listen to any experts, read any technical manuals, or go online to consult what others are doing in order to worship God.  It does not require extra time or expense.

We have everything that we need.  All that God requires for worship is a responsive heart.  Are you open and ready to acknowledge God for who He is in all His glory?  If you can say yes to that question, then you are ready.

When he taught his disciples about ‘acts of righteousness,’ Jesus encouraged his disciples to give, pray, and fast in secret.  I take this to be really good news because anyone can do these things.  There is no advanced preparation required to give in secret or to pray in private.  We do not have to travel, or be concerned about our appearance.  Nothing is needed but the right kind of heart.

So let me encourage you to worship today with a sincerity of heart.  You might reread Jesus words in Matthew 6:1-18 if you need a reminder about what is most important.

Keep everything simple.  Acknowledge Him today.  Serve someone else to His glory.