Don’t Quench the Spirit’s Fire!

Loved this article by J.Lee Grady

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

If you want to avoid becoming an old wineskin, make sure to keep these five hindrances out of your life.

There are five specific forces that are quenching the Holy Spirit today in the American church. I offer this same warning to everyone, regardless of what denomination (or non-denominational church) you are aligned with:

Legalism and religiosity. Every generation of Christians is prone to persecuting the next move of God. We do this by requiring people to abide by certain regulations (dress codes, music styles, etc.) that have no scriptural basis but are enforced with all the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. No church—and no individual Christian—can survive when encumbered by a religious spirit. It kills all life!

Racism. God’s ultimate call on our lives is to take His gospel to every person everywhere—regardless of whether they are black, brown or white; whether they have dreadlocks or tattoos; whether they are legal or illegal; whether they are veiled in burqas or wearing biker helmets; or whether they speak Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Hindi. When we close our hearts to people because of racial, cultural or language differences, we constrict the flow of His love and become rusty pipes full of poisonous water.

Denominationalism. A movement that loses momentum becomes a monument. There is nothing wrong with denominations as long as their leaders stay in step with the Spirit’s direction. But as soon as we replace the genuine apostolic anointing with programs and religious busy-work, we become like those derelicts Paul describes in 2 Timothy 3:5: “Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power (NASB).”

Unforgiveness and division. In a recent survey of people who left the Christian faith, the large majority said they gave up on church not because of doctrine but because of a lack of real community in the congregation. Nothing diffuses the power of the Holy Spirit quicker than the absence of love. When love vanishes, spiritual gifts become noisy gongs and mountain-moving faith becomes meaningless chaff. We must not only keep our hearts free from bitterness; we must announce from the pulpit that the One who gave His life for us demands that we walk in forgiveness. We must live love and preach love.

Egotism. God has called us to build people of character, not celebrities. Just as He opposed the Tower of Babel and scattered its builders, He resists big egos. No wonder He is scattering the charismatic movement today! Somewhere along the way we forgot that the Holy Spirit empowered us so we would take the gospel to the world. We traded genuine revival for a cheap substitute and figured out how to sell it to gullible people with itching ears. We elevated people in true Babylonian style, forgetting that the only way up in God’s kingdom is down the path of true humility.

I pray you will stir up the Holy Ghost’s flame and purge yourself of anything that hinders His miraculous work in you. And I pray that every church and denomination in this country will invite the One who baptizes in fire to burn up our dross.

Commit Yourself

I've observed a number of leaders in recent months who have voiced puzzlement over the lack of commitment the are seeing among their followers. While I do see that as a challenge the bigger issue in these I've watched are their own lack of commitment to their work... an apparent unwillingness to give all... to sell out to the call. There is one universal truth... and it applies to ministry, business, and most other environments... if a vision is not worth the leader's heart and soul it most certainly won't inspire anyone else's sacrifice. Call people to pursue something grand and then demonstrate your own belief in that call by pouring yourself into it. It will forever be difficult to convince people to do something that you yourself would never do.

Leading With Passion

There is a distinct difference between leading with passion and being led by passion. A leader must use passion as a tool to influence... it can be a powerful motivator. But most leaders are led by passion, and I think that is a dangerous place to operate from. I have written before about passion as a false indicator of truth. It is based on emotion and will mislead us time and time again. We MUST lead with passion even when we don't feel passionate... because if we wait until we FEEL passion we may never actually lead.

Parable of the Royal Invitation

The Parable of the Royal Invitation by Jason Coker @ Pastoralia.org

The Fragrance of Life

quote found on The Journeyman's Files

"...the very fact that you want to know God's presence means you're already sensing something. Think about it. How many people never give God a second thought? How many people sleep in on Sunday morning, and never open up a Bible or send up a prayer? But you're not like that; you really want to be closer to the Lord. My hunch is that you are already sensing something of God's presence, or you wouldn't care.

Here's a homely analogy: picture yourself walking around a shopping mall, looking at people and the window displays. Suddenly, you get a whiff of cinnamon. You weren't even hungry, but now you really crave a cinnamon roll. This craving isn't something you made up. There you were, minding your own business, when some drifting molecules of sugar, butter, and spice collided with a susceptible patch inside your nose. You had a real encounter with cinnamon - not a mental delusion, not an emotional projection, but the real thing.

And what was the effect? You want more, now. And if you hunger to know the presence of God, it's because, I believe, you have already begun to scent its compelling delight."

(The Jesus Prayer by Frederica Matthewes-Green page xiv.)

The Economy of Faith

loved this thought from ConnectionPower article....
"It is critical in the midst of these economic times to understand an immutable Kingdom principle. God’s Kingdom is NOT dependent on the kingdoms of this world or any other earthly resources. This is not to say that you can practice poor stewardship and expect God to rescue you on demand. But it is important to understand that God’s provisioning of His Kingdom transcends every worldly-wise principle upon which the empires of mankind are entirely dependent. Money may make “the world” go round but it can actually be a huge distraction to authentic Kingdom building. Jesus said, “I will build My Church.” I am talking about the power of pure faith, which supersedes math. Do the math and try to figure out how two loaves and five fishes can feed 5,000."

New Year’s Again!!!

Ok, I hereby make the following resolutions!

1. I will blog more… I intend to write one blog entry per week minimum
   
2. I will read one book per month minimum
   
3. I will eat more cake
   
4. I will sail my boat twice a month minimum
   
5. I will play golf once a month minimum
   
6. I will exercise until I get sore and then I'll quit
   
7. I will lose my 1 millionth pound
   
8. I will let Jesus love me more
   
9. I will have my sermon completely ready to preach by Tuesday of each week
   
10. I will personally invite 10 people per week to my church
    

I'm feeling pretty good about #3… and #5 and #8 will get a good run. The rest??? Ask in February…