Posted on May 16, 2017 in Conduct, Conviction, Edification, Ephesians, Galatians, Glorification, Holy Spirit, John, Self-Control, Speech, Uncategorized |
The wonderful Holy Spirit of God is Spiritual Auto-Correct for each Christian.
He indwells each true born-again believer to assist in the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 16:12-14)
Typically, the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to control speech and conduct (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16-25) in such a way that there is auto-correction taking place all of the time.
It is the believer’s moment-to-moment responsibility to pay attention to the indwelling Holy Spirit’s auto-corrects.
As a preacher I was both challenged and encouraged
to hear a very well-known preacher begin to make a statement in a sermon and then to stop and then to pause and then to say: “I best not go there. I won’t say anything more on that”.
Auto-Correction. Holy Spirit-Correction. Edification. Glorification of Christ Jesus.
That was a case where auto-correction didn’t leave a silly result but rather it most certainly left a Christ-honouring result.
Pay attention to your auto-correct Agent: The indwelling God the Holy Spirit.
Posted on Mar 23, 2017 in Children, Civic Service, Critical Spirit, Inaction, Involvement, John, Kindness | Tags: Children, Civic Service, Inaction, Involvement
This picture was taken on March 16th. These Christmas Bazaar signs were put up in front of the hospital in November!
For months I had been driving by these outdated advertisements, judging them both to be an eyesore and an evidence of someone’s irresponsibility not to take down what they once had put up.
Finally it dawned on me that I should be the answer to my own irritation!
I parked my car, pulled out the signs and drove them away to a trash bin.
Problem solved, BUT I had to get involved and do something.
There are so many practical applications to this truth.
Pieces of trash on the ground to pick up.
Pieces of wrecked cars in the streets to move aside.
Pieces of broken children, who are hungry for adult attention, acceptance, commendation and brotherly love, to glue back together with simple & sincere personal kindnesses.
There is a wonderful & inspiring young boy in Scripture . He looked around and saw that nobody was doing what perhaps many could have done.
He decided to do something.
John 6:8-9 –
“One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘there is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”
Step up. Do something!
Posted on Mar 19, 2017 in Eternal Security, Isaiah, John, Salvation |
In Isaiah 49:16 God assured wayward Judah:
“Behold, I have a inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.”
The Lord Jesus used the same “hands” Word Picture in the New Testament.
Jesus said to His believer-followers:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
(John 10:27-29)
Believer, you are in good hands!
Posted on Mar 19, 2017 in Ephesians, Forgiveness, John, Joy, Kindness |
It’s True.
Everyone struggles and often persons’ burdens are only seen by the Lord.
Every person who God brings across your path today is struggling in some way.
They probably need kindness.
They probably don’t need judgment.
(Although loving judgment can be kind.
Case in Point: Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan Woman at the well in John Chapter 4.)
For each of us who love, trust, follow & serve the Lord Jesus, kindness should be our business card!
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
It’s a true joy to do Random Acts of Kindness!
Be joyous! Be kind!
Posted on Mar 17, 2017 in Andrew, Boldness, Evangelism, John, Woman at the Well |
I’m all for living a credible and godly life in front of the lost people who are around me.
But that is not complete evangelism.
If we never get around to simply asking the lost person if he or she would like to transfer their trust to Jesus alone for personal salvation, we have failed to do the job.
Evangelism is telling and asking!
Consider these three examples of this from the Gospel of John:
1. Andrew: “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him (Jesus), was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘we have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus.”
(John 1:40-42A)
2. The Samaritan Woman at the Well: “So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city, and said to the men, ‘Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?’ ”
(John 4:28-29)
3. Jesus: (Speaking to his disciples just before he went to the Cross) : “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father , but through Me.”
Andrew, the woman at the well and the Lord Jesus Himself all got to the point. They landed the plane.
Is it time for you to land the plane too with that person who you have been trying to win to Christ?
Posted on Jan 22, 2016 in Conviction, Eternal Security, John, Opinion |
Pastor Earle Weech is the respected & beloved founding Pastor of the Calvary Bible Church.
He was a man of conviction.
A conviction is a belief rooted in Scripture.
Conviction is different than an opinion.
An opinion is merely a preference.
I wouldn’t necessarily cross the street for my preferences; but I would die for my convictions.
The conviction which Pastor Weech came to was that the New Testament teaches that once a person is saved, they are always saved. (John 10:27-30).
This was a particularly challenging & risky conviction for Pastor Weech to arrive at, because he was the successful pastor of a church that believed that persons can lose their salvation.
What was he to do, given his fresh conviction?
Based on his changed conviction, Pastor Weech did the courageous and the right thing of resigning that church!
He walked away rather than standing for something he no longer believed in based on his study of the Scriptures.
And this was how he was used mightily of God to found the Calvary Bible Church!
So it is with convictions: They can be both risky & destiny-shaping!
What are some of your convictions?
How about discussing them with your spouse and kids?
Posted on Dec 15, 2015 in Christmas, Incarnation, John, Matthew |
This little boy is captivated by this big dog. The only way for the boy to understand what the dog is thinking & communicating & planning is if the dog became human. Then the boy could comprehend the big dog. Before Bethlehem people were interested in the Almighty but they basically could not adequately understand God’s mind & heart & plan of the Cross. This is why, as John 1:14 reports, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Additionally, this is why Matthew 1:23 relays: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, they shall call His name ‘Immanuel’, which translated means ‘God with us’.”
We must thank the Lord God that He came to us as the miracle baby!
Now our knowledge of Him can be full.
Posted on Nov 17, 2015 in John, Lordship of Christ |
I was driving this afternoon on Bay Street West. Of course, there were lots of tourist-visitors. One person’s t-shirt caught my eye. In bright neon letters it said: “It’s All About Me”.
To be honest, it’s all together too easy for believers in Jesus to think the same; even if we don’t admit it or say it out loud.
The Lordship of Jesus the Christ means that followers of Him cannot ever say “no” to Him. Never.
If He is our Lord. Then He is our biggest Boss!
When we do say “no” to Jesus, we are “too big for our britches” and/or we have shrunk Him in our thinking.
Back in the New Testament days, John the Baptist gained a rather high profile; then the Lord Jesus appeared one day to be baptized and to start His public ministry.
On that occasion John immediately put himself in proper 2nd place to Christ the Lord.
He said: “He must increase and I must decrease.”
May we say and mean the same because it is not about us.
Posted on May 19, 2015 in End Times, Evangelism, John, Luke, Urgency |
What a difference 59 years make!
This was the NYC skyline Easter weekend 1956.
We are now in the end times. Our religious freedoms are steadily declining.
We must increasingly be about Heaven’s business!
Christian, you are Christ’s ambassador!
Let down your net for a catch! (Luke 5:1-8)
It won’t be fishing season forever!
Jesus made this clear when He said:
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4)
Pray daily for your 5. For 30 days!
Posted on May 15, 2015 in Anger, John, WWJD? |
This is a 5000 square-foot house. It sits on a large ocean front lot at the eastern edge of the city of Nassau, Bahamas.
Please notice that all of the windows have been smashed by persons throwing rocks. Please notice the wrought iron front gates have been intentionally bent over by vandals. I am sure that there is also a great deal of malicious damage on the inside.
This is someone’s property. You don’t have to live in a house for it to be property which you own.
Even if it is not a private homeowner’s due to a possible foreclosure, it is someone’s property. Perhaps a bank’s or a deceased person’s estate’s.
Of course God is not against individuals owning property either in the Old or the New Testaments.
I believe that this kind of ugly disrespect makes God mad too.
WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelets used to remind believers to check their behavior against their Lord’s.
That’s fine and dandy. But John 2:13-16 is in the biblical record!
“And the Passover of the Jews wasn’t hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated.
And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, ‘Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house the house of merchandise’ “.
As scourge was a weapon. It inflicted pain.
WWJD? Sometimes get extremely & righteously angry!
With Jesus’ Love,
Pastor Rob Elliott
The wonderful Holy Spirit of God is Spiritual Auto-Correct for each Christian.
