...by My Spirit Pt. XVII

Sunday 10/09/16

Series: …but by My Spirit Pt. 17

Message – Handshakes with God II

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Living in the Kingdom

Handshakes with God II

Point 1. To have intimate involvement with the Father you must first experience it with the Spirit.

John 1:17,

“ (17) For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Each step into the kingdom of God and is a step into intimate involvement and participation in the perichoresis.
Each, baby step we take is a step into intimacy and
Each step into intimacy begins with an introduction – a handshake if you will.
Kingdom life in the NOW is a life of getting to know Him – It is the circle of LIFE – James 1:12-18; 1Jn. 3:2

John 14:8-9,

“(12) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

1 John 3:2,

“(2) Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him”

Point 2. Who is it that the Holy Spirit is passionate about?

The Father and the Son – Their continuous glory, honor and exaltation.

THIS IS GROUND ZERO for intimacy with / partnership with….MUTUAL JOINT experience with the Holy Spirit.

Do you want to enjoy Him? Feel like an active participant with Him? Then LOVE WHAT HE LOVES!!!

This is similar to 1 Jn. 4:19-21,

“(19) We love Him because He first loved us. (20) If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (21) And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”

How can I claim to love my Father while at the same time I actively hate those He loves?

Love “in the Kingdom” is NOT a passive ideal, but an active reality that owns ALL of the person.

You cannot claim to love someone with Agape love without first loving what they love!

Point 3. The Holy Spirit is passionate about ‘Christ in me’!

Why? Because it glorifies God!

Christ IN me is manifested in…

Victory over sin
Becoming LIKE the Father
The highest form of praise is EMMULATION (enough for a disciple to be LIKE his master).

Eph 5:1,

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” is an old adage, which I believe originated in a 1708 biography on Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius that says,

“You should consider that Imitation is the most acceptable part of Worship, and that the Gods had much rather Mankind should Resemble, than Flatter them.”

Of course he also said, “To refrain from imitation is the best revenge.”

Psa 50:15-23,

“(15) Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (16) But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, (17) Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you? (18) When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. (19) You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit. (20) You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. (21) These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes. (22) “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver: (23) Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”

Psa 70:4,

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!””

We will continue here next week….Blessings!

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. If you do not know Him, please use our ‘Contact Us‘ page and reach out so we may have the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Neither money nor attendance at our church will be mentioned.

If you have been spiritually fed by this ministry and wish to give, we truly appreciate that and you may do so here, but all outreaches of this ministry are FREE for you and anyone to enjoy at no cost.

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!