“After Jesus' resurrection, they left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:53 The Message (MSG)

I’m not letting this one go. 

In the last writing I zeroed in on what this whole passage (vs.51-53) had to say about the crucifixion experience.  The moment Jesus died there was an earthquake, graves were open, rocks were split and the bodies of believers were raised.  All the events has individual significance.  As the above verse…

Address below is my sermon today at Feed and Seed Church in Asheville (actually Fletcher just south of Asheville). 

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3247094/Feed%20and%20Seed%206-26-11.wav

Spiritual Gifts mentioned in other places

Rom.1:11-12  I so want to be there to deliver God's gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don't think I'm not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you (The Message).

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith…

“Do You Swear to Tell The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth, So Help You God?”

I’m sure you remember that as a question asked of a witness in a courtroom before he gives his testimony.  Truth there means the witness is being asked to express his view of the facts as best as possible about a given situation.  Everything hangs on the moment of the testimony and the subsequent decisions of a judge and a jury.  But human beings are flawed with imperfect reason,…

As we have already indicated, a spiritual heart is a heart sensitive to the spiritual dimension wherein our relationship with Jesus guides us with His Word.  He is the light that reveals its contents and the bread that sustains us within it.  He brings us into His Kingdom, the Kingdom of the hearts, the Kingdom of God.  He is the gate through which we walk each day and the shepherd who protects us along the way.  He sends His Spirit who makes us one with Him and gives us His eyes to see and…

  John 15:1-11 (Underlined for emphasis) 

 ¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.…

Second, spiritual tongues

As a sign of this infilling they were enabled to speak known and unknown languages by the same indwelling Spirit.  Paul tells us that in 1Cor.13 when he cites ‘tongues of men and of angels.’  Just what were these tongues and what do they signify?  We have discussed the gift of tongues in the section on gifts. 

But, for a moment, we need to expand our understanding.  We need to look at how we communicate.  Language is more than just…

There are three dimensions to spiritual risk, personal, interpersonal and physical. 

First, the personal.

Personal is the willingness to step outside yourself and allow the Lord to show you your weaknesses.

Second, the interpersonal.

The interpersonal is the willingness to share with spiritually gifted brothers and sisters some of the weaknesses in the heart and letting the Holy Spirit heal them.  This is where what the Bible…

Vs.4  “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in languages they had not known before. The Spirit gave them the ability to do this.” 

We’ll break this verse down into three parts, spiritual filling, spiritual tongues and spiritual ability.

First, spiritual filling.

This verse presents us with the real challenge.  This is the key verse that opens the door to everything that happens after Pentecost, the spread of…

Vs.3  “They saw something that looked like tongues of fire. The flames separated and settled on each of them.”

Again the operative word is ‘like.’  The Spirit is the power of God and when God wants to make a point He engages His Creation in His Spirit to express it.  So ‘like tongues of fire’ makes sense.  Don’t we use that same idea when we try and paint what is invisible with the brush of visible objects?  What could look like tongues, fire and flames?  If we go back…