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Pentecost 5 Getting Our Spiritual Bearings

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.…

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Added by HKHaugan on June 20, 2011 at 7:26am — No Comments

Pentecost vs.4 continuing

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…

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Added by HKHaugan on June 17, 2011 at 7:31am — No Comments

Pentecost vs.4 continuing

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…

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Added by HKHaugan on June 15, 2011 at 8:11am — No Comments

Tongues? What is That All About? Acts 2:4

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…

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Added by HKHaugan on June 14, 2011 at 11:15am — No Comments

Continuing Pentecost---vs.3

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…

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Added by HKHaugan on June 13, 2011 at 8:04am — No Comments

Continuing Pentecost

Vs.2 “Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind blowing. It filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

First, the operative word here is ‘like.’ The sound from Heaven was ‘like’ a strong wind blowing. What happened was spiritual being physically experienced. When Scripture says ‘Heaven’ it immediately directs our gaze above. Jesus in His Ascension after the Resurrection was seen going up. What was like a wind was coming from above. God could be felt, sensed,… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on June 12, 2011 at 10:21pm — No Comments

Pentecost---Initiation Day

Before we get into the subject of spiritual gifts it would be helpful if we visited the single most important event after the coming of the Lord Jesus and that is His sending the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is the Holy Spirit who brings our minds, our hearts and our spirits into spiritual reality. This is where the shift to true reality begins.

Acts 2 “1 The day of Pentecost came. The believers all gathered in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on June 12, 2011 at 8:21am — No Comments

Wow! From Grace to Grace to Grace!

We have been talking about God’s grace as the spiritual atmosphere that sets the pace for understanding God’s purpose behind Creation, our existence and His desire to have a relationship with us. Grace is the quality of His life that sets the pace for His recovery of each of us through faith. It is the basic attitude of God that is filled with His initiative to make Himself known, His love real, and His faithfulness all the way into eternity.

When you consider that Jesus went to the… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on June 9, 2011 at 2:35pm — No Comments

Is Your Boss Gracious?

When you apply for a job one of the big questions is about the kind of atmosphere there is in the working place.

What kind of a boss do you have? Is he hard to work for? Is he fair? How does he treat his colleagues? Does he recognize a job well done? What kind of working environment are you in? Are you expected to produce a lot, do you get time off, are there bonuses at the end of the year? Are there health benefits, time off and opportunities for advancement? And of course, is the… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on June 6, 2011 at 10:00am — No Comments

On the Way to Spiritual Gifts 3, Scripture and Prayer

Now we want to give discipleship the second most important place in being a believer. The first obviously, is a relationship with the Lord Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12 NIV).”. But that relationship was made to restore us to the Father, to be reborn spiritually, to grow spiritually, grow in Him, with Him and for Him. Becoming a disciple takes discipling, being discipled and developing… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on June 5, 2011 at 9:37am — No Comments

On the Way to Spiritual Gifts, Their Foundation

I am still convinced that the recovery of the church is in the discovery, practice and sharing of spiritual gifts. When I say ‘church’ I am not talking about the ‘Body of Christ.’ Rather I’m pointing to the sagging denominational efforts vested in maintaining traditional structure and budgets while neglecting the spiritual life of their members. But before we get to the gifts there needs to be a foundation in any group calling itself Christian. That foundation is its vision, its sense of… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on June 2, 2011 at 10:00am — No Comments

How to Live? It's All About Faith

Paul takes the spiritual high road as he lifts up the Gospel to the believers in Rome (Rom.1:16-17), “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, “The just shall live by faith (Hab.2:4).” His goal was to bring believers together in the truth of the Gospel in a city that was considered the… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 31, 2011 at 3:36pm — No Comments

You Were Made for This Moment

When we hear those words, “ I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6),” a spark should ignite any lingering reluctance and reduce it to ashes. Doubt, hesitancy and compromise fade in the glow of the presence of Christ. Only sin forces these negative moments to block the urging of the Spirit. The Cross always stands as the symbol through which we know the power of sin has been defeated and His words come to life in the moment of every challenge we face, the challenge to speak and act in… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 28, 2011 at 8:45pm — No Comments

From the Way to the Truth to the Life

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Rom.1:20).”

When Jesus declared He was the life it immediately indicated there was something new on the scene. This wasn’t biological life that everyone knew ended up in death and oblivion. When He said that those who seek to save their life would lose it and those who lose their life… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 27, 2011 at 8:31am — No Comments

The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth, So Help Us God.

We have just dealt with “The Way.” There are five things that mark Jesus being “the Way”, ---faith, love, obedience, humility and prayer. But you just can’t leave those words to find a home by themselves. They need a structure that defines them. That is why Jesus says He is the truth. Unlike the world’s concept of truth, which usually ends up as the elevation of human experience being philosophically condensed, Jesus simplifies it by declaring He is the truth. Truth then is a living…

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Added by HKHaugan on May 25, 2011 at 9:15am — No Comments

I Am the Way (cont.3)

When Jesus said He was ‘the way’ He opened the door to the unseen dimension that governs the feeling heart, the inquiring mind and the motivational spirit making up our individuality. What Jesus did was to reveal that there are ‘two ways.’ One is the world’s way and the other is God’s way. Both are spiritual. One is sin which leads to death and the other is Jesus who offers His eternal life. Then He showed that each person is a unique, spiritually unique, image of God. Unique to the bone we… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 23, 2011 at 9:43am — No Comments

I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life (cont.2)

In the last writing we closed with this statement:

“But spiritual life is more than just the personal awareness and experience of it. Its purpose is relational. It starts with a relationship with Jesus and then is extended to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Filled with the Spirit we extend ourselves to others and build a community of faith that makes us spiritual brothers and sisters. It is through this community of faith in Jesus that the world can be reconciled to God and fulfills the… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 22, 2011 at 6:22pm — No Comments

I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life (cont.)

Remember the three things that help us understand this passage? First, it is the situation in which the sequence occurs. Second, there is the overall culture of the time. Third, it is couched in Jewish heritage. Let’s consider these.

First, the situation

Jesus has called the disciples together to share the Passover meal with them. Chapters 13-17 are Jesus’ last teachings in the evening before He goes to the Cross. Here He has just washed the disciples’ feet teaching humility,… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 21, 2011 at 10:48pm — No Comments

John 14:6 I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 21, 2011 at 11:00am — No Comments

Seeing the Unseen and Letting Others See What You See

Habakkuk 2:2

”Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.”

When I was in college I went out for track. It was something I felt I needed to do to be part of the college community and to further my own goals for acceptance and accomplishment. I really always liked the sport and believed I could do fairly well at it. Talking to the coach and accepting his conditioning program for me, I started running the miles… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on May 18, 2011 at 3:31pm — No Comments