4
comments
|
Sunday, April 08, 2007
I want to take this opportunity to wish every reader of LOLDarian a very Happy Easter. I usually am very long winded in my writing, but for today I come only with a few words of encouragement. In keeping with our previous discussions about identity, as we have recently celebrated the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this is a perfect time to examine our own lives.
Scripture suggests to us in 1 Corinthians 11:31 if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. If we take responsibility upon ourselves to examine our own lives, we can avoid the chastening of God. We have all had experiences where we knew we were reaping the consequences of our personal choices. If there are things in our lives that need to be crucified and buried this is a good time for a spiritual spring cleaning. It is always easy to see the faults of other people, but it takes a spiritually mature person to see your own mess and ask God for help (Matthew 7:3-5). I challenge you this week to take your spiritual growth into your hands. Is your life a reflection of the same victory revealed in the risen Christ?
1st Entry
2nd Entry
3rd Entry
Albert on myspace
E-mail Albert: albertrlee@hotmail.com
Labels: Religion, Spirituality
4 Comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
April 09, 2007 8:00 AM
What does it really mean to examine yourself? Before partaking of Holy Communion, this should be done even more for believers as it is crucial to the regular discipline of our soul. Too many people it is just taking bread and wine, but that is symbolic of bringing together the body of Christ and joining it with his blood to produce life, and life more abundantly.
You can never be able to fully execute a Holy examination without the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, many of our churches today may have the form of Godliness, but deny the power thereof (Ichabod).With a prayer of repentance, it is easily afforded to anyone to ask God for forgiveness, if they are true within their confession. My question, how will the believer and even the unbeliever know for sure that Spirit of God is present?
April 09, 2007 8:03 AM
Captain,
You have posed some really wonderful questions in your comment. The examination of self that the scripture I referenced put forth is certainly within the context of Holy Communion. I chose to use this scripture because we are in the Easter season; a time when we celebrated the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Holy Communion is a picture of the Easter season that Christians celebrate throughout the year.
To address the second part of your comment I would like to direct you to Romans 2. In reading this chapter in the context of the first chapter of Romans, we see a scathing rebuke from Paul of those that accuse others of breaking the law when they themselves transgress the law. A further reading of the text also suggests those that are not "of the circumcision" who do the law instinctively are a "law unto themselves because they show that the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts and are operating there, with which their consciences (sense of right and wrong) also bear witness; and their [moral] decisions (their arguments of reason, their condemning or approving thoughts) will accuse or perhaps defend and excuse [them]." (Romans 2:14-15, Amplified Bible)
Based on this scripture I think that your point that the only way to execute an examination is through Holy Spirit is incomplete. The Spirit of God will indeed lead us into all truth, but there is another dimension to self-examination according to the scripture
To respond to your question about how the believer and the unbeliever know for sure that the Holy Ghost is present, I will first of all avoid the trap that you are attempting to set. (you seem to have the tendencies of a Pharisee, attempting to build a doctrine based on one scripture and attempting to pull me into an answer that you already espouse. I would caution you that Jesus judged the Pharisees harshly and often made them look very dumb.) Instead of looking at 1 Corinthians 14:22 which you seem to reference in your question, I would direct you to three other places that help us see the evidence that the Spirit of Christ is present.
1) The book of Acts teachers us over and over again that The Baptism of the Holy with evidence of speaking tongues is one way we know that the Holy Ghost is present.
2) Jesus taught us that every tree should be judged by the fruit that it bears. In defining the presence of the Spirit of God we turn to Galations 5:22-23 which lists the fruit of the Spirit.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
3) My final example of the presence of the Spirit of God is the one that resonates most with me. Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
Our love for one another is the greatest evidence that Jesus abides in our hearts.
I hope this answers your questions and I hope someone out there is enlightened by this discussion.
Be BLessed
April 09, 2007 10:03 AM
...
April 09, 2007 4:42 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home