Monthly Archives: July 2013

07/28/13

1 Corinthians 2: The Language of The Spirit

The Language of The Spirit Revised and Updated

 

 Rev. Charlene

 

In the United States we assume that we all speak the same native language. However, there are other languages spoken, some even more original. English predominates, so it is the responsibility of those who wish to communicate with the masses to learn to speak English. Yet it is fast becoming a necessity for those of us who speak English to take on Spanish as our second language. This language must be learned through diligent application, whereas the language of our birth was naturally acquired over time without hardship.

 

 

Those who travel and minister across the world must also learn the languages native to other regions and countries.  This can prove to be an even harder task. The desire to communicate and to spread God’s love is a motivational force that empowers people to learn new ways and new languages.

 

The languages of the world are different from the language of The Spirit. Those who possess God’s Spirit speak another-worldly language that has its origin in heaven, not earth. This language is not our native tongue, but became accessible when we came to Christ. It is through surrender to Christ and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit that we discern this gifted language. Without our interpreter, God’s Holy Spirit, we cannot discern the ways of God, nor can we understand the mysteries of our salvation.

 

 

As Paul writes to the Corinthians:

 

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived[b]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 These are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit”.

 

Unless you are in indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit you simply cannot hear nor speak the heavenly language. It is a part of your inheritance gifts, just as speaking the spiritual language of the world makes you heir to the degradation of the world. Death becomes your wages, not life. Only Jesus Christ could pay the price for our sins because of His sinless nature, and it is only through The Cross that our sins are forgiven. Jesus knows the fullness of who we can be or are in Him.

 

 “Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct Him?’[d]

 

 

But we have the mind of Christ”. 

 

 

1 Corinthians 2

New International Version (NIV)

 

 

 1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

 

 

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

 

 

 6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written:

 

   “What no eye has seen,
   what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]—
   the things God has prepared for those who love him—

 10these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

   The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16for,

 

 

   “Who has known the mind of the Lord
   so as to instruct Him?”[d]

   But we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes:
  1. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Some manuscripts proclaimed to you God’s mystery
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:4
  3. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual
  4. 1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13

 

Scripture Credits:  Holy Bible. New International Version. BibleGateway.com

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2013 Charlene Kirst
07/22/13

Matthew 16: The Demand For A Sign

New International Version (NIV)

 

 

The sign of Jonah is in reference to three days and three nights until new life and deliverance. His example was a type of Christ that foretold of the death and sacrifice of our LORD, His burial, and His rising on the third day.

 

 The phrase “sign of Jonah” was used by Jesus as a typological metaphor for His future crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus answered with this expression when asked by the Pharisees for miraculous proof the He was indeed the Messiah. The Pharisees remained unconvinced of Jesus’ claims about Himself, despite His having just cured a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. Shortly after the Pharisees accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan, they asked Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.”

 

Retrieved from the worldwide web @www.gotquestions.org  No copyright infringement  intended.

 

 

The Demand for a Sign

 

 

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

 

2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.[a] 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

 

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

 

5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

 

7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

 

8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

 

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

 

 

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

 

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

 

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

 

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

 

 

Jesus Predicts His Death

 

 

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

 

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

 

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

 

28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

 

 

Footnotes:

 

Matthew 16:3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes … of the times.
Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
Matthew 16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26.

 

 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

07/16/13

What is Hope? Colossians 1:27

To whom GOD would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory…

 

 

Colossians 1:27

 

 

 

What exactly is hope? Is it wishing , like I hope I win the door prize? Or, is it something deeper than that, an expectation of glorious things to come?

 

 

The word hope has been weakened and washed down because of modern society’s insistence on putting hope in the realm of magic. Wish upon a star and hope for your wish to come true, or put a coin in the wishing well and hope for the same. The Biblical references do not go in this direction, but lean more toward Christ Jesus, our ‘Hope of Glory’.  Hope goes so much further than wishing and dreaming–it is the ‘Hope of The Gospel’ to all people, manifested in ‘The Word Made Flesh”.

 

 

Hope resides in us, as God’s Holy Spirit, sent by God the Father and God the Son to minister, strengthen and aid us. If Hope is then alive in us, then Hope has been raised from the dead, and Hope believes that all things are possible because Hope is the Source of all things.

 

 

Hope is closely bonded with Faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’…Hebrews 11:1

 

 

“Hoped for’ means that I am relying on Jesus to bring this to pass. I am trusting that what I cannot yet see is already in existence,  brought alive through the urgency and sincerity of my pleas. ‘Hope springs eternal in the human breast’ is a fitting statement to explain how we can go through trial after trial and still hold on to our Saviour and to our beliefs.

 

Do you have hope? Do you believe that what God says in His Word that He will do He will perform? If you do then you have arrived at that place of trust, which is also a part of hope, where you are absolutely depending on God’s Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and sustain you. You know that what you see in the flesh is not as real as what is occurring in the Spirit realm.

 

 

Let us walk in Hope, for Hope bears a large shield, and joy is its weapon.

 

 

                                                                                                                   Charlene

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2013 Charlene Kirst
07/16/13

Praise as Light by Ron Hutchcraft: How To Banish The Darkness

A Word With You – Your Most Important Relationship
 

How To Banish The Darkness

 

 This article will help you to see how darkness can be made light–how spiritual wickedness can be overcome, and how relying on Jesus will ease your pain. Charlene 

 

 I had taken a carload of team members from our reservation outreach team to see a scenic canyon a couple of hours from where we were staying. Someone forgot to tell me that the station wagon they loaned me had a broken gas gauge. It said we had three-quarters of a tank. That wasn’t true! It was getting dark, and I decided to take a shortcut across the reservation to get back to our place. It was a pretty deserted dirt road that traversed a very remote part of the reservation, and about halfway back we ran out of gas, forty miles from the nearest gas station. Those who understand some of what the Bible says about spiritual warfare will understand that ceremonies that summon the spirit world can bring an invasion of spiritual darkness. And apparently, we were stranded in an area that was known for a lot of that kind of supernatural activity. When we got back, a tribal man who grew up on this reservation and knew that area well, said with a look of really deep concern, “If I had known where you were, I would have come after you immediately.”

 

My passengers were obviously really nervous, and some honestly, almost freaked out by our predicament. I tried to defuse the tension with humor. That didn’t work. (In fact, my humor seldom does.) Then somebody started to sing a praise song to Jesus – then another and another. As long as we were praising, there was this peace and calm. Whenever we stopped praising, you could cut the air with a knife. Thanks to a Good Samaritan God sent, we ultimately got some fuel; we got home, but only after an unforgettable laboratory in the power of praise.

 

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “How to Banish the Darkness.”

 

That night, in our remote corner of an Indian reservation, we experienced the reality of Psalm 8:1-2 , our word for today from the Word of God. Here’s what it says: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” I like that. When you are praising your awesome Lord, you silence the devil.

 

Celebrate Jesus and you evacuate the devil, who can’t stand even the name of Jesus. Because it is at that name that he and all his demons must one day bow in total surrender, because the devil’s death warrant is signed in the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. So in those times when the darkness seems to be closing in, you can literally praise the darkness away. Because the one place the prince of darkness will never be is in praises to the Most High God.

 

In many ways, whether or not the light or the darkness is winning in your soul is a matter of what you choose to dwell on. I can tell you what the devil’s trying to get you to dwell on – your past, your fears, your pain, your worries, your doubts. Right? Those areas are Satan’s playground. They drown you in anxiety, guilt, discouragement and depression. God, on the other hand, wants you to choose to dwell on what He’s like, not what your situation is like. Psalm 145 says, “The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” So, a few verses later, it says: “I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

 

When you’re praising your Lord, you are choosing to dwell on the awesome things about Him that have never changed and never will, including in the middle of this dark moment. You’re celebrating the good things He’s done in your life instead of frustrating over your struggles. It’s celebrating Jesus, whether you feel like it or not.

 

When it’s the darkest, when it’s the hardest to praise Him, that is when you need to praise Him the most, because praise is that blinding light from heaven that dispels the darkness and banishes your enemy.

 

 

07/5/13

Dirty God by Johnnie Moore

I’ll admit that this title stopped me in my tracks. I almost didn’t read it; but I’m glad that I did. This is wonderful, thoughtful material. It reminds us once again of the Grace of God.

  

The doctrine of the incarnation reminds us that Jesus was both divine and human. His humanity endured enormous stress as he was repeatedly rejected by the very people he came to love. It hurt.

 

In fact, on the eve of his arrest we find Jesus so distressed over what is coming that he collapsed in an olive grove, weeping, under such duress that he perspired drops of blood.

 

It was heartbreaking for Jesus. The purpose of his trip to earth was to give grace to people, but so many people rejected, or were indifferent to, the good news he brought.

 

Because Jesus wasn’t the kind of savior people were expecting, he was rejected by most, and the few who accepted him were mainly from the other side of the tracks.

 

Jesus was considered edgy by the religious establishment. He was an antiestablishment heretic who ignored certain “sacred” Jewish practices. He did his own thing, often in blatant defiance of the most respected religious leaders.

 

Jesus wasn’t the kind of revolutionary one might have expected to make history. He didn’t manipulate the crowds or pull together coalitions, gathering as much power as possible. In fact, he ignored the systems of power that made the ancient world function.

 

Yet grace was ever present in his life and ministry, even in his relationships with his enemies. Jesus wasn’t so much angry at the religious establishment as he was heartbroken over their unbelief – so much so that he once broke down as he approached Jerusalem. Looking down over the city from a high hill, he said, “If you only knew…” (Luke 19:42 GNT).

 

Choosing to follow Jesus wasn’t a respectable, admirable thing to do. Following Jesus was truly radical. It would cost you – and it might cost you everything. It was like wearing a Red Sox cap in the middle of Yankee Stadium. It was a provocation.

 

And why did Jesus go through all of this? Why did he knowingly invite so much ridicule and shame, so much pain and embarrassment? Why was he willing to start life in a feeding trough, only so he could end it by being cursed at, flogged, stripped of his clothes, and nailed an executioner’s cross? Why did he leave the Father’s side and exit heaven to wander around this heartsick place?

 

He did all of this for one reason: you. That’s right – you.

 

He caught your eye through history’s window as he stared over the bannister of heaven, and he determined that he would care for you and give you a chance. He would make grace available and give you an opportunity to enjoy peace again.

 

And maybe you already know all of this. But I’m wondering if you really know it.

 

Like a lover catching the first glance of his beloved in a crowded train station after a long journey back home from a faraway land, Jesus caught your eye and then endured the cross so that you might be invited to dine again with God.

 

Into a culture where the gods seemed to look, and behave, like superhumans with perfect physiques and Herculean qualities – came Jesus. The one true God didn’t come adorned with Romanesque glory, and he didn’t arrive to celebration in a city like Rome or Athens, Alexandria or Jerusalem. He arrived in Bethlehem, and he came as an innocent child.

 

Jesus went through hell to show his kindness, to give us grace. He was on a mission to woo back God’s long, lost love.

Us.

 

 

Reprinted by permission. Dirty God by Johnnie Moore, ©2013, Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

07/4/13

IF I COULD HEAR MY MOTHER PRAY AGAIN

Mahalia Jackson put her soul and spirit into every song. This is a beautiful performance…

I have sung this song many times, and it never fails to move me to tears at the remembrance of my mother’s prayers and sacrifices for her family.  Charlene

credit: ahlordgod

Charlene’s Source: youtube

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07/4/13

Love Lifted Me & I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

Love Lifted Me (Hymn with words and music) – James Rowe

 

Famous song writer James Rowe didn’t have an easy life. As a matter of fact, just performing the art of writing was a real struggle. Born January 1, 1865, James was the fifth of 9 children, but the first born boy. He and his family lived in Wales.
In 1889 James, as a 24-year-old man, immigrated to the United States, where he settled in Albany New York. During the course of his life, James worked as a teacher, government worker, railroad worker, and an inspector for the Hudson River Humane Society.
While he enjoyed his work, his true passion lay in creating. It is said that James Rowe wrote some 20,000 hymns and poems. Among them were such cherished songs as God Holds the Future in His Hands, I Walk With the King, If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again, and many others.
What makes this so amazing is what he overcame in order to pen these thousands of songs. According to his daughter, she witnessed her father, who suffered with a serious case of arthritis, spending day after day working on the words, melody, and music to many different songs. Despite the pain with which he lived, he pushed through and achieved his goals of putting his faith to the written word.
One of those songs which he laboured over is the well-known hymn, “Love Lifted Me.”

 

 

Kelly Price – I Know Who Holds Tomorrow (lyrics)

 

 

credit: The Hymn Club+earlylyricsorg1668

Charlene’s Source: youtube

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