Since we've moved, we've been going to a church here in Tigard called Colossae. We have really been enjoying getting to know new folks & have been going to a small group in our community. It's very informal & laid back. There are lots of people in & out each week, but it's been a great way to immediately feel welcome & see what God is doing here, where we are now.
The Bomars are in our community group. Chuch Bomar is the head pastor at Colossae & we've been blessed by his teaching. We've been following the Colossae podcast for a while now, but it's been neat getting to chat with Chuck a little & hearing him talk about life in general face to face. Today, our church started a new series on hearing God speak. He recently wrote a book about this topic & gave an introduction into what studying this topic should mean for us. His sermon today really spoke to me, reminding me of many things & showing me another glimpse of how God is working in my life.
Chuck shared a tid-bit about a season in his life where he really wished that Jesus was right next to him in person. He said at the time, he really felt like it would be better for Jesus to be right there. Immediately, I knew where Chuck was headed. And what do you know, 3 minutes later we are in John 14 looking at these verses...
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
And John 16:7 at this verse...
"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
Jesus Himself says that it is far better for the Holy Spirit to come & dwell in us, than for Jesus to stay & walk beside us in person. I was thinking about how or why this is & was lead to a few things.
Jesus walked beside people in skin, face to face, speaking in similar ways we do to each other. Just by using His words, He could not convince people to believe. He did miracles & wonders right in front of people who continued to look for better ways to find contentment or peace. But now, with God's Spirit in us, He can change our hearts, guide our thoughts & help lead us to peace that no one can take us to with only words. Jesus (without God's Spirit), in His flesh, could not convince people of their sin or make them understand how deadly it is to continue living for self... but God's Spirit, living in us, can move & give us a heart of flesh in exchange for our hearts of stone.
Thinking on these things, God revealed to me how wonderful it is to have Him working inside me, & not just walking along with me. Sure, Jesus in the flesh could answer my questions instantly. I could walk up & find Him with physically anytime I need. The Spirit isn't quite so easily felt, though is just as easily accessible. The Spirit though, doesn't always give immediate answers. But look here to that little phrase "he will teach you all things & bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
Chuck explained to us that God's Spirit doesn't just give us answers for future events or decisions, but reminds us of what we've already been taught about how to live for God's purposes. Check out this verse in 2 Peter 1:3...
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
And this in Ephesians 2:10...
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
When times of crisis come, our natural reaction is to ask God what to do, to beg Him to just tell us what decisions to make & where to go from here. But these verses above tell us that God has plans, things He's created us to do & that His Spirit will remind us of how we are to be, how to follow God. These verses remind us that we have exactly what we need to follow God, to make good decisions to honor Him.
One big, life-changing concept we learn early in our walks as Christians (at least in our brains, though it is a life-long process of learning to live this out), is to die to ourselves. Here are a few verses that help explain this...
"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."
Matthew 10:39
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves."
Philippians 2:3
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
Matthew 5:38-42
All of these verses (and many more) express this idea that we should put others before ourselves, no matter what. Later in Philippians 2, Paul shows how even Jesus considered sacrificing his life for us as more important that keeping His esteemed position in Heaven with God.
This teaching of putting others before ourselves is just one example, one topic that the Holy Spirit can remind us of that can help us in trouble times of indecision. Serving others first, helping the poor, being wise with our money & being gentle with our children are all things we learn from the bible. These are all things God's Spirit will help us to remember in times of need, times where we can walk in the good works He has set out for us.
Chuck's encouragement today, as well as mine, is that we don't get caught up in finding out what it is we should DO in certain situations, but how we should approach living in communion with God. If we seek Him to have influence in our lives & seek to earnestly live a life of service, He will make those decisions less daunting. His Spirit brings us peace & reminds us of the best way to live. We truly can rest in this assurance, that His Spirit is always with us & that it truly is better to have His Spirit inside our hearts & minds, guiding our feelings, emotions & desires than to be living with Jesus in the flesh.
Chuck's book comes out in a couple weeks, but we got a couple copies today. I'm excited to read more about this, seeing from Chuck's perspective the ways God works in speaking to us through His Spirit. If you want a copy, you can order online here or talk to me & I can get you a copy for cheap! I hope that as you seek to know God better, you can rest in the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide you in righteousness, reminding you of all the things God has taught you in His word.
The Bomars are in our community group. Chuch Bomar is the head pastor at Colossae & we've been blessed by his teaching. We've been following the Colossae podcast for a while now, but it's been neat getting to chat with Chuck a little & hearing him talk about life in general face to face. Today, our church started a new series on hearing God speak. He recently wrote a book about this topic & gave an introduction into what studying this topic should mean for us. His sermon today really spoke to me, reminding me of many things & showing me another glimpse of how God is working in my life.
Chuck shared a tid-bit about a season in his life where he really wished that Jesus was right next to him in person. He said at the time, he really felt like it would be better for Jesus to be right there. Immediately, I knew where Chuck was headed. And what do you know, 3 minutes later we are in John 14 looking at these verses...
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
And John 16:7 at this verse...
"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
Jesus Himself says that it is far better for the Holy Spirit to come & dwell in us, than for Jesus to stay & walk beside us in person. I was thinking about how or why this is & was lead to a few things.
Jesus walked beside people in skin, face to face, speaking in similar ways we do to each other. Just by using His words, He could not convince people to believe. He did miracles & wonders right in front of people who continued to look for better ways to find contentment or peace. But now, with God's Spirit in us, He can change our hearts, guide our thoughts & help lead us to peace that no one can take us to with only words. Jesus (without God's Spirit), in His flesh, could not convince people of their sin or make them understand how deadly it is to continue living for self... but God's Spirit, living in us, can move & give us a heart of flesh in exchange for our hearts of stone.
Thinking on these things, God revealed to me how wonderful it is to have Him working inside me, & not just walking along with me. Sure, Jesus in the flesh could answer my questions instantly. I could walk up & find Him with physically anytime I need. The Spirit isn't quite so easily felt, though is just as easily accessible. The Spirit though, doesn't always give immediate answers. But look here to that little phrase "he will teach you all things & bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
Chuck explained to us that God's Spirit doesn't just give us answers for future events or decisions, but reminds us of what we've already been taught about how to live for God's purposes. Check out this verse in 2 Peter 1:3...
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
And this in Ephesians 2:10...
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
When times of crisis come, our natural reaction is to ask God what to do, to beg Him to just tell us what decisions to make & where to go from here. But these verses above tell us that God has plans, things He's created us to do & that His Spirit will remind us of how we are to be, how to follow God. These verses remind us that we have exactly what we need to follow God, to make good decisions to honor Him.
One big, life-changing concept we learn early in our walks as Christians (at least in our brains, though it is a life-long process of learning to live this out), is to die to ourselves. Here are a few verses that help explain this...
"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."
Matthew 10:39
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves."
Philippians 2:3
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
Matthew 5:38-42
All of these verses (and many more) express this idea that we should put others before ourselves, no matter what. Later in Philippians 2, Paul shows how even Jesus considered sacrificing his life for us as more important that keeping His esteemed position in Heaven with God.
This teaching of putting others before ourselves is just one example, one topic that the Holy Spirit can remind us of that can help us in trouble times of indecision. Serving others first, helping the poor, being wise with our money & being gentle with our children are all things we learn from the bible. These are all things God's Spirit will help us to remember in times of need, times where we can walk in the good works He has set out for us.
Chuck's encouragement today, as well as mine, is that we don't get caught up in finding out what it is we should DO in certain situations, but how we should approach living in communion with God. If we seek Him to have influence in our lives & seek to earnestly live a life of service, He will make those decisions less daunting. His Spirit brings us peace & reminds us of the best way to live. We truly can rest in this assurance, that His Spirit is always with us & that it truly is better to have His Spirit inside our hearts & minds, guiding our feelings, emotions & desires than to be living with Jesus in the flesh.
Chuck's book comes out in a couple weeks, but we got a couple copies today. I'm excited to read more about this, seeing from Chuck's perspective the ways God works in speaking to us through His Spirit. If you want a copy, you can order online here or talk to me & I can get you a copy for cheap! I hope that as you seek to know God better, you can rest in the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide you in righteousness, reminding you of all the things God has taught you in His word.
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