The Most Sincere Pumpkin Patch – It’s the Holy Spirit,
Charlie Brown! - Purity 547
Purity 547 10/12/2021 Purity 547 Podcast
Good morning
Today’s photo of a misty morning, fog covered pumpkin patch in Johnsonville
NY comes to us from yours truly as I simply had to stop on the side of the road
to capture this October scene on the morning of the 7th day of the
10th month.
The fog wasn’t as thick as pea soup, but you can see that it was substantial
as the pumpkin patch was covered in mystery and even the brilliance of the morning
sun was shrouded by it. If you have been following the recent events in my life,
you may also know that this pumpkin patch and the sun’s brilliance wasn’t the
only thing shrouded in mystery on the morning of the seventh.
Although I may have been able to guess that the fog would clear and the
sun’s brilliance would dominate creating a pleasant October day, at the time when
I took this photo I had no idea that I was to receive information that would
lead me to propose to my fiancé later the same day.
In the aftermath of joy, at her acceptance of my invitation to become my
wife, my future life partner and I took some time yesterday to discuss how God
had moved in each of our lives to bring us together and how we could have never
guessed the far reaching consequences to decisions that we each had made months
ago that would eventually lead to us meeting, becoming friends, and agreeing to
marriage.
As two travelers on the path of Christian Discipleship, we had only
intended to be faithful to God’s call on our lives individually seeking to
serve Him and to know Him more. In our
seeking the Lord, we met each other and as our initial impressions and
misconceptions about one another were clarified so we could see the truth about
who we each were, we realized that we were both the “sincere” Christians who could
fulfill our mutual desires for a Christian spouse.
Not only did our recent paths lead us to one another for marriage, but
the Lord was also working in both our lives to deepen and mature our faith in
Him individually. In the preceding
months, I was maturing in my faith by establishing and leading a Christian
Discipleship Ministry, starting a podcast, and receiving healing and instruction
about the pains of divorce and the contemplation of moving on.
At the same time, my fiancé was being drawn to trust in the Lord at a
deeper level. She was challenged to step out of her comfort zone by going out
of her way to seek instruction and to apply the things she “always knew” in her
mind about the Christian faith at a heart or experiential level. Beyond reading a book or gleaning a few
insights from a Bible study. she also learned about the truth of the Lord’s
presence in her life by asking for and receiving the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”.
She also experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in her life to aide her
through the Steps to Freedom in Christ to resolve personal and spiritual conflicts
to help her to know experientially her freedom in Christ.
We both marveled over how the Lord worked in each of us individually and
how he brought us together. We can now
see how the “blessings” that we each experienced was the result of each of us choosing
to “seek the Lord” through surrender and obedience to His ways and repentance
from the things of this world that held us back.
We both recognized that the blessings didn’t come overnight and that our
walks were a process of pursuing the Lord’s will for our lives and were marked
by our individual desires to do His will with no expectation of specific
results.
I pointed out that although my fiancé had received a supernatural
manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s presence in her life, it didn’t come out of
nowhere. Before she “received”, she had repented by making a decision to seek
the Lord’s will for her life and to be faithful to follow where He led her. And after hearing about the baptism of the
Holy Spirit, she researched what was said about it and most importantly “sincerely”
asked the Lord to receive it. Shortly
after her asking, she received.
Being October, I made the silly analogy that it was like Charles Schultz’
Peanut’s character, Linus Van Pelt seeking to have visitation from the Great
Pumpkin. Linus’ Great Pumpkin theology
stated that the GP only “rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is most
sincere”.
Our seeking the Lord, our repentance, our obedience, and our
faithfulness to preserve in “walking in the Spirit” and asking for the baptism
of the Holy Spirit demonstrates our “most sincere” hearts for the Lord.
While I can’t codify or write a prescription for how you experience this
encounter with the Lord’s presence, all the testimonies that I have heard,
including my own, in which someone receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit have
the common elements of:
1.
Seeking the Lord (learning and sincerely seeking God’s wisdom
and ways from the study of the Bible , and His presence in prayer and worship)
2.
Repentance (turning from sin, or surrendering from habit that
draw us from God, choosing to forsake the world’s ways for the spiritual path
of Christian Discipleship)
3.
Prayer (communing with
the Lord in prayer and specifically asking to receive the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, including thanksgiving, worship, and praise).
Beyond this, I point out that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is given as
a sign that is to confirm our faith beyond any and all doubts and that naturally
leads to an increased desire for sanctification and service to the Lord.
I like to be clear and point out that we are not running after
experiences, we are seeking the Lord and His will for our lives. While we may
have moments of intense peace, love, and joy in the Lord’s presence as we walk
out our faith, the purpose of our walk is not “good feelings”. The Lord calls
us to follow Him and leads us into “good works” that He has prepared for us to
walk into.
So seek the Lord with a “most sincere” heart and follow the path that He
guides you in. Generally, I would say the Lord will guide you to His word,
repentance, and good works that will bring Him glory.
So keep walking and talking with God because even though we may not be “overcome
by the Spirit” in a dramatic way every day of our journey, when we are faithful to follow the Lord we
know that He will never leave us or forsake us and that because He is
omnipresent, we are always living in His presence.
To see Him in our lives, we only need to look through the mist of the
world’s lies and see the brilliance of the Son of God who saves all who put
their faith in Him and who calls his disciples to experience the abundant new
life that His sacrifice on the cross paid for.
(There is more
content to help you walk out your journey of faith at MT4Christ dot org. You
can also subscribe to the mt4christ247 podcast to hear this message, our
discipleship classes, and our weekly Bible Study, on Apple, Google, Spotify, and
Amazon Podcasts, as well as Audible and Podbean).
#Christian #christianity #encouragement #freedominchrist #christiancounseling
#jesuschrist #mt4christ
#discipleship #victoryoverthedarkness #Dating #mt4christ247podcast
Today’s Bible verse
is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verses are:
Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT2)
12 Dear friends, you always
followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is
even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying
God with deep reverence and fear.
13 For God is working in you,
giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Today’s verse points
to the individual responsibility of every Christian to obey the Lord with the
simple desire to do that which pleases Him.
Today’s verse speaks
of the integrity of the Christian disciple.
The Philippians “always followed” Paul’s instructions when he was
present with him, but he is clear to point out to them that just because he is “out
of sight, and out of mind” it doesn’t mean that you stop obeying the Lord’s
will for your life.
One definition of
integrity that is thrown around Christian circles is that integrity is “doing
the right thing when no one is watching.”
In truth, because God is omnipresent and omniscient, Someone is always
watching: God.
But the idea behind
that definition of integrity, is the proving of the “sincerity” of our beliefs
or Christian faith. Do you really
believe what you say you believe or are you just “putting on a show”? When no one is watching, are your actions
consistent with your faith?
But I always like to
make sure that Christians understand that “doing the right thing”, even when no
one is watching, isn’t necessarily going to confirm your faith.
“Doing the right
thing” is great but are you doing it for the right reasons?
Today’s verse
encourages us to “follow instructions” but it also points to our proper motivation:
our relationship with the Lord. We are
to have “deep reverence and fear” for the Lord which I would equate to “proper
understanding and respect for the Lord”.
Deep reverence comes
from properly understanding that God is who He says He is: the eternal, unchanging,
all powerful, all knowing, loving, good, and holy Creator of all things.
Fear comes from respecting
who God is and realizing that the proper response to Him as our Sovereign King,
who graciously made a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him, is obedience
and love.
When we are in
relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the indwelling
presence of the Holy Spirit. Thus as
verse 13 says:
“God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do
what pleases him.”
Our “doing the right thing” is only a demonstration of our faith
when we “do it for the right reason”: loving God, having the heartfelt desire “to
do what pleases Him,”.
So as disciples of Jesus Christ, the buck stops here. We
individually must “do the right thing” which is to obey the Lord’s instructions
– not out of a fear of punishment – we have been forgiven and promised eternal
life after all- but out of our desire to
do what pleases God. We are motivated to keep walking in the spirit not to
please men, or even with the hope to receive rewards, we surrender our lives to
the Lord’s ways and service because we love Him.
So rejoice in the new life that was graciously bought for you, do
what is pleasing to the Lord, and be assured that not only are you doing the
right thing when no one else is around, you are doing it for the right reason,
your love for the One who made it all and gave it all for you.
As
always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from
prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with
their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s Dating:
Secrets to Great Relating When Dating
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
E. What Is the Progression of Courtship?
Kyle no longer feels nervous when he knocks on Jennifer's door. When her
mother or father answers, he is invited in immediately—no longer an intruder
who might steal away their little girl. Now his presence is welcome as if he
were one of the family. For months on end, Kyle has earned an invisible emblem
of honor by proving himself trustworthy. Likewise, Jennifer feels comfortable
in his company, at ease and safe under his caring protection.
Progressing from acquaintance to friendship to something more has moved at a
snail's pace...but both know this has been time well invested in their future.
And now the time has come for the next step in their courtship. With the
blessing of her parents, Kyle kneels down and takes Jennifer's hand in
his...asking her to be his bride, for he knows the treasure he has found in
Jennifer and...
"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord." (Proverbs 18:22)
The primary difference between dating and courtship lies in the intent of
the relationship.
For many, the dating relationship is driven by romantic connection for the
sole purpose of enjoyment. Casual daters "try on" other people to see
how well they fit—their looks, their personality, their style. Dating can
sometimes be more centered on self. And while there may be awareness that
marriage could be considered, the presiding purpose for casual dating is
immediate pleasure.
In a courting relationship, both people understand that the purpose of the
relationship is to consider marriage. Courting takes a long-term view. It's not
simply a Christian way of dating, nor is there anything "casual"
about the approach. Courting is best suited to those who are spiritually and
emotionally ready for marriage—those who give sincere love—not based on
emotion, but on devotion....
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."
(Romans 12:9)
The Progression of Courtship
- Commitment
to Christ
- Be
confident of who you are in Christ: Your identity, love, significance,
and security are in Him.
- Look
for a mate among like-minded individuals, equally committed to Christ.
- Integrated
Interests
- Serve
the Lord in ministry, utilizing your God-given talents and gifts.
- See
who works alongside you in ministry, serving in similar areas.
- Address
Appropriate Areas
- Lay
the foundation for relationship by ensuring your emotional healing from
past pain.
- Prepare
for building a relationship by developing spiritual maturity and godly
character.
- Find
Friendship
- —Acquaintance:
Focus on being content in Christ and serving God as a single person.
- Refrain
from emotional intimacy.
- Casual
interaction is acceptable, but avoid one-on-one activities.
- —Casual
Friendship. Participate in church activities with other
individuals in group settings.
- Refrain
from emotional intimacy.
- Share
surface feelings but avoid one-on-one activities.
- —Close
Friendship. Share God's vision, discover spiritual gifts, limit
intimate one-on-one talk.
- Share
deeper feelings but limit emotional involvement or attachment.
- Focus
on external social activities instead of one-on-one intimate activities.
- Side
hugs are acceptable.
- —Intimate
Friendship: Engage in spiritual talk at its deepest, most
intimate level. Discuss possibility of marriage and the purpose of
courtship as related to your love for God. Discuss the need for spiritual
accountability.
- Share
your innermost thoughts, fears, failures, hopes, and dreams.
- Support
each other in times of crisis, pain, and joy. Limit one-on-one emotional
interaction.
- Side
hugs and holding hands are acceptable.
- Acquire
Accountability
- —Begin
to become one spiritually, spending one-on-one time in shared prayer and
in church.
- —Commit
your courtship to glorify God and help each other grow in Christ.
- —Start
pre-engagement counseling. Seek parental or godly counsel for
accountability.
- Promising
Purity
- —Discuss
and document boundaries and limits of a pure relationship.
- —Increase
one-on-one emotional time together.
- —Side
hugs, holding hands, short kisses are acceptable. Limited cuddling.
- Entering
Engagement
- —Continue
becoming one spiritually through prayer, Bible study, church attendance;
seek shared ministry opportunities.
- —Spend
one-on-one time sharing deep emotional feelings through vulnerable
communication.
- —Increase
holding hands, light kissing and hugging (with caution), and nonsexual
touching (not intimate areas).
As the relationship moves toward marriage, continue growth and maturity in
becoming unified through prayer, Bible study, church involvement, and ministry.
Relate at the deepest spiritual level. Make more and more decisions together as
one in Christ. Set aside time each day to share feelings and reflect Christ's
love....
"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made
complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In
this world we are like Jesus." (1 John 4:16-17)
Biblical Counseling Keys: Dating:
Secrets to Great Relating When Dating.
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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