Spirit Filled Life

Power Of Love - Part II

2010-10-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

Experiencing love is the only meaningful matter when it comes to love. As I said, there is no way for us to know what love is unless we experience it. If I am writing this blog on this subject without knowing what love is, it means I have no experience of love then. Even if I can impress someone with this blog, it only proves that I only have the knowledge about love. But I will be one of the saddest people as well if I do not know what love is.

There are many street children in Africa, living on streets and eating whatever they can find in a mountain of garbage. Their parents are gone, but they must live, and some are only 3 years old. Those children are the most saddest and hopeless people, I would think. They survive somehow but there is no love in them. Compared to that kind of extremeness, I think we all have experienced the love of parents one way or another. Of course the parents are not perfect. They do not always do right things to their children. Nevertheless, the very source of power was given to us, and this is why we are now adults and still live. Imagine what God's love can do to you then.

Love gives power, and the power is to sustain our life. Didn't Jesus give His love so that we can live? This is the rock solid hope we all have and the base of our faith. We believe in Him because He showed us His love fully. We live because of His love. Thus, His love keeps our spiritual life alive. Are you spiritually dead? Go back to the base. Ask Him to show His love. Let Him love you.
You feel you just have no hope and came to an dead end of your life? The answer and the solution is God's love. Don't underestimate its power. It can heal your condition or situation.

Let me help you to experience God's love. You may read this article till the end, but that is not enough. All you are doing now is just getting the knowledge. Your mind can grow, but your heart needs to be fed also. You need to exercise the knowledge next. I have put a great worship song attached below. Just listen to it and open up your heart to the Lord. And ask Him to show His love. Expect something to happen. Healing may not come on your way so quickly, but God's love, you better expect to experience right away, is always available! Thank you Jesus!

Power Of Love - Part I

2009-04-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

"What is the most important thing in the universe?" Or as a personal question, "What is the most important thing to you?" These questions would be probably the most suitable ones when you want to ask someone about love in its true meaning. To those who know what love is spiritually more than just an emotional word like many people perceive it so, you can ask them, "What could be the most powerful and life-changing impact on a human soul?"

To know what love is, you must experience it. Except the unfortunate ones who did not experience love from their parents as they were growing up, most people have experienced it actually. Christians or not, most people who grew up in a healthy environment know the basic idea of love. That's right. Our lesson of love started when our parents loved us when we were children.

I read an article on a cruel biological experiment on a human baby fed by scientists but with absolutely no provision of parental care or emotional supports. The baby survived for only few months. It was to prove if a human could live without any emotional support or love. There is no doubt that human beings can not live without love by others. And love truly is the source of our survival. Without love, we can not live. Love gives power for us to live, just like all the wonderful touching true stories of others'. There is something so powerful in love that moves human beings even in the midst of their struggles. The greatest motivation for us to do impossible things. I would like to say that love is power.

Another thing about love is, I think, peace. With this indescribable quietness in your soul, you can just know you do not worry about anything. There is no stress or anxiety about people or future. You know everything is settled, and you are happy about it. You feel light and free.

To be continued...

The Heart Of Worship II

2008-06-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Focusing on His presence

The presence of God is the very thing we all need in worship. If we worship Him and are not in His presence, something must be wrong. The only way to get into His presence is by worshiping Him because He dwells in the worship atmosphere. In heaven, there is this on-going, non-stop worship service by angels. Really, no worship, no God. If you want the Lord to visit you today, worship Him. Invite Him in your life. In fact, He will find you the moment you start to worship Him because He seeks true worshipers.

This means though we must need to know how the Lord wants us to worship Him. It will never be about us after all. It's not a matter of how we want to worship Him. It's always about Him, not us. So, let's not claim freedom in worship while we simply claim it to worship Jesus in the way we want. The desire to worship the Lord freely has its own place, but let's not get carried away with it but be more matured. Let's invite the Holy Spirit first, who is the one brings the freedom. And in that freedom only we can see God's miracles, signs and wonders. When the Lord is, there is no sickness, nor demons.

The lack of presence of God in worship exists because of our lack of knowledge in worship. As I said in the previous post, we sometimes get carried away with our emotions and stressed by man's traditions, doing things religiously. Only emotions take off and try to lead the worship in that case, not led by the Spirit of God. That's why we don't see God's miracles in churches even though we worship Him, trying to invite Him. As a result, we tend to get used to this, feeling somewhat frustrated, but that frustration is weakened day by day because things like that happens all the time. We simply get used to have a worship time with no miracles. This creates a wrong thought about God's miracles and His presence/worshiping Him being irrelevant.

Invite Him as you worship Him

We should never start a worship service without inviting the Holy Spirit. Let Him lead the atmosphere. If His presence is not there, don't keep worshiping/performing! I have seen those services more than enough in the past several years. There are times that I can no longer stand to be in that atmosphere. I would want to get out there so I can worship Him alone! It is a very sad situation. You go to a church and hope you can enjoy worshiping the Lord, but you only find out that there is no presence of God there. The atmosphere is rather disturbing sometimes, just a noise. When you worship, focus on Him. Focus on His presence. If He is not in the atmosphere of worship, you really lose the main purpose of it. Welcome Him in the way He likes to be invited. Remember, He always knocks on the door gently. So, we must open it gently, too. Another key to the heart of worship is to be with Him by focusing on His presence, inviting the Holy Spirit.

The Heart Of Worship I

2008-06-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I have mentioned a phrase which struck someone who was near me. He asked me if he could write that down on his note. I don't know if it was so meaningful to him even today, but I remember that I said, "Worship is my hiding place".

Now I look back and think of those days I spent my days at the Church On The Way in Van Nuys California. I think what I wanted to say was something like:

I worship the Lord in my quiet private place.
Worshiping the Lord itself is protection. I feel no fear in His presence.
Worshiping Jesus helps me to forget all the troubles I face.

Of course, I acknowledge that there is more than just hiding myself to be protected, comforted, and strengthened. Now I worship for a pure joy and adoration. That's definitely the most important reason for me to worship Jesus. Perhaps, I was so young in spirit and needed lots of protection and comfort, like a baby needs.

The heart of worship is simply this; To love Jesus back. Remember we can never love our Lord if He didn't show His love first. His very love was expressed at the cross as He died for our sins. Because of that, we can love Him now, and we are to love Him back. That's all our God wants really. He wants our love because He loves us so much.

The most beautiful emotion is love. Never hold yourself back to express your love to Him. He did not hold His love when He died for you. However, He is so awesome that He can show more of His amazing love in your life. My guess is that His love at the cross could be just the glance of it. We will know His never-ending love in eternal time. His love is that big!

If love is the most important thing in Christian life, we never position it secondarily. It has to be the number one priority at any time. Focus on His love and love Him back. That's the greatest commandment Jesus spoke to us. Do you know the best way, as well as the most spiritually appropriate way, to express your love to Jesus? You can do so by worshiping Him. There are many ways to express your love, I am sure, but the Father is looking for true worshipers who worship Him in spirit and in truth. I would be thrilled about your unique way to love Him, but never put anything before worship when it comes to expressing your love to Him.

Freely express your love

Because of Jesus's work at the cross, we can boldly come before our Father to worship Him. Jesus redeemed us. The Father will not see our sins any more. Praise Jesus! We are free to come to our heavenly Father to love Him. No wall of sins is between us any more.

In churches, worship is a part of the service. It is very biblical and spiritually important. The first reason we gather in a public place is to worship our Lord. I don't care what sort of meeting that is. As long as you get together with your brothers and sisters, it is very appropriate to worship Him. Rejoice in the Lord with other people. That's what heaven is like. We might as well practice that now. Freely worship Him at any time! Let worship songs always be in your mouth.

In many pentecostal, charismatic churches, they often worship the Lord freely in their services as oppose to those in certain denominations where worship songs sound like requiem because of their religious performance. However, freedom is not a mere proclamation of it. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Freedom or liberty only exists where the Holy Spirit is. This means that we are only free and free to worship the Lord when the Spirit of God is with us.

I also mean that where the Holy Spirit is not welcomed, there is no freedom. In fact, a worship service where the Holy Spirit is not welcomed is dead. It is sad to see our fellow Christians who do not know this truth. They claim freedom all they want, but they are merely doing so on their own terms. Their free-style worship is not Spirit led at all. It is the mercy of God that lets us do mistakes, of course. But worship must be led by the Holy Spirit. And we need to invite Him so that we can have freedom to worship Jesus.

Flesh led freedom

When the Spirit of God is not really moving in a worship service, people are merely enjoying the music by the worship team. Worship team is also merely performing and a part of church programs, instead of a Spirit led dynamic service. Singers are also mere performers, singing to the congregation, not to Jesus. This happens when people worship without the Holy Spirit. In fact, they don't worship God. They just think they do. The truth is they are all just a part of church programs, a bunch of performers doing a religious thing.

When the Spirit of God flows freely, as He is the one to bring the freedom in our lives, in a worship service, He will help us focus on Jesus. Then we can sing our love songs to Jesus. Otherwise, there will be a struggle to focus on Him, a struggle to lift your hands, even a struggle to sing your favorite worship songs. If the Spirit of God is not in a worship service, people will not sing to Jesus. They will be led by their own flesh. The sings of dead or half-dead worship service are such as:

Worship team only focuses on their performances and skills.
Somewhat out of order. Freedom is produced by men.
Only emotionalism is emphasized. No tears in people's faces.
No genuine prophecies.
No miracles.

If you have experienced a genuine worship atmosphere even once, you know what I am talking about. The thickness of His presence penetrates to your bones and soul as you feel like you can not move. It's the atmosphere where the Lord's Spirit is moving freely, and you see miracles and His loving hands on the sick. There is this incredible sense of awe in the air. People usually cry. Some cry bitterly, feeling the love of Jesus strongly. There, you see demons flee like cowards. A powerful prophetic word is also delivered to touch people's hearts. It really is a divine encounter.

In many cases, a typical worship service in your local Pentecostal or charismatic church is somewhere between "hot and cold", where the presence of God is there, but Holy Spirit can not move freely. It's rather rare to see a great presence of God in their worship services. Most of the time, even strong believers who have knowledge of the power of the Holy Spirit, miracles, signs and wonders of God, would expect not to see any miracle when a pastor prays for a sick person. If this sick person doesn't get healed, they wouldn't make a big deal about it because that's what they are used to! They wouldn't wonder why any more even though they do believe miracles. However, when a miracle does happen, they will be so amazed and make a bigger deal about it even though they do believe in miracles! Why does this reality exist, even among pentecostal churches?

The issue of tongues - Part V

2008-05-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Never spoke in tongues?

There are few prerequisites involved before you want to speak in tongues. First, you must be born again. Second, you must be baptized with the Holy Spirit. I'm not saying this to mean that speaking in tongues is the only evidence for you to know you received the Holy Spirit. But receiving the Holy Spirit is the very key for any spiritual experience. Without Him, you can't even start a spiritual life, a balanced one. Very commonly, people speak in tongues after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't have to be right after you receive the baptism though. But the Holy Spirit is the help for you to release the gift. Let's make it clear. If you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you can pray in the Spirit, speak in tongues. "Then why can't I speak in tongues?", you may want to ask. In many cases, people don't speak in tongues at the baptism of the Holy Spirit are not well instructed by their pastors or simply lack the knowledge. But all you need to do is release the gift.

Some factors that block the lead of the Holy Spirit:

Fear
Doubt
Lack of knowledge

If you can trust God in everything, you shouldn't be afraid or have negative feelings or thoughts on speaking in tongues. It is a great challenge for some of you when it comes to release this gift because it does sound strange to our ears. Fear or doubt naturally get in our minds for this reason. They block the blessing of this gift. Lack of knowledge also causes people to miss the blessing. Many pastors do not encourage to speak in tongues because they themselves are afraid to see some sort of chaos in their congregations because they think like that in their minds. Pastors like to control every movement during the church services. Also, when receivers don't have any knowledge of git of tongues or how to release the gift, they simply can not cooperate with God.

Why speaking in tongues is so important

It increases of our faith faster
A mean for a deeper relationship with God
A mean for receiving revelations

Let's take a look at some verses on speaking in tongues.

"...build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." - Jude 20 - The Bible commands us to pray in the Spirit. That itself is enough if you have a strong faith. But in that verse, we discover that praying in the Spirit is the key to build our faith.

Of all things the Word tell us about faith, releasing the spiritual language is the very key to increase our faith. When you pray in the Spirit, you are doing so with your spirit, communicating with the Lord. There is this spiritual dynamics when you speak God in the Spirit, unleashing the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow your spirit, and also to release God's power according to the need.

If you find your spiritual journey is full of trials and ups-downs, welcome to the club. It's the life of suffering, but to those who have the love of Jesus, they can conquer anything. But how do we conquer those difficulties and trials? Ephesians chapter 6 tells us about spiritual warfare. We all are in spiritual warfare as you know. To stand strongly, you must equip yourself with the armor of God. Ephesians 6:18 says,"praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit". Why did Paul say that? Considering the context is about spiritual warfare, it is appropriate to associate verse 18 with a matter of spiritual warfare. It could easily be read that praying in the Spirit is what he wanted to say at the end of spiritual warfare.

The armor of God holds no meaning if you are not with God. You must be tuned in the things of the Spirit. Wait on the Lord and know when to attack or defend yourself. You can do that by prayer, praying in the Spirit. Do you need a victory in the area where you struggle often? It could be an attack from the demonic. It could be a spiritual oppression or curse on you which must be broken in the name of Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit. He is our Helper. Pray in the Spirit today and begin a victorious spirit filled life.

The issue of tongues - Part IV

2008-04-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Tongues for sinners

Another type of the gift of tongues functions for sinners to repent. This works as a sign, so they can recognize the supernatural power of God and come to repentance. See it in Acts 2:7 - 10. "Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

While many speaking tongues sound very odd and strange, when God anoints a person with this type of the gift, he will be able to speak in another foreign language which someone else can understand. It could be Chinese, Hebrew, or any other known language.

As I said, this is for sinners. Usually, they are the ones to hear and experience God's power. Here is a story I have heard some time ago in an European country. It actually happened. A guy with a gun broke in a church service, trying to kill people within. But a certain woman suddenly started to speak in tongues, not knowing she was perfectly speaking naturally with the very language that this insane man with a gun speaks. She didn't understand the language at all while she was praying, but the man heard everything she said. Later on they found out that as she was speaking in tongues, she was exposing this man's life, his parents, his name, why he came to the church, and all. He then ran to the front saying, "I want to be saved!"

Quite powerful, isn't it? In this case, there is no gift of interpretation is needed. No pastor should worry about how to handle it either. It would be very obvious because the sinners in the meeting would know and see the power of God, and you will see the result of the power. Praise God!

Let's review. When a person speaks in tongues in a public meeting, it is appropriate if:

during a worship time or prayer
supported by the gift of interpretation - functions as exhortation, edification, and comfort
used for sinners to come to repentance

Condition and situation of everything else could be considered as inappropriate behavior, especially one speaks in tongues interrupting someone or church service suddenly. Also, the speaker should be able to control himself if corrected. Pastors need to correct the person gently. This is very important. Sometimes pastors don't want to cause a problem so they don't correct them. Pastors are usually very soft and caring (that's why I think it could be more appropriate for a prophet or apostle to correct those people), but let's not handle with emotions here. Correction must be taken place. Otherwise, there will be a chaos and bigger damage to the entire congregation. Speaking in tongues in a public meeting often works like prophecies as I said, so pastors need to be very careful. Let's not kill the flow of the Holy Spirit.

The issue of tongues - Part III

2008-04-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

In the previous post, I have talked about common problems with the gift of tongues among churches and people. I would like to focus on a possible way to solve them in this post by giving basic knowledge of the gift. Let's review this scripture once more.

1 Corinthians 14:39-40, "Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues." That really is the bottom line. The balance. In addition to this post, you might wan to read my old blog post for Balancing Spiritual Equations.

How can we have a balance in that so we won't get caught up with the gift or its phenomena in a wrong way, neglecting other things, blinding and deceiving ourselves that is just emotionalism rather than genuine pursue of this wonderful gift of God? The key is this. We are to use any gift of Spirit as the Holy Spirit encourages us and leads us. But we don't do that on our own.

Your will to speak

If you have an experience of speaking in tongues even once, you know that when it happened for the first time, the language came out of your mouth rather naturally. I am sure it wasn't like you were force to speak foolish sounds. That's because the Holy Spirit led you to do so. The reason why it was natural was that you trusted His lead. You could have resisted it to stop. And those who speak in tongues on a regular basis know that it is their will to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to use the gift. This means that they have a choice to speak in tongues. You don't need to be over emotional to exercise the gift even when you have just started to learn it. Let the Spirit of God lead, you follow. Trust Him in His lead fully. He won't make you mistake if you let Him lead you completely. If you make a mistake, He will gently correct you and teach you not to go ahead of Him.

Know when to speak

If you understand well about any gift of the Spirit, being operated by the Holy Spirit with your willingness and surrender to His lead, you then should know that your will to act in faith determines when to release and exercise the gift. Make no mistake. The Holy Spirit only leads you. He never pushes you to use the gift. This means that you are the one to know when to speak in tongues as He leads you and let you know when. Using/exercising the gift is always right, but the timing can be inappropriate. You must get the knowledge to know general idea on when and how to speak in tongues.

Speaking in tongues in devotional time

Obviously, many people don't know why God uses this gift for their spiritual growth. That's why they either abuse or prohibit. If only they know the first purpose of its spiritual benefit, they wouldn't act so silly like they do. The gift is not a mere spiritual experience or stimulus for getting excited. Not to judge or condemn those folks, but I am simply to say we do dumb things while we don't have knowledge of it. I myself was one of the fools some time ago, so there is no need to be discouraged or judged.

1 Corinthians 14:2 says, "For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries". Two things to pay attention here. First, there is a kind of tongue that speaks to God. The gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 10 "different kinds of tongues, plural, indicates there are more than one kind. A kind that you exercise in your devotional time is to God in your private prayer, not to men. In your devotional time with God alone, you have the best time to do everything freely. You should be able to open up your heart before Him. Let Him know what you concern or think. In this private time, the Holy Spirit is always ready to lead you to release the gift of tongues. When you are with God alone, you should be worshiping Him as that is the real meaning of having relationship with Him rather than asking the same requests. So, get caught up with Him in His presence as you adore Jesus. Worshiping God and praising Him will stir your heart and the Holy Spirit will lead you to pray in spirit, speaking in heavenly language.

Speaking in tongue in a public place

Same chapter, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 11 says, "Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me." The verse 12 continues to say, "Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel". Another kind of tongues is for a public ministry. This one comes along with the gift of interpretation of tongues. The verse 13 and 14 say, "Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful".

This type of tongue has a similar function to prophecy in terms of exhortation, edification, and comfort. There is no such operation of the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues without any of these three purposes. So, if one is exercising this type of gift of tongues and doesn't edify the church, the person needs not to interrupt the serevice. The tongue must be followed by another person who operates the gift of interpretation by the unction of the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind though we have freedom when the Spirit of God flows in the place of spiritual gatherings. It is then appropriate to exercise the gift of tongues, the one that speaks to God in praise and worship. Many people misunderstand this part though. That's because they don't know what corporate worship is. Some may think speaking in tongue is ok as long as you keep it to yourself in your devotional time with God. However, when the Holy Spirit leads us in a church or spiritual gathering in the atmosphere of worship, everybody should worship our Lord. And it is most appropriate to speak freely to the Father with a spiritual language. Where the Spirit is there is freedom.

Pastors have to recognize the flow of the Spirit, so that they would know if people are led by the Holy Spirit when they speak in tongues or simply making noises to get other's attention. This is done by gift of discernment. Normally, when a person speaks out loud with another tongue there is a short silent moment. As a person speaks in a tongue, not interrupting the service, another person should interpret the meaning of what's spoken. You can see this Holy Spirit's guide often right after a good worship time. It's the same way you have seen in prophetic word being delivered by a prophet. The Holy Spirit does those things in order. As the scripture in 1 Corinthians 14:40 confirms, "Let all things be done decently and in order", it is possible to see God's manifestation revealed in order.

The issue of tongues - Part II

2008-03-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Caught up with tongues

In a genuine sense, there is no such thing as "too much love is bad" because love produces every other virtue. However, it is possible to view it in such a way to try to justify that sentence.

Love, joy, peace, for example, are the first three fruit of Spirit. We know love is the most important thing in our walk with the Lord even though we don't always emphasize on the order listed in that scripture. So, joy is second, and if you can't think it's the second most important fruit of Spirit, you should at least know joy is higher ranked one. I admit that Paul probably didn't list all of them in the order of importance, except love. There is no point to argue or discuss how they are ranked, but generally speaking, the Bible lists things in the order of importance for the first two or three.

If love is so important then, we are to focus on that for sure. But this shouldn't encourage us to ignore the second and the third spiritual ingredients for our spiritual growth. Can you pursue love so much that you don't have time for joy and peace? It actually is possible for one to do that if he/she has a wrong view of it. It is possible for one to be a loving person without joy or peace in his/her heart. I know it sounds so strange, but one can block the joy of the Lord and peace of God. But the matter of too much love is not because the person pursue love of God too much. It's the person's choice. Too much love can never cause any problem.

Likewise, speaking tongue shouldn't be taken it in a strange, extreme way. We are to pursue the love of Christ and surrender ourselves to be used for His glory, including used by Him with the gift of tongues. Speaking in tongues is a gift of Spirit, powerful mean to stir our spirits for our growth. (Jude 21) Ideally, there is no such thing as too much of pursuing speaking in tongues either. However, some pentecostal Christians take it to an extreme. It's our weakness and sinful human tendency really. To them, speaking tongue is considered as the only evidence of one's receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They will reject and discourage other Christians if they have not spoken in tongues. In their community, if you claim that you have received the Holy Spirit but not spoken in tongues yet, you must try again because it's not approved or not an authentic one!

The same gift can be used/abused to show off one's spirituality in certain churches. They are so caught up with speaking in tongues in a wrong way that they forget other important things in other spiritual truths. The major concern among local pastors about speaking in tongues in a public place, therefore, is the risk of causing confusions among people. However, prohibiting the gift is not good nor scriptural. 1 Corinthians 14:39 says, "Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.". If a pastor doesn't allow his church members to speak in tongues in any way, he is blocking God's blessings on his people and in his church.

To be continued...

The issue of tongues - Part I

2008-02-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Follow Him, not the signs

It seems so typical that whenever you hear a "pentecostal" sermon, read a related article, or see a discussion in a forum that leads to a vain debate and argument, it often tends to be something that has to do with speaking in tongues.

It is not a bad thing. Even the church history highlights the phenomena when Azusa street revival occurred nearly a century ago. When the Holy Spirit visited and moved on those people, they spoke in tongues just as the Bible describes in Acts 2:4. This revival was the beginning of the Pentecostal movement, a major breakthrough and shift in church history.

When a Christian, or even a non-Christian, hears something about Pentecostal churches, they usually automatically think Pentecostal denomination = speaking in tongues, and the mindset among people are really the signs for sign followers.

Two reactions

Do you remember those days when you were still young in the spirit? Do you remember the excitement and the thrills you experienced whenever you went to a revival meeting? Please understand, I'm all for good spiritual excitement when the Spirit of God is flowing. But those immature in the spirit tend to go further than that. They often go ahead of the Spirit. Usually it's nothing but emotionalism. It is true that their focus is on the Lord when they experience things, but they also tend to focus too much on the manifestations of God at the same time, and speaking in tongues is one of the major things.

Just like a small child who first tastes ice cream reacts with great excitement, young spirit-filled Christians respond to spiritual realities in the same way. They overreact to manifestations of Go without realizing it. This is very natural though. There is nothing wrong at all with their reactions in many cases. The problem comes when pastors neglect to teach them how to have balance. If they don't receive proper instruction, they gradually lose their focus on the Lord and start following signs and wonders.

While you are not accustomed to spiritual phenomena in your church or in you daily walk as a Christian, you will either react against or overreact to them. Unfamiliar things tend to make us uncomfortable. That's why some people think negatively when they see manifestations of God in a church, even among those who are in Pentecostal churches. Unfamiliar, new things often also make us excited. That's why young spirit-filled Christians tend to overreact to what the Spirit of God does.

To be continued...

Spirit fed

2008-01-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

In order to lead a Spirit filled life, it is essential for us to be fed by the Word of God. Jesus Himself said the word he spoke was spirit, not just as an communication tool. We do not know how it works, but it does. Sometimes, we don't need to comprehend all as we read the Scripture. Let your spirit grow as you feed your spirit with the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit will help your spirit grow.

Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Bread that we eat to live for our physical need is not as important as the spiritual bread, the Word. This is a key scripture for our spiritual growth. But why reading the Bible can help you lead a spirit filled life?

The Holy Spirit comes on us to empower for our ministries, but the same anointing also grows our spirit, a personal spiritual need. One of His main jobs as our precious Helper is to reveal mysteries of God. As He does, we will be able to renew our mind. Romans 12:2 says, 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.' Our carnal minds need to be renewed in order to live holy and to be led by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, allowing the Helper to reveal God's truth in our spirit to renew our minds is a critical factor for Christians' Spirit filled life.

Sadly, Christians do not read the Word of God as they should so everyday. Bread for their mouths is always provided, but their spiritual bread is forgotten. They don't even realize how important for their spirits to grow. One of the reasons many Christians tend not to read the Bible on a daily basis is that they think it's a waste of time when they don't understand what they read. It surely is discouraging and frustrating when we open the Bible to read but don't quite understand what's written in it. Some passionate students of the Word may buy commentaries or dictionaries. But their passion also dies as time goes as it seems to be a huge effort and time consuming just to understand few verses sometimes. Soon, they will stop opening the Book, and the last time they studied the Bible was already several weeks ago.

We like to think logically. It is surely amazing how our brains work. By the Creator's wonderful design of it, we can use our brains to create things, imagine invisible worlds, or think to predict possible outcomes. However, our logic is not always right. We tend to think understanding of the Bible is so important that we must understand it in order to grow our spirits. This view is actually not always true. I'm not suggesting that there is no need to understand the scriptures at all when you read the Bible. But I am reminding you that your spiritual growth is spiritual, invisibly operated by the Holy Spirit.

Let's know this. You and I can not grow our spirits by our effort. It is the Spirit of God who does the job, and we are to believe in His power. Our minds and intellect often can not fully understand things of God in a short period of time, but our spirits can grow nevertheless as long as we follow the Holy Spirit. When you read the Bible, your spirit is reading and being fed by it, not your mind. Your mind then will be renewed when you understand the truth that the Spirit of God reveals to you as you meditate on the scriptures. Let me summarize this:

1. Reading the Word to feed your spirit (understanding of it may not be required at this point)
2. Letting the Spirit of God help you (be led by Him alone rather than a struggle with your brain)
3. Receiving a revelation (as He reveals a truth your mind is renewed)

The secret of daily Bible reading is to know that our spirits can grow without understanding of it with our mind. The understanding must come later, of course, and it will come as long as you ask your Helper to lead you. The Holy Spirit is like a spiritual enzyme that helps your spiritual food digested. When your spirit digests a truth and absorbs it, then the understanding of it comes to your mind. So, let's welcome our Helper as we feed our spirits by reading God's Word today. Let Him lead us to all truth. Let Him also reveal a new truth to us so that we can understand it. That's the way of Spirit filled life.

How to be filled with the Holy Spirit

2007-08-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

If you are already interested in the subject, you probably have some knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Naturally, such Christians begin to desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit if they haven't experienced the power of God yet.

Whenever you want to know "how" to do things spiritually, remember that it's not about methodology. There are spiritual principles, but God's ways are always above ours. Let Him do it for you because He knows the best methods for everything. So, let's focus on the principles rather than the details of other people's experiences.

Ask

Luke 11:13 - "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

Have you realized that the Word of God, the truth, is always revealed in a very straightforward way? We humans, tend to make things very complicated while the truth is always simple. Just like you were saved by your simple, humble, and honest prayer when you asked the Lord to come into your heart, you can ask Him again to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Ask, and ye shall receive!

Knowledge

Obviously, you wouldn't ask Him for the Holy Spirit if you didn't know about such a thing. This is a major issue among born-again Christians. The reason they have never been filled with His Spirit and enjoyed the spiritual life is that they have no knowledge of the power of the Holy Spirit. In certain Christian denominations, they do not teach the baptism of the Holy Spirit or avoid this topic. Those Christians are missing great blessings because of the lack of knowledge.

Openness

Openness of your heart, or faith, is very important. God blesses the humble, so that you must surrender all to Him before you can receive His blessings. Never ask Him with pride in your heart. Don't doubt in your heart when you pray. God is always ready to bless you if your heart is ready. Just open up your heart to Him. He will then pour out His spirit into your life.

Prayer Support

You can also ask your brothers and sisters, or your pastor to pray for you. God often works through other Christians. Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." There is power in prayer of agreement, even on a personal prayer request. That's why many Christians experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit when their pastors pray for them.

Jesus wants to fill you with the Holy Spirit

2007-08-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have talked about "your need of the Holy Spirit for your Spirit-filled life" in previous posts. As I said, being saved is a part of Christian life, but it's just the beginning of the journey.
The essence of living the Christian life is in being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Let's understand that what you need spiritually is more important than anything else. And Jesus wants you to experience all spiritual benefits in your life. That's why He desires to fill you with the Holy Spirit more than you desire it. He wants you to receive the Holy Spirit -- "in-filling of the Holy Spirit", which refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Know that this is something different from being born-again. When you are saved by His grace, you will receive
the seal of promise of the Holy Spirit, which is a testimony to your salvation. It's like a proof of adoption into God's family. See the scriptures below.

Rom. 8:16 - "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:"
Eph. 4:30 - "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption".

Some Christians receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon their salvation, which can happen when they desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit along with a pastor's encouragement and prayer support. Many, however, seem to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit sometime later on in their Christian lives, usually due to lack of knowledge. So, the knowledge is important as the Scripture says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" in the book of Hosea. If you don't know, you probably won't receive the Holy Spirit, but it's not about education nor exercise of your brain. It's about acknowledgment and being set free by the truth of God.

Jesus, the baptizer of the Holy Spirit:

He desires to fill you with His spirit because:

He wants you to worship Him in spirit (your spiritual growth)
He wants you to be a witness to Him (serving the Lord effectively)
He wants you to fight against the darkness (expanding the kingdom of God with power)

Spiritual Growth -

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is basically the anointing of God. When you receive it for the first time, in-filling your body, that's the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Whenever a sermon from a pulpit or book talks about the anointing, you will find a well quoted verse from the book of Acts, chapter 1 verse 8. You might have heard that the anointing is for the service, to serve God effectively. However, this is not the first reason Jesus wants you to receive His anointing.

Before you serve the Lord, God will mature you spiritually. And before reaching a level of maturity, you can not really be ready to serve Him. That's why the anointing of God is first for your own spiritual growth. And this anointing opens the door for you to enter His presence as you worship according to His will, worshiping in spirit and in truth. John 4:23 - " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."

Being a witness to Jesus -

The reason many Christians struggle with being witnesses to our Lord is simply the lack of power. We are living on earth where Satan still rules. Even if we see some good results after doing good things according to the Word, those results are never 100% effective without the power of the Holy Spirit. Often, we miss the timing and God's methods. It is the mercy of God that lets us see some results nevertheless. And without being led by the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for us to be witnesses to Him in the way He desires. It's not about our religious deeds, but it's the power of the Holy Spirit that heals the sick, opens the ears of unbelievers, and turns one's heart to the Lord.

Fight against the darkness -

As a part of being a witness to the Lord, you will have to confront the darkness. One of the purposes of receiving the anointing is to enable us to engage in a direct war against Satan, demons, and all sorts of evil arrows in the spiritual realm. The anointing is the power for us to use against the demonic oppressions in people's lives. It's the power to protect us from evil. It's also the power to bind all the powers of hell.

By winning the warfare, Christians can expand the kingdom of God. We are at war, a spiritual war on earth, and we are all soldier of Christ's. We have no choice but to fight or we die spiritually. To survive the war, you must win it. Equip your holy armor of God, and be led by the Spirit God in order to fight effectively.

Do I Need The Holy Spirit?

2007-07-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Jesus came to die so that we can live. He came to show what life is all about through His death. In Him, there is life, an everlasting life. The essence of our life is in Christ, which is always true even before we came to the Lord to confess our sins.

Whether you are a born-again Christian or not, as long as you breathe, you are physically alive. But that's not really alive. It is only existing. Just like you need air to breathe in order to live, so you also need the Holy Spirit in order to live spiritually. That's why there is no life in people who don't know Jesus Christ. They just exist without purpose.

However, the need of the Spirit of God in order to be saved is not the ultimate spiritual life. That's just the beginning. In Matthew 10:10, Jesus tells us, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Whenever He tells us something, He usually is teaching us spiritual reality and truth. So, the life He is talking about here is, of course, more about everlasting life rather than life on earth.

We will someday have our everlasting life in heaven, but what about here on earth? Can our lives be rich and abundant on this earth as Jesus said? Of course, otherwise He would not have said so. The scripture here actually implies that we are to live physically and spiritually at the same time. That's why our secured everlasting life in heaven can be experienced while we are yet on this earth.

You need power

Remember the story of rich young man? He wanted to know what else he could do to impress Jesus. He followed all the laws, and he was a good person. But he had money that he couldn't give up. Jesus told him to give up his comfortable life with money and follow Him.

We sometimes have a moment to feel that we are very spiritual. It could be right after a great revival meeting at your local church, but have you ever wished to keep the fire you received in that special meeting on a daily basis? Even though your experience was great and seemingly so life-changing, and it really is, for some reason you find yourself losing the fire in just a week or so. And you ask yourself, "Where did my passion for the Lord go?"

The reason we fail to keep our fire for Him is because we lack the presence of God. We need it everyday just like we need to eat food to keep going and live. You need the Holy Spirit to live spiritually. He is the one to fill your life -- Spirit filled life -- the abundant life Jesus is talking about in that scripture. The Holy Spirit gives you power to live spiritually. You need this power.

There is no way for us to live if we don't breathe. There is no abundant life then if we don't allow the Holy Spirit to fill us everyday. After all, life is everything, and in Christ, we fear no death because He conquered death itself when He rose from the dead. But this life is not just the physical experience, but spiritual life as well.

Abundant or normal life

By not accepting the baptism of the Holy Spirit, some Christians may prevent their lives from becoming abundant, without even realizing that they are making that decision. They simply lack the knowledge, and they don't know that they need the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Acknowledging the Holy Spirit as your Helper and Comforter is something deeper than what Jesus as our Savior did at the cross, not to devalue His work at the cross. But one's salvation is the very first step for his spiritual life. Almost all denominations emphasize salvation through Jesus Christ. So, this part is easy. But when it comes to receiving the Holy Spirit as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there are divisions and arguments. Even though Jesus Himself told us to receive the Holy Spirit in John, not all Christians believe these instructions from the Bible, either because they don't read it or because they don't understand it. As a result, they simply lead a normal life just like non-believers while they are on earth.

They will go to heaven as long as they keep going in the right direction, but their lives are still a struggle in many ways. Their old habits, old sickness, and other old things cling to them wherever they go to. Frankly, it's very difficult to live without the power. Satan and his evil influence on earth are so overwhelming to us. We need the power to live and live through. The Holy Spirit is available to anyone who asks. He is waiting on your call, so that you can start your abundant life with His power. You need the Holy Spirit to live. It's a spiritual survival issue rather than a choice you can freely make. It is Jesus' commandment, "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me."

Balancing equations

2007-05-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

There is no other objective perspective point of view than Mathematics. It doesn't even imply anything. What it has to mean, it has to mean as it is. You don't need to try to read between the lines either. Each equation simply means the two sides hold the same value.

God's divine equation

Let's take a look at some of God's equations. In His divine equations, as we can find in His word, we are to love Him as He is love. Since love is the most important thing, the first equation should be; God = Love. There should be no argument in that. Nor further explanation is needed. It's pretty much obvious to those who understand God's love. But for the sake of sharing some insights on the knowledge of God and its importance we need to acknowledge all the time, let's break this equation down.

Equal sign in Math simply means both ends are the same. So, God = love means God is love. Plain and simple. If God is love, then love is God. Therefore, the existence of love itself, whatever that may mean to us, is God Himself. In other words, wherever love exists, there is God. The absence of love also means absence of His presence.

How about another divine equation, a born again Christian = His child. The opposite is the truth also. If a person is not born again, he/she is not a child of God. If you want to be His, you must first be born again. You must be saved through His grace; Salvation = God's grace.

Solving a problem

Before I go further, let me remind you of the objective of an equation in Math. Whatever the problem when you are given, it has to be solved. A problem = must be solved. Naturally, if a problem is not solved, it will remain as a problem; thus an unsolved problem = a problem because a problem is a problem, a problem = a problem.

So, if you are given 3 + 4 = ? problem, you are to find out what 3 + 4 means. What value it holds, you want to figure out. The equation must be balanced in order for the equation to exist. You can not leave it unsolved. You can not leave it unbalanced. If you do that, it won't be an equation any more.

Spiritual equations

Do you know that you are to solve many equations in your life? You are to balance many equations as you grow in spirit. If, the Word = spiritual milk, then reading the Word = drinking spiritual milk. Then digesting spiritual milk = understanding of His word. I think everyone is challenged to solve this one, love = patience. If you are struggling with being patient, you are lacking God's love. If your love has no patience, then your way to solve the problem is a wrong method. For this equation to balance, you should abide in His love, so you can be patient. Are you uncertain and worried because you don't know what would happen tomorrow? Then, you are to balance the equation; believing unseen = faith.

Unsolved equations

We all have many unsolved equations. As mentioned, while an equation is unsolved, it won't be an equation. It's just a problem. But God wants us to solve a problem to make an equation by balancing it. How? It's rather simple yet very challenging at the same time. The simplicity of balancing any spiritual equation is our hope. Jesus did everything for us. So, we are to just follow Him. He is the answer to every problem we have, and He is the solution to every difficulty we face. Just plug in the Lord in a spiritual equation. With His power, we can balance it. And when we do, our spirit will grow.

You might have left some of the spiritual equations deep inside of your heart for some time. You can keep it as it is if you want. But it means you would have to live with some problems. The Lord is interested in growing you, so He gives you problems that you need to balance. While you are spiritually unbalanced, you will do things that you will regret later on. You will do stupid things while you think you know a lot.

A young man can be so on-fire for God with his passion. He can dedicate himself for the Lord and be willing to serve Him. But being hasty without knowledge is dangerous. "Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, And he sins who hastens with his feet." - Proverbs 19:2
We should examine every step we take. Make sure you are still following Him as He leads you. Don't go ahead of the Lord. Don't follow a stranger either.

Many Christians who have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit are usually more open to the spiritual reality as God opens their spiritual eyes as He baptizes them with the Holy Spirit. While this is the first and most important experience after being saved, it is another beginning of spiritual journey. If a Christian has that experience and never learns anything after the glorious encounter of the Lord, he is still unbalanced, spiritual baby. It doesn't matter if he can speak in tongue and enjoys the worship with his passion. While he holds those equations unbalanced, he remains spiritually unbalanced. He may love the Lord, but he can be insensitive to things that he should realize. Even if he is matured enough not to follow signs and wonders, he would be still enjoying a revival meeting at his church for the sake of "feeling good".

Must grow

As long as He is your heavenly Father and you are His child, you are to grow as you follow His instructions. He doesn't want you to stay baby, doing all sorts of crazy things that you think those are great from your immature spiritual point of view. If you are pursing something deeper in your spiritual life, you wouldn't be satisfied with your past experiences. And God also desires to see you grow to be His child, not just His baby. That's why God wants you to be spiritually well balanced, matured in understanding, and strong in faith. Just remember, whatever the challenging problem you are to solve, Jesus is always the formula you need. Every spiritual equation works when you apply the formula, Jesus Christ. The formula is gieven already. He has shown us the way, the way to slove problems, the way to balancing spiritual equations.

Following Him

2007-05-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6

Jesus is the Way as He said so in the book of John. I'm sure you know the scripture. But understanding of the Word is not a matter of simple memorization of it. Understanding of His Word comes from The Lord Himself, as He is the only one to reveal all the truth, and there is no other way.

In the same way, you know that Jesus said, "Follow Me" to every Christian. Being born again is start of following Him, but there is something deeper than that. As you know that being saved is not a goal of Christian life, rather, it's the beginning of it. Once God gives you understanding of "He is the Way", you will begin to understand why you need to follow Him. Here are some points your understanding of the scripture to be deepened;

He knows the Way as He is the Way
His Way is also the Truth
His way is full of Life

You can trust the Lord because He knows where He is leading you to. You can trust Him because the path He chose for you is always leading to the Truth, never a wrong one. You can feel secure because the road you are walking on leads to the Life, not death or destruction, giving you hope to have a comfortable, successful, and productive life.

A common fear among people when it comes to following Jesus is because of their wrong way of thinking. They fear that following Him could lose something that they want. They hesitate to go after Him because it seems to be very risky. They don't want to walk with Him because they are afraid of their enemies who try to destroy. They are not sure how they can follow The Lord because their understanding of the Word is limited.

Many believers know that they should follow God. But many of them make excuses and stay in their comfort zones to be only believers, not followers. Even a believer in the way they define is wrong. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me". Believing in Him is not just to acknowledge who He is but also to trust Him, honor Him, and follow Him. I pray that He will give you understanding of the importance, necessity, and the reason of following Him. Your spiritual journey is not yours. It's not that you keep going on anywhere for no reason or purpose. Your spiritual journey begins when you follow the Lord. He must lead the way. You must follow Him.

Awake from Spiritual Birth

2007-05-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Everything starts with a birth. So is your life. So is your spiritual life. You and I have started our spiritual life through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. The re-born process is spiritual, and no one can explain that. You may quote the scriptures to build your faith, but the process of how it's done is supernatural. Of course, knowing "it works" is enough for us.

Do you remember how you were born? One can only answer that from his/her mother's stories or from someone who eyewitnessed the moment of your birth, a doctor or nurse perhaps. But you don't remember how that happened at all. You were just a baby after all.

The experience is the same when you were born again. You couldn't understand what was going on in your life at the moment, what it means to be saved and what's ahead. It was simply impossible for you to know those things at the stage of your spiritual life. You needed some time, time to grow up.

The scripture tells us that the Bible is like spiritual milk for baby Christians. Drinking fundamental instructions is the first step for them to start their new lives. Your pastors and teachers would be your spiritual mothers for the milk. All you need is to drink it.

However, milk is only sufficient food while they are baby. They will soon need other nutrients to keep growing. Drinking milk helps babies' bones stronger, so they can start crawling, standing and walking. It is fundamental food. But as the development stage changes so their food must.

Some Christians are mere Church-goers on Sundays. They don't even remember when they opened the Bible last time. They love the Lord. They know the ten commandments. They know how one can be saved and born again. But their understanding is still limited, just like babies. They live, but they live with no power.

If you have received the Holy Spirit, you should remember how that was even more life-changing event. To me, it was better than the born-again experience. Born-again experience is just the beginning of everything. It is of course exciting moment and unforgettable. But life's start is not its prime experience. Better things will come later on. Encounter of the Holy Spirit and Spirit-filled experience is powerful, spirit-awakening experience as though you were dreaming all this time of your Christian life.

I know you are a born-again Christian, but are you spirit-filled one? Are you still baby, drinking spiritual milk? If you haven't experienced the Holy Spirit, if you have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is time for your spirit to wake up. It's time to grow stronger.

Catching the Wind

2007-05-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” - John 3:8

The wind is the Spirit of God, obviously. He leads us, guides us, and teaches us in mysterious ways as God's ways are always beyond human intellect, logic, and understanding. But we don't necessarily need to know where He comes from and where He goes. You just need to hear His voice and follow Him.

I'm excited to start this blog as I finally decided to take time to mediate on the Lord and His Word. I would like to introduce my blog to you, and the reason why I chose that title. This blog, first of all, is my personal devotional blog to bless you. I pray that the Lord will bless you as I share the dynamic of what's written in the Word as well as the dynamic of what He can do in our lives.

The title, Wind Catcher, is my hope to everybody that reads this blog. I hope you catch the Wind as you go on your spiritual journey. I will be blogging all sorts of things that help you understand His Word and Himself as He shows you the way. The importance of the title of this blog is in man's spiritual growth. It's the wisdom and knowledge of God to live a Christ-like life, a key to lead an abundant life.

If you are a born again believer, you probably know how important for you to grow in spirit. It is an on-going process and life-long lessons, but it is an ever-changing, glory-to-glory experience and excitement. You can experience God like that if you can see where the Spirit goes. You will walk the right way if you are led by the Holy Spirit. This is the core of your spiritual growth. Catching the Wind is your vital spiritual effort so you can be with Him. Are you with Him today? He is your Immanuel. Life without Him has no life. I don't know about you, but I'm goin' with the Wind today for my spiritual growth.