Monday, November 10, 2008

Secret Church - Exploring the Holy Spirit

David Platt. Brookhills. Birmingham. Seminary-training. Persecuted Church. Missions. All in one night. Amazing (even better w/o being sick and hitting B'ham traffic).
Really, worth the 6 hour drive. I of course wouldn't give up my seminary education for much, but this would be great if you can't go to seminary, but you want the chance to know core doctrine. This night was dedicated to 5 hours of teaching (83 pages of notes) on the Holy Spirit. During breaks, they had testimonies and videos and prayer for the persecuted church around the world (specifical Friday was Equador and SE Asia).
I actually left about 11pm because I was sick, and coughing, probably annoying the people around me - but seriously 2000 people (most between the ages of 15-25) packed out a sanctuary on a Friday night.
Here are some of the highlights (or ah - ha) moments I had on Friday night:
Exodus 33.11 - Moses is meeting with God. I want to be a woman on whom rests the Spirit of God. I want to be the tent - a friend of God. John records in his gospel Jesus saying a friend of mine is one who obeys my commands. Christ through his death made the relationship possible. Sin keeps us out of it. Sin has got to go!
The Spirit is essential. Acts 19. I am speaking this weekend in Apex - but really - I am nothing. I want the Spirit to impress that fact upon me more than anything else. It doesn't matter how well I speak, how I've prepared or studied, what I wear or look like, what I weigh, how many ladies are there, how well I sing. I think being sick going into this weekend is one of the ways God is going to teach me this. Its not what man brings to the table - it is a work of the Spirit.
Job 34.14-15. We as Baptists usually look at the Spirit as substandard (not really part of the Trinity) or we consider the Spirit in negative terms, controversial terms. We seldom look at him or know Him to be ESSENTIAL! Our very next breath comes from the Spirit.
Luke 2.25-32. Can I please be like Simeon - to wake up every morning just to see Christ. That is all he was living for. To be like him - to have Christ be all that I am breathing for and getting out of bed for.
Acts 2. Do I pour out the Spirit of God? "In Acts, the one who possessed the Spirit now pours out the Spirit" - love, grace, conviction, mercy, God - do these things pour out of me?
Luke 11.11-13. When we ask - He gives us the Spirit. If we are asking for guidance - He gives us the Guide. If we ask to be comforted, He gives us the Comforter. And so on. Everything we need is wrapped up in the Work and Being of the Holy Spirit.

1 comment:

Stonefox said...

Something the Lord showed me personally a couple months ago from Judges 7: I am the clay vessel and the Spirit is the light inside. The light doesn't spill out until the pitcher is broken. For me, I must be broken before the Spirit can be released fully in my life. He is there...just concealed by "me."

This has been a transformational thing in my life.