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Saturday 23 January 2016

"Spirited Verses Spirit Lead" Whats The Difference?

                               "Spirited Verses Spirit Lead"

Jan 24, 2016 Readings: 1 Corinthians 12: 12=31, Psalm 19 Luke 4: 14-21
How many of us here today have heard or used this word to describe someone we know.  My, he or she is a spirited person, meaning someone full of life, always seems to be looking on the brighter side, full of imagination, zeal, with a zest for doing things.  You might even get tired just mentioning their name!     Know anyone like that?  Now the opposite could also be said about someone, and probably you have heard the word used in this context.  Where’s your spirit, your spunk, what’s holding you back, what’s wrong with you?  Suggesting a lack of enthusiasm and fun, a lack of imagination, leans towards the negative, reluctant to embrace something new or different.  What we need to understand is either way we are all spirited people with the potential to be spirit lead.
May I suggest here that Luke is making the case for the spirit lead person, something I believe we are all searching and longing for in our lives?  There is a difference between people who are spirited and those who are spirit lead.  Jesus after being touched by the Holy Spirit in the River Jordan, Luke 3: 20-22, has now been literally set on fire for God, and with this change, he begins to clearly see the mission God has laid out for him.   This is the actual moment when his ministry really begins.   As he leaves the waters of the Jordan, Jesus is no longer just spirited but now spirit lead.  This anointing of the Holy Spirit as described by Luke 3: 21 is not just for Jesus folks, it is meant for all who seek that closer relationship with their Creator.  According to the Gospel of Matthew 3: 11 Jesus will offer baptism by Spirit and fire to all who would seek and come to Him.   God is just as pleased with your anointing as He was for the anointing of Jesus because as His children we are all sons and daughters in the eyes of the Holy.  We too are meant to be transformed by the Spirit to do the work God has called us to do.    May I suggest that the major difference between just being spirited as to being spirit lead is this:  one produces ego centered good work where "we" are recognized for the work, and the other produces egoless centered good work where God is recognized for the work.   Let us remember here that good work of either kind, ego centered or egoless centered, is still good work that benefits all of us.  God will not discard a good work, even when we accept or take the credit for that work.     
This anointing of the Holy Spirit is meant for all God sons and daughters.  This anointing lights the spark in us that gives us the desire to do that which is right and good.   When it happens to you, you could become the agent of mercy for the refugee, you could be the carrier of hope to the hopeless and good news to the poor.   You may be the visitor who visits the sick or the shut in, or you could be the light that attracts those to a new way of giving and living.  One thing is for sure, you will be recognized by others, but it will not be because of your spirited good works, it will be because of the visible fruit of your spirit lead works.  What are the fruits of a spirit lead person?  Please take the time to read about them, you can find them in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13. They are the attributes of LOVE, the attributes of God.
Our Scriptures tells us that those who are led by the Spirit will have the power to set others free, especially those who are held prisoner by the darkness of their own lives as you bring to them the love of God, which is found in Christ.  This is the mission and purpose of any Church, or individual who claims to follow Jesus.  That we might become agents of God’s love, disciples for Christ in a world full of kayos and darkness, a world full of false truths.  Here is one of the biggest lies ever " War will eventually bring Peace"
Do you have doubts about the reality of spiritual baptized by fire?  Many do and I think it is because it’s scary.  We have been cultured to reject anything that could invade our minds and take over our lives. The fear of surrendering to anyone or anything beyond ourselves, well, it just doesn’t compute with us. I believe it is because most of us do not really understand nor do we trust in the biblical meaning of surrender.  Try and tell a war veteran to surrender his life over.  Others may think well, shouldn’t there be some great sign as in the case of Jesus.  You know, the heavens open, the dove comes down, should we hear God voice in some way or, as on the day of Pentecost Acts 2: 2-4 when tongues of fire fill the air and everyone begin to understand and speak in each other’s languages.   One may get the feeling that something significant must happen to signify our new baptism.  Well there is!  But it might not be that grandiose.   Please don’t get sidetracked while looking at any of the miracles especially at Pentecost, and miss the whole point of that story.   The POINT BEING, for the very first time, in a gathering of Jews, Greeks, and Gentiles they all experienced that oneness with Christ.  In the twinkling of an eye, they became one with the entity “The Christ.”  And we know from last weeks message {if you have been following} that it was that same entity that was there in the beginning with God, Genesis 1: verse 26.    John 1: the word made flesh
Many of you hear today may not have realized it but have already felt or shared in this oneness.  You may not have recognized it as such but for some it may have occurred when you were out in nature, where many experience a sacred connection to the earth and it creatures.  It may have happened for others as a compassionate moment during a tragedy in the life of a friend, a stranger, or a family member.   When our passion and the passions of the Christ cross paths; that is when we will know as individuals or as a Church that we have been touched by the Holy Spirit.  The question now should be, not have I received it, but have I recognized it in my own life?  It brings us to tears at times, our love for others runs deep, and our joys will soar as though on eagles’ wings.  But we can’t stop there because the spirit is asking us to do more. The question then becomes “What more can I do for God” both within my church and beyond.   Baptism by fire and the fruit it offers will produce the LOVE works of our God.   The Holy Spirits power is rooted in outreach ministries and mission work, both for individuals and the church.   That is why it so important for a church group to have a mission, a Church without mission has no heart beat and what happens when the heart beat stops folks.   God draws men and women to himself through ministry and mission, unleashing the power of the spirit through your compassion and your love for one another.    
  




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