"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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