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Sunday 11/26/23

Title: The Harmony between our spirit and the Holy Spirit

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The Harmony between our spirit and the Holy Spirit

We began today with a defense of the Holy Spirit being a unique and separate entity from the other two members of the Godhead. That the scriptures at large, and most specifically the New Testament is very clear that the Holy Spirit is not simply the spirit of Jesus or God the Father, manifesting Himself in a different way. The Holy Spirit is very VERY clearly mentioned as separate and unique.

Also clarified things the Spirit of God will and will not speak, in order to better identify the Spirit’s voice and leading from our own thoughts and emotions.

As we have affirmed MANY times over the years, the Holy Spirit is always going to talk about and lead us into deeper encounters with Jesus. Jesus is the place where humanity and the Holy Spirit of God meet!

The Spirit of God is the One who inspired the written Word of God, and so you will never see the Holy Spirit of God saying something different or leading in a different direction than the written Word. Nevertheless, the written Word is NOT the Living Word of God. THAT would be Jesus.

The message of the Spirit is the same message Jesus taught. God the Father commanded Jesus to teach LIFE (union with God through knowing Him intimately) and so that too is the message of the Holy Spirit and that LIFE is found in Jesus!

Jesus said to the religious leaders in His day that they searched the written Word of God in hopes of obtaining LIFE, but the scriptures are in reality a roadmap leading to Jesus. Jesus told them to not look for life on the printed page, but allow the printed page to lead them to an encounter with HIM.

The Gospel of John tells us that IN Jesus was LIFE and that LIFE (union with God) WAS the light or revelation or message to mankind.

From there we examined our relationship and co-partnership with the Holy Spirit as he works with us as divided beings – who are alive in our spirits but who live in bodies which still have sin and death resident in them.

[For more on that subject see – Four steps to Glory…]

We worked through this by picking up from where we had left off last week and worked through the passage we were reading where Paul wrote to the believers in Rome saying…

[The audio & video of this message teaches through the following passages. Listen to the message to hear the teaching.]

Rom 8:9-30,

“(9) You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him.

(10) Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (11) And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.

(12) So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, (13) for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

(14) All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. (15) For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” (16) The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, (17) and if children, also heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ–seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

(18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

(19) For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility–not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it–in the hope (21) that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

(22) For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. (23) And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits–we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

(24) Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? (25) But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

(26) IN THE SAME WAY the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. (27) And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

(28) We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

(29) For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. (30) And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.”

Romans 9:1,

“I speak the truth in Christ–I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit–“

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!