So my past two blogs have been somewhat straight forward which is very me. I'm not a beat around the bush kinda guy but I think some solid thought and doctrine into what I've called "word and power ministry" is necessary. I hope I don't come off as having it all together but through a number of years studying scripture, teaching and even just allowing the Spirit to move in me as I personally study scripture, I'd have to say that I think I'm heading the right direction so lets get moving......
Isaiah 61:1-2 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who morn"
Luke 4:18-19 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
These verse are very close to each other in words but very different in directive. One is about Isaiah in the moment but also speaking of Messiah so the prophetic in this verse is huge because its meant to transcend time and place. Both are pointing towards redemption. Isaiah is about God bringing Israel back to her glory as Isaiah says,
"For Zions sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quite, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a burning torch.The nations shall see you righteousness and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give." (Isa. 62:1-2)
Luke is about Messiah bring people back to God but also returning people back to that what they were originally created for as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are new creations, the old is gone and the new has come. Again, both Isaiah and Luke are redemptive passages and meant to be in that bent in their own ways.
Isaiah 61:1-2 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who morn"
Luke 4:18-19 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
These verse are very close to each other in words but very different in directive. One is about Isaiah in the moment but also speaking of Messiah so the prophetic in this verse is huge because its meant to transcend time and place. Both are pointing towards redemption. Isaiah is about God bringing Israel back to her glory as Isaiah says,
"For Zions sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quite, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a burning torch.The nations shall see you righteousness and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give." (Isa. 62:1-2)
Luke is about Messiah bring people back to God but also returning people back to that what they were originally created for as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are new creations, the old is gone and the new has come. Again, both Isaiah and Luke are redemptive passages and meant to be in that bent in their own ways.
As we look a this we need to see the Church as the means that God works in this world. He gave his Spirit Yeshua says in John 14-16 (among other places in scripture) to anoint, teach, convict, counsel and guide the Church for ministry and lifestyle. John 3:34 says "he gives the Spirit without measure". With all this going on I want to ask you as well as myself a couple very simple questions....
Do we put a measuring stick to the work and ministry of the Spirit? Or limit him working by allowing our hearts and minds to bind his working?
When we bind the Spirit not cause his inability to work outside of our ability to know and conceive God and his working, but that we can mentally constricted the moving of power in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is more then just a "seal for the day of redemption" (Eph. 1:13-14) or the means to stand before God (Titus 3:4-7), but a continual working out of Yeshua's ministry and the Fathers heart in this world via the Church.
It appears that American Christianity has placed such a strong emphasis on the mental (teaching mostly) and evangelism (mission) that we have deluded the gospel to a mer mental choice and cognitive action. We have simplified the gospel to the point of kicking God the Spirit out of the picture in some ways, none of which I see is good.
If the Church is to be everything she can be then we need to throw off the barriers we have in some different ways.....
1) Remember that the Holy Spirit is like the wind Yeshua says. We can't tell what He going to do but only see the results of what he's done.
2) Lose our mental conception of how God has ALWAYS done things or ALWAYS will do things.
3) Walk by faith, not by sight.
I hope and pray for this to become true for us all in greater measure......
It appears that American Christianity has placed such a strong emphasis on the mental (teaching mostly) and evangelism (mission) that we have deluded the gospel to a mer mental choice and cognitive action. We have simplified the gospel to the point of kicking God the Spirit out of the picture in some ways, none of which I see is good.
If the Church is to be everything she can be then we need to throw off the barriers we have in some different ways.....
1) Remember that the Holy Spirit is like the wind Yeshua says. We can't tell what He going to do but only see the results of what he's done.
2) Lose our mental conception of how God has ALWAYS done things or ALWAYS will do things.
3) Walk by faith, not by sight.
I hope and pray for this to become true for us all in greater measure......
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