Worship for Today: God's unsurpassed kindness!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 2:6-7,

 

"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

 

Here is an amazing thought: there will be ages coming, and in those ages we will be God's very own children, adopted by him, brought into his family through the price Jesus Christ paid on our behalf. Having satisfied the justice of God the Father, Jesus Christ has made it possible that we be seated together with him in his lofty place in heaven!

 

All of this is just amazing to me as I consider it. And yet, there is more! We will be the very objects that demonstrate God's unsurpassed, transcendent kindness! We will be the living proof of the riches of God's grace! It is beyond my comprehension that those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, who all have been born into a lost and fallen world, cursed by God, the offspring of a race of people who live in sin and rebellion against him should find themselves the recipients of such wonderful favor from our loving and merciful God!

 

It simply staggers the mind, doesn't it?!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 1:3,

 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

 

I have to admit that when it comes to contemporary concepts of worship, I am lost. We live in a day where, at many churches, the congregation shows up to be motivated by a well rehearsed "worship team" whose job it is to move every one's heart. If they get the folks pumped up for God, the team has accomplished its mission, if they fail to do so, they fail in their mission. There they are, up on the platform, talented, practiced and, for the most part, flawless in their performance. My hat is off to them, they are capable of doing things I never could. But... look at who is up on the stage? Shouldn't it be God? Isn't sincere and genuine worship generated within us as we gaze upon our wonderful God himself, rather than us needing cheerleaders to get us pumped up about him? What is it God is missing that he requires others to whip up our interest in him? Perhaps it is our attention... 

 

And then we have others amongst us who note that, sadly, worship has become all about us, rather than God. We learn and sing shallow songs in our "worship services" (since when is worship a service, anyway? Romans 12:1-2 speaks of our service as that which should come from our worship, not the other way around!) that reflect on how God moves me, how God makes me feel, what God has done for me. It is all about I, me and mine. I have to agree with much said here. I do note, however, that Paul's reflections in these chapters are about what God has done for us. He does it in such a way, though, that his focus isn't on the goodies I get, but on the wonderful things God has done. Perhaps I am just splitting hair here...

 

We also have the theologians who tell us our worship is stunted and stilted because we fail to worship "in Christ". We fail to acknowledge our identification with Christ in our worship and so we don't somehow enter into worship the right way. I guess I just get lost in the prepositions here - I just don't get it. From my perspective, when they have finished speaking, I'm not really sure they have said anything.

 

How about we take a tip from Paul and just be fascinated with God all by himself. Who he is, what he is like and what he has done? That is what Paul does here. Many of the scenes of worship I find in the Scriptures lack the performance of others to pump up the worshipper. I find accounts of those who had some kind of encounter with God and the seeming resulting extemporaneous response that became their expression of worship a demonstration that true worship comes from being awestruck by God. Whether it is Abraham's servant finding a wife for Isaac, Genesis 24:26-27 or Job's horrific encounter with God, Job 42:1-6 or the shepherds and angels that attended the announcement of Jesus' birth, Luke 2:8-20 or the scenes in heaven we find in Revelation 5:11-14; 7:9-12; 11:16-18; 15:3-4, etc.

 

In any event, I find Paul's worship very compelling here: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." What a wonderful God we have who has done such marvelous deeds!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Lavishly exquisite change!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:23-24,

 

"Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love."

 

In his closing of this letter, Paul offers this benediction to his readers. He expresses his desire for peace, love and grace to those of his readers who love Jesus Christ with "an undying love". All these from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

While in the past I have often sifted through these kinds of salutations, benedictions and doxologies as just so much "window-dressing" (how could I ever have done so?!) in order to get past them to get to the "meat of the text", I have now learned a very important truth. These kinds of statements are all here in the Scriptures for a very important reason. They express both the very heart of God as well as the hearts of those who are animated by him.

 

There was a time when Paul, then known as Saul, a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin and a pupil of Gamaliel, was a violent man and a blasphemer, 1 Timothy 1:13. In his misguided attempt to do "the Lord's work" he persecuted those who had given themselves to Jesus Christ, raping the bride of Christ, so to speak. But now, look at what kind of man Paul has become! It is not Paul that astonishes me, however, it is the One who has brought such a change to such a hardened heart as Paul's!

 

This is the nature of our Lord. He changes us from within. Not just that, but the nature of the change is lavishly exquisite. Paul emulates the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control) as he wishes wonderful things for those who love the Lord: peace, love and grace.

 

Here in these two verses we see the very heart of our loving Savior and our heavenly Father on full display as the Holy Spirit does his work!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God provides us parents!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:1,

 

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

 

When God asks us to obey our parents, it is by his design. In a lost and fallen world many things can happen. But in normative life, we are to obey our parents. Unlike our spouses, God determines who our parents will be. We often think of the baby the Lord gives to a happy couple, but likewise, the Lord has given this baby its parents. The newborn is to obey its parents as he or she grows into childhood and beyond. God gives us our parents and he wants us to obey them.

 

This is not a minor issue to God. In the law God gave Israel, there were severe consequences for a child who was found to be disobedient to his parents. It is an important point.

 

From this I conclude the best place to go for direction in life is our parents. Over the years I have heard every imaginable shenanigan folks have used to determine "the will of God" for their lives. We see folks go to their friends, go to the pastor or elders in the church, go to a counselor or other professional for direction, but rarely do folks seem to go to their parents. I realize the above verse is addressed to children, and in Proverbs we see the counsel of our parents continues to be an asset as we grow older.

 

God has given us our parents. He knew we needed them and he provides us his counsel to us through them.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: When it hits the fan, God is with us!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:13,

 

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

 

I note in this verse that Paul says his readers are to make an effort, expend energy, pursue a direction here in order to accomplish something: spiritual warfare. In that Paul tells us to do it, being the simple man I am, I assume God is not going to do it for me. Not that he won't help me in it, provide the tools, the weapons, for me, and be a collaborator and counselor in it, but that as God does his part, I will have to do my own. He isn't going to do it for me. I do know the outcome for all of us, however. All of us believers will share in the victory through Jesus Christ. Paul says elsewhere, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Because of God's great love for us, we all will share in a successful outcome in this warfare.

 

I also see in this verse that I need to prepare myself for "when" the day of evil comes, not "if". Spiritual forces are going to come at us, they are relentlessly headed our way. Peter tells his readers, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5:8-9. It is not a question of whether we will have evil come our way, but when. I realize there are many churches that teach something different, that when we become God's children he will do it all for us, we won't get sick anymore, we won't have financial troubles, he will save our marriages and insure our children all turn out right. In short, many are told God will prevent evil from coming our way altogether. Sometimes we get confused thinking what is ours only in the resurrection is somehow ours in this life.

 

What I worship our God for today is that in this hostile environment, living in this lost and fallen world that exists in sin and rebellion against God, in this spiritual combat zone where the devil is a very active adversary with many who would seek our harm simply because we are identified with Jesus Christ, God is with us. He provides all we need in this world. He takes care of us as his very own children, providing us spiritual armor and strength. God does his part and he asks us to do ours as he provides for us.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God's word is truth!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:14-17,

 

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

 

This enumeration of spiritual armor by Paul begins with "the belt of truth buckled around your waist". If we were to take Paul's order of things here, it could be said spiritual warfare begins with truth. I also note his listing ends with Scripture, "the sword of the Spirit." Like warriors back to back, God's truth is the beginning and end of all that is needed for either defensive or aggressive action in the spiritual realm.

 

The one who neglects the imperative of spending time in Scripture will pay for it on the field of  spiritual battle. When praying to the Father, Jesus acknowledged that it is God's word that is the truth, "your word is truth." John 17:17. God wants all men to come to the knowledge of it, "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4. Unfortunately many simply will not embrace God's truth and be rescued from his coming wrath, "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." 1 Thessalonians 2:10.

 

The wonderful thing to me is that God decided to speak truth to us, that we not be continually led astray, but to know him. The Holy Spirit carried certain men along that they might speak from God to provide what we have in the pages of our Bibles. 2 Peter 1:21.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: The power of God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:10,

 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."

 

As an encouragement to his readers, Paul exhorts them to tap into the "mighty power" of the Lord by donning spiritual armor. To me, the effectiveness of this spiritual armor lays in the "mighty power" of the Lord. Just how mighty is the power of the Lord?

 

In reference to theology, we say that God is omnipotent, all-powerful. From a practical standpoint we recognize God as the One who created all there is. His power is evident in his great acts of creation. As we gaze at the marvels of the universe and the world around us we catch a glimpse of his mighty power.

 

We see his power displayed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. No matter how strong a foe death is, as God's judgment for sin, God has power over it.

 

We also see that the enemies of God are hopeless and helpless before the mighty power of God. No matter how malevolent the intentions are of those who oppose God and his people, they are simply no match for the mighty power of God. All the schemes his enemies devise only work to serve the purposes of God himself. The passion of Jesus Christ is a an example of this.

 

It was Abraham's belief in the power of God that brought him a standing of righteousness before God. Paul tells us, "Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.'" Romans 4:19-22.

 

Another place God's power is demonstrated is the gospel message itself. Of this message Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." Romans 1:16.

 

Truly, the power of God is immeasurable and a resource we can depend on.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Our God is just and fair!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:9,

 

"And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him."

 

One of the things I love about the Lord is that he has no "favorites". When we get to heaven we will find there are no "teacher's pets", or others who stand ahead of us in the Lord's affections. This has tremendous implications for those of us who will be spending an eternity with our Lord.

 

I see this as a natural outworking of his affections from his qualities of being just and fair. It is only one more example of the fairness of our Lord.  We give our hearty Amen to what the worshippers in heaven sang, "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages." Revelation 15:3.

I don't have to fret over the final disposition of the unborn if they don't survive birth to later have opportunity to respond to the gospel message. I don't have to worry over the missed opportunity of the Chinese of 5th century BC for the gospel message. I know our God is just and fair. He will resolve these things in a just and fair manner - however he works it out. I take great satisfaction and rest in my assurance of that.

 

Our God is just and fair. There could be no better example of this than offering his Son that I might have eternal life! I justly deserved a place in hell, but he sent his Son for me! How could I ever thank him enough for his kindness to me!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Battle gear from God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:10-11,

 

"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." 

 

As we face the onslaught of satanic schemes in our lives, it is nice to know the Lord has some weapons, some tools for us. It is just like our heavenly Father to provide for us as we live our lives here in this hostile world awaiting the resurrection. Spiritual armor in the form of a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, combat boots made of the gospel message, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation and the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" are all ours as members of the kingdom of God.

 

In spite of the portrayal from Hollywood and the media of superiority within the ranks of evil, God's people enjoy all that is needed to overcome Satan and his minions. Our God has not left us alone. Our God has not left us defenseless or helpless against those who would seek to harm us because of our allegiance to Jesus Christ. The resources of God are limitless and transcend any threat that might be waged against the bride of Jesus Christ. Although many vicious and horrific attempts have been made (have you read Foxe's Book of Martyrs recently?), all have been useless and hopeless to harm the church.

 

Even in the worst of circumstances, the worst that can result when a believer is attacked, is that he is ushered into the very presence of the Lord. Possibly the minions of evil think they are ridding the earth of us. How great the shock and awe will be for them to only discover we are all coming back, together with the Lord!

 

It kind of brings a balance to any perceived threat, doesn't it?

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God answers prayer!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:18,

 

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

 

I note the inclusive words, "all" and "always" in this verse. In reference to prayer we are to pray "on all occasions", with "all kinds of prayers and requests" and "always keep on praying for all the saints. "All", 'all", "always" and "all". All occasions, all kinds of prayers, always keep at it, for all the saints. Did I miss anything? I wonder if Paul really intended to stress the importance of prayer here?!

 

I can come to only one conclusion here. Prayer is important. It is important for all of us. Being the simple-minded man I am, I swiftly come to three obvious reasons: God is listening, we need it, and God will respond.

 

We are not the only ones who engage in prayer. We are told in Romans 8:26 that the Holy Spirit prays to the Father on our behalf. We are also told that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God in heaven and is also praying for us, Romans 8: 34. Twice in this letter, Paul tells his readers what it is he prays for them, Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:14-21. Not only that, Paul requests his readers to pray for him! Ephesians 6:19-20. Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul, and many others in Scripture feel that prayer is vital and have engaged in it with a passion.

 

Without overlooking the great importance of the exhortation to pray, I find in all this something to marvel at concerning God. It is something that brings a frightful discomfort to the theology of a great many, but the truth of the matter is born by the One who brought it to us. Listen to him:

 

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: 'In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, "Grant me justice against my adversary."  For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!"' And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?'" Luke 18:1-8.

 

If Jesus Christ taught anything about prayer in this passage, there are at least three: God listens, we have a choice whether we pray or not and there are simply things God may not do on our behalf unless we ardently pursue him in prayer about them. No wonder Paul coveted the prayers of those he wrote to!

 

As I consider this and the poignant question Jesus Christ asked, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?", I realize my faith will be revealed in the ardency of my prayer life: God does listen to prayer! God does respond to our prayers!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Our God of promises!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 6:1-3,

 

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother'—which is the first commandment with a promise— 'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'"

 

Paul tells his younger readers to obey their parents. He refers to the law when doing so to point to a promise God had made. "Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." This, the fifth of the ten commandments, Deuteronomy 5:16, is translated this way, "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you." In this section of his letter, Paul, speaking of certain relationships that should be marked by both submission and a reciprocating responsibility, are further aspects of living our lives in a manner worthy of the calling we have received. Ephesians 4:1.

 

What captures my thoughts this morning is that God has made promises to us. Here, children are told if they obey their parents, they are given a promise. Evidently, if they don't obey their parents something else may be in store for them. This is not the only promise God has made. God promised he would send a Savior, Acts 13:23. He promised us the Holy Spirit, John 14:15-17. God promised a gospel message would be coming, Romans 1:2. God made promises to Abraham that would come to us, Romans 4:13-25. In Titus 1:2 we read of God's promise of eternal life.

 

Just how good are these promises? They are from God himself! In 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 we read, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

 

God wants us fully assured of certain things he has planned for us. He has made promises to us. For those who have rejected the gospel message there is the promise of a fiery lake of burning sulfur. For those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, all of the promises made to the patriarchs are ours! Many of these promises have already been fulfilled and those promises whose times have not yet come are as good as if they have already been completed!

 

Did God have to promise us anything? Not at all! But such is the heart of our God who has lifted a burden from our hearts and encouraged us greatly in the promises he has given us!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Intimacy between Jesus Christ and the church.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 5:31-32,

 

"'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church."

 

As Paul discusses the nature of the relationship between husbands and wives, he points to the relationship of Jesus Christ with the church. Just as a man cares for his own body, so it is as if the wife has become a part of his own body, he should care for her - just as the church has become the body of Jesus Christ and he cares for her. Using this metaphor, he speaks of the posture of submission wives are to assume as the church is submissive to her Lord and of the love the husband is to express to his wife just as Jesus Christ laid down his life for the church.

 

No greater example of love can be provided than that which was expressed by Jesus Christ.  He left his exalted position in heaven to come and live as a part of his own creation that we might have a place at his table. He died a horrible death willingly in order to save us from God's own wrath for our sins. He died that we might live.

 

No greater grounds for submission can be leveraged than the gratitude and appreciation that should be expressed in the willing submission of those who have received the wonderful love of Jesus Christ: the church to her Lord and Savior.

 

What is striking about this analogy is that Paul's metaphor also carries with it, in the reverse direction, the unmistakable nature of intimacy within the relationship the church enjoys with her Lord. The marriage relationship is the most intimate of all. Ideally, it is within this relationship that happiness and fulfillment are found. It is this relationship that carries trust, loyalty, honesty and closeness above any other. Such is the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church.

 

How remarkable for those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, that we be known as both the children of God and members of the bride of Jesus Christ!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

 

Worship for Today: The mystical presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 5:15-18,

 

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

 

In theology classes, in our study of "pneumatology" we learn of the various aspects of who we call the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. A study of the Scriptures reveals he has his own mind, his own will, functions entirely in concert with God the Father and God the Son. He is not merely a manifestation of God wearing the "Holy Spirit" cap, when he isn't wearing the "Heavenly Father cap" or the "Jesus Christ cap" so to speak. All three are different persons of the one God that we reference using the term "Trinity". A person can butcher the Scriptures any way they like, but they simply will support no other view than that God exists as one God in three persons.

 

What do we learn from the Scriptures about the Holy Spirit relative to his dealings with us? Jesus told us that once he arrived in heaven, following his resurrection, he would send the Holy Spirit to planet earth. The Spirit would come to bring conviction to the world of the need of the Savior. John 16:7-11. The Holy Spirit would be sent to empower the saints and bring the church into existence, Acts 1:4-8 and Acts 2:1-4. We learn the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Jesus Christ, that he indwells believers and seals them as the Lord's own, guaranteeing our inheritance. The Holy Spirit "gifts" us with special enablement to build up the body of Christ and to carry out God's agenda on planet earth. He is a counselor, companion and an encouragement to us.

 

There are many things we learn of the Holy Spirit in the pages of Scripture, but what Paul refers to in this Ephesians 5 passage is something that is simply amazing to me! We can "be filled with the Spirit"! Just as the transaction that took place in every believer's life when they embraced Jesus Christ in faith was real and experiential, so too is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives! As the mystical aspect of our relationship with God has been sealed in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit himself, the third person of the Trinity takes up residence in our lives. He is not simply furniture that is placed into our lives to take up space... the presence of the Holy Spirit within us is both real and dynamic. In Ephesians 4:30 we are encouraged to not grieve the Holy Spirit, and in this passage we are told to make choices that bring us a filling of the Holy Spirit.

 

I find it astonishing that the Holy Spirit resides within me! I find it sobering, as well, to know that choices I make have impact on how filled I am with the Holy Spirit. This isn't dusty doctrine from a theology book - this is real life!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Our God of love and judgment.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 5:6-7,

 

"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them."

 

As Paul encourages his readers to live their lives in a manner that is worthy of the calling they have received, he reminds them that God's wrath is coming on those who live in sin. Here is the obvious point of the unseemliness for God's people to live sinful lifestyles. Why would we continue to live our lives as those do who will be judged by God?

 

God is love. We are told that in 1 John 4, twice! Verses 8 and 16. We also read that he loved the people of the world so much that he sent his Son to ransom them from his own judicial wrath, 1 John 4:9-10. Here is what God tells us over and over about himself: he is both a god of love and a god of wrath.

 

We celebrate the love of God in the excitement we have for the inheritance he has provided us. And, at the same time we are to fear him as the One who will condemn and judge all who sin. Of Jesus Christ we are told, "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty." Revelation 19:13-15.

 

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31. Also, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" Hebrews 12:28-29.

 

Our lives should reflect that God is both a god of love and a god of Judgment!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Regenerated in Jesus Christ!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 5:5,

 

"For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."

 

This passage reminds me of a similar one in Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

 

In the Corinthians passage, however, Paul goes on to acknowledge something we all know. These are the very things we have all been. Paul says in the following verse, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

 

Sinful people cannot inherit the kingdom of God. God is holy and just and he will bring all sinners to account for the things they have thought, said and done. The good news, the gospel, is that all of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith are cleansed of our sins. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for them when he died on the cross and as a result we are reborn and renewed, "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7.

 

God has regenerated us. All who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ have been washed, sanctified, justified, reborn, renewed! We will not be inheriting the kingdom of God as sinners but as those who have been cleansed of their sins.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God's people are holy.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 5:3,

 

"Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."

 

Paul points to the unseemliness of "God's holy people" engaging in behavior that is unbecoming of such. It is not to be expected that those who are identified with God, who are acknowledged as holy, to be involved with immorality and greed. The thrust of his argument is that because believers are holy, we should refrain from past sinful habits and lifestyle choices. I note Paul doesn't say that we engage in good behavior to become holy. His point precisely is that since believers are holy, they should act that way.

 

So, how do we get that way? How do believers "become holy"? Being holy carries with it the notion of being set apart as God's people. This is where our word "saint" comes from. It means "holy one". The writer of Hebrews says of Jesus Christ, "But when this priest [Jesus Christ] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10:12-14. Believers in Jesus Christ are made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In verse 10 of the same chapter the writer says, "... we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

 

A study of the Scriptures reveals that from heaven's perspective, there is that on planet earth which is deemed "unclean", "profane", "sinful". Apart from that there is that which is deemed "holy". The Israelites were provided the temple worship and laws for daily decision-making to provide an opportunity for at least a temporary holiness to make their involvement with God possible. Today, we find that a permanent status of holiness is available through faith in Jesus Christ. When we embrace him in faith, his sacrifice provides us a standing of holiness in God's perspective of things... the perspective that trumps any other.

 

What a wonderful status God has provided us as his children: holy!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com