May 30, 2011 Monday Message:
“Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2:4a
Pentecost will soon be upon us, and most of our churches will celebrate on Sunday, June 12.
I think Pentecost should be one of the “Big 3” Christian Holidays: Easter, Christmas, and Pentecost. It celebrates the day the Holy Spirit came to be with the believers in a way that they could hear and see. There was a roaring sound, like a strong wind might make, a sound that everyone could hear. And “tongues of fire” fell from above and landed on each person.
The roaring-wind sound attracted a huge crowd, and Simon Peter preached his best, a sermon that could be understood in all languages. And when he gave the altar call, 3000 came forward and were baptized that day.
The Holy Spirit moved over the waters at creation, filled Old Testament prophets and saints, and came to be with Jesus at his baptism. Our one God shows himself to us in 3 distinct persons, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is our paraclete, our advocate to help us in this life until Jesus himself returns. When we fail to call upon our helper, the loss is ours.
Your church will be decorated in scarlet red for Pentecost, and many believers wear red on that day. Look for the Holy Spirit in your church that day. Expect him to show up!
Norton Lawellin
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Holy Spirit - Fill Us!
May 23, 2011 Monday Message:
“The apostles kept asking Jesus, ‘Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?’” Acts 1:6
If we are both traveling, but have maps to different destinations, we will not arrive together. That’s why it’s so important for us to listen to what Jesus teaches and to participate in what Jesus is doing. We need to learn to think like Jesus is thinking, to get on the same page, to have the same destination in mind.
Even as Jesus prepared to ascend into heaven, the apostles’ thinking was still not quite aligned with their leader. After all they had seen – driving out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead – the apostles still didn’t quite get it. They had been expecting some kind of super-natural king to restore Israel to world dominance, and with 20/20 tunnel vision, this was still their focus.
But Jesus had a different agenda: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Acts 1:8a
This is not the political power the apostles were expecting. Political power doesn’t last. World governments are constantly changing, and Jesus said that there would be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. Even in the United States, the power of the government can change hands every four years.
Jesus wanted his followers to have power that would last, spiritual power, something with eternal significance. Jesus went ahead to prepare a place for us, but did not leave us alone. The power of the Holy Spirit can fill each of us right away, and love us into eternity.
Don’t limit God; don’t just ask for power over Caesar. Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit!
Norton Lawellin
“The apostles kept asking Jesus, ‘Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?’” Acts 1:6
If we are both traveling, but have maps to different destinations, we will not arrive together. That’s why it’s so important for us to listen to what Jesus teaches and to participate in what Jesus is doing. We need to learn to think like Jesus is thinking, to get on the same page, to have the same destination in mind.
Even as Jesus prepared to ascend into heaven, the apostles’ thinking was still not quite aligned with their leader. After all they had seen – driving out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead – the apostles still didn’t quite get it. They had been expecting some kind of super-natural king to restore Israel to world dominance, and with 20/20 tunnel vision, this was still their focus.
But Jesus had a different agenda: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Acts 1:8a
This is not the political power the apostles were expecting. Political power doesn’t last. World governments are constantly changing, and Jesus said that there would be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. Even in the United States, the power of the government can change hands every four years.
Jesus wanted his followers to have power that would last, spiritual power, something with eternal significance. Jesus went ahead to prepare a place for us, but did not leave us alone. The power of the Holy Spirit can fill each of us right away, and love us into eternity.
Don’t limit God; don’t just ask for power over Caesar. Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit!
Norton Lawellin
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Ten Virgins
May 16, 2011 Monday Message:
Set the Wayback machine for 2000 years ago, and let’s go to a wedding. It’s different than nowadays…
To start the marriage process, the groom’s parents would search for a suitable bride for their son. Next, everyone would meet, and agree that this marriage would be a good thing. Then the groom’s family would give a considerable sum to the bride’s family, to finalize the marriage.
Here’s where it really gets weird – then the groom leaves. That’s right – he takes off, but it’s to get everything ready for his new bride. They’ll need a house, furniture, a supply of food, and a plan for employment. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to do this all by himself. The groom’s family and his groomsmen-friends all pitch in to help meet the goal.
While he’s gone the bride, her family and her bridesmaid-friends have a parallel assignment. They make clothing and linens, and procure all the other household essentials. This assignment was not to be taken lightly – each bridesmaid had a specific task to complete, her piece of the puzzle.
When the groom had everything prepared, he would return to claim his new wife. But the women didn’t know in advance the exact time of the groom’s return. So they had to be intentional in their work, and always on the lookout, ready to go at any moment.
The bridesmaids who were diligent in their duties and committed members of the wedding team would wind up knowing a lot about the new groom and his family. They were involved. But those who were lax in their assignments would not possess this information. It’s easy to tell them apart. The diligent ones had oil for their lamps, because they cared about the impending wedding, while the lax group did not. The lax group hadn’t completed their tasks for the groom—therefore they didn’t know much about him, and when it was time for the wedding he didn’t know them either.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is just that, a parable, but it has eschatological implications. Jesus is the Savior who came, and the judge who will come again. His bride, the church, has tasks to complete in his absence, and each one of us is a piece of the puzzle. Those who helped prepare for the wedding will be guests at the wedding. But if you do not know Jesus, he may not know you either.
Norton Lawellin
I’ll be teaching the Parable of the Ten Virgins in a lot more detail this Friday at New Hope Center, 7PM.
Set the Wayback machine for 2000 years ago, and let’s go to a wedding. It’s different than nowadays…
To start the marriage process, the groom’s parents would search for a suitable bride for their son. Next, everyone would meet, and agree that this marriage would be a good thing. Then the groom’s family would give a considerable sum to the bride’s family, to finalize the marriage.
Here’s where it really gets weird – then the groom leaves. That’s right – he takes off, but it’s to get everything ready for his new bride. They’ll need a house, furniture, a supply of food, and a plan for employment. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to do this all by himself. The groom’s family and his groomsmen-friends all pitch in to help meet the goal.
While he’s gone the bride, her family and her bridesmaid-friends have a parallel assignment. They make clothing and linens, and procure all the other household essentials. This assignment was not to be taken lightly – each bridesmaid had a specific task to complete, her piece of the puzzle.
When the groom had everything prepared, he would return to claim his new wife. But the women didn’t know in advance the exact time of the groom’s return. So they had to be intentional in their work, and always on the lookout, ready to go at any moment.
The bridesmaids who were diligent in their duties and committed members of the wedding team would wind up knowing a lot about the new groom and his family. They were involved. But those who were lax in their assignments would not possess this information. It’s easy to tell them apart. The diligent ones had oil for their lamps, because they cared about the impending wedding, while the lax group did not. The lax group hadn’t completed their tasks for the groom—therefore they didn’t know much about him, and when it was time for the wedding he didn’t know them either.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is just that, a parable, but it has eschatological implications. Jesus is the Savior who came, and the judge who will come again. His bride, the church, has tasks to complete in his absence, and each one of us is a piece of the puzzle. Those who helped prepare for the wedding will be guests at the wedding. But if you do not know Jesus, he may not know you either.
Norton Lawellin
I’ll be teaching the Parable of the Ten Virgins in a lot more detail this Friday at New Hope Center, 7PM.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Deliver Us from Evil
May 09, 2011 Monday Message:
Jesus: “Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (from The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:13)
During this past week, news headlines spoke of the demise of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks on the United States. During the Iran-Contra hearings, Oliver North testified that this man was “the most evil person alive.”
There is a lot of evil in the world. Satan is relentless and passionate with his anti-God agenda. The devil wants to be like God, but it will never happen. The prince of evil is a created being, and YHWH-God is the creator.
Ever since the Garden of Eden, mankind has desired to possess all knowledge, to be more God-like. It cannot happen, because we too are created beings. But we can easily be tempted, and sometimes we slip and fall into evil. Not just an occasional bad word or a casual thought, but something really evil. A plot to take somebody down, a scheme to get even, malicious gossip, revenge – these are all fueled by the evil one, who is tempting us at every turn to abandon this God-thing in our lives.
Before Jesus, people didn’t know as much about things spiritual and eternal. Those who believed hotly debated the possibility of life-after-this-life. But the empty tomb removed all doubt. And Christ’s teachings made clear the concepts of salvation (heaven) and condemnation (hell.) Jesus spent more time warning us about the misery of hell than extolling the virtues of heaven.
Jesus was well aware of evil. He had been tempted by the devil, but used the Word of God as his defense. Jesus cast out demons, which had not been done before. And he gave his followers the “authority to cast out evil spirits, and to heal every kind of disease and illness.” Matt. 10:1b Jesus would not have empowered us to drive out demons if it wasn’t a big deal.
We’re still not perfect. We all slip and make mistakes, and then have to repent and return to the Lord (tschuva.) But remember that Jesus advised each of us to pray for deliverance from this kind of evil.
Lord, we pray, protect us; deliver us from the BIG evil.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
Norton Lawellin
Jesus: “Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (from The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:13)
During this past week, news headlines spoke of the demise of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks on the United States. During the Iran-Contra hearings, Oliver North testified that this man was “the most evil person alive.”
There is a lot of evil in the world. Satan is relentless and passionate with his anti-God agenda. The devil wants to be like God, but it will never happen. The prince of evil is a created being, and YHWH-God is the creator.
Ever since the Garden of Eden, mankind has desired to possess all knowledge, to be more God-like. It cannot happen, because we too are created beings. But we can easily be tempted, and sometimes we slip and fall into evil. Not just an occasional bad word or a casual thought, but something really evil. A plot to take somebody down, a scheme to get even, malicious gossip, revenge – these are all fueled by the evil one, who is tempting us at every turn to abandon this God-thing in our lives.
Before Jesus, people didn’t know as much about things spiritual and eternal. Those who believed hotly debated the possibility of life-after-this-life. But the empty tomb removed all doubt. And Christ’s teachings made clear the concepts of salvation (heaven) and condemnation (hell.) Jesus spent more time warning us about the misery of hell than extolling the virtues of heaven.
Jesus was well aware of evil. He had been tempted by the devil, but used the Word of God as his defense. Jesus cast out demons, which had not been done before. And he gave his followers the “authority to cast out evil spirits, and to heal every kind of disease and illness.” Matt. 10:1b Jesus would not have empowered us to drive out demons if it wasn’t a big deal.
We’re still not perfect. We all slip and make mistakes, and then have to repent and return to the Lord (tschuva.) But remember that Jesus advised each of us to pray for deliverance from this kind of evil.
Lord, we pray, protect us; deliver us from the BIG evil.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
Norton Lawellin
Monday, May 2, 2011
Can You See the Light?
May 02, 2011 Monday Message:
Jesus: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12
What would our world be without light? We’d be cold. We couldn’t go outdoors, and we wouldn’t want to. We couldn’t see anything. Life as we know it would not exist.
But WITH light, we’re warm and we can see things. Sometimes people get depressed during the winter when there isn’t enough light. But even just one bright, sunshiny day can lift everyone’s spirits, and the darkness is soon forgotten. God put the sun in the sky, and we count on each day’s rotation of the earth to bring us daybreak at the proper time. That’s fine for the light in the sky — but what about the Light of the World, Jesus?
In Psalm 27:1a, David says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation.” So it’s certainly good to want to have God shine into our lives. Let’s look at what might be wrong if we’re having difficulty seeing the light.
First, we may have turned away from the light. Perhaps something else caught our attention, and we followed it instead. Just as each afternoon the earth turns away from the sun, so too can we turn away from the light of the world. But just as each morning the earth seeks out daylight, when we sense darkness in our lives we too need to return to the light.
Next, something might have come between the light and us, like an eclipse. It could be a family member, a job, a hobby or something else altogether. Has it ever seemed like when you try to focus on Jesus, something gets in the way? Remove it. We all need a clear view of the light.
Finally, you might have your eyes closed! I know, it’s hard to believe, but the Bible is full of people who appeared to look right at Jesus but apparently didn’t see or understand. Let’s keep our eyes, our minds and our hearts wide open so that we can see the light.
In each of the above scenarios, notice that the light never stopped shining. The problem was never with the light — the problem is with our visualization of the light. Each day, make a commitment to face the light, open both eyes, and let nothing come between you and the light of the world.
Remember, “The Lord is God, shining upon us.” Psalms 118:27a
Norton Lawellin
Jesus: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12
What would our world be without light? We’d be cold. We couldn’t go outdoors, and we wouldn’t want to. We couldn’t see anything. Life as we know it would not exist.
But WITH light, we’re warm and we can see things. Sometimes people get depressed during the winter when there isn’t enough light. But even just one bright, sunshiny day can lift everyone’s spirits, and the darkness is soon forgotten. God put the sun in the sky, and we count on each day’s rotation of the earth to bring us daybreak at the proper time. That’s fine for the light in the sky — but what about the Light of the World, Jesus?
In Psalm 27:1a, David says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation.” So it’s certainly good to want to have God shine into our lives. Let’s look at what might be wrong if we’re having difficulty seeing the light.
First, we may have turned away from the light. Perhaps something else caught our attention, and we followed it instead. Just as each afternoon the earth turns away from the sun, so too can we turn away from the light of the world. But just as each morning the earth seeks out daylight, when we sense darkness in our lives we too need to return to the light.
Next, something might have come between the light and us, like an eclipse. It could be a family member, a job, a hobby or something else altogether. Has it ever seemed like when you try to focus on Jesus, something gets in the way? Remove it. We all need a clear view of the light.
Finally, you might have your eyes closed! I know, it’s hard to believe, but the Bible is full of people who appeared to look right at Jesus but apparently didn’t see or understand. Let’s keep our eyes, our minds and our hearts wide open so that we can see the light.
In each of the above scenarios, notice that the light never stopped shining. The problem was never with the light — the problem is with our visualization of the light. Each day, make a commitment to face the light, open both eyes, and let nothing come between you and the light of the world.
Remember, “The Lord is God, shining upon us.” Psalms 118:27a
Norton Lawellin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)