My 'brush' with Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

[Mike Waters]

Reaction hasn't been as largely negative as I expected and thanks to those who have dealt kindly with me.
(maybe that's because I am now on the 'ignore' lists of many of my detractors)
So I'll try another thread, which I'll entitle "Have you ever had a spiritual paranormal encounter?", to further test if I'm worthy to continue.

 

[marks]

Unfortunately some people who have been close to God, I believe, have developed a church time attitude. They really try to get into the Spirit [whatever that means] when they are in a designated church service/prayer meeting but they allowed themselves to get distracted. Perhaps it happens first when they are away from God's people, but then when important events are on the schedule right after "church", such as dinner or a movie or a ballgame, they get distracted even during the special time that is supposed to belong to God.

We should never be distracted from God no matter how important something are doing is. If it really is important God knows that as well and will help us...

People who heard or read the Bible all of their lives get to the point where they are skimming right over the top of the words of scripture and then what was the Word of God no long is... not to them. They can't see them! They can't hear them!

What should these words Paul wrote mean to us?

"Pray without ceasing." I Thess 5:17

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" Phil 4:4

These are impossible things for men, but for God in a man they are not!

How do we talk about the difference between knowing that I need to be saved, and that I need to follow Jesus, and, feeling lost without Him? Feeling that I must hear His voice!

What brought me into closer brushes with the Holy Spirit was my desperation. I neede be be convinced of my need, not just knowing, but deep inside.

Much love!

 

[mjrhealth]

Reaction hasn't been as largely negative as I expected and thanks to those who have dealt kindly with me.
(maybe that's because I am now on the 'ignore' lists of many of my detractors)
So I'll try another thread, which I'll entitle "Have you ever had a spiritual paranormal encounter?", to further test if I'm worthy to continue.

I did that, still have the claw marks.

 

[amadeus]

How do we talk about the difference between knowing that I need to be saved, and that I need to follow Jesus, and, feeling lost without Him? Feeling that I must hear His voice!

Salvation or Love! What is most important? Do we follow Jesus so as to be saved or do we follow Him because we love Him?

Early on in the ideal natural relationship of a child he is dependent upon his parents. He does not know what is harmful to himself or others. Without his parents he cannot live. To this point it was survival or life itself that seemed most important to the child. Then in time as dependence lessens the love [which the parents always had for the child] is now expressed by the child toward the parents. Where as a child the parents provided all of his needs... everything, now as a maturing person, he should begin to give back more and more... to his parents.

When a person first meets Jesus he is ignorant and innocent completely dependent on mercy because he does not know if he has done something displeasing. As the child of God grows out of his innocent ignorance he should be starting to understand love is [what God always had for him] and expressing it toward God. Similar to the natural child he has matured and similar to the natural child maturing should mean not only taking whatever he can get but now giving back... to God.

Salvation is so important to people. For a babe in Christ this is understandable, but God is expecting what natural parents expect from their children: Love. Then what is it we expect from our spouse or Spouse?

People get sometimes so hung up on the gifts of God, which really include salvation that they sometimes seem to forget the most important thing: Love. God does not forget it. As mature or at least maturing sons of God, do we love the promises of never ending life and untold blessings more than we do God? Are we a young Bride waiting breathlessly for her beloved Husband or are we more like children wanting some more gifts?

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." I Cor 13:13

We have faith that we may received the things hoped for but not seen: salvation, an unending Life.
We have a hope that we are, or are to be, saved... that we will receive unending life and all of the other blessings of God... but...?

But... the greatest thing is Love!

Do we look forward more to the rewards than to seeing and being with the One we love?

Consider the love of the Bride toward the Bridegroom:

"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not." Song of Solomon 3:1

"I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." Song of Solomon 5:6

"I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." Song of Solomon 5:8

"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies." Song of Solomon 6:3

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me" Song of Solomon 7:1

Do we not too often and too strongly speak of our salvation, our unending Life, our 'heavenly' home, and expected/hoped for blessings... rather than our Love for Him? How much do we love our Spouse? How much does our Spouse Love us?

We are supposed to be one half of a Love story, not kids waiting to see what Santa Claus brought us!

What brought me into closer brushes with the Holy Spirit was my desperation. I neede be be convinced of my need, not just knowing, but deep inside.

Much love!

 

[Mike Waters]

Salvation or Love! What is most important? Do we follow Jesus so as to be saved or do we follow Him because we love Him?...........................

Wonderful post.....Thanks John

 

[marks]

Salvation or Love! What is most important? Do we follow Jesus so as to be saved or do we follow Him because we love Him?

And do we love Him because He saves us, or because He is lovely?

I think that people oftentimes get so hung up on what we know we are supposed to be and do that we expend all our focus and energy on that, on ourselves, and forget that Mary had the better place, sitting at Jesus' feet.

All the work and toil we do trying to make sure our lives measure up, all the fear and anguish when in our eyes we don't measure up, when all we really need to is learn to receive His love for us, and as we do that, everything else is taken care of.

I asked, how to talk about the difference between our need for what He gives, and our need for Him, you've done an admirable job!

We are supposed to one half of a Love story, not kids waiting to see what Santa Claus brought us!

So very true!!

Much love!

 

[amadeus]

Reaction hasn't been as largely negative as I expected and thanks to those who have dealt kindly with me.
(maybe that's because I am now on the 'ignore' lists of many of my detractors)
So I'll try another thread, which I'll entitle "Have you ever had a spiritual paranormal encounter?", to further test if I'm worthy to continue.

My friend, you know who is worthy. Not one of us before we have surrendered to Him and allowed Him to work on us some. The work He does in us is making us worthy. We cannot, no not one of us, all alone, on our own, make ourselves worthy!

For God all things are possible, even to make a worthless someone, like you and like me, worth something.
Give God the glory!