You Shall Receive Dynamite

In the year 1931, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began constructing the most massive concrete structure in the world – the Hoover Dam. Los Angeles and other cities in California, Arizona, and Nevada were growing rapidly, and their need for water and electrical power would soon exceed their existing supplies. To construct the dam, it required breaking through massive granite formations on both sides of the canyon wall to divert the river during dam construction, for which they used dynamite.

There is a parallel in the spiritual world. Shortly before He ascended to the Father in Heaven, Jesus met with His disciples and said to them:

“You shall receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8

The Greek word for POWER in this passage is DUNAMIS, which is where the word DYNAMITE comes from. When Alfred Nobel developed a substance that was more explosive than anything else in the world, he inquired of a friend who knew Greek for a word that would describe such explosive power. His friend recommended DUNAMIS, so Nobel named his invention “DYNAMITE.”

Jesus was telling them: “You shall receive explosive, dynamite power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” While dynamite has changed the construction of physical structures, Holy Spirit DUNAMIS power has transformed the lives of millions of people.

When Saul of Tarsus encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, God led Ananias to pray for him. He was then filled with the Holy Spirit and dunamis power, and went forth to proclaim Christ in the synagogues and to Gentiles across the Mediterranean world, in spite of tremendous persecution and bodily harm.

When the woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years touched the very garment of Jesus, she became instantly healed. Jesus noticed this and said: “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived POWER (dunamis) going out from Me.” (Luke 8:46)

We need to realize that this dunamis power is power with a purpose – to build His church by equipping and empowering us to be witnesses to our Lord, and to tell people about what Jesus has done for us and can do for them.

It is important to note that “in the last days perilous times will come: for men [AND SOME CHURCHES] will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its POWER (dunamis). II Timothy 3:1-2,4-5

Our task is clear. The broad path is crowded with many who don’t know the Lord and are headed in the wrong direction. They are on the road that leads to perdition and the Lake of Fire. So let us go forth with the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit and witness to all who come across our path, for time is short, eternity is forever, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the glory

Lifeinthespirit.net

All Aboard the Holy Spirit Express

ALL ABOARD THE HOLY SPIRIT EXPRESS

Source of image: Wikimedia Commons

After eight years of direct military involvement in South Vietnam, the last few Americans were airlifted out on April 30, 1975. There was a mad rush for the airport because the enemy was coming in. This was followed by the fall of Saigon to communist forces. The war took the lives of 58,000 Americans and 2 million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians.

There is a parallel in the spiritual world. We were born into the world; a fallen world ruled by Lucifer, the Father of Lies. The world system is encroaching on us, but we can escape from the world by receiving Christ, who offers us peace, freedom, and a joy of the Lord that the world cannot match. We might envision it in these terms:

Like the Americans who headed for the Saigon airport in April of 1975, we can head for the spiritual airport to take a flight out on United in Christ Airlines on one of its Holy Spirit Express planes. Just as modern travelers go through TSA checkpoints to check for weapons and drugs, we must go through a Holy Spirit checkpoint to make sure we have received Christ as Savior (our ticket), and are not taking any harmful possessions (unconfessed sins) on to the plane. For the Holy Spirit Express is holy, and no unconfessed sin is allowed on board.

The planes that take off are full of individuals who fully embrace Christ, walk in the Spirit, and use their gifts and talents to carry out The Great Commission and the Lord’s will for their lives. The true Holy Spirit Express planes serve communion on the flights, celebrating the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to overcome sin and the fear of death.

Although the ultimate destination of all Holy Spirit Express flights is heaven, they often land in other locations so the Christians on board can deplane to care for the physical and spiritual needs of people in those locations.

The people who don’t go to the airport are non-believers who enjoy the culture and enticements of the world, the pleasures of the flesh, and the schemes of the devil. They have all been invited to fly on the United in Christ Airlines (to receive Christ), but they declined. Perhaps they were busy with affairs of the world and always thought they could receive Christ later. But sometimes time is up and LATER never comes.

Some people get to the airport but refuse to discard their spiritual baggage (unconfessed sin), and prefer other gods or idols. They may take other airlines departing from the airport, such as World Airlines (the world), the Las Vegas Special (the flesh), or Lucifer Lines (the devil). Instead of an extraordinary life in the Spirit, they prefer other destinations, such as Wall Street (for wealth), Washington, D.C. (for political power), Hollywood (for fame and fortune), or the lure of communist utopia (one of Satan’s lies). They don’t realize that these flights are piloted by Lucifer or one of his minions. While they may party through the entire flight, ultimately their plane will crash and burn in the Lake of Fire.

Many Holy Spirit Express planes are churches, with many people on board and the planes painted with different insignia such as Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, or Non-Denominational. But there are also decoy planes that are painted to look like they are in the United in Christ Airlines. They worship other gods, embrace sin as virtue, and are even proud of their vile practices. Once they are airborne, their true destination becomes revealed. (Their pilot is Lucifer or one of his minions.)

For the Laodicean Airlines, people get on the plane, but are having such a great time partying that they forget to invite the Holy Spirit to pilot the plane, so they never get off the ground. Then there are those who are so governed by fear that they get on the Flight for the Fearful plane, but it just cowers in the hangar, so afraid of venturing out.

Once the Holy Spirit Express plane is airborne, it attracts anti-aircraft fire, surface-to-air missiles, and fighter jets from the enemy to shoot it down. We are in a war zone, and the enemies of Christ seek to steal our faith, kill our bodies, and destroy our souls. This is why we need to put on our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6).

The person at the gate for the Holy Spirit Express just announced your flight is about to leave. Will you make it? Will your family and friends also make it? How about the individuals you meet at the grocery store or coffee shop? The enemy is encroaching upon us and time is short. So let us go forth with the love and truth of Christ to witness to all who come across our path, for eternity is forever, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

P.S. NATO just attacked seven military bases inside Russia, and there are indications these attacks came not from within Ukraine, but NATO countries. If so, Russia could feel justified in attacking those NATO bases, which could trigger direct involvement of NATO forces and a hot war with Russia. It looks like WWIII is on the way, which would likely reach Europe and America. So it is time to repent, forgive, and board the Holy Spirit Express for protection and guidance, for the world system is encroaching upon us and our lives are about to change.

To God be the glory

Lifeinthespirit.net

Redeeming the Time, Urgency, and Tattoos – Six Gold Nuggets

Six Gold Nuggets from our August 15 CBMC zoom session:

1) Time can be our god.

Time and saving time is a big deal today.
If you can give people time, that is a big thing in business now. The new time-saving device is AI – artificial intelligence.
In the future, people will have their own personal AI, that will spend a month with you, to learn all about you, then you can send them to a meeting to represent you.
Ask people how they are doing, and many times they will say “I AM BUSY.”
So time can be our god.

2) We should not let THE URGENT in our lives interfere with THE IMPORTANT.

There is a booklet called “The Tyranny of the Urgent” that describes how we often let THE URGENT interfere with THE IMPORTANT. We act like a dog that chases a squirrel, because it is URGENT.
We should not let time and circumstances dictate what we do; we should let God dictate what we do.

3) If we draw close to our Lord, He will redeem our time.

We redeem time by spending time with God, and He will redeem our lost time.
One way God redeems our time is for us to reflect on and learn from our past (sinful) times and experiences, and use those unique insights to witness to others now going through similar challenges.
Remember how Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery. They were deeply sorrowful later, but Joseph told them “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to preserve life.”

· Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a time for everything: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…”

How we spend our time and our money reveals our heart.

4) Loneliness and isolation are a great problem now.

We have a lot of things that take us away from each other.
Think of all the sports we now watch, where we watch other people do things instead of doing things ourselves.
But we are not to forsake our gathering together with each other – with the saints of God.

5) We should relate to people with tattoos and piercings with the love of Christ.

When we see someone with tattoos and piercings, it is helpful to consider – this is somebody’s son or daughter, and they used to be a baby. And they are still loved by God.
We can move mountains, but if we do not have Christ and His love, it profits us nothing, for God is love and He seeks to manifest Himself through us.
Why do people get tattoos and piercings? They want to be accepted by their peers, and may also want to rebel against their parents or other authorities.
We can ask them about their tattoos – ask them “What does it mean to you?”
While tattoos and piercings reflect where a person is spiritually, we should not make assumptions – they are still a child of God and perhaps they have moved on from that period in their life.
The Word of God speaks to this issue: “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:28
Furthermore, our bodies are temples of the holy, righteous God: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” I Corinthians 6:19
Can you imagine a permanent billboard advertising secular or pagan messages on a New Testament church or the temple in the Old Testament? Neither can I. (T-shirts can also be used to express viewpoints, and are less permanent).
Many who get tattoos don’t know why they do it, but they are captive to the devil, so we need to pray for them:
“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” II Timothy 2:24-26
When we were lost, we were held captive by Satan.

6) Ultimately, we want to draw close to our Lord, so we can see the world and other people as He does.

This song expresses this: “Break my heart for what breaks Yours.” Source: Hillsong

Have a great day in the Lord, and always watch for the divine appointments He has for you each day.

In His grip,

Mark

Mark Peterson

Lifeinthespirit.net

P.S. The month of Elul on the Jewish calendar starts this Saturday, August 19, and goes until September 16. This is the last month of a Jubilee year (a Jubilee year is the last year of a 50 year period), and is often a time of great turmoil – stock market crashes, civil unrest domestically and major disturbances overseas. So hold on to your hats and stay on your knees, for God will take us through it all.

Spiritual Conversations

SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS

When Christ came, he fed and healed people’s bodies, cast out demons, taught, and had SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS. Barna Group research shows we all can become more intentional in our outreach and actually enjoy sharing Jesus with others when we do.

Christian researcher George Barna described eager conversationalists as people who:

EMBRACE THE GOSPEL. They have a clear understanding that salvation comes from belief in Jesus Christ alone.
APPLY SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES. They actively seek to grow their faith through prayer, the Bible, and regular worship.
GRASP THE CALLING. These individuals know that are part of the “priesthood of all believers”.
EXPECT SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS. This group is ready to participate in spiritual conversations.
RESPOND CONFIDENTLY. These individuals feel qualified to share their faith and are glad when they do.

Source: Lutheran Hour Ministries – lhm.org

Key Insights

TIME: This process may take weeks, or an hour or two with the person next to you on an airplane.
RELATIONSHIPS: It’s all about developing a relationship with that person. They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
COMPASSION is key; Jesus had compassion on people, so He reached out and ministered to them.
SURPRISE OR PLANNED: Spiritual conversations may happen unexpectedly, but they may be in fact divine appointments from the Lord.
A DIVINE APPOINTMENT may be lunch with a friend, talking with a plumber, or a brief conversation with the person asking for help at the street intersection.
DON’T WORRY: The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say. It’s about being ready to respond when the opportunity presents itself.
SLOW DOWN: When we relate to the people who come across our paths, it can be a totally different experience.
OPEN THE DOOR: Everyone has some religious experience, so we can relate to that experience. This can open the door to a spiritual conversation.
RELIGION HURT: Many people have had hurtful experiences with churches or other religions. We need to be aware of that, and minister to them with the love of Christ.

Everyone has a story, is broken, and needs our Lord. So let us reach out and engage them in spiritual conversations with the love and truth of Christ, for time is short, eternity is forever, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the glory

Lifeinthespirit.net

GUILT – OUR WORST ENEMY OR OUR BEST FRIEND

How to Get Rid of Guilt

“If you have guilt in your life, just get rid of it so you can get on with your life,” stated a vice president of a midwestern state university, giving a pep talk to faculty about life and careers. Although this high-ranking official recognized how detrimental guilt can be in our lives, she did not mention repentance as a way to get rid of it.

None of us like to feel guilty – the realization or belief that we have done something wrong, and the feeling that we will suffer consequences for our actions. And yet we will all experience guilt in our lives because of our fallen, sinful nature – our propensity to sin and our inability to keep the law perfectly. Thanks to Jesus, we can become free of guilt, but we must be able to distinguish between TRUE GUILT and FALSE GUILT.

We experience TRUE GUILT when we commit true sin, because the Holy Spirit convicts us of that sin – an offense against God and probably our fellow man. When we repent, we are forgiven, and restored to a right relationship with our Lord. Our Lord then wipes that sin off of the books, for He is merciful and loving:

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy… He does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor punish us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:8-12

Of course there may be temporal consequences to our sin. If we rob a bank, even if we repent, we may go to prison. (Our governmental legal system is not as forgiving as our gracious Lord.)

We experience FALSE GUILT when we feel badly because someone – perhaps a loved one, a friend, our boss, or the culture, wants us to do something that is unnecessary or even wrong. Perhaps they claim you need to purchase a new car, a bigger house, a fancy vacation, etc. because your neighbors (the Joneses) have one, and that you are A BAD AND UNCARING PERSON if you do not comply with their wishes.

Another example of false guilt is the notion that white people should feel guilty of racism because four hundred years ago white people enslaved black people in this nation. Although we should try to make amends for past atrocities and injustices, we cannot be guilty of something we did not do.

Guilt Can Become Our Worst Enemy When:

FALSE GUILT – We feel pressure from others to do certain things that are unnecessary or wrong, but do not have the discernment and courage to reject it because it is false and often a manipulation. So we give in to their wishes, or resist and live a life of guilt, condemned by their (Godless) value system.
TRUE GUILT – We experience true guilt, but are unwilling to repent to get rid of the sin in our lives (which would eliminate the guilt).

Guilt Can Become Our Best Friend When:

We know the difference between true guilt and false guilt and just dismiss false guilt, for it is fake, and a reflection on our loved one, friend, boss, or culture.
We realize true guilt is like a flashing warning sign that we are about to step off the narrow path that leads to Heaven, onto the wide path that leads to the Lake of Fire. So we repent, make things right, and get back on the narrow path. If we ignore the warning signs, or can’t distinguish between true guilt and false guilt, we will be on the wrong path, headed for perdition.

Not sure if what you are experiencing is true or false guilt? Hold it up to our Lord:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Given how our culture has become increasingly post-Christian, pressures will increase on Christians to conform to a godless culture. Therefore, it is critical that we spend time with our Lord each day so that we will be discerning and able to cope with true and false guilt.

Everyone we meet has to deal with guilt, and are doing so with varying degrees of success. So let us help them with their struggle to discern and dismiss false guilt, and repent of true guilt, so they may be free from the shackles of sin and experience the joy and love of our Lord.

To God be the glory

Lifeinthespirit.net

Two Quarts Low

“I checked your oil, and you are two quarts low.” Those of us who are chronologically blessed (are older), remember taking our cars to service stations where when we pull up to the gas pump, a service attendant would come out, and we tell him (usually a him): “fill ‘er up and check the oil”. This was before self-service gas stations. The attendant would then wash our windshield, fill up our gas tank, and check our oil, antifreeze, and tires, all without expecting a tip. And we all knew that if our car was two quarts of oil low, this was serious. It needed the oil level to be filled, as the engine was getting dangerously low on oil. No oil and the engine freezes up and we are stuck on the highway.

There is even a story about oil in the New Testament. It is a parable told by Jesus and is known the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins:

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:1-13

This parable has obvious implications for all of us – when Jesus comes (or when our time is up on earth and it is time to stand before the Lord in heaven), we better be SPIRITUALLY READY – spiritually clean by repenting of our sins, forgiving others, and walking with our Lord on a daily basis. If we are not, if we are like the Laodiceans described in Revelation 3, who are comfortable in the world and enjoying its pleasures, but LUKEWARM toward Christ – our heavenly bridegroom, then He will vomit us out of His mouth. He will have no part of us, and we will have no part in Him. And the door to eternity in heaven will be closed to us.

There is another dimension of this parable that relates to us. What is the oil that we are to have in our lamps? The oil would be the peace, joy, and love of God that dwells within us. But we can only get that oil by spending time with our Lord in His Word, repenting of our sins, forgiving others, and seeking His will for our lives, which includes meeting the divine appointments He has for us each day.

We need to go to the Holy Spirit and say: “Fill ‘er up and check the oil”. And when we are filled with the oil (the anointing) of the Holy Spirit, we need to light it on fire, so we can be on fire for the Lord, like the apostles after Pentecost, or Moses when he came down off the mountain.

If we don’t take time to spend with our Lord each day, our lamps might be full of worldly stuff, but they will not shine with the light of Christ, and we will have nothing supernatural – the peace, love, and joy of the Lord – to share with others. And then when we are called upon to share this light with others, we will be unable to do so. We will have failed to respond to His calling on our lives.

None of us know when our Lord is coming back for us, nor do we know when our time is up here on earth. But we do know that He is coming, and that one day our time here is up. So let us fill our lamps with oil from the Holy Spirit and share the light of Christ with all who come across our path, for time is short, eternity is forever, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the glory

I Met a Homeless Guy and He Changed My Life

I never knew any homeless people in the small town in which I was raised. There were poor people, but they all had some kind of home, however small or decrepit. But one day I met a homeless guy, and as I got to know him, he changed my life, and how I look at homeless people today.

Every person we meet has a story, and his story is truly extraordinary. His life is a testimony to how the power of God can work through one human life, even when all the cards seemed to be stacked against him. His life expressed many paradoxes. Conceived out of wedlock and raised in a backwater small town, he never had any formal education, yet seemed very articulate and well spoken.

Although he was poor and never seemed to own anything more than the clothes on his back, he behaved as if he was the richest man in the world. Women were attracted to him, although he did not marry. He never had any kids, although he loved children, and they loved him. He did have a bunch of guys that he hung around with.

Being around him, I felt more alive than I have ever felt before, because he had an extraordinary presence, and I felt like I was somehow experiencing eternity. Even though I just met him, he seemed to know me at the very depths of my soul. He brought a peace and joy to those around him that was just profound, and attracted people from far and wide. There were even reports of his feeding thousands of people, and performing healings and deliverance from demonic spirits.

He radiated an absolute strength underneath the surface, and showed tremendous love and compassion to those around him. He also castigated the religious leaders of the day for their hypocrisy, corruption, and enslavement of the people with their false religious traditions.

Other than helping his stepfather, he never held a real job, Then in his early thirties, his life finally began to gel. When the wine was running low at a wedding feast in Cana, his mother persuaded him to intervene. That’s when Jesus – you guessed it – performed His first miracle.

He turned water into wine, launching His three-year career on earth that culminated in his crucifixion and resurrection. And all who received Him as Savior and Lord became set free from the bondage of sin and the power of death, our ultimate enemies. We can now encounter Jesus through His Word, which will delight us, terrify us, instruct us, and shape us.

Jesus, the Son of God, changed history forever (that’s why it is called HISTORY – HIS STORY). So the next time you meet a homeless person, just remember that he (or she) has a story. Ask him about his story, and you can tell him yours, and His Story. You might change his life, and he might change yours.

To God be the Glory

Mene, Mene PART III – How to Prepare

Our nation – the U.S. – is on the cusp of an extraordinary change – an economic crash that may also be the largest wealth transfer in the history of the world. The Word of God admonishes us to understand the times we are in (Matthew 16:1-4), and to be good stewards of the resources in our care.

This series addresses the coming crash of the U.S. dollar. PART I, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin – America, You Have Been Weighed in the Balances and Found Wanting”, featured messages from several watchmen and women that absent major repentance of our people, our economy will crash. Mene, Mene PART II described the Crash of the U.S. Dollar and how this is most likely to come about, as the BRICS nations plus many more nations stop using the U.S. dollar for international financial transactions. This PART III of this series will explore the implications of this for our lives and how we can best prepare.

Mene Mene PART III Download

Life in the Spirit blog is for the remnant Bride of Christ and all who seek The Truth. As in all things, question everything, test it against His Word, and take it to the Lord for confirmation. We were created to live at this time and be a witness to our Lord to all who He brings across our path. So let us be bold, be strong, be courageous, and walk with our Lord.

Have a blessed day, and always remember Who is really in charge.

Mark

Mark Peterson, Ph.D.

P.S. One aspect of preparation deals with finances. To gain a glimpse of the impact of the crash of a currency, take a look at this article, which just came out a few days ago.