“But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall BE witnesses unto me…”
Acts 1:8
Let us seek the Lord afresh in this day. May we, by His Spirit, consider and desire the power of His Spirit that propelled common fishermen, political zealots, and tax collectors to become powerful witnesses of the risen Christ. We speak of witnessing rather than being witnesses. We speak of truth as something that can be held in our intellect rather than a power that produces change within ourselves and those around us. We cannot compromise with sin in our own lives and expect to have a word that will convict others. If that Word of Life does not produce change within us, how can we impart to others what we have not experienced ourselves?
Can we not feel God’s “still small voice” calling us, wooing us to new vistas of wonder? The whispers and the beckoning of Him to launch ourselves afresh into the oceans of His immensity through a people who are wholly sanctified and sent by the Power of the Holy Spirit,
“Come now therefore,
and I will send thee…”
Exodus 3:10
The sending forth of a chosen and anointed people will always be preceded by those who come to Him in poverty of spirit, desperation of soul, and a faith that knows HE WILL ANSWER!
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, TILL He come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Hosea 10:12
It is a day to consider our ways and objectively consider what we have wrought in this life. Have we impacted the lives of others regarding righteousness and truth and pointed them unto JESUS, Who alone can transform fallen lives into vessels of righteousness and glory?
Holy words proceed from Holy Lives
“And those who are wise
shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;
and those who turn many to righteousness,
like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12;3 (ESV)
Seek The Lord Afresh!
“Let us search and try our ways,
and turn again to the Lord…”
Lamentations 3:40
Related Post: The Coming ONE – The Day of the Lord
Brian Troxel
Great words
Thank you – though not popular God is preparing to move afresh – I do greatly appreciate what you and your husband share on your blog – it is a sharing I feel a great kinship with. Our aging clarifies our vision and gives us an understanding concerning the brevity of life and gives impetus to us to fulfill His Will for us individually.
Be richly blessed and kept by Him…
Brian
Thank you Brian. I feel compelled to share what God has done for both my husband and me. Paul has shared that love through his art. Unfortunately his illness has taken away his ability to paint anymore. He still has an amazing faith and God is keeping him here for a purpose. Mostly to keep me in line.
The compulsion to share is the fruit of His Spirit within. How rare is that unction. Sometime ago I was feeling discouraged with the diminishing ability to move freely in this world and was crying out to the Lord with a desire to shine as the noon day sun (SON) – and He gave me a vision of a sunset and impressed upon my heart that though the setting sun might not blaze with the brightness of the noon day sun there is a particular glory in the sun set! May it be so with us!
BT
Sometimes good it is to be discouraged as the Spirit can use such situation to lift us out from and above our sorry sense of sunken self-dependence, richly reminding us of our dire need of His inimitable, indispensable intervention and sustaining support, to the praise of His grace for His glory. As I also remind us, the sin is remaining discouraged.
This time of the year with all the leaves off the trees I enjoy much more than a little seeing a unique, stark kind of beauty that causes my spirit within me to rise in gladness and gratitude to our Creator for granting me this undeserved unveiling of His matchless glory.
Just this morning I read “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…”
Think of you often and still hoping to get down your way.
Blessings
BT
Same here Brian. Would love to meet you and Linda.
Romans 8:29-30 AMP
29 For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers. 30 And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity].
Ephesians 1:5 AMP
He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—
Many people disdain the doctrine of predestination. Notwithstanding, predestination is explicitly set forth by the Author, our Teacher, the Spirit of holiness and truth. Basic to truly understanding that which predestination actually means, is interpreting Scripture with Scripture in the context of all of Scripture, especially as pertains to supremely Who God Is, juxtaposed with the darkened religious/legalist mindset of the unwittingly natural man that is over against Him.
Gladness and gratitude from on high pour forth into and flow forth from the human heart when the heightened understanding of this foundational facet of salvation settles securely in the awareness and appreciation. This heartening awakening and acute awareness are in words, ways and works to the infinitely deserving praise and unending thanksgiving of the One everlastingly merciful and altogether munificent.
The Holy One and the Just, Himself, Love Almighty, never fails. By the purity and power of His passion for saving to the uttermost, the Bridegroom King prevails, ever living to, with absolute adequacy of advocacy and intensity of intimacy, intercede for His love-sought, blood-bought bride of His own heart. Never does the Christ lose; His bride Whom He woos and wows, romances and entrances, He justifies and glorifies all the Way to the marriage supper and through the endless ages of eternity, not by any harrowing, marrow merit of her own, but by His hallowing, holy lovingkindness alone, as the Lord of each individual’s history, their most ardently affectionate Alphabet of love, their Word of imperially imputed, not to be darkly disputed, royal Righteousness.
Titus 3:5 AMP (emphasis mine)
He saved us, NOT because of ANY works of righteousness that WE have done, but because of HIS OWN compassion and mercy, by the CLEANSING OF the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and RENEWING BY the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8-10 AMP
8 For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. 10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
The words translated “predestined” in the Scriptures referenced above are from the Greek word proorizo, which majors the meaning of “determining beforehand,” “ordaining,” “deciding ahead of time.” Know that the Father of spirits, the Father of creation and destinies, the Father of mercies, in the prescience of His omniscience knew that those multiplied millions of individuals whom He called would, not merely should or could but would satisfactorily stay the entirety of the divinely deemed distance with Himself, the omnipresent, sovereign Surety of their salvation, their omnipotent safe and soaring Sanctification, as His infinitely ingenious, wondrously wise, perfect and cherished workmanship.
John 6:44 AMP
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him [giving him the desire to come to Me], and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.
Romans 8:28-39 AMP
28 And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers. 30 And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity].
31 What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us? 32 He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect (His chosen ones)? It is God who justifies us [declaring us blameless and putting us in a right relationship with Himself]. 34 Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us. 35 Who shall ever separate us from the love of [d]Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 Just as it is written and forever remains written,
“For Your sake we are put to death all day long;
We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us]. 38 For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 AMP
30 But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin], 31 so then, as it is written [in Scripture], “He who boasts and glories, let him boast and glory in the Lord.”
From our Creator’s peerless and perfect perspective, the predestination of Christ’s redeemed is certain and complete. His elect assures their conscience and comportment before their Christ, Who elected each one as surely as He selected every one of them, by their worshipful loving obedience that is the thoroughgoing outflow of their caringly cultivating intimacy, sitting submitted at the feet of their sufficient Savior, the Sum and Summit of their selfless self, soaking and steeping in His sanctifying Spirit, gazing on the duly transforming radiance of His matchlessly beautiful face.
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
Have you noticed that the phrase, ” Come upon you”, is not only found in Acts 1:8 but also in Luke 1: 35 and are the same Greek words.
Come: (Olive Tree Enhanced Strong’s Dictionary)
g1904. ἐπέρχομαι eperchomai; from 1909 and 2064; to supervene, i.e. arrive, occur, impend, attack, (figuratively) influence: — come (in, upon).
Upon: (Olive Tree Enhanced Strong’s Dictionary)
g1909. ἐπί epi; a primary preposition; properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e. over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative case) at, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative case) towards, upon, etc.: — about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, x have charge of, (be-, (where-))fore, in (a place, as much as, the time of, -to), (because) of, (up-)on (behalf of), over, (by, for) the space of, through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), with. In compounds it retains essentially the same import, at, upon, etc. (literally or figuratively). AV (896) – on 196, in 120, upon 159, unto 41, to 41, misc 339; upon, on, at, by, beforeof position, on, at, by, over, againstto, over, on, at, across, against
Both had to do with a new birth.
The new birth and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are two different experiences in God.
“He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
Acts 19:2-6
“And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.”
Acts 18:24-26
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms (plural), and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.”
Hebrews 6:1-3
With blessings and appreciation!
BT
Much more than for interpretation is the gift of man’s spirit praying by the Spirit in tongues: Silently or vocally praying in tongues in a solitary setting, the holy heart of our Father and the omniscient mind of Christ, as supernatural intercession for others, and also as personal edification, which by extension actually assists others, excellently extols the one triune God.
1 Cor. 14 teaches that only in a public setting, interpretation is required or else refrain.
At 1 Corinthians 14, verses that point for me most poignantly, regarding this marvelous manifestation, are as follows (in the AMP):
1 Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts)
2 For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].
4 He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself
5 Now I wish that you might all speak in [unknown] tongues
14 For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the]Holy Spirit within me] prays
15 Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind and understanding also
17 To be sure, you may give thanks well (nobly)
18 I thank God that I speak in [strange] tongues (languages) more than any of you or all of you put together
One’s spirit praying while being exercised by the Spirit, the gift described in 1 Corinthians 14 has a significant and substantial advantage because the mind, with all its biases, perverse preprogramming, and misunderstandings, is enabled to step aside and make way for the infallible direction of Christ Jesus. This means that when we pray in this Way, we are supernaturally empowered to more accurately align ourselves with God’s personality, intentionality, emotionality, supernality, and eternality for ourselves and for those we are interceding. The mind, with all of its preconceptions, misconceptions and limited knowledge, as well-meaning as same may be, gets entirely out of the fallible way of The Way infallible Christ Jesus.
“…And this will we do, if God permits.”
God’s glory, His goodness, is absolutely paramount; without the tantamount teaching and consistent practice duly laid and established in the hearts and minds due to vainglorious self-dependence, the riches of His glory are not, as irreplaceably needful, the more recognized, rendered, realized, reveled, and rejoiced in. We must not get ahead of our skis so that we stay, and having done all stay, between the proverbial ditches, as we mature in His Way, according to His timing, for His infinitely worthy adulation throughout the ages.
Brethren, burning blessings of Jesus’ beauty in your being and intimate blessings of loving affection from His holy heart as Lord of history and King of heaven.
There are in the scriptures various “distributions” and aspects of His people receiving the Holy Spirit:
“Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth WITH you, and shall be IN you.” John 14:17 “IN” used here “ἐν” meaning IN Greek
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost…” John 20:22
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high”
Luke 24:49
“ἐνδύω
endúō; fut. endúsō, from en (G1722), in, and dúō (G1416), to sink, go in or under, to put on. To enter, put on.”
This Greek Word is made up of two Greek Words “ἐν” meaning IN and “δύω” meaning to “sink into” to enter or put on some translations translate it to be “clothed”
With these various dispensations of the Lord concerning the Holy Spirit I refer to the word used to describe the glory of it by the term “Baptized”meaning to fully immerse
βαπτίζω
baptízō; fut. baptísō, from báptō (G911), to dip. Immerse, submerge for a religious purpose, to overwhelm, saturate, baptize (Jhn 1:25).
It is the hope and cry of those who hope in His fullness that we would be “saturated and overwhelmed” by Him.
Appreciate the comments.
Blessings
BT
The life of a believer should transition to that of a live-r. We take the grace of God for granted and live a weak faith with no glory to bring to the Lord. We stand in faith, but we aren’t very compelling, are we? We know the truth, but living it is something else. Thank you for this word, brian. Blessings to you.
Yes amen – the change we need is a fresh seeking and a fresh receiving of Him who is The Way, The Truth and The Life.
So appreciate your comments!
BT
🙂
Oftentimes, badly bamboozled, the glory we believe we can aptly ascribe to the God of all grace and glory is our carnally corrupted ego-driven self-reliance, when, in actual fact, none of us can even do diddly squat without His mercy and munificence. Especially is such so, as most crucially concerns our eternal salvation from self, sin, and Satan.
Do we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, calling Him Lord and Savior, trusting Him to keep our very soul and spirit through endless eons of eternity? If He has not saved us for Himself individually as intimates and as His church corporately from our demonically deceived, unregenerate, and wickedly Adamic selves, we are most certainly in no wise or reality saved from ourselves.
This sin-sick foundational, though furiously false and faulty self-dependence, majors why we, instead of the more richly reveling in and royally rejoicing as the more awe-adorned by the Author, Architect, and Artist of All, do not the more humbly, honestly recognize the more of His grand grace and thus the more effulgence of His inimitable glory, giving Him the more glory which He, as the One All-glorious Triune God, the Self-Existent One, the First Cause, the Sole Source, the Sufficient Supply, the Supreme Sustainer, the Sovereign Over History, the Holy One, the Just One, the Love Almighty, the Kinsman Redeemer, the Perfect Priest, infinitely more deserves. More Lord!
To Him for His glory be all the fire of our desire! That any of us truly love Him, elated, jubilating in even the very least, exulting in and extolling Him at all, is a testament of triumph to the glory of His wholly undeserved blessing and beneficence, His matchless merciful gift of the benefactoring Holy Spirit of salvation and sanctification. Alleluia and amen to the Amen Almighty ever, always, forever.