CNS| David Limbaugh: Many things about Christianity are counterintuitive, but none more than this: God the perfect Father sent Jesus the perfect Son to Earth as a human being to suffer and die for the sins of imperfect human beings so that those who believe in the Son would receive the perfect Holy Spirit and live in eternal love with God.
Scripture makes all this clear.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8).
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).
While we properly emphasize Christ’s deity, we sometimes underappreciate His full humanity. It’s distasteful for lowly humans to imagine that the God of the universe could or would take on human form, let alone do so to save us. Shouldn’t that be beneath Him?
Of course, that’s precisely the point. It was beneath Him, and He did it anyway out of His pure love for us — each of us as individuals. read more
Christ was willing to die for our sins, to atone for them so that we don’t face eternal condemnation over them.
Tomorrow we get to show our unwillingness to even risk the small chance of getting sick to worship and revere him for doing it.
Question. Does anybody here really feel filled with the Holy Spirit? And what does that feel like?
Steven Bancarz, a former yet very successful New Ager, lays it all out perfectly regarding The Lord during this pandemic. I encourage you all to listen to him. Very reassuring.
https://youtu.be/wsVtgQ9H53Y
Also, delve into his testimony. Full of spiritual warfare! Like mine. Right Fur? 😊
Anonymous, it feels like something that can’t be explained to someone who thinks mankind has all the answers. Is that you?
Yesterday (Good Friday) where I live, the rain came down harder than I’ve ever seen before. It was between 0830 and 0900 PDT, I think about the time Christ breathed his last breath on that hill outside of Jerusalem.
God’s tears? God’s reminder?
Pray. Be thankful.
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
He sacrificed himself for all of mankind.
We cannot make our own decisions to go out and work ( sacrifice) to feed our families.
Big Brother will do it for us.
way to go Government
@Anon – read C.S. Lewis, or better yet read the New Testament and then C.S. Lewis.
god does not go where he’s not invited
The Bible says “Seek and Ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened.” And it’s true. Say an earnest prayer to God in Jesus’ name that he put the truth in front of your face.
In the movie City Slickers, one of the guys asks the Jack Palance character if he knows the meaning of life. JP says yeah, “but it’s something you have to figure out for yourself.”
Ask simple honest questions and nobody can give a simple answer.
^^^^ spoken like a true atheist, so predictable.
@Anon- I gave you a simple answer – you just don’t want to do your own work. To know what it feels like, you have to find it for yourself. And I gave you suggestions above on how to do that.
I don’t know how anyone could possibly explain it to someone who hasn’t experienced it. It would be like trying to explain what “yellow” is to someone who has been blind since birth. You can tell him it’s the color of a banana, but that won’t help.
The good news is, you don’t have to stay blind.
St Michael the Archangel is THE best. What is there not to like a real good ass kicker in the deep trenches?
SMtA reminds me of Gandalf when he had to confront the Balrog (a demon of the highest order).
These are two short clips from an excellent animated adaption of the LOTR, done by the great Ralph Bakshi, 1978:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kylnv0eTsGc
And guess who won?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEgHjCWeFd0
Anyone that has read Tolkien, KNOWS he was a Christian of the highest order himself, and he knew a thing or two about good vs EVIL.
Lewis, Chesterton, etc…good friends of his.
I might equate it to starting a journey of walking the full circumference of the earth, thinking that at the end of the journey you will have all the joys and satisfaction that the world offers.
Continually you get sidetracked and distracted with all types of things the world has to offer, but continually you find to be empty and vapid, of no real purpose (vanity as expressed in Ecclesiastes). You tell yourself that the next time you experience (fill in the blank) it will be better and more fulfilling, but it never is, but we keep lying to ourselves.
This continuous process bears and wears down you, continually, but we forge ahead, knowing nothing but what the world teaches and offers.
If you are “lucky”, very early in your journey, but, definitely before you reach the full 360 end of your journey, even if one single step before reaching the end, you realize that you have been going in the wrong direction. The “conviction” of this directional error is like a gut punch and can even contain the “5 stages of grief”.
But, then it is with the greatest of joy that you begin retracing your steps, even experiencing some of the same “idols” you worshiped on your path, but now you see them for what they are and they fall to the wayside as the lies they have always been, but now you have eyes to see, ears to hear and heart to desire Truth.
There is much more to the narrative, but suffice it to say that my lame attempt is done with as much love towards my neighbor as I can offer, even in my fallen and less than perfect state. I see too many who seem to cease their journey after turning around. Obeying the doctrines and traditions of men instead of the whole Word of YHWH.
Shabbat shalom!
Actually Anon, with all due respect to Gladys, there is no simple answer. If you think you can google the answer you’ll never find it.
Just as the concept of the trinity is difficult to grasp, and the fact Jesus being both God and human is incomprehensible, the Holy Spirit lives in both your heart and your mind. It is revealed as you deepen your relationship with God. This is done through a combination of prayer, reading the Bible and fellowship with other believers. Transformation does happen. I personally don’t believe that is an immediate conversion, but rather a life-long journey on the path to redemption. And on this journey, answers to the questions that you have become a little more clearer.
Gladys did give you a simple answer, but it takes effort and desire. Oh, and it also requires faith in believing what you cannot see.
@Stirrin well said. Above all, you must have a desire to know the truth. Unless God wants you for something in particular – and then he’ll grab you.
Just FYI – C.S. Lewis was a most confirmed, virulent atheist for many years.
To Anon: To feel the Holy Spirit, you have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and let go of yourself to be open to God. Then His presence, God’s Holy Spirit, can be part of you. Sometimes it is a small voice. Sometimes it will yell at you with voice of authority. But most of the time it is a feeling of comfort and internal peace.
Anonymous – Being filled with Holy Spirit is predicated on knowing Christ as Savior and Lord; ref. Romans 9:10, John 3:6-8.
Also, experiencing being filled by The Holly Spirit is not so much a feeling as it is a knowing.
The disciples did receive a gift or skill after encountering The Holy Spirit. It was a confirmation they were filled; Acts 2:1-8.
Here is an excellent explanation conserning the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is a little dramatic, yet it does present the truth of scripture;
https://youtu.be/u2DGxfoIquM .
Note: Jesus Himself after being Baptized way filled with The Holy Spirit who BTW is also God:
Matthew 12:31-32. This is also why it’s mandatory to be filled after salvation.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a powerful tool that helps Christians have a more personal relatiomship with God and insightful interpratation of scripture, withstand sin, resist Satan an his demonic forces. Without The Holy Spirit’s help Christians are left defenseless.
The best I can describe being filled with The Holy Spirit is knowing instinctively by His guidance what to say or do in situations that occur in life and being greatful someone has my back – and that’s when it becomes emotional – knowing The True and Living God cares about me, loves me. This gives me great peace and confidence.
Particularly helpful when talking with and praying to God. Yes, converations with God are possible as a faithful believer who spends time in The Word (The Holy Bible) and with The Father.
Anonymous, I hope you serious about knowing God and the role of the Holy Spirit. The only way to do that is to know Christ. What a perfect time to do so.
Thanks for this post MJA. “Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.” – Old Russian proverb
John 3:16
Anon:, My attempt at a simple answer, When I am close to God, I feel loved in a way I have never felt other times. Pure love from a being that is very real in those moments.
2 years ago at age 46, I took Thomas as my confirmation name. One moment, Thomas was willing to die with Jesus, the next he had to put his finger in his side to believe. That is me. But when I’m close to God, it is a joy and love you can’t explain.
“St Michael the Archangel is THE best. ”
Archangels are not Saints, they are Archangels.
Saints are humans, mostly ones that the Catholic Church has elevated to that status for Catholic reasons.
jerry mandarin…thanks for the Steven Bancarz reference. i enjoyed it thoroughly. book marked it for further study.
Anonymous, I truly hope you’re searching for the truth & turn your life over to the CARE of Jesus Christ. To answer your question, it’s feeling hope, confidence, & peace in that whatever happens you will be alright. This past week was one of the hardest of my life since being saved. I lost my job after 39 years of service. Thing is, I know everything will work out fine as I belong to him & he has cared for me continuously since that day I gave my life to him.
to anonymous…it sounds like maybe you would like to go from an ardent non-believer to a believer but cannot fathom how to do that.
or at least that was my situation having been raised and having lived as an atheist. i tried a very simple prayer that i had read about. “Jesus, please come into my heart”.
i didn’t really expect it to work but i most certainly hoped it would. within a day or so, an issue i had became clear and no longer a problem. and i thought, hmmmm i wonder. and went on with my life. did it a few more times when i felt especially down. always got some resolution w/in a day or so.
they were small things, like better control of my temper. and they were always things i truly wanted changed.
over time, i noticed that i felt a sense of being loved and protected. and i started indulging with grateful prayers when out of the blue, i would notice a sense of gratitude and contentment and trust.
so, over time, i moved from a lonely loner w/ little trust to a life of hope and gratitude. the pace was always mine to choose. the externals of my life did not change but internally i have a lovely recognition of peace and being loved. and from that i think i have learned to love myself. and that opens me to better love others.
i hope you allow yourself to give it a try. and remember, you choose the pace.
I believed the Gospel at a young age and agree with the above post. Through the years my faith in and love for my Saviour has grown to be the very essence of my life. Through all the ups and downs I’ve faced God’s love for me has been constant and compelling as a guiding, nurturing force. He is my joy, He is my peace, He is my life now and forever.