Purging Persistent Pachyderms!

(Who's the Greatest? Part 2)

Did you know that Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, has also hunted wild elephants? These particular elephants had discovered the cultivated farmlands near the Nature Preserve which was their home. As you can imagine, a farmer's field is no place for an elephant, and these pachyderms were making quite a mess while enjoying the easy pickings. Just like the "Elephant in the Living Room" mentioned in our last letter, the elephants were making life miserable for the farmers.

As a reminder, the phrase "There's an Elephant in the Living Room" is used to describe a serious situation which is ignored, even though it should be addressed. The Church of today is used to living without experiencing the abundant signs that God promised to those who believe in Jesus Christ. As a consequence, many are being deceived by false signs and counterfeit displays of power. They are seeking to fill the void with astrology, the paranormal, so-called psychic phenomena, religious practices, et cetera. The solution is for the Church to return to the lifestyle that is characterized by the power of God. But, how does the Church drive this Elephant from the Living Room?

Just as the Church Today is in a position of relative weakness, the farmers were powerless to rid their farms of the pillaging pachyderms. However, these farmers did not get lulled into living with the problem: They were determined to do something about it. They needed help and they knew where to get it. A team of men, joined by the Crocodile Hunter, was called upon to remove the elephants from the farmers' fields. The technique they employed is very interesting and quite effective. They used something stronger than untamed elephants: trained elephants with skilled riders.

You see, this wasn't merely a group of men and tame elephants. The elephants had been trained to obey words and gestures that the men, in turn, had been taught how to use. Thus, the elephants and the men, working together as a team, herded the wild elephants out of the fields and back into the Nature Preserve.

And the Crocodile Hunter? He was able to participate in the Elephant Hunt, because he had learned how to communicate with the trained elephant that was assigned to him. If he had not been taught properly, or if he had not been attentive to the lessons, he could not have been an effective member of the team.

The key to their success was training.

Similarly, the problem confronting the Church can only be solved through training. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to exercise the power of God. Just like the skilled elephant herders and their trained elephants, we need to become trained and skilled in the ways of God, by learning the methods God's Spirit uses to communicate with His People, and by simply obeying the commandments given by God in His Holy Scriptures. We are the students and the Spirit is our Teacher. According to the Scriptures, "The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things" (John 14:26) and "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13)

Has the Holy Ghost been sent or is He yet to come? What do the Scriptures say about this?

After Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He commanded the disciples: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. " (Matthew 28:19-20) At the same time He told them: "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)

What was the promise of the Father that Jesus mentioned? "The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name." (John 14:26) To whom did God the Father make that promise? Who can receive the Spirit of God? The answer is given in the message spoken by the Apostle Peter moments after the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples who had obeyed the command of the Lord to "tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."

"Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-39)

This passage gives the answer to the all important question: Who can receive the Spirit of God? The Holy Spirit was sent to those who were with Peter on the Day of Pentecost and the promise is still valid today. The Holy Ghost will come "to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

Now for the first of the unanswered questions from Part I of this series: "How is the Spirit of God received?" Note carefully the prerequisite given in verse 38 of Acts 2, for it is critically important: In order to receive the Holy Ghost, a person must first repent of their sins, believing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The Holy Spirit is only given to those who in faith have truly repented. But, there is more to it than that.

The following passage is often used to teach people to have faith when they ask God for something in prayer, but Jesus was using this to teach about asking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:9-13)

God sends the gift of His Holy Spirit to those who, in addition to having saving faith, ask Him.

Another question that may be asked is, once we've received the Holy Spirit is that all there is? The answer is a resounding No! It is not enough to be born again by the Spirit of the Living God. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galations 5:25) Walking in the Spirit is the result of being trained by the Spirit.

How can we tell if we are walking in the Spirit? If we have the evidence: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." (Galatians 5:22-25) Notice that the fruit of the Spirit is not the signs and other evidences of supernatural power that people expect. The fruit of the Spirit marks a life that has been supernaturally changed by the Power of God. We should use each of the nine words in this list of fruit as the basis for extensive study in the Scriptures, but in this letter we will only cover the first one. The remaining eight words are left as an exercise for the Reader (that's you!). However, you can use the following as an example to follow for your own studies.

The Greek word translated love in this passage is agape. Thus, the fruit of the Spirit is agape, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (it's the fruit of the spirit, not fruits; we can't pick from the list). Agape is the love of the Spirit, and only those who have the Spirit of God can have this kind of love.

Remember from our last letter, agape means the kind of love that God has for us by giving His Son to die for us; The kind of love that Christ demonstrated by dying for us on the cross. It is the kind of love that motivates the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The kind of love the best husband has for his wife. The kind of love described in the Great Love chapter of the Bible:

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Thus, a husband, a deacon, an elder, or anyone who is motivated by charity is very patient, and is kind; does not envy; he is not condescending, is not proud; Does not behave himself unseemly, seeks not his own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The one who is motivated by God's love never fails.

This is the fruit of the working of God's Spirit in the heart of each person who believes and has confessed that Jesus is the Christ and has come in a physical human body to save us from our sins and eternal damnation by dying in our place on the Cross at Calvary. But God's Spirit does not produce this fruit in us unless we cooperate with Him. We have our work to do for this fruit to be produced. The very next verses in Galations 5 says this: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

The phrase "walk in the Spirit" means that we are to have a lifestyle that is characterized by the influence of God's Spirit, as opposed to living our lives by what comes naturally. Similarly, the Crocodile Hunter's specialty is obviously not elephants. But he learned how to communicate with the trained elephant that was assigned to him, and because he applied himself, he was effective in the elephant hunt.

In the same way, by allowing God's Spirit to train us, by studying His Word, by learning to hear His voice, by diligently applying ourselves to the ways of God, we can become effective members of the Church. And only effective members working together with the Spirit of God can truly drive the elephant from the living room, so that the Church as a whole can again experience the power of God in abundance. The elephant and the blockage to the flowing of God's power that the elephant represents can only be removed by God's people learning to become servants of one another. It is the Spirit's task to teach us to be the true servants of God and of one another.

Now for the answer to "Who's the Greatest?" Jesus said that the greatest among us is the one who is servant of all. Of course, that describes Jesus, since He was servant to all of humanity by dying for everyone's sins.

True Servant hood proceeds from the very heart of God, and the greatest servants are those who are the closest to Him. So, if you truly want to be great in God's eyes, then you need to become a greater servant.

We will continue with this topic in Part III of the series: "To Die For!"


	Purging Persistent Pachyderms! (Who's the Greatest? Part 2) Did you know that Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, has also hunted wild elephants? These particular elephants had discovered the cultivated farmlands near the Nature Preserve which was their home. As you can imagine, a farmer's field is no place for an elephant, and these pachyderms were making quite a mess while enjoying the easy pickings. Just like the "Elephant in the Living Room" mentioned in our last letter, the elephants were making life miserable for the farmers. As a reminder, the phrase "There's an Elephant in the Living Room" is used to describe a serious situation which is ignored, even though it should be addressed. The Church of today is used to living without experiencing the abundant signs that God promised to those who believe in Jesus Christ. As a consequence, many are being deceived by false signs and counterfeit displays of power. They are seeking to fill the void with astrology, the paranormal, so-called psychic phenomena, religious practices, et cetera. The solution is for the Church to return to the lifestyle that is characterized by the power of God. But, how does the Church drive this Elephant from the Living Room? Just as the Church Today is in a position of relative weakness, the farmers were powerless to rid their farms of the pillaging pachyderms. However, these farmers did not get lulled into living with the problem: They were determined to do something about it. They needed help and they knew where to get it. A team of men, joined by the Crocodile Hunter, was called upon to remove the elephants from the farmers' fields. The technique they employed is very interesting and quite effective. They used something stronger than untamed elephants: trained elephants with skilled riders. You see, this wasn't merely a group of men and tame elephants. The elephants had been trained to obey words and gestures that the men, in turn, had been taught how to use. Thus, the elephants and the men, working together as a team, herded the wild elephants out of the fields and back into the Nature Preserve. And the Crocodile Hunter? He was able to participate in the Elephant Hunt, because he had learned how to communicate with the trained elephant that was assigned to him. If he had not been taught properly, or if he had not been attentive to the lessons, he could not have been an effective member of the team. The key to their success was training. Similarly, the problem confronting the Church can only be solved through training. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to exercise the power of God. Just like the skilled elephant herders and their trained elephants, we need to become trained and skilled in the ways of God, by learning the methods God's Spirit uses to communicate with His People, and by simply obeying the commandments given by God in His Holy Scriptures. We are the students and the Spirit is our Teacher. According to the Scriptures, "The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things" (John 14:26) and "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13) Has the Holy Ghost been sent or is He yet to come? What do the Scriptures say about this? After Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He commanded the disciples: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. " (Matthew 28:19-20) At the same time He told them: "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) What was the promise of the Father that Jesus mentioned? "The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name." (John 14:26) To whom did God the Father make that promise? Who can receive the Spirit of God? The answer is given in the message spoken by the Apostle Peter moments after the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples who had obeyed the command of the Lord to "tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." "Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-39) This passage gives the answer to the all important question: Who can receive the Spirit of God? The Holy Spirit was sent to those who were with Peter on the Day of Pentecost and the promise is still valid today. The Holy Ghost will come "to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Now for the first of the unanswered questions from Part I of this series: "How is the Spirit of God received?" Note carefully the prerequisite given in verse 38 of Acts 2, for it is critically important: In order to receive the Holy Ghost, a person must first repent of their sins, believing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The Holy Spirit is only given to those who in faith have truly repented. But, there is more to it than that. The following passage is often used to teach people to have faith when they ask God for something in prayer, but Jesus was using this to teach about asking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:9-13) God sends the gift of His Holy Spirit to those who, in addition to having saving faith, ask Him. Another question that may be asked is, once we've received the Holy Spirit is that all there is? The answer is a resounding No! It is not enough to be born again by the Spirit of the Living God. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galations 5:25) Walking in the Spirit is the result of being trained by the Spirit. How can we tell if we are walking in the Spirit? If we have the evidence: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." (Galatians 5:22-25) Notice that the fruit of the Spirit is not the signs and other evidences of supernatural power that people expect. The fruit of the Spirit marks a life that has been supernaturally changed by the Power of God. We should use each of the nine words in this list of fruit as the basis for extensive study in the Scriptures, but in this letter we will only cover the first one. The remaining eight words are left as an exercise for the Reader (that's you!). However, you can use the following as an example to follow for your own studies. The Greek word translated love in this passage is agape. Thus, the fruit of the Spirit is agape, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (it's the fruit of the spirit, not fruits; we can't pick from the list). Agape is the love of the Spirit, and only those who have the Spirit of God can have this kind of love. Remember from our last letter, agape means the kind of love that God has for us by giving His Son to die for us; The kind of love that Christ demonstrated by dying for us on the cross. It is the kind of love that motivates the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The kind of love the best husband has for his wife. The kind of love described in the Great Love chapter of the Bible: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) Thus, a husband, a deacon, an elder, or anyone who is motivated by charity is very patient, and is kind; does not envy; he is not condescending, is not proud; Does not behave himself unseemly, seeks not his own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The one who is motivated by God's love never fails. This is the fruit of the working of God's Spirit in the heart of each person who believes and has confessed that Jesus is the Christ and has come in a physical human body to save us from our sins and eternal damnation by dying in our place on the Cross at Calvary. But God's Spirit does not produce this fruit in us unless we cooperate with Him. We have our work to do for this fruit to be produced. The very next verses in Galations 5 says this: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." The phrase "walk in the Spirit" means that we are to have a lifestyle that is characterized by the influence of God's Spirit, as opposed to living our lives by what comes naturally. Similarly, the Crocodile Hunter's specialty is obviously not elephants. But he learned how to communicate with the trained elephant that was assigned to him, and because he applied himself, he was effective in the elephant hunt. In the same way, by allowing God's Spirit to train us, by studying His Word, by learning to hear His voice, by diligently applying ourselves to the ways of God, we can become effective members of the Church. And only effective members working together with the Spirit of God can truly drive the elephant from the living room, so that the Church as a whole can again experience the power of God in abundance. The elephant and the blockage to the flowing of God's power that the elephant represents can only be removed by God's people learning to become servants of one another. It is the Spirit's task to teach us to be the true servants of God and of one another. Now for the answer to "Who's the Greatest?" Jesus said that the greatest among us is the one who is servant of all. Of course, that describes Jesus, since He was servant to all of humanity by dying for everyone's sins. True Servant hood proceeds from the very heart of God, and the greatest servants are those who are the closest to Him. So, if you truly want to be great in God's eyes, then you need to become a greater servant. We will continue with this topic in Part III of the series: "To Die For!"
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