Right now, God is pouring out His Spirit among us. There are people having powerful spiritual experiences, often tied to spiritual gifts the Lord has given them. If we as the Church are not ready to meet and accompany these people, their hunger (or desperation) will drive them elsewhere to make sense of their experience and learn how to steward it — at great risk to them, and at the additional risk of our squandering the movement of the Holy Spirit.
Read MorePerhaps one of the most misunderstood gifts that the Holy Spirit has given the Church is the gift of prophecy. Its use has dwindled in our modern Church culture, and the mere mention of the word tends to create apprehension. Whether due to a misapplication of the word by popular culture, an (unfair) association with occult practices, a misrepresentation of its true meaning, or simply a shortage of its healthy expression within Christianity, this gift tends to spark controversy, and has thus fallen by the wayside – at great loss to the Body of Christ. In truth, though, prophecy is one of the most valuable gifts we have access to as followers of Jesus.
Read MoreHaving stripped Satan of all power through his death and resurrection, Jesus could have “called it” and ushered in the full manifestation of his Kingdom right then and there. Instead, he did something surprising: he commissioned his disciples to carry on his mission as his ambassadors, entrusting them with the authority to operate on his behalf. But what does that mean? How far does that authority go? And was it just given to the Twelve, or does it extend to every Christian?
Read MoreIn my previous post, I outlined the value of learning to maintain ongoing connectivity with the Lord throughout the day, and provided some simple how-to’s to grow in this practice. In addition to those things, there are some practical strategies I’ve discovered to help protect that awareness of God’s presence in the midst of busy and distracting surroundings.
Read MoreScripture tells us that we are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20). This is a lovely concept to reflect upon which certainly stirs the imagination, however, what can be easily overlooked is its practical application in our lives. Beyond beautiful sentiment, this statement from St. Paul contains some paradigm-shifting implications for us as Believers, so I’d like to unpack it a bit, to help paint a picture of how we might apprehend all that is available to us through Christ.
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