Heather Howell shares her personal testimony about the importance of rest.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (James 2:14 NIV) 

In today’s podcast Heather and Terry discuss what the Bible says about Christian service. Can you work your way into Heaven? If that’s not how it works, then what are we supposed to do in response to our salvation? 

Link to referenced song, “Do Something” by Matthew West: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_RjndG0IX8

Interested in discovering your spiritual gifts? Contact Heather, [email protected]. 

In today’s episode, we are keeping it real. We are talking about God’s plan for sex. Pre-marital sex, living together, unhappiness in marriage - it is all on the table.

How does it feel to know that God will sometimes lead you into the wilderness, the desert place, instead of the way you think you are ready for? Pastor Terry and Heather discuss practical things you can do to better understand God's will and purpose for your life. 

This week Heather and Terry are discussing biblical mindfulness and meditation. 

Biblical mindfulness and meditation is not simply getting alone and emptying one’s mind.  It is an active process where through prayer and God’s Word we can actually converse with God and the consequence will be a mind that is set on the things of God and the result will be becoming more like Christ.

What is Christian Perfection?

“Christian perfection is the name given to various teachings within Christianity that describe the process of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by pure love of God and other people…”

• Becoming all that God wants you to be - Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
  
  
  • Perfect in love

How is the different form human perfection? 

• IT DOES NOT = without fault or sin
  
  
  •  Perfect (Greek) = full, mature, complete 

Is it possible to achieve Christian Perfection?

Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:27)

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37)

How do we achieve Christian Perfection?
 
LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS.

Today’s four-letter word is FULL.  We are called to be FULL of the Holy Spirit but how can we be full of something we don’t understand? 

In the book “Forgotten God” Francis Chan argues that most Christians never think about the Holy Spirit. 

What are your thoughts about his statement? 

Let’s look at this Forgotten part of God- Who is the Holy Spirit?

Chan looks at 7 Characteristics of the Holy Spirit: 

 1.      The Holy Spirit is a person- Matthew 28:19- He has a name and works alongside God and Jesus

2.      The Holy Spirit is God- Acts 5:3-4 The Spirit and God are interchangeable. So when we forget about the Holy Spirit, we forget about God. 

3.      The Holy Spirit is eternal and holy John 14:16; Romans 1:4 - Our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit

4.      The Holy Spirit has His own mind and prays for us Romans 8:27 - Even when we don’t know how to pray the Holy Spirit prays for us. 

a.       Have you ever not been able to pray?  

5.      The Holy Spirit has emotions: Ephesians 4:30 - Our sin causes Him pain.

6.      The Holy Spirit has His own desires and will- 1 Corinthians 12:11 - He is the one who chooses the gifts that we need to accomplish His plans. 

7.      The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient - We should be in awe of Him and worship Him 

That’s all great, but how do we know we are promised the Holy Spirit?

Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 4:31: After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Romans 8:11: 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.

Scripture says we need to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit (not partly, not somewhat, etc.) but completely FULL. 

Galatians 5:16-23: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

What keeps you from being full?

What does the Holy Spirit want from you right now?  How can you cooperate with Him in His work? 

Today we consider the word self – self is an obstacle for us, something that we repeatedly stumble over, and keeps us from living a holy lifestyle.

Pride and selfishness are at the root of all sin. We live in a world dominated by prideful ambition, fits of anger and impatience, jealousy, contention and it’s all because of human self-centeredness. We must find a way to overcome the sin of self-centeredness.

This is how we can conquer the enemy of self:      

And [Jesus] said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” - Luke 9:23 ESV

You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. - Leviticus 19:2 NLT

You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.  - Ephesians 4:24b CEV

As God’s people we are called and expected to be holy. We have complicated this subject, and often view it with cynicism and skepticism. Yet God actually expects us to be holy. Let’s consider what is holiness, why it is important, and how we become holy.

What is holiness?             

The original Hebrew and Greek words mean “division, separation, or set apart.”

It means something or someone who is set apart from the world and set aside for God. It is more than a set of do’s and don’ts, it means to be separated so that God can use us.

Why is holiness so important?

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. - Revelation 4:8 NIV

Holiness describes the character of God more than any other word. The Lord is completely set apart from all that is sinful and corrupt. In the same way, holiness is meant to be a core character trait of Christians – not just our outward behavior, but our inner hearts.

 Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” - 1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV

 How do we become holy and fulfill our God-given destiny?

Our own efforts to be holy always fall short, we cannot do this by our own willpower. The good news is that God helps us – we have to make an effort to set ourselves apart, but it is God who transforms our inner selves into something holy. Jesus’ work opened the way for our salvation and holiness, and now we are called to co-operate with the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy. - Leviticus 20:7-8 NLT

You were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT

Conclusion

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26 NIV 

God has called you and I to be holy as He is holy.  

- Do you believe this? Do you believe you are called to be holy and somehow God can do that work in your life? What are some obstacles that stand in the way of truly believing you can live a holy life?

- Will you give yourself wholeheartedly to God and to the work of the Holy Spirit to do for you what you cannot do yourself? Ask the Lord to do this holy work in your heart and life.

- Will you agree to do whatever is necessary to cooperate with God’s Spirit so that you can “be holy in all you do” and say? What is ONE THING you can do to live a holy life?

Pastor Terry discusses what God can do with what happened in 2020.  

Hint: He can bring good out of every situation! 

Get excited and be grateful. The best is yet to come.