Skip to main content

The Test of The Holy Spirit

It often comes up in conversations at church, "How do you know someone is a Christian?" That is, how do you know whether they have really believed or not?

The Apostle Paul had to answer this same question when he was writing to the churches in Galatia. His answer is something like this, 'When did you receive the Spirit?' (Galatians 3:1-9) The identifying mark of someone who has believed (converted, been born again) is the presence of the Holy Spirit. No Holy Spirit, No Salvation.

But the Spirit is not something material that we can see with our eyes, so is this any help at all? Yes, because Paul goes on to say that if the Spirit is in you it will produce fruit. That is, visual works in your life that people can see and recognize.

The fruits of the Spirit are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." (Galatians 5:22)

Do these things identify your life? It's a good time to stop and reflect isn't it? If the Holy Spirit lives in you - over time - he WILL produce in you love...he WILL produce joy...he WILL produce patience...and so on. Not just one or two, but all of these.

If we don't see it in our lives or in the lives of others, don't give up - instead pursue Jesus: The Giver of The Holy Spirit. Ask of him; he has promised to give.

Seeking The Kingdom Alongside You,
Pastor Mitch

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Generation of Mark 13:30

At the beginning of Mark chapter thirteen Jesus is leaving the temple area and one of his disciples points out the grandure of the temple buildings. Jesus' remark to that disciple concerns the fact that these buildings will one day be torn down. The disciples question Him further as to the times of these events, and so begins an extended teaching from Jesus on the end times.As Jesus' remarks are drawing to a close, He makes this comment in Mark 13:30: "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (NASB) So the reader is left to wonder the meaning of this statement. Either our understanding of generation is wrong, or we are understanding what Jesus meant by "these things" wrong. I think there are at least two solutions. The word for generation (genea: Greek) could mean, as some side column reference Bibles note, "the human race". This is possible, since the events have not all happened and the human race...
15 comments
Read more

Is That A Bible I See Before Me?

The Weakness of Islamic Evangelism Lately I have been struck by the testimony of those who have suffered at the hands of kidnappers in Iraq. One issue that comes to the front of my mind is Islamic evangelism. Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll spoke to ABC News of her captors holding her at gunpoint and forcing her to read the Koran, which she did. After several days they asked why she had not yet converted to their beliefs. Explaining that she needed more time she continued to read. Again the question came to her about conversion. Finally and saddest of all, she told them that she would convert because she feared for her life. But this leaves us with a strange view of the Koran and the way that Islam chooses to do their evangelism. If the Koran were powerful in and of itself, those who seek to convert Christians to Islamic beliefs would not need to use guns in the process. That is, you should automatically appeal to your most powerful source. The fact that they use guns s...
2 comments
Read more

There Is Light And It Is Good

I am a young earther. That means that I believe that The LORD created the heavens and the earth and all that they contain in six literal 24 hour periods. Those who hold that the evolutionary model is correct (billions and billions of years without a creator) often say that the six literal days is impossible because the sun (the basis for a 24 hour day) is not created until day four(Genesis 1:14-19). A good point to be sure, but what of the light that is spoken of in 1:3? The famous line "Let there be light" is often equated with the sun. But if the sun is created 3 days later than the light, what could this first act of creation be? I believe the hint to what is happening is found at the polar opposite end of the Bible. In Revelation 21:23 Scripture states: "And the city [New Jerusalem i.e., heaven] has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the lamb," and again in 22:5 it states; "And there will...
2 comments
Read more