Victory Blog

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31).

It is important to keep clear the difference between the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit and His revelatory works.  Heavenly redemptive activity involved God the Father.  Earthly salvific work has involved the objective, once-for-all substitutionary life and death of the divine Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Application of this provision has been only by the Holy Spirit.  There has been only one perfect offering for sin.  Only one has completed the divine provision whereby lost humans have been given eternal life, the Holy Spirit.  O T Animal sacrifices were didactic, that is, for a teaching purpose.  Priests portrayed God’s work, but did not accomplish God’s work.  Water immersion never saved;  it pictured Spirit immersion.

Of the various different works of the Holy Spirit, that spoken of as the filling or an unction is not to be understood as a redemptive activity.  It was to make known the power of God by empowering individuals (even a donkey) for certain super-human tasks. Read the rest of this post »

Jesus went to the cross for me. There He shed His precious blood in my behalf and for my sin. What amazing love and compassion: to think that before the creation of time, He planned it all and in His grace included me. Since He died for me, then what can I do but live for Him. (1 Thess 5:9-10)

“Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev 4:11)

In school, decades ago, we were required to memorize the poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer, who was killed in World War I.   “I think that I shall never see    A poem lovely as a tree    A tree that may in summer wear    A nest of robins in her hair   …  Poems are made by fools like me    But only God can make a tree.”  The pair of robins who annually have built their nest in the tree just outside my dining room window were back this week.  I assume it’s the same pair;  I can’t tell one from another.  It may be another generation.  Either way, they’re here and busy.

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Follow Jesus’ Example of a Servant’s Heart, Phil 2:5-11

 

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No, not today with all its cloudiness and rain. But a day of ministry, a day of serving the Lord… a day of worshipping the Lord with God’s people. “Lift my heart, O Lord, to the heights of your throne. Give me a vision of You, as You did Isaiah (Isa 6:1). Let me not be satisfied with just existing, but let me seek Your face today with all my heart (Ps 27:8)!”

Somedays, like today, my heart seems overwhelmed with the reality of God. He bowls me over with His love, compassion and patience. He rips my pride with the cross of Jesus. He lifts me up by His gracious hand.
This is the God who saved me, keeps me and will someday deliver me into his glorious kingdom. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift of Jesus (2 Cor 9:15) and inexpressible joy (1 Pet 1:8)!