My heart is hungry to encounter the Spirit of the living God. Those moments when He walks into your life and it leaves you in a state of child like wonder and awe. Worldview and theology are very important to me but I must have encounter moments. Times when our Father crashes into my world and establishes His! His manifest presence, it's why I study and pursue, it's why I ask questions and search, to find Him.
May we raise up many disciples who are searching out the living God!
Has anyone ever said to you, "You are like a prince among us."
Maybe not because our culture does not use that language. But in the heart of the people you live among do they see you as a prince. Can it be said of you? By the way you live, because of the way you bless others.
It was said of Abraham in Genesis 23.
Abraham was looking for a place to bury Sarah. He was not looking for a hand out, he was willing and eventually did pay full price for the burial site. How many times do we find ourselves looking for a break because we are a church or a christian?
Not Abraham.
He was there to bless.
He lived in such a way that an entire community recognized that he was like a prince among them. They were willing to give him anything but he would not take it. I believe the manner in which he treated those around him is exactly why they called him a prince.
As I prayed this morning I longed to be like our Father Abraham. One who blesses. One who is like a prince because of the way I treat others.
Driving in my truck one sunny afternoon the Holy Spirit called me a whore. I was shocked and then I realized it was true.
I have used the word whore a few times in my life to describe certain pop culture idols. In conversation with friends I might say for shock value so and so is a whore in my opinion.
As I remembered this one day driving in my truck. The Spirit started to minister to me by telling me why I had chosen such a dramatic word to describe another human being. It was simple, I was projecting myself. The Spirit said you are the whore and you are projecting your own brokenness onto these people. Ouch was my initial response and then I realized how true it was.
Processing this led to great freedom. Loving God with all of my heart but yet bending to this crave called lust and pornography at certain times. Basically a whore, loving God but also keeping a hidden pleasure in the relationship. God was jealous and he wants to fulfill all my needs.
So it feels great to not be a whore anymore but just like an alcoholic recovering from addiction so it is with anyone addicted to porn. It is a day by day journey.
But porn is not the point, it was my own brokenness that was craving to be healed. I was longing for peace. Life is way more fun now. My mind is free and it is amazing!
So I will never forget the day God called me a whore. And I will walk out in humility this thing called freedom.
Internet porn is a sign of the broken soul aching for peace. Over eating is a sign of the broken soul longing for peace. The sinful nature is appealing to us cause it seems to offer an escape from the broken painful reality we live in as broken sons of Adam.
The "Make It Happen Lifestyle" is another great example of the appeal of the sinful nature to offer peace. When I was the make it happen man, my broken soul only got worse. My porn addiction only got darker. I was working so hard in my flesh to keep the drug and buzz of adrenaline going to numb my painful existence that when I slowed down long enough there it was again.
Our broken soul aches for peace. It craves wholeness. I believe that pain drives most of us on a subconscious level. We don't even know why we do half of the things we do. Put the sinful nature is luring to us. It offers short term fixes that drive us more into darkness. It numbs us for a brief moment from the pain of brokenness. That is the dangerous part.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of Joel 2.28. God pouring out his Spirit on all flesh. Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit or do you have the Holy Spirit were common questions in the early church. Why? Cause it was a sign that marked and transformed you as one who follows Messiah.
I believe that the Spirit helps us find peace for the ache in our broken souls. He helps redeem and repair the thoughts and birth a new identity within us. New identity is always followed by new behavior. It is interesting to me how much energy is spent within religion on changing a person behavior. There is so much focus on doing this or not doing that, it can make your head spin. So many broken souls trying to find healing and peace jumping through all these religious hoops, hoping it will work. So much energy focused on stopping this or that.
When I find the opposite to be true. Let's focus on starting. Let's focus on renewing our identities. Who am I in Christ? Is a great question to ask as we begin the journey. If a person is renewed in their identity, kingdom behavior naturally follows. So stop judging so hard at all the brokenness you see. So many Christians are trapped in this religious behavior thing, it makes me sick. They can't be honest, cause they are stuck in a religious trap based in behavior. So they have to look and act the part. A viscous cycle that drives us deeper into darkness.
So what is our new identity? Who are we in Christ?
The Holy Spirit establishes these things within us. Look at Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
What our broken aching soul longs for is the healing and peace only the Father can give us. The Holy Spirit cries out from within us "Abba," Pappa," "Daddy." The Holy Spirit carries our broken soul into the intimate presence of God where we cry out, "daddy." The Holy Spirit helps us trust God as our Father.
When our broken soul desires to turn to the sinful nature, in that moment, we need to allow the Spirit to cry out within us, "Abba." He will take us right to the throne where we are healed. He takes us into the presence of wholeness and peace. We are to be continually filled with the power and fire of the Spirit.
Jesus said in John 15 that we must remain in him and apart from him we can do nothing. John 6 says that the Spirit gives life but the flesh counts for nothing.
To the 1st Century church this was not dogma. It was the power of the Spirit who testified within them that they are now Sons and Daughters of the King. One Rabbi put it well in saying that, "The worst of the evil impulses is to forget that you are a child of the King."
This was the essence of life to the one who followed Messiah in the new church.
So for me it means to trust my Father. To believe what the Spirit is speaking. I am a child of his and that changes everything. I don't have to make bread in my own strength. I simply trust and obey Pappa.
My broken aching soul is being redeemed and repaired by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Immersed in Him. His power is healing my soul. That is good news. It is a hope for the entire world!
The Holy Spirit has become dogma for our 21st Century. A rebirth, a new hunger must awaken our soul to the truth and necessity of the Holy Spirit in us and through us. We must have the Holy Spirit. -Dwight A. Pryor
The Holy Spirit is the mark of the New Covenant. The mark of the new relationship with God.
But in our "Have it your way American living" we can easily lose sight of this transformational truth. We tend to look at the Holy Spirit from more of a dogma stance. A creed or doctrinal category. We might say I had that experience years ago. But what about today. Have you experienced the Spirit today? Are your fully renewed in the power of the Spirit right now? To the 1st Century church it was not dogma, it was the mark of this new thing that God was doing. The manifestation of Joel 2.28, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people."
John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize us in the Holy Spirit and with fire. Jesus said that we would receive power when the Spirit is poured out on us. Power and fire to continue advancing God's kingdom, to make disciples, to continue bringing heaven's peace to the earth.
Baptizo is Greek for Baptism and means: to “dip, soak, immerse” into a liquid so that what is dipped takes on qualities of what it has been dipped in - such as a cloth in dye or leather in tanning solution.
As we are baptized in the Holy Spirit we take on his qualities, his nature.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not about speaking in tongues only, as some denominations have made it to be. It happens but so does dreams and visions, prophetic words. But the point that is changing my life is simple. For far to long the Spirit has been more dogma to me than a living reality.
During my years of training for ministry the primary lesson I learned was to, "Make it Happen." So I excelled in this energy of making it happen. Striving to be the best I developed the make it happen lifestyle. But I am discovering the truth of John 6. The Spirit gives life and the flesh counts for nothing. To make it happen is to bypass God in many ways, if we are not careful.
So the last many years has been a deconstruction of a life dedicated to making it happen and allowing the Spirit to guide and direct my life.
Take bread for example. Bread is a symbol of daily nourishment. It is also a visual illustration of the intelligence of man in creating sustenance for himself. Manna, on the other hand, is provided by God alone, without human effort or achievement. Manna reminds us that there is another dimension of supernatural provision whereby God Himself sustains life.
Could it be that the 21st Century American church lacks supernatural miracles because we are making our own bread? Our own structures and our own kingdoms. Birthed from our own intellect. Are we making it happen without God?
These are the painful questions I have been asking myself the last five years. It is transforming me. The only thing I can clearly see is that Brian Phillips must have the power of the Holy Spirit in every moment, every decision. For he raises me from my dead end way of living. He guides and comforts. Christ baptizes us in the power and fire of the Holy Spirit. That is the action plan for the advancing of his Kingdom.
I don't think that God is mad at us for missing it. But I do know that he is filled with joy when the revelation of the Spirit moves from dogma to the essence of the new life. So this is not about a guilt trip.
Tomorrow I want to look at how the Spirit helps our broken souls find peace.
A new day. A new encounter. A new power that raises us from the dead. The broken soul now has something new, a redemptive restoration that cures the ache of our longing hearts.
What is the new?
What is the mark of the new?
The new is the new covenant with God. The mark of the new covenant with God is the Holy Spirit.The mark of the first covenant with God was circumcision. The mark of the New Covenant is the Holy Spirit.
The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now is poured out on all who ask. He raises us from our dead end ways.
Now Jesus spent 3 years raising up his disciples. His disciples are to continue what he started, the advancing of his kingdom. They lived with him and did everything together. He commissions them saying, "Go into all the world and make disciples. Baptize them and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you." Essentially he was saying now go do what I have been doing!
That's it.
There was no ten year plan or for that matter a ten or twenty century plan. There was not five principles you will need to always succeed at advancing my kingdom. No action plan. Just go do what I've been doing and oh yeah you will need one thing and one thing only to succeed.
He said to them go wait for what the Father promised. Guess what that was?
The baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus himself baptizes us in the Holy Spirit and with fire. We receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us.
So if your looking for an action plan this is it. The Holy Spirit. By the way the Spirit is the mark of the New Covenant. That is why the Apostle Paul would ask believers if they had the Holy Spirit. That's why he would say things like IF the Spirit lives in you then... notice the IF.
This is what it means to be Christian in the 1st century, if you have the Holy Spirit you are part of Messiah.
The mark of the new!
I will write some more on this tomorrow.
BrianOver the last few weeks there have been some thoughts that have realigned my thinking and intimacy with God. I want to share them with you briefly.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15.5
Wow. That has really rocked me over the past few weeks. So rich. Remaining in him. How much time do we spend remaining in him? Are we so busy that we tip our hat to God on Sundays and occasionally during the week. Now I don't wanna get all religious and start attaching all these requirements that you can never live up to, all these ideas about what that might look like.
So what does it look like?
I was reflecting earlier today about the daily reading Bibles. I have tried so many times to read the Bible in a year and all that ever happens is that I fall many days behind and eventually quit. It is funny when I reflect on it. It does not mean that I do not love God. I just stink at reading sometimes. So what does it look like to remain in him? I think it is different for all of us. Essentially we must follow the Holy Spirit as he leads us.
Apart from me you can do nothing. Now that has really been on the for fronts of my mind. Apart from God, I can do nothing that bears fruit. So it has refreshed my approach and my daily life. To walk and remain in him.
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. John 6.63
I think that sums it up!
Working. Taking on more than you can. Working. Keeping the driven edge going. Working. Slaving. Not fully enjoying. Opposite of child like. Working. Slaving. Maintaining the buzz and hype. Slaving. Building kingdoms that will not last. Slaving. The employee for God mentality.
Don't get me wrong. I love God with all of my heart as many of us do. But I found myself with more of an employee mentality for God.
Working. Slaving. Doing. Filling my time with all kinds of activity that is useless when you realize your an employee.
God does not see any of us as employees. He sees us as Sons and Daughters in his redemptive kingdom. A people who bear his name in the earth. Who set him apart as God to the nations. So that when they look at you, they actually see Him. Now that perspective changes everything.
One that I embrace, cherish and desire to spread like a fire.
So as employee you and I miss the intimacy that the Father's heart desires to pour out on us. Bosses don't usually treat employees like sons and daughters.
As an employee our energy is spend on doing, doing, doing. Sounds very American in nature. We are the Country that gets it done. As a child of God our energy is spent on being, being, being. Being child like. Eyes filled with wonder and awe and we enjoy Pappa. Thankfulness becomes a weapon. Invigorated by His very presence. As a child we learn to emotionally connect with God as a father.
I think about Messiah and all of his mentions of being one with the Father. All of his prayers and teachings that we would also be one with the Father. The Spirit of God leads us to the Son and he leads us to the Father.
We work in the Kingdom. But our work is based out of a new identity as his very own child. He speaks to us revelation and we respond with child like faith, that anything is possible with Pappa.
Moving from employee to son is a process and journey. The Spirit is so amazing and gentle in teaching my fragile soul the importance of connecting with Pappa emotionally. To intimately know Him, made possible by a bloody sacrifice.
So that everything that is action in my life is driven by a deep connection of the very God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The way that Jesus lived is what he prayed that we would discover by the power of his Spirit.
Being American it is so easy to get sucked into bigger, badder, better mentality. To actually be a slave to busyness. To lose your soul. I think of the Braveheart quote, "All men die but few men really live." To be a child of God is to really live.
So I am moving from darkness to light. From employee to son. It changes everything. The world is viewed from a different perspective. Now since I have entered into relationship with God I have been a son from that moment. But our American culture is ever with us and it lures us into paths that we are not meant to walk down.
So I am learning to be His son and my heart is filled with joy.
Let's change the world together. With Pappa anything is possible, even beyond our imaginations!
Brian
Have you ever hit a point of burn out or maybe you been on the brink of it and can sense that there is to much going on all around. I know all to well how this feels.
I have recently hit a period of burn out. Doing to much. Burning the candle at both ends. Allowing myself to be navigated by my own drivenness. Busyness is a drug and one I know all to well.
So my journey once again has brought me to a place of reflection and soul searching.
Why?
Why does drivenness and busyness matter to me? Or what am I masking with the drug of busyness?
These are questions I have been wrestling with for a few weeks now.
I am going to write over the next few blogs concerning some things I have learned in this soul searching time.
None of what I have learned is new. It is all stuff I know of, but now the Spirit is calling me into a deeper relationship. A pathway of intimacy, a trail that leads to really knowing God, not just knowing about him. But this is our journey isn't it. A constant coming alive again and again. Our mind being renewed in the new life. So there is no shame at this point of the journey but there is much to gain from intimacy with God. Jesus said in the book of John that eternal life is knowing God.
So the first thing that I have realized about burnout is that I lost my perspective. Now planting a church is not the easiest thing in the world to do. So on one hand there is a lot to get done but on the other hand their needs to be a leadership team implemented to help carry the load. So I am working on equipping leadership team so that together we can help people move from darkness to light. We have a great team at The Grove! I am working on clarifying the vision and improving our serve.
So in all the busyness, whether you are planting a church, raising a family, running a business, ect.. We all can get carried away and lose our perspective. Lose the very sense of connection and conviction that fuels us.
Coming up in the next few blogs I will be writing about the powerful transformation I am experiencing as I have regained my perspective and some of the built in defaults that God has established in order for us to keep it.
I look forward to connecting and the possible conversation this might spark.
Brian
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither knew victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt
My mission is simple. To bring Heaven's peace to the earth.
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