Spirit-filled

The Prophet Jonah, as depicted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

*

What Does It Mean to Be Filled with the Spirit?

John MacArthur

*

Always

First, the Spirit-filled person will be thankful always and at all times. In Ephesians and elsewhere Paul makes it crystal clear that this is the Lord's will for you: "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18; cf. Eph. 5:17; James 1:2-5).

*

Such a consistent, no-exceptions-permitted reaction to what the Lord brings into your life is not easy or even possible in your own strength. But it will become your response all the time if you are living the Spirit-filled life. The Holy Spirit works graciously and mercifully to enable you to respond with thanksgiving no matter when blessings or challenges come.

Michelangelo's Asa-Jehoshaphat-Joram. The man on the left is generally considered to be Jehoshaphat.

*

Sometimes He blesses you unexpectedly, which makes it easy to give thanks. The gratitude and praise of Moses and the Israelites after God delivered them by parting the Red Sea is one major example of that (Ex. 14-15).

*

At other times the Holy Spirit gives you the opportunity to be thankful before a certain event happens. If the anticipation is for something pleasant, like a vacation or reunion with a loved one, thankfulness is again easy to display. But if the anticipation is more difficult or frightening, then it becomes a test of your faith. In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat and his people passed this test prior to a battle against the Ammonites and Moabites. When it was reported to him that a large army was coming against Judah , Jehoshaphat immediately asked the Lord for help. The Spirit of the Lord then revealed His encouragement through the prophet Jahaziel, and the Levites and all the people worshiped and thanked God prior to their success against the enemy (2 Chron. 20:1-23).

Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, Plunders the Ammonites and Moabites

*

Finally, God may choose to bring a trial or test into your life unexpectedly. Then you'll be challenged to give thanks in the midst of the battle, when it is the most difficult to respond righteously. Jonah, in spite of all his sinful shortcomings, is an excellent example of how to have the right response. After he was swallowed by the giant fish, Jonah prayed this to the Lord: "While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to Thee, into Thy holy temple. Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, but I will sacrifice to Thee with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord" (Jonah 2:7-9). God honored Jonah's prayer and delivered him from the fish, right to the location he was supposed to be. You may never be as severely tried as Jonah was, but God in His providence may allow unexpected hardships. If you respond with true thanks in the midst of such times, that will prove you are a mature Christian filled with the Spirit.

*

JONAH CALLING NINEVEH TO REPENTANCE.

*

For All Things

If the Spirit-filled believer is thankful at all times, it reasonably follows that he will also be thankful for all things. We have just seen that difficult times will also include difficult matters for which we must give thanks (see again James 1:2-5; cf. Heb. 12:3-13; 1 Peter 2:20-21). But we could also enumerate dozens of positive things that Scripture reminds us to be thankful for. Some of the major ones include: the goodness and mercy of God (Pss. 106:1; 107:1; 136:1-3), the gift of Christ (2 Cor. 9:15), the triumph of the gospel (2 Cor. 2:14), victory over death and the grave (1 Cor. 15:57), the reception and effectual working of God's Word in others (1 Thess. 2:13; 3:9), and the supply of our bodily wants (Rom. 14:6-7; 1 Tim. 4:3-4). Each of those categories contains many more specific items for which you can be grateful, so the point is that those filled by the Spirit know no limits or distinctions on what to thank God for.

***

Excerpts from John MacArthur's positions

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Positions/P04_What-Does-It-Mean-to-Be-Filled-with-the-Spirit?q=jonah

****

Matthew & Thomas

What kind of people does God use? Stained glass saints? No. Vile, wretched, rotten sinners, the most despicable people in society who are willing to be forgiven.

**

excerpts taken from:

The Master's Men Part 3: Matthew and Thomas

Matthew 10:3b

John MacArthur

Grace to You sermon archive

*

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/2274_The-Masters-Men-Part-3-Matthew-and-Thomas

**

Matthew

Matthew is mentioned in every list, always in the same group, but nothing is ever said about Matthew and nothing is ever said by Matthew except one tiny little thing. And look in Matthew 9:9 and that's where you find it. Mark and Luke both allude to the same thing in just the same few words and that is the extent of everything we know about Matthew.
"And as Jesus passed forth from there He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him."
And when Matthew puts his name in the list in chapter 10 verse 3 he says: "Matthew the tax collector." And may I hasten to add that no other disciple in the list is ever associated with his job. Why does Matthew say - Matthew the tax collector? I mean, that's not something you're proud of. No. A tax collector was the most hated, despised, despicable human being in the society of Israel. And Matthew is showing us his genuine humility and sense of sinful unworthiness.

*What a man. A criminal, an outcast, the most hated of men, he was utterly convinced of his sin and when given an opportunity to believe, he believed and he followed. He became a man of quiet humility who loved the outcasts, who gave no place to the religious establishment, a man of great faith, a man of total and utter surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and a man who knew the Old Testament and a man that God used to write the gospel. One writer calls it "The glorious unconventionality of the Lord Jesus Christ. He chooses the most unlikely people."

**

Thomas
**
"Eight days after," verse 26 says, "the disciples were inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut." I like that. Just rearranged the molecules in His body and came through the wall. And always He says when He does that, "Peace be unto you." It's understandable. It seems a fitting greeting, doesn't it?. .to the chaos that must have occurred.
And then He zeros in on this dear soul that loves Him enough to die with Him and is utterly depressed and shattered. He said to Thomas, "Thomas, reach here your finger, behold My hands, and reach here your hand and thrust it into My side and be not faithless but believing." Did Thomas do that? It doesn't say he did it. It just says immediately, without doing anything, "He answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God." The greatest single confessional ever made. He affirmed the deity of Jesus Christ. He affirmed the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He affirmed that He was God.
You know, he wanted that so bad. Jesus was back. And Jesus said. "Thomas, because you've seen Me you believe." And you're not alone, the rest of them had the same basis. "Blessed are they that have not seen and yet believed." You know who that is? Everybody who came after that. That's you and me. We've never seen but we believed. "Blessed are they."
Thomas - yes he was melancholy, he was moody, pessimistic, comfortless, shattered, but when he saw the Lord Jesus Christ, "o my, he gave the greatest testimony ever given. And you know what? In that one little statement Thomas gave the speech that literally destroys every lie that has been told about Jesus not being God that has ever been uttered in the history of man. It is a monumental statement - My God, - he said. The isms and chisms and spasms and Yogi's and all the rest that come and deny the deity of Christ are put to silence by Thomas. Learn a lesson. Jesus wants you to be sure. Surety most frequently comes when you hang around other believers. It does not mean that Christ cannot come to you in a solitary place. But more likely does He appear among those who are His own.
Thomas - tradition tells us a lot about him, preached... some say he went as far as India preaching. And one tradition says that he died in a very special way. They took a spear and rammed it through him. Because of his faith in Christ, it would be kind of fitting climax for one who was told to reach forth his hand and feel the spear mark in his own Lord.
What kind of people does God use? Vile sinners like Matthew. Tender-hearted, moody, melancholy pessimists like Thomas. You name it, they're all unique and He can use you too.
***
Matthew 10
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+10&version=NIV
***
Grace to You
http://www.gty.org/
****

The People's Confident Prayer

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. - Psalm 20:7

**

Such confidence is contagious. The devoted people, inspired by the assurance of their leader, are no longer awed by the vaunted military might of the enemy. Let him boast of his invulnerable chariots and battle-tested horses; Isrel will boast in the name of the Lord! It is better to trust in Him than in arsenals of stockpiled weapons. At the glance of the Lord even the mightiest armies will crumple to the ground! But those who are on the Lord's side will still stand upright when the smoke of battle has cleared away.

**

Moody Bible Institute

Today in the Word

July 3 2010

*

“Worship Lyrics and the Hidden Narcissism” is the title of a worship pastor’s blog post from 2009. He noted that the lyrics of many modern praise choruses are self-centered, and after a conference for worship leaders, he lamented: “Each song seemed to define God according to our experience of Him,” rather than the other way around. We need to evaluate lyrics for subtle narcissism, “which places us at the center of the worship experience instead of God.” The pastor then encouraged his readers to be thoughtful about how lyrics reflect God’s Word. Some of the best examples of God-centered expressions of worship come from Scripture, especially the book of Psalms.
Psalm 146 is a wonderful example of a song grounded in the acknowledgment of who God is. The entire Psalm is bracketed with praise (vv. 1-2, 10). The psalmist clarifies that worship emanates from one’s inner being and continues for a lifetime. Verses three through six contrast the person who places his security in humans with the one who trusts God for help and hope—this one is called “blessed.” “Mortal men” diminish compared to the eternal and faithful Creator (v. 6).
The psalm resounds with ten proclamations of who God is and what He does (vv. 7-10). God advocates for the oppressed. In the original Hebrew, the first line of verse 7 reads: “the one who executes justice.” The Lord feeds the hungry and releases the prisoners; He heals the blind and lifts up the humble. The Lord cares for the displaced and vulnerable people among us, like refugees, orphans, and widows. Notice the important contrast: God loves the righteous, but obstructs the plans of the wicked (v. 9).
Psalm 146 praises God as the eternal King (v. 10), and He is the faithful covenant keeper (v. 5) who can remain true to His promises for all generations. He is a God who not only cares about the oppressed, but also has the power to deliver from sin and to defeat the wicked. He is worthy of all our praise.

**

Psalm 20

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms%2020&version=NIV

*

Psalm 146

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms%20146&version=NIV

**

MBI- Today in the Word

http://www.todayintheword.com/GenMoody/default.asp?SectionID=ABECA3F4F745454090BB3C5F613C9CE7&month=7&day=3&year=2010&submit=Search

***

Put on the full armor of God

American Progressivism

**

Who were the Progressives, and why are they important?
R.J. Pestritto
Shipley Professor of the American Constitution at Hillsdale College

*

excerpts:

Quite simply, the Progressives detested the bedrock principles of American government. They detested the Declaration of Independence, which enshrines the protection of individual natural rights (like property) as the unchangeable purpose of government; and they detested the Constitution, which places permanent limits on the scope of government and is structured in a way that makes the extension of national power beyond its original purpose very difficult. “Progressivism” was, for them, all about progressing, or moving beyond, the principles of our founders.

*

Under the system of our founders, government was to have sufficient strength and energy to accomplish its ends, but those ends were strictly limited by the Constitution. The principal way in which the Constitution keeps the government within its boundaries is through the separation of powers. As readers of The Federalist and of Thomas Jefferson know, the point of separation of powers is to keep any one set of hands from wielding all of the power in national government.

The Progressives, especially Woodrow Wilson, hated the separation of powers for precisely this reason: it made government inefficient, and made it difficult, if not impossible, to expand the power of government so that it could take on all of the new tasks that Progressives had in mind. So they looked to the presidency as a way of getting around this obstacle.

*

The New Deal certainly went a long way toward implementing this progressive vision, and what we have seen in our own situation with TARP and the various other interventions is simply greater steps toward the progressive plan. Our Congress has simply said to the Treasury agencies: here’s a trillion dollars, here’s all the legal authority you need, now go out, determine what is in the public interest, and spend and regulate accordingly. That is the progressive vision of government, in a nutshell.

*

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/23936/

***

How public servants became our masters

**

In the midst of California’s 2008–09 fiscal meltdown, with the impact of deluxe public pensions making daily headlines, the city of Fullerton nevertheless sought to retroactively increase the defined-benefit retirement plan for its city employees by a jaw-dropping 25 percent. What’s more, the Fullerton City Council negotiated the increase in closed session, outside public view. Under California’s open meetings law, known as the Brown Act, even legitimate closed-session items such as contract negotiations are supposed to be advertised so that the public has a clear idea of what’s being discussed.

**

Bigger government means more government employees. Those employees then become a permanent lobby for continual government growth. The nation may have reached critical mass; the number of government employees at every level may have gotten so high that it is politically impossible to roll back the bureaucracy, rein in the costs, and restore lost freedoms.

*

People who are supposed to serve the public have become a privileged elite that exploits political power for financial gain and special perks. Because of its political power, this interest group has rigged the game so there are few meaningful checks on its demands. Government employees now receive far higher pay, benefits, and pensions than the vast majority of Americans working in the private sector. Even when they are incompetent or abusive, they can be fired only after a long process and only for the most grievous offenses.

*

It’s a two-tier system in which the rulers are making steady gains at the expense of the ruled. The predictable results: Higher taxes, eroded public services, unsustainable levels of debt, and massive roadblocks to reforming even the poorest performing agencies and school systems. If this system is left to grow unchecked, we will end up with a pale imitation of the free society envisioned by the Founders.

**

Class War
How public servants became our masters
Steven Greenhut from the February 2010 issue

**

http://reason.com/archives/2010/01/12/class-war

***