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I couldn’t get to church on Sunday.

Well, actually, I eventually did. But, Pastor Steve had to come pick me up. You see, I couldn’t get my garage door open. Sometime during the night, one of the two springs attached to the door broke. These two springs are there to assist in pulling open the door when it is closed, and also to assist in carefully lowering the door when it is open. Without the springs‘ assistance, the door is far too heavy to easily lift by yourself, and would come crashing down when closing.

When I went into the garage, I saw that the spring was broken. So, I tried to lift it by myself. I pulled. And I pulled. And I pulled a muscle in my neck from the strain of pulling on the door! It was simply not going to open.

Now, understand this – I have an automatic garage door opener, but it could not operate with the spring broken. I have a very powerful SUV that can carry me and virtually anything I want anywhere I want. But, since the garage door spring was broken, I wasn’t even going to get out of the garage. I had all that I needed – except the power of that spring.

As I stood there powerless to open the door – the thought occurred to me – We have all that we need to do what God has called us to do. Everything. But – without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, trying to do things in our way with our own power is just as successful as my trying to open my garage door without the power of the spring.

I may have been able, with the assistance of a few other people or some special tools, to open my garage door. But, it would have been difficult, it wouldn’t have been correct, and it would be hard to do on a regular basis. And, without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we may be able to “muscle things out” for momentary successes. But, it will not be the way the Lord wants it, it will be far more difficult, and extremely hard to continue doing.

Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the good news. But, he also told them to wait. Don’t go. Don’t do it UNTIL would be “endued with power from on high.” So, they waited. And, when the day of Pentecost came, they “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the formerly Christ-denying Peter boldly stands up, preaches, and three thousand people come to know Jesus.

Peter previously had no power in his life but his own. And he denied his Lord three times. He was ready to give up. But, when he was filled with the power of God, having received the baptism in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, he was able to successfully obey the command of the Lord to preach the Gospel!

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday! I hope your garage door spring doesn’t break! But, more than the “power of the spring,” I pray that you will experience the power of God’s Holy Spirit! It’s God’s promise for each and every one of us!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.22. Live for God, on purpose, filled with His Holy Spirit, empowered for His service!

Persuaded by the Passion
of the Spirit

Many years ago, when Merv Griffin hosted one of the television talk shows, he had a body builder on as a guest. As the large, muscular man entered the stage, the crowd went crazy with applause as he flexed his muscles walking over to take his seat to be interviewed.

Merv’s first question seemed to catch the body builder off guard however, when he asked him “What do you use all those muscles for?” A bit puzzled, the body builder simply stood up and flexed his muscles again while the crowd again applauded wildly. As he sat down Merv again asked him, “What do you use all those muscles for?” Again with a puzzled and somewhat frustrated appearance the body builder stood up and flexed his muscles once again to a cheering audience. Merv however was undaunted and insisted a third time, “What do you use those muscles for?” The body builder was stumped and had no answer, all he could do is sit there and look bewildered at Merv’s constant question.

The man was all power, but with no purpose! While he could impress the audience there was no application for all this power. He was “all show and no go!”

How many Pentecostal Christians are like this? The Bible says “these signs shall follow them that believe,” but all too often, it is the believers following the signs. The baptism in the Holy Spirit was not given so that we could make a display of ourselves and the gifts of God, but rather so that we could make use of the power of God to reach out to a lost and dying world with a God-given passion.

Our current series of messages at WFA are built around the theme of “Pentecostal – Persuaded by the Power of God.” This Sunday – Pentecost Sunday – we will continue with the fifth message in this series – “Persuaded by the Passion of the Spirit.” I am believing that as we gather this Sunday we will be moved beyond a desire to just “show” and be moved with a passion from God to GO!

Don’t We All

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don’t want to be bothered. This was one of those “don’t want to be bothered times.”

“I hope he doesn’t ask me for any money,” I thought.

He didn’t.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn’t look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke.

“That’s a very pretty car,” he said.

He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm.

I said, “thanks,” and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, “ask him if he needs any help.” I was sure that he would say “yes” but I held true to the inner voice.

“Do you need any help?” I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.

“Don’t we all?” he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.

Don’t we all?

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it’s just a compliment, you can give that.

You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don’t have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, “go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help.”

Don’t we all?

The Cold Within

Six humans trapped by happenstance
In black and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story’s told.

Their dying fire in need of logs,
The first woman held her’s back
For on the faces around the fire
She noticed one was black.

The next man looking cross the way
Saw one not of his church,
And couldn’t bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.

The third one sat in tattered clothes
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store.
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy poor.

The black man’s face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.

And the last man of this forlorn group
Did naught except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.

The logs held tight in death’s still hands
Was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without,
They died from the cold within.

Do You See What I See?

by Leslie Snyder

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7

According to research at Cambridge University, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.

Give the theory a shot, and see if it’s true:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Isn’t it amazing? I love this illustration of how the mind works to put words together. It goes against everything I was taught in grade school and totally ends the need for spell check! It’s the perfect example that confirms what you see may not be what you get.

Here’s a reminder: God is searching our hearts. He doesn’t care about our outward appearances. In fact, many of us have gotten so good at hiding who we really are that even we don’t recognize our true selves. And, it’s often Christians who put masks on so quickly, fearing that if other people really knew them, they would be rejected, condemned, or cast aside like yesterday’s paper.

Today, if you are hiding behind a mask, afraid to reveal your true self, allow God to peel back the layers of fear, pain, and deception in order to find your true self... the one that was made in the image of God.

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

Priorities

Two friends were walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxis were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, one of them said, “What an interesting place to hear a cricket.”

His friend said, “You must be crazy. You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!”

“No, I’m sure of it,” his friend said, “I heard a cricket.”

“That’s crazy,” said his friend.

The man, who thought he had heard a cricket, listened carefully for a moment and then walked across the street to a big, cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.

“That’s incredible,” said his friend. “You must have superhuman ears!”

“No,” said the man who heard the cricket. “My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you’re listening for.”

“But that can’t be!” said the friend. “I could never hear a cricket in this noise.”

“Yes, it’s true,” came the reply. “It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within 20 feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs. “See what I mean?” asked the man who had heard the cricket. “It all depends on what’s important to you.”

Knowing What
“Is Also Written”

After the blessing comes the battle! And Jesus was no exception. Following His baptism “...the Spirit sent Him out into the desert” (Mark 1:12), and after fasting forty days He was hungry. That’s when Satan showed up and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3).

You can count on the enemy to show up at your most vulnerable moments. And when he does you’d better know what the Word of God actually says – not just selected snippets and quotes you’ve heard second or third hand. “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching ...in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

We pick the parts of Scripture that fit our lifestyle and bolster our theology, but when the enemy manipulates God’s Word and uses it against you, you need to be able to say, “It is also written.” You need to know what else God has to say. The Bible says Satan “will speak against the Most High... oppress his saints and try to change... times and ...laws...” (Daniel 7:25). Satan knows the Word of God is “...a double-edged sword...” (Hebrews 4:12), but he’ll still try to engage you in a swordfight!

But “Jesus answered... ‘It is also written: Do not put... God to the test.’’‘ He knew what His Father had actually said, and refused to allow Satan to dictate His responses, including what He should eat.

Whose menu are you eating from today? Are you like the prodigal, settling for pig-swill while your Father has a feast prepared for you? Tell Satan, “...Get thee behind me...‘ (Matthew 16:23), and stop letting him bamboozle you with lies and half-truths!

Get into God’s Word and get it into you!

The Last Impression

A pastor had had a bad week. On Sunday he was very frustrated and he began his sermon, “All members of this church are going to hell if they don’t change their ways.”

One man in the back began to laugh.

So the pastor said it again louder.

The man continued to laugh.

The pastor went back to him and asked him why he was laughing.

He answered, “Because I don’t belong to this church!”

We will be receiving new members here at WFA this Sunday! And, I’m not frustrated at all! I’m really looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us this Sunday as we gather together on this anniversary of the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon His church on that very first Pentecost Sunday! Don’t miss it!