The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

    As I prepared to share some thoughts at church about hearing directly from God, rather than depending on our own insights and understanding, a phrase from Scripture popped into my head. Our church often quotes this as part of the blessing and dismissal at the end of the service:

 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.   [2 Corinthians 13-14]

   I’ve heard this verse from Paul quoted my whole life, but it was only then that it struck me what a privilege that is...to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Truly this is what prayer—including listening,  conversing and simply being in His Presence—is all about. Fellowship can also involve having fun with others and joking around, enjoying making them laugh....sharing a meal, listening to their deepest thoughts, being quiet together, getting to know their personality...their likes and dislikes, their tender hearts, their ‘take’ on issues, what hurts them the most, what makes them happy. 

   Deep fellowship develops over a long period of time by being with someone on a regular basis. You can have fun with others with whom you don’t talk often or know very well. However, that relationship, while enjoyable, will remain superficial if you never learn their true hearts. 

   When Paul prayed we’d have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, I’m sure he knew that every other blessing would flow out of that relationship.  For the Jews, fellowship with the Holy Spirit being possible for every believer was a recent and radical change, a gift given by Jesus when He ascended to heaven. Prior to this time, it was for a few chosen individuals. We should never take this incredible gift for granted...and most definitely never leave it lying abandoned in a drawer.  Let’s blow the dust off and open it with reverence and delight for the treasure it is. If we hold it up to our ear, like a conch shell at seaside, we’ll hear the Shepherd calling.me thoughts at church about hearing directly from God, rather than depending on our own insights and understanding, a phrase from Scripture popped into my head. Our church often quotes this as part of the blessing and dismissal at the end of the service:

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.   [2 Corinthians 13-14]

   I’ve heard this verse from Paul quoted my whole life, but it was only then that it struck me what a privilege that is...to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Truly this is what prayer—including listening,  conversing and simply being in His Presence—is all about. Fellowship can also involve having fun with others and joking around, enjoying making them laugh....sharing a meal, listening to their deepest thoughts, being quiet together, getting to know their personality...their likes and dislikes, their tender hearts, their ‘take’ on issues, what hurts them the most, what makes them happy. 

   Deep fellowship develops over a long period of time by being with someone on a regular basis. You can have fun with others with whom you don’t talk often or know very well. However, that relationship, while enjoyable, will remain superficial if you never learn their true hearts. 

   When Paul prayed we’d have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, I’m sure he knew that every other blessing would flow out of that relationship.  For the Jews, fellowship with the Holy Spirit being possible for every believer was a recent and radical change, a gift given by Jesus when He ascended to heaven. Prior to this time, it was for a few chosen individuals. We should never take this incredible gift for granted...and most definitely never leave it lying abandoned in a drawer. Let’s blow the dust off  the box and open it with reverence and delight for the treasure it is. If we hold it up to our ear, like a conch shell at seaside, we’ll hear the Shepherd calling.

Listening to God directly

In today's blog, (Surprise by Sweetness), I referred to sharing in church about the importance of listening to God and keeping that intimate relationship with him.  For those interested, here is the first 10 minutes of the talk..  (You'll have to turn your volume way up and/or use earbuds.  We didn't plan in advance on recording it, so it's a phone recording.)  I will be posting an outline of the rest at:  https://thechapeldowntown.org/watch%2C-listen%2C-read, if you would like to see more later.  

Julie

https://youtu.be/g_ljJ3Jl_GM

Surprised by Sweetness

    I was feeling all yucky inside, with all the ‘stuff’ happening and the sickening words and actions of the times. Just yesterday I had spoken in church about the crucial need for listening to God directly, rather than relying on our own or other people’s understanding. For decades I have used those little speckled journals to listen and try to write down (by 'taking dictation’) what He says, as best I can. 

   Writing down has helped me stay focused, with my thoughts zinging around my mind and external distractions calling out to me.  If there’s ever been a time to commit to significant times of listening to the Holy Spirit, it’s now. Yet sometimes it’s difficult to quiet our souls to just be with Him and listen. To persist until His voice breaks through and begins to flow in our minds. 

   This morning was a challenge to LIVE what I advised just yesterday. I was tempted to just give up and start the rest of my day. Thankfully, I didn’t. His deep peace descended, and He told me to ‘soak my dry bones in His Spirit...His ‘abiding place,’ to absorb His life-giving nutrients’. “Let me refresh your mind," He said..."wash, wash, wash (image of a washing machine), cleansing it from the ‘stuff’ that has attached itself. “

   I can only describe what I then experienced as a sweetness which came to me. It was like hearing a tender Christmas carol and smelling the scent of evergreen,  while tucked up on the sofa in front of a lighted tree. "Oh yeah, that's what that feels like...purity, innocence, and peace all rolled into one.  I'd forgotten."  The Holy Spirit is the source of all that is pure and beautiful and life-giving.

   At the same time that I was trying to listen to Him, sweet and creative ideas were flowing faster than I could record them. “Are these distractions, Lord?” I asked. “I’m trying to pay attention to what you’re saying!”

“I know creative ideas are flowing all around you,” He answered...“faster than you can pull them out of the water.. When you place yourself inside My Stream, they will flow continually along with and around you. They always exist there by My creative Nature. You will be like Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory!”

“You are SO funny, Lord.  And a pun on 'sweetness', too? Really?"

Is God a 'deadheader'?

  One of the pots I have hanging on my deck is a combination of plants I’ve been nourishing from wee things. It contains three types of plants, one of which has large blooms that take days before they wilt and require pruning. Two others have tiny blossoms which bloom all along the stems.  I had been pruning the bigger pansies in another pot on a regular basis so they would flourish with new blooms. But the tiny flowers I left on their own. It seemed too much work to deadhead every wee flower.

   However, I began to notice that my Alpine Calamint plant was looking a little pathetic, with brown stretches and pretty flowers only evident here and there or at the end of the stalk. I realized then that I should be deadheading those, also, no matter the time it took. I had to be extremely careful to remove the dead flowers without disturbing the tiny ones in bloom. The results of my efforts showed within just a few days, as the plant began to flourish with abundant flowers all over its branches.

   Much has been written about the pruning process and its analogous connection to our spiritual growth, most importantly by Jesus, Himself.*  What struck me this time, however, as I was removing these tiny dead flowers, was how much tender patience was required. Scripture says that even “a bruised reed He will not break...and a barely flickering wick He will not put out.”**  I hadn’t thought about this aspect of His character in relation to pruning. How carefully and tenderly He tends and prunes us, without damaging our vulnerable blooms. He nurtures us when we look sickly, by removing the dead stuff in such a way that, although we may feel the twinges, nothing beautiful is destroyed in the process. 

   A less patient gardener might find it more efficient to just lob off portions of the live with the dead, knowing that he wouldn’t kill the whole plant. Many a time I have found myself saying, “Whoops, sorry about that, little plant!” An expedient loss or two for most gardeners would be no big deal. But our Gardener will not even break off a bruised reed, where there is struggling life still in it. He takes consummate, painstaking care of the tiniest details of our growth. With Him, nothing and no one is expendable.

   The One who created intricate details in the countless variety of flowers, which bloom today and wither soon after, still hovers tenderly over them. Rejoice that you are of much greater value than these and that He wants you to flourish, not just in this temporary life, but forever. You are His prized creation, Tell Him you're grateful for His careful pruning even when you sometimes feel as if you'd rather He left you alone, with the dead stuff still hanging on. You'll give Him a chuckle.

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*He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. --John 15:2

**He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. --Isaiah 42:3

Fear and two lions

   Did you watch the newer Jumanji movie? That’s not usually my genre of choice, but I enjoyed not only its humor, but some Biblical analogies I found there.  1Peter 5:8 warns us that our Enemy prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone he may devour. That image seems even more vivid in current times, doesn’t it?

   The thing is, we can’t be devoured unless we agree to to it. We can never be his tasty meal unless we don’t know who we are as believers in Yeshua. In Jumanji, the ‘weakling’ character in real life becomes the super strong hero within the app. When he is about to be attacked, he freezes in fear and at first fails to fight back. He doesn’t remember  who he is. Suddenly he remembers that the man whose identity he has assumed has all kinds of strength and skill to defeat his attacker. It is only then he is successful in defeating his enemy. 

 

   I believe that happens with us. We allow fear to paralyze us. Fear of present times. Fear of future times.. Fear of speaking out. Fear of man’s opinion. Fear of illness. Fear of what will happen if certain groups take control of our country. Fear for our children and grandchildren. Fear of what kind of death we might die. Fear of that roaring lion. 

   However, it is the great Lion of Judah in whom our trust is securely placed. The other lion’s image is but an illusion, a hologram projected to frighten us into the kind of fear that causes us to leave our weapons lying useless at our sides. The kind of fear that can make us forget who we are. Like the character in Jumanji, we need to wake up to our true identity in Christ and stand up with confidence,  putting on the armor of Christ which He has given us. They are not just defensive weapons but offensive ones. Attired in our identifying  uniform, we find the hologram has as its source only a sickly cat, artificially magnifying its voice like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. 

   Another point of note in the movie as well as in Scripture, is that humility comes before success. Knowing who we are, in and of ourselves, places us in a position to stand up tall in the power coming only

from the Great Lion, the King of Kings.

   Yank that curtain back and unmask the imposter.  He does everything he can to keep us from knowing who he really is, because then we will know that we hold all the power.  Believe it, use it, and speak it forth, mighty ones!

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Matthew 8:26-27

FYI...I recently re-read The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis, the final book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I highly recommend a current reading, in light of current revelatory events. For example, note that there is not only an imitation Aslan, but also another creature, thinking he has the real power, manipulating behind the scenes. Ultimately, that creature himself is swallowed whole by an evil greater than he. However, as you well know, that is not the end of the story. Further up and further in, everyone!

This lane open

I thought I’d share a short laugh from our Father this morning. He shared an image with me of a grocery store with long lines of socially distanced people. He called out This lane wide open! No need for distancing! No need for less than 10 items of concern! Step right up! There are three Persons all working that lane together, by the way, all with smiles and no masks.

Tabernacling

 As I continue this year’s journey through Exodus, I have to force myself to slow down and picture what I’m reading...to visualize and imagine. In past readings, I confess to having buzzed through the detailed instructions for the Tabernacle.  Since I’m In 2020 (what, really?) I can search online for pictures, where others have done the work of drawing, painting, modeling the Ark of the Covenant, the acacia wood altar, and each aspect of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.  Some have even added their interpretations of the meaning behind the minute instructions and squeezed them into their pictures. Amazing! Thanks, guys!

Meanwhile, I need to stop, picture, imagine, question, and listen for myself. “What new insights do You want to share with me about these Old Testament events, Lord? What do you want me to learn or do in response to this concept of Tabernacling in the wilderness? Sometimes I try to draw an element like the lampstand for myself, even though skilled artists have already done so. It’s been interesting that the slow, manual process of drawing has created a settling of my mind and spirit to better listen for what He has to say.

 

Come Tabernacle with Me....come Tabernacle with Me in this dry wilderness of 2020. Amidst the chaos and lawlessness and lies and dearth of Truth, you will find my oasis, My Tent of Meeting. There is flowing, bubbling, peaceful, life-giving water here. “Draw near with faith”and without fear. You no longer have to be afraid...fearful to perform everything perfectly.. Be reverent, but not afraid. Honor Me with holy awe but love Me as your ABBA. Never forget the gift you have been given by My Son...that you may come to Me in this way.  Stop awhile in the Old Testament to fully appreciate the New. Understand how fear and trepidation have been replaced by My Shalom....that which I have desired for you since I created my son 

Adam and daughter Eve and placed them in the Garden with that very Shalom of provision, wholeness, intimacy, and blessing. Redemption, Reconciliation,  Restoration are now available to all who are willing to receive them.

Never take My gifts for granted. Never receive them flippantly or lightly, but reverently, with deep appreciation and awareness.  Hold them, as you would a fragile bird or delicate flower in your hand. Note every vivid detail, every facet...and be filled with awe. Fall on your knees in gratefulness. Better yet, fall into My arms. This was My desire all along.

Here am I...(Rabbit Ears, Part II)

When I hear the phrase Here am I, I immediately think of Samuel, who heard God whisper his name. [Samuel 3:4] It took three times for Samuel (and Eli) to realize that it was God calling him. However, I never remembered that Moses responded the same way when God called out to him. [Exodus 3:4]  I usually think of him as a reluctant and insecure prophet. However, at least he was listening well enough to hear God call to him. Before that time, Jacob was twice called out to by ‘the Angel’ and responded,  “Here I am.” [Genesis 31 & Genesis 46] Even earlier,  Abraham, when God called to him first to sacrifice his precious son of promise and then to refrain from it, also said “Here I am.”  [Genesis 22:1, 11] (I think I would have held my hands over my ears and wobbled my head, saying, I can’t hear you!)

Call and response.. All of these individuals responded (at least ultimately) with faith and obedience. Well, Moses...stalled quite awhile before agreeing to be ‘sent’. I think I identify best with Moses.  “Hey, God, I have a better idea. Why don’t you send my brother...yeah, send him. He’s a much better speaker. I don’t think anyone, especially Pharaoh, will pay any attention to me. I’d really rather stay here and tend the flocks, if you don’t mind. Yeah, Mikey will do it!” (Sorry, younger friends...it’s an old cereal commercial reference.)

I, like Moses, am intimidated by all the positively demonic attitudes of ranting and violent people, including friends, whose downright hatred for my beliefs is beyond irrational. I would rather hide out in my cocoon and plug my ears.  However, God has not stopped calling. What He specifically calls us to say and do will vary. But He doesn’t want our fear of man to cause us to pretend we can’t hear Him. “Lord, did You say something? I must have been distracted.”  Yes, by fear and panic. I just want to be content and cozy, Lord. Aren’t there other people whom You can ask to go out there and make a difference?  After all, I’m retired! And You know I hate it when people are mad at me.  Poor excuse? Yes, I remember You saying something about people hating me who hate You. But now people hate me who don’t hate you. They believe in you! Oh, right, that part about deception in the latter days....Ok. I am without excuse, aren’t I? Do I want to partner with You to bring people to You and have their eyes opened to Your Truth? To see the delusion they’re under? Yes, Lord. Yes. Even though the war within me rages to remain hidden away. The real tending of sheep is not for wimps, is it? Any Shepherd will tell of the courage required. Ok. Can I do it afraid, as Joyce Meyer says? Right, got it. As long as You’re with me, telling me what to say or do and when to say it. And also how to pray. You promised to do all that? Yes, You did, didn’t you? Rabbit ears? Ok....

Here am I. Send me.

Rabbit Ears

I love to have my prayer time on the porch and listen to all the birds, living in the trees surrounding us. I’ve wondered from which bird each call, song, or cry emanated. So I downloaded an app called BirdNet. I record the birds and then ask the app to analyze and identify the source, if it’s able. So far it’s identified about a dozen birds.  

The challenge in recording is to capture the quieter bird songs between the raucous calls of the crow and the scrub jay. This caused me to ponder what it is like for our Heavenly Father, with billions of voices calling out...some directly to Him and many just plaintively calling.  They don’t realize He hears their every whisper and every inaudible cry.

The Lord knows every one of our voices, as well as the number of hairs on our head.* He longs to have a two-way conversation with us. He hears the human equivalent of the soft coo of a dove at the exact same time as the unlovely cry of the raven. One does not drown out the other. In fact, He recognizes every individual dove, jay, towhee, swallow, starling, and robin as distinct from one another. You are not just part of a species and genus to Him, but rather a creature like no other. He hears every personality-filled call.

But do we hear His? Do we recognize the voice of the Shepherd amidst the cacophony of world events, social media posts, movies, television broadcasts, and conversations with friends and strangers? Do we listen intently amidst the fears, anxieties, dread, rationalizations, and even happy diversions of our minds?

When I was young, my mother called me rabbit ears. She and my father could be whispering 2 rooms away, and I would ask them questions about their conversation. “How do you DO that?” they would ask me. The Lord reminded me of this recently. 

I want you to have rabbit ears again, He said. 

What, Lord?, I replied with consternation.

Rabbit ears...remember? I want you to to listen so intently for me that you can hear me through all the noise and chaos of the world around you, especially when I seem far away..  Even through the fears and anxieties of your soul. It is vital now that you do, and even more so in the future. It will help if you turn off the secular external audio input. However, there’s no OFF switch for the internal voices, except through the power of My Holy Spirit. Tune those rabbit ears to My frequency and fine tune your reception. I AM above the circumstances in which you live, and you can be, too. But you must stay finely tuned.

Spend more time feeding yourself with the good food of My Word, by discerning teaching, and most of all by praying in My Spirit. Your rabbit ear growth comes from these...from My very Presence.  Live higher.  You will hear My whisper in your ear.

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My sheep listen to mu voice; I know them and they follow me.  --John 10:27

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[a] And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.    --Matthew 10:29-31

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You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain. ...

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

--Psalm 139: 1-6; 17-18

Soul composition scale

Since before the quarantine, I’ve been trying to use weights and do aerobic exercise each day. As my birthdays increase, so do my weight struggles. I want to be strong and healthy for the last part of my race, and a sedentary life is a great temptation in retirement. My recliner is such a temptress.

I know having strong muscles helps in this regard, so I’ve been trying to track my fat vs muscle percentage using a body composition scale.  This tells me more of the truth than a scale that simply measures my overall weight.  The scale works by sending a low-power electrical signal through the lower part of the body. The signal passes through water and muscle faster than fat and bone, so it comes up with a formula to summarize your fat, hydration, and muscle percentages.

I was frustrated and discouraged this morning because I’ve been improving and regressing every few days.  It makes me want to just give in and walk to the Dunkin’ Donuts down the street. However, the Lord reminded me this morning that He’s more concerned with the fat percentage in my soul. He wants me to keep a perspective and focus consistent with His. Although He wants our bodies, His temple, healthy and strong, “a fatty heart is more concerning than a fatty body.”  A fatty soul can impede the signal of His Holy Spirit flowing in and through us to others.

When we get caught up making minor issues major ones...or we focus more on what is wrong with our lives than on our blessings...with our discouragement more than our victories...or we let an offense take up residence and root us in the cement of  unforgiveness...or we plop ourselves in the muddy puddles of regret...our soul composition makes it more difficult for the Holy Spirit to move through us in transforming ways.

Let’s make it our goal to become “lean, mean, fighting machines” in the spiritual realm, as well as in our bodies. We are called to be Warriors* after all. We may actually fight best in our recliners, if we’re praying in the Spirit while we’re there.  But no matter what area of our Trinity of Man is sidetracking us...body, soul, or spirit...let’s determine to “cast aside everything which hinders us”*  and impedes the flow of the will of God in our lives.  He’s waiting and excited to show us, including making use of household analogies.
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**Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. —Hebrews 12:1

*2 Timothy 2:3-4

“May my meditation be sweet”

I’m in the Psalms once again. After countless readings, I still find myself saying, “Was this Really always here?” Today I stepped into Psalm 104 and was so profoundly affected that it was like a drama unfolding before my eyes, and they filled with tears.  There is so much in this Psalm, that I could camp here for days. And I think I will do just that.  I want my meditation to be sweet so that I bless Him. Bless the Lord, O my soul! I want to see His creation with new eyes of wonder and awe and thank Him with great joy and rejoicing.

In a notebook separate from my prayer journal, I have been recording psalm verses under various categories, such as The Goodness of God, Who He Is, Joy, When in Trouble, Images of God, Praise, Testimony, Creation Praising Him, and Prayers for the President.  In some psalms, there are verses for all these categories....from Trouble to Praise.

In a previous post, Conception, I mentioned my attempts to draw scenes from Scripture and to depict the relationship with the Lord they encourage...the images of God they paint, and the intimacy that blesses Him.  How can I show Him covering Himself with light like a garment and stretching out the heavens like a curtain, or watering the earth or feeding us out of His hand...or filling the earth with riches and creatures? I can certainly paint in my mind, though my sketching skills be lacking.

Scripture adjures us to “read, mark, and inwardly digest” it. As it ‘goes down,’ it can sometimes burn like a fire, as well as bringing peace.  It can foment your soul, if you let it.  It can put you on your face, from which position you find Yeshua’s hand extended to lift you up.  As long as I have breath, I want to praise Him...truly, madly, deeply.

As we ask the Holy Spirit to stir us up, to inspire and energize us out of our spiritual and physical lethargies, He will be faithful to answer.  In this time of quarantine, it is easy to become sluggish not only in body, but in spiritual fervor. I have felt this inertia on both counts, this deadening of my spirit. Truly, it can be the exact opposite if we ask Him to wake us up and spur us to chase after Him, laughing and rejoicing. Tag, you’re it!

Pebbles and The Rock

Remember what it’s like to walk on a ‘beach’ of small rocks and pebbles? You’re always trying to keep your balance, as they move around under your weight.  If you’re wearing flip-flops, it’s even more difficult to remain stable.

This morning the Lord gave me that image to reflect where people are looking for their stability in this time of pandemic panic and uncertainty.  Relying not just on medicine, but on connections with other human beings has , for some, become the holy grail of ultimate value.  It reminds me of Christmas shows which tell us that Christmas is all about family and friendships.  It all sounds so good and warm and cozy, but its foundation is mush.

On this Holy Thursday, when devoted human beings denied and deserted our Lord, we realize again that even the best of human beings will disappoint, will fail in a test of faithfulness. We have all done so and we will do so again, despite our deep desire to the contrary.

Pebbles appear to be rocks, but you can’t trust them for stability. Only The Rock is solid underneath you. Those who don't yet know Who Jesus is, are looking for someone or something to provide what only He can.  What a great time to share with friends and acquaintances about the Rock of Ages.  

There’s an openness in people’s hearts right now, as they feel powerless in what seems like an unreal situation. And, indeed, all earthly circumstances are unreal, compared to the Reality of God’s Truth. As we’re tempted to just hunker down in our homes, let’s reach out of them like never before and take advantage of this Kairos time for drawing people to the King of Kings; the Lord of Lords; the Shepherd of our Souls; our Rock, Fortress, and Deliverer.   

Family is one of God’s greatest gifts, as are our friends. But we need to help others understand that “though  our father and mother forsake us, [He] will receive us. [Psalm 27:10]. That as it says in Deuteronomy 31:6-8, He goes with us and before us, and as Paul quotes this in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. 

Humans with the best of intentions can be like a dry, bent stick when it comes to salvation in any sense of the word.  Or to return to the other analogy...seek to help those in your circle of influence not to rely on unstable pebbles instead of The Rock, or on warm, mushy ground instead of The Sure Foundation.  I’m asking God for courage to do the same.

The fields are ripe for harvest. [John 4:35]. Let not the workers be few. [Matthew 9:37]