Adventure in the Ascent
To the adventure in Him... This phrase has been a rallying cry for me and my circle of friends for years. We were designed for intimate relationship with God. Jesus made this possible through His sacrifice on the Cross. The veil was torn, and we were invited beyond. We were created for a grand adventure in which we come to Him in repentance, maintain intimacy, learn of Him, walk His path, and ascend the hill of the Lord. Let's ascend together and experience the adventure with God. There's more...
Adventure in the Ascent
THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Brooding to New Life- This is That! (Genesis 1:1-2, Acts 2)
"If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.” -A. W. Tozer
- The third Person of the Trinity
- In order to begin to understand the Holy Spirit we must first look to the Trinity
- Cute metaphors attempt to explain the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) such as the egg (yolk, shell, white), but fall short of the beautiful mystery that it truly is. God is not like an egg nor any other thing- He is above all.
- There is oneness and plurality in the Trinity (Gen. 1:1- “God (plural) created (singular)”
- ”The Spirit of God was hovering/brooding over the face of the waters”(Gen. 1:2)
- The Spirit is the first of the three referred to individually in Scripture
- Among the void, the darkness, the Spirit was hovering/moving/fluttering
- ”Brooding” is another definition of this word in Hebrew- “to sit upon/INCUBATE” (Deut. 32:11). Brooding creates life- desiring to bring/create NEW LIFE (Job 33:4)
- The Spirit is still “brooding” and desiring to bring “new life”(John 3:5-6). Besides a physical birth, there is a spiritual birth which IS the work of the Holy Spirit
- Are you familiar with the Holy Spirit? We endeavor to lean in…
- The great juxtaposition in Scripture- God is “unsearchable and past finding out”(Rom. 11:33) yet we do not stop there, we dig/lean in. Deut. 29:29 teaches us that the “things revealed belong to us and to our children forever (generational).” “Those who diligently seek Me, find me (Jer. 29:13)...” With knowledge of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, we don’t shy away, we lean in, learn, seek the treasures of Scripture. There are
depths that we are called to walk in, steward, and pass on so that we and others can walk in knowledge, clarity, purity, identity, and power! Do you want to know Him?
- The great juxtaposition in Scripture- God is “unsearchable and past finding out”(Rom. 11:33) yet we do not stop there, we dig/lean in. Deut. 29:29 teaches us that the “things revealed belong to us and to our children forever (generational).” “Those who diligently seek Me, find me (Jer. 29:13)...” With knowledge of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, we don’t shy away, we lean in, learn, seek the treasures of Scripture. There are
- The Holy Spirit is at work throughout Scripture (from the beginning)
- Creation, would “come upon” judges, warriors, prophets (Judges 6:34, 2 Sam. 23)
- From UPON to IN
- Old Testament buildup/the promise- “I will put My Spirit IN YOU” (Eze. 36:27)
- Expanded upon in Joel 2- “I shall pour My Spirit out on all flesh”
- Fulfilled in Acts 2- Pentecost: “THIS IS THAT!” which was spoken by the prophet Joel
- The disciples (Peter’s transformation)/the crowd/we are never the same: boldness, purity, power, the seal, fruit of the Spirit, unashamed to declare the Gospel
- Jesus: “It is to your advantage that I go..” Do you see the “advantage?”
- The Holy Spirit is still BROODING, ready to create/transform…IN YOU! (Acts 2:21)
- Has He created anew in you? Do you see where He is at work? Have you become enamored with the Third person of the Trinity? Declare “This is that” this week! How can you participate with the Holy Spirit this week?