Streams of Living Water

Thanks for your prayers for our Holy Spirit Weekend. I wanted to share, inadequately for sure, a bit about our amazing experience.

The Alpha retreat this weekend was beyond.

Beyond my expectations. Beyond the limits of my vocabulary to adequately describe. Beyond my prior understanding of who God is.

This weekend we learned about the Holy Spirit. Who he is, what he does and how we can experience the Spirit in our own lives. It’s the part of the Trinity many Christians really don’t know much about—or resist. But oh what a difference the Spirit makes.

To use an imperfect analogy, I think the filling of the Spirit into our lives is like adding vibrant color to a pencil drawing. Or like putting gas in our car instead of trying to push it along under our own strength. Or wiping Vaseline off our eyeglasses.

One of my friends summed it up like this, “I never realized there was so much more to being a Christian than just accepting Jesus.”

In the Old Testament God gave the Holy Spirit to particular people at particular times for particular purposes. But after Jesus ascended to heaven, God poured out his Spirit the early believers at Pentecost. (Acts 2) Finally the apostles “got it.” Ever since Pentecost the Holy Spirit is available to ALL believers.

As Jesus declared, “’If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” (John 7:37-38)

So that is what we did this weekend. We came and drank. God freely poured out His Spirit for the thirsty. He refreshed and renewed and revived. Some traveled to the mountaintop. Others received a much needed refueling. And for a few the Spirit uncovered long-hidden struggles, brought them into the light and laid them at Jesus’ feet. The experiences were as unique as the individuals present.

It’s not often in our day-to-day that we encounter the Almighty so intimately. But on the Alpha retreat we do. Every time. That’s why I’ve been involved with the program for so long. I continually see it produce glorious fruit. I know many who encountered Jesus up close and personal this weekend will be forever changed — their faith set on fire, their lives filled with purpose, the eyes to their heart opened.

Through the many courses I’ve done, I've witnessed the way God knits us together as a community. Strangers become friends, bound together by a shared passion for Jesus. The more mature help those just taking baby steps. Infant faith blossoms. Participants become helpers. Helpers become leaders. Each group reaches out to help grow the ones that follow. It seems just as Jesus intended.

This weekend we sang Mercy Me’s song Word of God Speak. I continue to soak in those words today.

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

Lord, I pray for every person who attended the Alpha retreat this weekend. Continue to invade their hearts with your life-giving Spirit. Give them rest in your embrace. Fill their lives with your purpose. And protect them from the attacks of the enemy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

For more information on the Alpha course, click the button on the right.

Live to Ride. Ride to Live.

Spring is officially here. You want to know how I know? The blooming forsythias? The goldfinches at the birdfeeder? The first grass cutting of the year? Nope. It’s the arrival of the motorcycles. Just yesterday, while on a 15-minute drive, I saw eight of them.

I’ll share a tidbit about me that few people know. I love motorcycles—Harleys to be exact. I love the way Harleys look. And I LOVE the way they sound—that distinctive throaty roar. I can’t explain the source of this admiration, I just know that whenever a Harley passes I pause to admire the view and savor the moment. (Sometimes I even dream about joining my “fellow” riders on the streets of Sturgis.)

I know my family is baffled and a bit concerned by all of this. Luckily for them I will probably never own a motorcycle of any kind, let alone a Harley. But, what a thrill it would be to drive one on the open road—once!

Suppose I actually bought one. (Pretend for the moment that I actually know how to ride a motorcycle!) Even if I got an awesome bike, the coolest clothes and the latest accessories, without gas in the tank I wouldn’t be able to get very far. Let’s see, I could sit on it in the driveway. I could push it while I walked. Or I could lug it to the top of a hill, hop on and ride to the bottom.

It seems pretty ridiculous to try to power a motorcycle by one’s own efforts. Doesn’t it?

Well, this describes a lot of our lives as Christians. Maybe yours.

Maybe you have the “accessories” of the Christian life (like volunteer positions, church friends and Bible knowledge) but feel empty inside. Maybe despite your best efforts to “get it,” God seems far away. Or maybe it feels like you’re pushing your faith up a hill—and you’re tired and discouraged.

You want the “Vroom!” that other believers seem to have. Why does it have to be so hard?

It doesn’t. This Christian life was never meant to “go” by our own efforts. Just like a Harley, we need gas. What’s the gas in our tank? The Holy Spirit.

Look at the disciples. While Jesus ministered to them, try as they might to understand his teachings, they just didn’t “get it.” When I first started reading the Bible I thought, “C’mon, dummies! The water into wine, the walking on water, the casting out demons and STILL you don’t understand! Are you blind?!”

In a sense they were.

Because the Holy Spirit was not yet available, they had to rely on their own efforts to fuel their faith. It was frustrating if not impossible for them to get very far.

Then, Jesus pointed them to the gas: “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (Jn 14:26) “…You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” (Acts 1:5,8)

This power came on Pentecost when God poured out his Spirit on all present and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Finally the disciples could “see” and understand. Their faith was turbocharged. They had their “Vroom!”

And the Good News spread like wildfire.

Thankfully, this wasn’t an isolated incident. God sent this “spiritual fill-up” to all believers. He “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Cor. 1:22)

The Holy Spirit is God in us. He leads, guides, teaches, gives wisdom and spiritual gifts, compels, protects, renews, gives life, intercedes in prayer, sanctifies, knows God’s thoughts, empowers, gives righteousness, reveals the mystery of Christ and more!

It is powerful fuel indeed. Best of all, it doesn’t cost $3.85 a gallon. It’s free—you just have to ask…and receive.

Is your faith running on empty? Does God seem distant? Are you tired of working so hard? Stop trying to do it on your own. Fill up with the Holy Spirit—and feel the power.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Ro. 15:13)

See you on the road. “Vroom!”