I was brought up with Pentecostal beliefs and practices on one side of the family and Southern Baptist on the other. Unbeknown to me as a young child, religion has always been at odds. I have been on both ends of the spectrum. There was a time I was mortified at the sight of hands being raised in worship; to the opposite end of viewing this gesture as evidence of being Spirit Filled.
Last night as I watched the Bellevue Baptist Singing Christmas tree, I thought of Jesus coming into and leaving this world with the spilling of blood and water. When He raised His hands, He was nailed to the cross for our sins. That is the ultimate form of worship. A large Christmas tree was in the church foyer with three empty crosses on the top. A simple but powerful reminder of the Gift and Giver of Christmas; the reason we were gathering there.
How do we become so blinded and off track with our faith? Whether a person raises hands, shouts, speaks in tongues, stands or sits quietly, does not determine if they are Spirit filled. Yes, we believe and operate in all of the gifts of the Spirits. However, we can find ourselves off track by focusing more on the gifts rather than upon the Giver.
We sometimes develop a mind set of going to church rather than recognizing we individually are the church. Our pastor says, “We are called to be Little Jesus’ to this world.” It is a plain and a powerfully convicting statement. People that are dying physically and spiritually care little about our form of worship. They simply need the Hope and Salvation in Christ Jesus.
I certainly do not claim to have all of the answers. I just know He is the answer. A true test of a Spirit filled life may be, “How have I shared Jesus with someone today?” Dan remarked, "The manger is empty, the cross is empty and the tomb is empty." He lived, died, rose again and is coming back for us. That is truly the greatest Spiritual Gift!
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| John 3:16 |
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
3 comments:
Wonderful truths shared here.
I can identify so much with
what you've said about a
Baptist and Pentecostal
background. Right now I am
non-denominational and that
suits me fine. After all,
there are no denominations
in heaven.
I love this post. Religion can really mess us up, but the simplicity of the gospel is powerful.
dear mrs. brown shoes...i have been so busy of late that i never even noticed that you were a follower at the scarf sisters.
thank you for the comment you made about the bible.
it surely would be nice to sit beside a fire place and read it but alas!..in our neck of the town there are no such luxuries!
i read your profile and looked up your two favourite books and what they were about.
"redeeming love" would be a very hard book to read but my!..what a story or redemption there is with sarah[angel]...michael's unconditional love for her reminds me so much of god's love for me who was nothing but a prodigal, a sinner of the worst kind!..
i think that my first post about the sisterhood bible will be how the lord saved me!
i love what dan says, "the manger is empty, the cross is empty and the tomb is empty. he lived, died, rose again and is coming back for us"...
how true this is!..i had a friend once who wanted to buy his pal a golden chain with a cross and on the cross jesus...i told him, "oh no david...if you want to get a cross get your friend one that has no figure on it!..because the cross is empty now."...and you know what mrs. brown shoes?..he took my advise.
quite often i hear a preacher say,
"the lord jesus had a borrowed cradle, a borrowed cross and borrowed tomb."
god bless you now mrs.brown shoes and thank you for your kind comment!...love terry
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