Pentecost Love Letter

12th June 2011

Dear Holy Spirit,

It's Pentecost and I want to write to say I love You. I know You're the same everyday and everywhere. But I want to honour and celebrate You today, and hopefully appreciate You more every other day.

You are the ultimate best friend. You are always here with me. You always have a kind word. You always encourage me and build me up. You even bless me with real peace and real joy. You are amazing!

You are so gracious and loving to me. You know all my thoughts and actions yet You stay with me. You correct me gently, You heal my brokenness and forgive my strife. You never give up on me. You fill me with joy and peace again.

You whisper bold ideas into my ear then You fill me with boldness to follow through. It's always exciting to think about You and recognise You in situations. There's nothing more fulfilling than getting the chance to partner with You in Your purpose. It's fun to flow and fly with You.

Thank You for inviting me to walk with You. What a blessing. It is the best walk of my life. Your kindness and You presence mean so much to me.

I love You so much!
Mark

Waiting for Pentecost

I wonder if the air was different. I wonder if it felt different when you were on your own - waking, thinking, walking. One thing is for sure - things changed very significantly on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts Chapter Two.

I hope in heaven that I get a chance to ask some that were there what it was like before and after. That day was a very significant shift in human history - the Holy Spirit was being poured out on all flesh - not just the few.

When the Holy Spirit was deposited in my life, when I was baptised with Him - I was completely changed. I felt new life, new desires and a new power to live His way. I never want to live without the Holy Spirit's love and power.

I'm determined this Pentecost (and my whole life for that matter) not to take the Holy Spirit for granted. I want to think about Him and desire Him - to acknowledge His presence and everything that He has done is doing for us.

I'm going to celebrate Pentecost this year be bringing the day in with a fire and a few mates in my backyard. I don't know what will happen but as we sit together I hope that we bring honour to Him as we share about what He has done for us. Any guys are welcome between 9pm and midnight.

I've decided to consider the Public Holiday on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday to be also in honour of the Holy Spirit - nice of the government to give us more time to celebrate.

How will you take some time to honour the Holy Spirit at Pentecost?

What I've learnt about fasting

In the last few weeks I've learnt a lot about fasting from the Holy Spirit walking me through it and from a book called "Fasting" by Jentezen Franklin. I am thankful to my Pastor (Ps Jack Hanes) for again challenging our church community to fast over the last three weeks.

Fasting is a normal and important part of life as a Christian.
Although I have fasted from time to time, I've regarded it as a fairly radical and fringe activity. Jentezen's book shows through scripture that it is quite a normal and even expected part of Judaism and Christianity (among other religions). Just as I invest myself in giving or prayer, I also want to be a person for whom fasting is a regular part of my life and worship.

Fasting is for spiritual breakthrough.
Fasting makes a difference to the power of our prayers. Where prayer alone may not work, fasting can be the element that brings the authority to bring a healing or an answer to prayer. Of course, Jesus Himself said this to His disciples. Breaking through physically can precede breaking through spiritually. Same God, same purpose, same prayer - but fasting brings greater power and authority to our prayers. I want to remember this when my prayers don't seem to be answered.

Fasting is not as hard as I thought.
Fasting of any kind has never actually been as difficult as I thought it would be. Before recently I believed that I couldn't fast completely on work days, that I wouldn't have enough energy and I'd get to grumpy without some sugar in my system. Now I know that isn't close to being true. I have even found that I could do (limited) exercise while fasting completely without any side-effects. I have learnt especially how important it is for me to know why I am fasting and to decide before I start exactly how I will fast - working it out as I go has never worked for me.

Fasting is for sanctification.
Fasting is a test. It's like putting your hand up to tell God that you're ready for your character to given a bit of pressure. It is a chance for God to work in our lives to bring sanctification. In this season of fasting God has very clearly walked me through different themes as I have continued - fear, pride, flesh vs. spirit and criticism.

Fasting helps you to get carried away.
Fasting was practiced by so many of my heroes in the Bible and more modern heroes of the faith. I don't know how I haven't fully recognised before how much fasting is a key to a 'deeper' spiritual life. Those with a clear presence of God on their lives and authority and miracles in their ministries have been people who fasted regularly. I want to be a 'carried-away' Christian.

I have a desire to make fasting a regular part of my life and worship. I want to be the kind of person who is quick to fast and pray for salvations and spiritual breakthroughs. I want to be led by the Spirit as I begin to fast more often. I want to crucify the flesh so that I might walk according to the Spirit.

What have you learnt about fasting lately?

Flesh or Spirit

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:24-25
Fasting helps me to realise some of the desires of my flesh and hopefully to reinforce the Spirit-desires that God has put in my heart. As I've been feasting on the Word in this time of fasting God has started to speak to me and challenge me about the flesh and the Spirit. I have noticed that Paul had a lot to say about the topic, and that there is much to learn from the life of David.

Paul made it clear that the distinction and indeed the conflict between flesh and Spirit is of great importance in the life of a believer. The flesh, writes Paul in Romans 8, is hostile to God, cannot please God and leads to death - the Spirit brings life! Paul encourages us to live according to the Spirit, the kind of life that is the opposite of the flesh-life. He warns us not to use our freedom to indulge the flesh (Galatians 5).

Paul said that he put no confidence whatsoever in the flesh (Philippians 3). He listed all the wonderful reasons he had for backing himself - his intellect, his breeding, his passion and his accomplishments; but made it clear that in Christ and in truth that his flesh could still not be trusted. Rather we should look to the Spirit for motivation, guidance, and strength.

I have been impressed as I read again about the life of David, the man after God's heart, the man full of the Spirit of God. Like Paul, he could have reasonably acted according to his flesh but rather chose to honour God. David prayed about going to war, when he could have gone ahead according to the power of his army or a desire to crush his enemies. When he had a chance to take his enemy, King Saul's life, he chose to spare him in order to honour God. David didn't put confidence in his flesh which had claim to revenge, self-preservation, anger, rights and even calling. David walked according to the Spirit and trusted Father God.

I have often thought of the influence of the flesh of course as the kind of nasties listed in Galatians 5:19-21. But this has left me off the hook for so many times that I am self-directed, self-indulgent or full of self-pity. Follow the flesh and it will lead to death. Walk with the Spirit and He will give you life. There is no basis for having any confidence in our flesh, rather we should trust our heavenly Father with everything and in every way.

Humbling

Fasting

Praying

Lacking

Waiting

Hurting

Kneeling

Mourning

Worshipping

Asking

Trusting

Listening

Giving

Learning

Loving

Forgiving


God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.
James 4:6

Fasting

At the beginning of the year, at the start of this journey, I knew I wanted to go deeper in my relationship with God, to become one of those people who are truly carried away – in love with God and walking in His presence. I wasn’t sure how that would happen and have been concerned that it may not really happen at all.

It’s been difficult enough just to define the goal of this journey, I mean, terms like “full on for God” or “on fire for God” are maybe helpful and worked when I was a teen but it’s hard to put it in words in a satisfying way. I’ve settled more for a vibe, a picture, or perhaps a mess of pictures. I guess the goal isn’t easy to define, like, to be able to do 100 push-ups. I want to be carried away.

But how? Well so far it’s been helpful to have this focus on my blog because it reminds to think about it and chew over it even when it doesn’t come up in may conversations. Of course, getting rhema from God’s Word and being led by the Spirit in prayer has been vital to the journey. I’ve also been thinking a lot about other people, heroes that have gone before us, who have been so devoted and passionate about God – their example and their writing is very encouraging. But right now, I’m excited about fasting!

I have been feeling led to fast and I am very encouraged that my church is fasting corporately over the next 21 days. Fasting is a big call, it’s an extreme measure. It’s a statement saying to God that He is much more important in my life than food and physical comfort. All the heroes of the Bible engaged in fasting and God achieved great things in their lives and ministries. I’ve been very encouraged as I’m reading a book on fasting by Jentezen Franklin, which discusses teaching and examples of fasting in a simple way.

I’m looking forward to seeing what God will do in this season of fasting. I’d like to be different. I believe that this time is going to cement some good things into place and overcome some things that I can do without. When I reflect on the big recurrent themes over almost 20 years of being a Christian I think of prayer and trusting God. I have regularly felt that I should pray more, and I hope to practice God’s presence in such a way that this becomes more part of my nature. And I have often been challenged in almost every season to trust in God more, I believe this season will also take me deeper in that way.

What could God do in you in a time of fasting?

The Man Not Caught in Adultery

Spare a thought for the man not caught in adultery. It’s certainly a horrendous suggestion. It is natural in our day and age to consider the lack of gender justice in the famous story in John 8 where Jesus saves the life, both the body and the soul, of the a woman who was caught in adultery and brought to him to judge. But I think we need to start thinking about what is happening for the man.

The Pharisees tried to set Jesus up. He couldn’t overlook the sin and still be just. He couldn’t overlook the life of the woman and still be loving. Instead, full of compassion and wisdom, Jesus offered those in the crowd a choice. “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Those who were ready to condemn and stone the woman walked away and the woman was forgiven, given a new life by Jesus.

Many of us have wondered and commented on why the woman was brought to be condemned but the man wasn’t. It certainly reflects the culture at the time, and possibly reflects a little better on our time that we actually consider the question. The man was not brought to be publicly shamed, condemned and possibly stoned to death. The man was left – to live – but in shame, secret and darkness.

At the end of that particular day we know that the woman had met Jesus. She had been shown incredible and personal compassion by God Himself. She had been saved and literally given a new life. The man, his sin covered up by other men, whose life was not in danger that day, was still in this old life of secret sin and shame. He was bound to continue in a life of selfish cravings and temporal pleasures – empty of joy; full of bitterness.

What the Pharisees meant for evil, Jesus turned to good. The woman was saved. The Pharisees, nodding to the man’s indiscretion, ironically left him in condemnation.

The hundreds of thousands of those forced into a life of prostitution are much closer to God’s Kingdom than the men who force themselves on them. Globally, thanks to the courageous work of activists, law makers and communicators, the tide is slowly turning and many women and children are being rescued out of or protected from prostitution. But what about the men? What about the men who will sneak away in darkness only to return again?

These men, of course, do not deserve compassion, mercy, freedom or salvation. They are routinely doing something that they know must be wrong. And there is another group, like the Pharisees in the story, who reinforce the sin if the men and perpetually bring women and children to be stoned to death, as they are slowly killed in their brothels from disease and pain. It’s hard to imagine any grace for them.

The Man not caught in adultery is still caught in a life of sexual sin. His life is caught in a cycle where he has given himself over to lust and he keeps returning to commit violence on the weak. In a different way to the prostitute, this man is also a slave to sex. He is bound in his guilt. His mind and his body are instruments of darkness. As a paying client, his privilege is protected but indeed he is also being used. His soul, kept in the darkness, is beyond redemption.

Who can save such a man? Who could forgive his sin? Who would have the compassion? Who would have such grace? Who would have the wisdom?

Jesus. Just the same way He saves us. We didn’t deserve it either.