Bishop Matthew Thomas

Filled with or Fooling with the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit carries the testimony of God to the Christian (John 14:7) and the unchristian alike (John 16:8).  Everyone is influenced by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  It is sad and unusual that most have no idea of his influence over their world and mind.  Some are so opposed to God that they wittingly or unwittingly blaspheme the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29).  Others act in an irresponsible way and grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).  The best, of course, is to be filled with the Holy Spirit- moved by Him, directed by Him, capable of knowing God intimately.  The worst, of course, is to fight against Him- to resist Him and His influence. 

 

There is a contrast of different sorts in the book of Acts.  It is not contrast of those for Him or against Him.  In Acts, the evidence of people being filled with the Spirit is powerful (Acts 2:4; 10:44; 19:6).  The contrasting response to the Holy Spirit is not a denial of Him.  It is not a rejection of His work.  It is an abuse of Him- His person, power and/or work. 

 

Ananias and Sapphira feigned spirituality.  It was translated as lying to the Spirit or testing the Spirit (Acts 5:3, 9).  There was a man, Simon, who believed (Acts 8:13), but tried to barter for the ability to manipulate the Spirit to enable him to perform impressive miracles (Acts 8:18).  In both of these examples, the Holy Spirit was acknowledged but wrongly treated as a commodity. 

 

Perhaps the most glaring example of the contrast is in Acts 19.  Paul was so in sync with the Holy Spirit that miracles were dripping off handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him (Acts 19:12).  The reader, however, is treated with whiplash contrast beginning in the very next verse.  The story of Paul is followed immediately by some folks trying to cash in on the exorcism business- the work of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:13-16).  The end result was not a shame to the Holy Spirit, but a beating of the pretenders. 

 

The contrast in Acts is not between people filled with the Holy Spirit and those unfilled with the Holy Spirit.  The contrast is between those being true to the Holy Spirit and those treating the Holy Spirit as a commodity to cash in on or a weapon to wield.  In other words, there are those who are filled with the Spirit and others who are fooling with the Spirit.  The former are subject to His daily sharpening and shaping.  The latter are interested less in personal reform than personal advancement.  There is something insidious about those who feign spirituality like that.  There is something perilous about those who say, “The Spirit has told me to . . . ,” when it has really been wishful thinking or seeking the Spirit’s endorsement for an activity or decision.  There is something dangerous about those who do things that are often associated with being filled with the Spirit, but with the intention of personal gain or improved image.  It is a perilous thing to fool around with the Holy Spirit.  When a person tries in a fleshly way to do what can only be done in a spiritual way, the damage is significant to them, the church and their witness before a watching world. 

 

Those who are filled with the Spirit don’t have a showy spirituality.  They have a gritty, un-flaunted way of simple obedience and sacrificial love.  [Sandwiched between Paul’s powerful Spirit-filled demonstrations (Acts 19:6 and 19:11-12) is the unimpressive activity of teaching and preaching (Acts 19:8-10)].  There is none of the personal gain seeking that Ananias sought in the truly Spirit-filled believer.  There is nothing like the power-seeking Simon in them.  There is no motive akin to the seven sons of Sceva in those who want less attention for themselves and more for God. 

 

I am becoming convinced that the biggest danger regarding the treatment of the Holy Spirit is not to ignore Him.  When we do that, He just continues to prod and prick all conscience are hardened (1 Timothy 4:2).  The biggest danger is to misrepresent Him- to mimic Him rather than represent Him. 

 

The clearest mark of Spirit-filled believers is not exorcisms, tongues, healing handkerchiefs or arcane knowledge.  It is marked by people who bring the presence of God, represent the character of God and draw attention to God in an environment that desperately needs God.  That can only be achieved by humble, loving, sacrificial, God-enamored people.  That may be why some of the demonstrations of Spirit-filled life are rare.  We live in a self-soaked world where power, gain and attention are still valued- sometimes even among those who claim to live by the Spirit.  When that kind of attitude dies, the Spirit-filled life truly comes to life. 

Waiting

My experience seeing one of my children graduate to eternity has made me think differently about eternity.  It is so short- it must be.  This kronos (the Greek term from which we get calendar and clock time- chronology) time thing is the interminably long part.  I’ll take kairos (salvation history) anytime.  Kairos (God’s time) is a millisecond.  It is the real that must be wrapped in minutes, hours and years.  If a thousand years is like a day, then even the longest period of measurable time is a skiff of time.  But, in kronos terms, to get from here (time) to there (eternity) seems like it takes an “eternity” in the vernacular understanding of forevermore.  Waiting until the kids grow, until retirement comes, until the grandkids start driving, until maturity is realized, until the house is finally paid off, until we can get out of the car after the cross country trip, until patience is finally achieved, until we finally appreciate knowledge of our life’s greatest contributions, until the curtain of our lives come down (Mitch’s is the only one in my immediate finally who has had that chapter revealed)- it all seems like a long, long, very long time.  It doesn’t seem like a wisp of time, but a marathon of experiences slowly rolling out, one after another.  Only in retrospect to an old person with failing memory does it seem fleeting like a breath or grass in the field.

 

However, when we cross over, it will all be different.  When we enter heaven, we enter the eternal present.  Everything will be within reach- creation, the first advent, the second advent, Satan’s destruction, the new heaven and earth, every human with whom we could interact, the moment we were introduced to Jesus and the moment we first stood before the throne.  Time will be out of the way.  Like clouds rolling away to finally reveal the sun, time will no longer be the great divide.  We will be able to stretch out our arms and touch Genesis and Revelation, the before and the after.  We will worship God with the very first person to ever worship God simultaneously with the last person who will be taken into his presence.  Won’t it be great?  That throng will represent not only every tribe and tongue and race and language.  But, it will represent every era, period and civilization.  No waiting for the future any more- it will be right there.  No struggle to recall faded memories.  They will be as vibrant as the experiences themselves.  In fact, everything good will never fade. 

 

So, for now we wait.  But, we wait, not as laggards, purposeless, with little to do.  No!  We wait, with energy and activity.  We need to do everything that he calls us to do to prepare for that very full eternity.  We need to fill our lives with the fullness with which he created us to experience.  We are his fullness (Eph 2) to experience his fullness (Col. 1).  He wants us to work as ambassadors (2 Cor. 5) and as those who bring the hope to the world (1 Cor. 15) as it waits for what it does not know.  I am going to burn as brightly as possible for as long as possible in the here and now.  Don’t get me wrong, waiting is not all bad.  This waiting is sometimes the most exhilarating thing imaginable- soaking in every new development of the grandkids, enjoying every milestone of family members, savoring the smell and taste of new experiences, experiencing death come to life that can only be experienced on this side of eternity when a sinner steps into and is bathed by the light.  Waiting is sometimes like Christmas, opening the gifts with great anticipation.  But, this waiting is sometimes the most excruciating thing imaginable- waiting to see Jesus, waiting to have complete knowledge, waiting to be a complete overcomer and waiting to see once more that wonderful young man that we desperately miss. 

 

Perhaps this waiting is what causes me to toggle between uncontainable joy and periodic times of sadness.  The waiting itself is simultaneously a privilege, a joy and punishing tease.  Right now, I am just going to “wait” to get off the plane to kiss my wife, worship at Timberview tomorrow, hug my grandchildren, get back to living the call, looking at the breath-taking view from my window, and seek the one who will lead me to a day of “no more waiting.” 

Imagine That!

When we speak of seeing the unseen, it is generally a very positive thing these days.  Leaders who have “vision” are sought after.  That is the ability to envision the unseen.  Artists who are especially “creative” are the ones receiving the greatest applause.  They have the ability to see or express what no one else is seeing or expressing.  Economic forecasters are worth their weight in gold these days.  They are the ones in whom investors trust.  [For those that didn’t get the reference, even our dollar bills tell us that it is “In God We Trust.”]  In the church, the gift of prophecy is making a long delayed comeback.  Too many years have seen emphases upon some of the more tactile gifts like mercy, helps, service, leadership and giving.  They have grit and day to day practicality.  But, prophecy is that gift that should be held in high esteem since it is really seeing things the way God sees them and reporting it to the appropriate audience.  That is seeing the unseen in the most important way. 

 

Coupled with this motif of vision, creativity and the ability to forecast- seeing the unseen- is the root ability to imagine.  [I’m not really sure where imagination might play in the prophetic.  I’m still thinking about that one.  It seems to me that most prophets in the Old Testament were not as playful as those in other categories who have great imagination.  For instance, I cannot “imagine” Jeremiah as author of “The Chronicles of Narnia.”]  Imagination is most active in those whose mind and heart can go a distance from where the hands and feet and eyes are at present. 

 

Again, imagination is almost always seen in our contemporary culture as a value add- a positive quality.  But, I believe that is “seeing it” poorly.  It is our culture’s attempt to only take the positive results of imagination and conclude it as virtue.  But, look at the other side of imagination for a moment.  The person with attention deficit problems often has a great imagination.  The fallout is sometimes severe, in spite of the jokes with which they must endure.  The person who is constantly distracted and cannot focus often has a vibrant imagination- the reason for their lack of focus.  The end result is a life without focus and a forgetfulness that gets him/her in constant trouble with others.  The person who is only looking to a future that is disconnected with the present is one of the most gifted at imagination.  Unfortunately, they are constantly living in a dream world of the stardom or wealth that they envision themselves having.  In the most insidious cases, it displaces the present.  I have seen marriages wrecked because of one party living in a dream world that is detached from the one in which their spouse unfortunately must live.  As another example, the most severe cases of psychosis and schizophrenia find the imagined either displacing the real or co-opting it in ways, to the chagrin and trauma of the affected himself. 

 

I am coming to the conclusion that imagination is neutral, but not benign.  It is impactful in a most powerful way.  It moves by the heart and mind possessing it.  And, those hearts and minds are not idle or neutral.  You see, all that glitters is not gold.  The qualifying question for imagination should be, “What are the purpose, focus and value of the person imagining?”  If the focus is on wealth, fame and the like, the imagination will take a person to places where one can hold them closer than they are in reality or should be.  If the focus is “on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” then our imagination will help us envision him contextually or transport us in powerful ways in the Spirit, not only giving us what we want but standing by us in our darkest hour.  If our purpose is living for God, then we will be able to “think on these things” (Philippians 4:8) in ways that allow our imagination to percolate the true, noble, right, pure and lovely that sometimes goes unnoticed.  Our imagination will allow us to think of things for which to be thankful that would come in no other way.  However, if our purpose is to elevate ourselves above all others, then our imagination will take us there as well.  We will be transported to the very worry motivated by the self protection of which Jesus warns (Matthew 6:25-30). 

 

The bent of the heart and mind and the orientation of our faith pushes the imagination toward its own orientation.  The core of the person will determine whether their imagination will be a boon or a bane, a virtue or a vice.  Imagination is not a standard virtue, an automatic blessing.  It is a tool.  I pray for a heart that yearns for God and everything good.  Then, when in prayer and even in reading the Scripture, I find it amazing how one can be transported to see the unseen in new ways.  Imagining how God can work through faithful servants who are fully yielded to Him makes me want to work harder.  Imagining heaven through the opaque window of metaphor and simile given us in Scripture makes me yearn even more for it.  Imagine that!

 

 

Get On Board

A hip-hop Free Methodist Church in inner city Denver (and its sister churches in Fresno, CA and Dalls, TX) rocks the place out, feeds the poor, ministers to the "least of these" and exudes the love of Jesus.  Check out what they did at http://www.moresugarthanspice.com/2009/11/24/back-for-seconds/#more-700. 

A Free Methodist Church in Southern California was on the verge of closure five or six years ago.  Now more than 1,000 people worship God every Sunday under the leadership of a truly gifted pastor- John Hansen.  Listen to his heart and their worship at http://lambsfellowship.net/index.php/sermons. 

African refugee churches are springing up all over the nation.  If you are visiting Rochester, NY; Abiline or Houston, TX; or Phoenix, AZ you will find vibrant worship that will transport you to African culture and give you opportunity to hear stories of healing and deliverance from the most depraved environments imaginable. 

More than 300 new disciples in one year entered the Kingdom through the doors of Timberlake Christian Fellowship in Redmond, WA.  See a sample of their ministry that is swelling with twenty and thirty-somethings who are looking for spiritual answers at http://www.timberlakeonline.org/. 

  Captain Anthony Randall is a Free Methodist Chaplain stationed at Fort Bragg.  Anyone knowing Anthony knows that he doesn't sit still.  He is constantly doing ministry and training leaders and influencing people and impacting communities.  He started, along with the chaplains at Fort Bragg a church in a new community that had no church about 15 minutes from the main base.  Now that church is averaging more than 160 weekly in Sunday worship.  Check out their new efforts at http://www.chapelnextnc.org/. 

I could go on with this.  But, I just want to communicate to a broad audience that the Holy Spirit is working through humble but gifted servants in the Free Methodist Church to do great things for our King.  There is so much more to do.  Let God direct you into more and greater for Him and I assure you that we will be eager to celebrate with you. 

Overflowing with Thankfulness

It is thanksgiving time.  There is much for which to give thanks.  Whether rich or poor, the people of God always have room for thanks.  Whether it is health; ability to praise God; gratitude for the stuff, however meager, we possess; family; love; particular good fortune; or just the ability to “move and breathe and have our being.”  There is more than enough room to be thankful.  Often when I say that, I will have people challenge me with something on the order of, “but there are people around the world who have nothing.”  My response is generally, “I know!  I have met them.  In fact, I have them in mind when I talk about thanksgiving.”  You see, sometimes when I think of the art and act of giving thanks, the poorest are the ones that inspire me the most.  They come up with things for which they are thankful that I generally blow right by.  Every crumb is an act of grace.  Every relationship is a pot of gold.  Every day is a milestone of mercy.  Every miracle is an oasis in the desert. 

 

You see, thankfulness is core to the faithful.  Actually, it is core to faith not just the faithful.  Faith actually produces thanksgiving.  After all, “faith is assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  That means that through faith we are not only grateful for gifts long since passed, but gifts that are on their way- assurance of things hoped for.  Faith includes gratitude for the assurances of God’s help and presence in the future.  Faith includes thankfulness for heaven that we have yet to experience.  Faith itself produces a wellspring of thankfulness. 

 

I believe that is what Paul meant in Colossians 2:7.  He said, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.  Then your faith will grow strong in the faith you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”  Do you see the sequence and connection?  Grow closer to him.  Deepen your faith and thankfulness will ooze out.  It has little to do with the amount of possession, but everything to do with the amount of faith. 

 

I like to read that verse in the original language.  It looks awkward because it repeats the same little preposition twice.  It literally looks like this the end of the verse, “abounding in it in thankfulness.”  Abounding in what?  Faith!  The deeper the faith runs, the deeper the thankfulness.  Faith people can see God in the past, present and future.  The bank of issues for thanksgiving grows.  I love to be around faith-filled people.  They don’t need a good reason to worship.  They just do.  They don’t need a good sermon on Sunday to energize them to give praise.  They’re already there.  They don’t need a garage full of toys to give thanks.  They live there. 

 

“Happy thanksgiving!”  To those deep in the faith, “Do your thing.”

Caprice and Crowds

One of the more obvious points of notice in the Passion event is the quick turnaround in the mood within the city of Jerusalem.  "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" quickly became "Crucity Him!" in one short week.  The point is restated several times over in the Bible.  Elijah saw a quick turnaround in the attitudes and actions of people in one day.  It is likely that Acts 14:8-20 occured in a day.  The people went from treating Paul and Barnabas like gods, to treating them like scoundrels. 

One problem that occurs when we speak about the crowds- herd mentality- is that it is easy to see others in the crowd but not us.  But, crowds are crowds and we are caught in them at many levels.  However tempting it might be to only see others in the crowd, we are often part.  The defining quality that will determine whether or not we shift so quickly has less to do with whether we are in the crowd or not.  It is more about the depth of our core grounding.  Does our faith run deeply enough aid us in clear thinking and believing and acting when the wind of current moods change?  Crowds are capricious.  We are to be unmoved in some areas.  There is the conflict. 

I don't know an easy way to test the depth of faith without faith being tested.  I don't really know another way to find out where and how deeply our core is unless we need to periodically summon up strength from that core.  I don't know how firmly I believe in something unless it is challenged with a common slur by many others around.  Oddly, however, the converse is often the prayer- "Lord keep us safe" or "Don't let this continue."  Acts 4:29 comes on the heals of a very intense persecution and promise for more by those who hate God.  To this the disciples prayed, "Now, Lord, consider their threats and . . . ."  I intentionally stopped short of the sentence.  Do you know where they went in their prayer from that point?  It could be "and thwart their efforts."  It could be "and provide us refuge." 

I will refrain from giving their conclusion and leave it to your imagination or curious inquiry.  But, suffice to say, it is a statement that demonstrates a very deep and very firm core.  They were not rattled.  They rallied.  The next time you are tempted to say something disparaging about the crowd, remember that crowds are expected to be capricious.  We are expected to move by a different motive.  Pray for crowd challenges to the core of your faith.  That is the only way you will really know where you stand- when the opposition is sizeable. 

Miracles

I was just in a place where I asked the national leaders, "How do you do evangelism?"  It was the first time in my 30 years of ministry that I had the response I received from them.  They said, "Miracles."  I asked them to explain.  The explanation was that in their land of persecution and trial, it is hard to make "safe" contacts with people since there are so many unsafe people who can bring great damage to the church.  They wait until people with illness or problems come to them.  Then they pray.  People are healed and miracles occur.  Friends and family become Christians- they believe on the basis of what they see (John 14:11).  Fear of recrimination is dissolved.  The question, "Who is a safe person to talk to?" is not an issue, for the most part.  When God demonstrates his powerful and loving presence, questions disappear as to suspicions. 

That is New Testament.  That is quite an evangelism methodology.  It works for me. 

Keeping the Bar Set at the Right Height

When I was young, I was a high-jumper in track.  Though my highest height jumped was just a smidge over six feet (some of the better high-schoolers in the day were jumping over 7 feet), I understood that it was best to start jumping at a height that challenged a bit, but was easy enough to get some practice jumps with confidence in.  For me that was about 5'8".  Right now, it would be about the height of my ottoman or grandson's tonka truck. 

When we think about our discipleship, we need to remember that God makes it quite simple to enter a relationship with him.  The bar is simply set at surrender and "Jesus is Lord" confession.  But, the farther in we walk, as followers of Jesus, the more we see that there is to surrender and Lordship.  The bar may seem to be getting higher.  But, so is the strength and ability to do what must be done.  It is as though the expectations increase for maturity, but so does the grace toward maturity. 

The grace stops where desire to continue in surrender stops.  I speak with people who have little desire to grow in the Lord and they wonder with stone faced and serious curiosity why they struggle so much just dealing with life.  Frankly, there is not much need for grace, strength, mercy and power from the posture of an easy chair.  But, ask God to stretch you and help you to see what "living by faith" might mean today- what surrender means for me and my life today- and you will be surprised at how high you can jump.  Just remember, though, you are not jumping alone. 

Transformational and Multiplying Churches

Transformational and multiplying churches are good stewards of what God has given.  They see transformation on at least four levels taking place-

from animosity or indifference to interest,

from death to life (conversion),

from observer to participant,

from passionate disciple to passionate disciple maker. 

The result is multiplication.   

 

Transformational and multiplying churches get more people in the game, rely more on the Holy Spirit and take seriously their call to reach the world for Jesus. 

 

Some visible marks of transformational and multiplying churches are: 

 

Unity, Engaging and compelling love rather than mere mutual appreciation, “Cannot-help-it” sharing, loving, giving (Acts 4:20; 1 Thes 312; Luke 6:38), Practice all “one anothers” not just selected, Enthusiastic and excited rather than just polite, a contagious buzz rather than mild fondness of ministry, Outside ministry celebrated and promoted more than inside,  People Pray with others more than for others, Most prayer is spontaneous instead of planned, Little time with prayer request and much time with prayer rather than the other way around, Leaders engaged in community as much as church, Teams and interdependence is more evident than individuals and individualism, facilities are used by pre-Christian groups, Bible application is stressed over Bible study, Passion is greater for Jesus and people than for vision or program, Most people can answer, “Who are you reaching?”, Faith activity is prevalent, Many are quickly included in significant ministry, Ministry based training; “how to live and do” over academic/intellectual based training; “how to think and know”, Obedience is an end rather than a means that must justify an end, Preaching and Teaching is true, relevant, interesting, clear, applicable instead of correct, cliché, manipulative, disingenuous.

Transformation

When everything changes dramatically for the better, that is transformation.   When the opinion changes from down to up, that is transformation.  When the frame of mind changes from doubt to optimistic hope, that is transformation.  When the focus is no longer on me but on others, that is transformation. 

Transformation leaves loneliness, darkness, selfishness, dispondency and anger behind.  Transformed people are those who are free enough to do something great.  Transformed churches are those who are focused outside of themselves.  Transformed leaders are those who are consumed with God and what will help others find Him. 

People and churches that make a difference are not changed by degrees, but by reversed direction.