Category: Level: Advanced

In 1906 something very unusual began happening in a small meeting in Los Angeles. People testified that the Spirit of God was coming upon them and filling them with joy and power and praise for God. Their lives were transformed. It was the beginning of the Azusa Street Revival, which was the leading contributor to the biggest movement in the Christian church in centuries: Pentecostalism. It was also the second largest social movement of the 20th century after communism, and unlike communism, it was still skyrocketing by the end of the century. In the year 2000 over 500 million Christians worldwide considered themselves Pentecostal or charismatic. Yet, Azusa was led by someone possessing deep humility. The pastor of the church that hosted these meetings on Azusa Street was an African-American man named William Seymour. The meetings were filled with whites as well as blacks and many other nationalities. As news Continue Reading →

God is very big on faith. It is the way we connect with him, and it is even the way we are saved. In human relationships faith, or trust, is a precious commodity as well. We might love someone with all our hearts but still not trust them because we deem them untrustworthy. A mother may be willing to die for her wayward adult son, but not trust him enough to let him live with her because of his destructiveness. God is not destructive, but he is mysterious and challenging, and trusting him takes time. If God seems distant it is even more challenging. This is why he goes to great lengths to develop faith in us. After we have been following Jesus for several years, God will typically take away our sense of his presence in order that we might learn deeper faith. He does this because he loves Continue Reading →

The Holy Spirit has brought many renewals to individuals and to his church over the centuries, bringing needed refreshment and invigoration to the people of God. During experiences of the Holy Spirit usually there is a strong sense of his presence and believers find themselves experiencing God in ways they never had before. And God may give an individual believer thrilling experiences of the Holy Spirit, including his presence and love, even though there is no church-wide renewal. This continues today. If we want to preserve the benefits God gives in renewal we will be wise to watch out for common dangers of renewals, whether it is individual renewal or community renewal. Here are 10 dangers of experiences of the Holy Spirit we need to watch out for today: If you have been part of a renewal with experiences of the Holy Spirit, did you notice any of these dangers Continue Reading →

In Philippians Paul ties our spiritual growth in with essential spiritual truths. Jesus’ resurrection was the beginning of new creation. This week we look at closer union with Jesus’ cross and resurrection. In Philippians 2:1 Paul instructs the Philippians: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ” then please be one with each other. Paul considers Christians to be united with Christ. Then in Phil. 3:10-11 Paul talks about his spiritual growth, his desire to know Christ: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (NIV) Notice that Paul is expanding on his union with Christ. He wants to experience more union with Christ. Specifically, he wants to experience Jesus’ “resurrection from the dead” for himself, which has not happened for him yet. Continue Reading →