The Work of the Spirit: Creating Unity

May 28, 2024

Unity among brethren is very important to God. Jesus, just before going to the cross, prayed for unity.  He prayed, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21 NASB95)  Jesus wants all who believe in Him to be one.  Yet division exists, both within congregations and between congregations.  How can we achieve the oneness that Jesus so fervently prayed for?  From where does unity come?

Unity in the church is a work of the Spirit of God.  Paul urged the church at Ephesus to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 NASB95) Unity is created by the Spirit.  We must make every effort to preserve the unity that He created.

How did the Spirit create unity?  It is the Spirit who placed us into the one body of Christ.  “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13 NASB95) When we were baptized into Christ, the Holy Spirit transferred us into the one body, the church.  This was done by His power.  We were made to drink of the one Spirit at that time.  Each one of us in Christ has become a partaker of the one Spirit, and because of that, we are one.  The problem is that sometimes we let our flesh rule instead of the Spirit.  When this happens, unity can quickly be destroyed.

The Spirit not only creates unity in the church, but He helps us maintain unity as well.  How so?  First, understand that the Spirit gave us the word and helps us understand the word. (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) Understanding the word is absolutely necessary for unity.  We must be unified on truth.  Second, think of the fruit that comes from the lives of those walking by the Spirit:  Love, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control, among others. (Galatians 5:22-23) These Spirit-given traits always preserve unity.  It is when we fail to walk by the Spirit that we find enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, and things like these (Galatians 5:20-21) These things are certainly not of the Spirit of God, and they always destroy unity. 

May God help us to preserve the unity that the Spirit has created among us.  Let us walk by the Spirit, be unified in our love of the truth, and enjoy the rich blessings that come from brothers and sisters walking in unity.

—Scott Colvin

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The Work of the Holy Spirit: Knowing God’s Love

May 17, 2024

How do you get through tough times?  There are many among us who are going through some very difficult situations.  How do you get through it all?  What keeps you going?

Paul writes in Romans chapter 5 that because we have been justified by faith in Christ, because we have peace with God through Christ, and because we are standing in His grace, we can rejoice in hope.  As Christians, we can rejoice, even in our tribulations, because we know that they are bringing us closer to God.  We can rejoice in tribulations, knowing that “tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope…” (Romans 5:3-4 NASB95) And hope helps get us through every challenge.  We have hope in Jesus!  We can be growing in that precious hope—that confident expectation that one day God will make all things right, that He will wipe away every tear, that we will live with Him eternally.

But hope is something that you cannot see (Romans 8:24-25).  We hope for things that will happen in the future—things that certainly will not disappoint us.  But the challenges we face are happening now.  Is there anything that can help us to persevere now? 

This is where the work of the Holy Spirit comes in.  “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5 NASB95)  The Spirit was given to those in Christ to help them in the here and now.  He does this by pouring the love of God into our hearts.  When we go through trials and heartache, God knows that it is critical that we have a deep, abiding sense of His love for us.  His love for you is something that can be known and experienced.  The experience of His love helps us to get through the hard times while we wait in hope for all He has promised us.

We learn something similar in the third chapter of Ephesians.  Paul prays for the brethren that they would be strengthened in their inner being through the Holy Spirit, so that Christ would dwell in their hearts, that they would be rooted and grounded in love, and so that they would be able to comprehend the incalculable dimensions of Christ’s love. (Ephesians 3:16-19) It is through the Spirit’s indwelling that they would, “Know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19 NASB95)

May God help us, through His Spirit, to comprehend the incomprehensible love of Jesus.  Now and always, may we experience the love of God being poured out within our hearts through the Spirit He has given us.

—Scott Colvin

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The Family of God

April 30, 2024

“Let love of the brethren continue.” (Hebrews 13:1 NASB95)

This verse teaches us that we are brothers and sisters in the Lord.  We are a family—the family of God.  What is the nature of God’s family and how does one become a part of it?  It is a spiritual family, not a physical one.  By this I mean that we must be born into God’s family through supernatural means.  When we were immersed into Christ, God caused us to be born again, not of human flesh and blood, but of His Spirit (John 3:5-6) We were born again, not of human will, but of the will of God. (John 1:12-13).  We were born into His family, not of perishable seed, but imperishable seed, through the living word of God which we received. (1 Peter 1:23) God’s family consists of all of those who have been reborn in this way and can truly call God their Father.  In other words, God’s family is the church of Jesus Christ.  What a blessing that God has allowed us to be a part of His family!

But being a member of a family comes with family obligations.  Just as we have obligations to our physical family, so too we have obligations to our spiritual family.  The main obligation in any family is to love one another.  And in the family of God, we are to love one another deeply.  We are to love one another sincerely and fervently from our hearts (1 Peter 1:22) This brotherly love is the overarching obligation that fulfills all other obligations.  For example, if we love one another, we will spend time with one another.  If we love one another, we will serve one another.  If we love one another, we will encourage one another.  We will forgive one another when there is a squabble.  When a member of the family is in trouble, we will drop what we are doing and come running to help.  Are you fulfilling your family obligations?  Are you making brotherly love a priority?

It’s not all obligation, you know.  You and I will reap great rewards for continuing in brotherly love.  What better place to find a sense of belonging than with the family of God?  What better place to cultivate deep, lasting friendships than with God’s children?  What better place to find purpose in life than with the church of the Living God?

May God help us to grow in our love for one another!       

—Scott Colvin

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The Discipline of a Father

April 18, 2024

Godly masculinity is becoming a lost art.  Or maybe it is more accurate to say that the principles of godly masculinity are being purposefully obscured by evil forces in our world. Society tells us that men should be weak.  Society says that men are incompetent, bumbling, and unaware.  Society tells us that any useful information a man may have to offer is not “helpful,” but rather “mansplaining.”    Society tells us that masculinity is “toxic.”  Of course, a man may come to have any one of these negative qualities, but I am speaking of those who are striving to be godly men and fathers.

The disparagement of godly masculinity is perhaps most damaging when it comes to fatherhood.  The world sees child raising as primarily the mother’s role.  Mothers have a tremendous role to play, but so do fathers!  God designed men and women to operate and to think differently, and both mother and father need to bring their strengths to the table. 

One of the God-given roles of fathers, in particular, is to bring discipline into the child’s life.  As we read in Ephesians chapter six, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4 NASB95) To discipline a child is to provide guidance in responsible living.  To instruct a child is to warn them about and discourage improper behavior.  In other words, children need to be trained in the right way and warned about the wrong way.  This can be done through conversation, through appropriate punishment, and through modeling godly behavior for our children.  All of this should be done in a way that does not provoke our children to anger, but rather in a way that encourages them and builds them up (even if it creates sorrow for a time).

What kinds of things can we train and warn our children about?  Fathers, do you have a running list of things that you want to teach your children?  Things like:  Always tell the truth; never compromise what is right; treat your mother with respect; do your work heartily for the Lord without whining or complaining; respect your elders; be generous; be busy for the Lord; always prioritize worship, bible study, and prayer.  What things are on your “need to know” list?  What are you instilling in your children?

Fathers, the Lord expects us to provide discipline and instruction for our children.  Don’t let the world cow you into letting your children run headlong into an unrestrained, undisciplined life!  Do it because you love them. Do it because you are following the example of our heavenly Father who disciplines us out of love.  “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom he receives.  It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:6-7 NASB95)

—Scott Colvin

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The Work of the Holy Spirit: Help in Weakness

April 9, 2024

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27 NASB95)

It happens to all of us.  We face weakness in life.  Sometimes it is bodily weakness that plagues us. Illness, chronic pain, problems that come with advanced age—all of these physical problems can be a tremendous challenge that can leave us feeling weak.  Sometimes we struggle with spiritual weakness.  Discouragement, fear, worry, temptation, and things like these can get a foothold in our heart and weigh heavily on us. And of course, when we face these things, as Christians, we turn to God in prayer.  But have you ever faced a challenge so heavy that you don’t even know what to say to God or what to ask of Him?

In those moments it is a great comfort to know that the Holy Spirit is there to help. This is one of the reasons why the Holy Spirit dwells within us—to help us when we are weak.  This passage tells us that even when we do not know how to pray as we should, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us.  The Spirit goes to God on our behalf with groanings that are too deep for words.  Even when we do not know how to pray, still there is a communication coming up from us to God through the Spirit.  As our Father looks into our hearts, He knows the mind of His Spirit who dwells there.  And since there is perfect oneness between God the Father and God the Spirit, the Father knows exactly what we need even when we don’t know how to ask.

In all of this we see a very important reason for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  The Spirit of God dwells within us to make this inexpressible communication to God possible.  Though some teach that the Holy Spirit is the word of God, or that He works through the word only, here we see a work of the Spirit that is not through the word, but through a profound communication from our heart to God’s.

We should take great encouragement from this passage.  The Holy Spirit helps our weakness.  The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and because of this our loving Father knows exactly what we need, even when we do not.

—Scott Colvin

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Sharing in the Resurrection of Jesus

April 2, 2024

The resurrection of Jesus Christ means everything to us as Christians.  Our faith is meaningless without it.  As Paul wrote, “… and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 NASB95) But Jesus has been raised from the dead, and He is alive forevermore!  And because of His resurrection, amazing things have happened—and will happen—to those who belong to Him.

Because Jesus was raised, you have been raised with Him.  When you were baptized into Christ, you died with Jesus, were buried with Him, and were raised up with Him (Romans 6:3-4).  At the moment of your baptism, through faith, you were made alive with Him!  As we read in Ephesians chapter two, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” (Ephesians 2:4-6 NASB95) Not only were we raised with Jesus, but God seated us with Him in the heavenly places.  This is a current reality for those in Christ—a spiritual reality which must be understood through the eyes of faith.

Because Jesus was raised, we have been raised spiritually, and we will be raised bodily.  There is a glorious day coming when Jesus will return and resurrect our mortal bodies.  Our bodies will be raised in power and in glory (1 Corinthians 15:43).  They will be raised imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:50).  They will be changed in the twinkling of an eye(1 Corinthians 15:52).  Our bodies will be transformed to be like His glorious body. (Philippians 3:21) “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 NASB95)

May we praise God with all our hearts this day for the resurrection of Jesus Christ—a resurrection which He has graciously allowed us to participate in.    

—Scott Colvin

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The Fury of God’s Fire

April 2, 2024

I am so very thankful that we serve a God who is full of love, mercy, and patience for mankind.  I am very thankful that we have a God who invites us to come near to Him and who has made it possible for us to call Him “Father.”  What joy, what comfort we can take from these truths! 

But in our reflections upon God’s love and mercy, we must never lose sight of the totality of His nature that He has revealed to us.  God is love, and God is also holy.  God is full of mercy, and He is also a God who rains down His judgement and wrath when He sees fit.

We must never forget the fear of God.  Many of the problems that we see in the church collectively, and in the individual lives of Christians are due to the fact that we have forgotten the fear of God.  When we do not have the reverence and awe for Him that He deserves, we can quickly get off track.  A lack of fear of the Lord leads to taking His word lightly and disregarding what He has said.  A lack of the fear of God leads to carelessly fooling around with sin.  It leads to treating our worship assembly as common and unimportant.  Afterall, if we see God as harmless and safe—as sort of a kindly old grandfather—why would we take Him all that seriously?

God is not “harmless.”  He is not “safe.”  He is a terrifying God who takes vengeance on His adversaries.  He is a God of judgment.  He is a God who consumes His enemies with a furious fire.  He will not be trifled with, ignored, scoffed at, or taken lightly.

We must have a healthy fear of God!  As the Hebrews writer states, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.” (Hebrews 10:26-27 NAS95) And it is said in the same passage, “For we know Him who said, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.’ And again, ‘THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:30-31 NAS95)

Let us maintain a healthy fear of God.  And let us forever be thankful for Jesus Christ who saves us from the wrath to come. 

—Scott Colvin

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Encourage One Another

March 21, 2024

The Christian life can be compared to a journey with obstacles and trials. The goal is to finish the journey in faith. The danger is always present that we will stop along the way and maybe even choose a different direction for life – a direction that leads away from God. That means the Christian needs encouragement to persevere and live a life worthy of his calling. It is in the context of our need to persevere that Hebrews gives its command to encourage one another.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV)

Translators attempting to give us a smooth English sentence can on occasion loose an important idea. The above translation of verse 24 is all too common.

 …and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,…Hebrews 10:24, NASB

 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24, NIV

 The problem with the above translations is that the actual object of “let us consider” in Greek is “one another” as in the NKJV.

 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works… Hebrews 10:24, NKJV

The command to encourage then has one another as its focus. It is first of all selfless, and it is at this point also countercultural. We live in an age of the consumer mentality: what do I get out of it? We never get the worship assembly right if we begin with ourselves. We must always begin with God and the need of others.

A Korean parable about a visit to heaven and hell gives insight to this difference of perspective.

The visitor peeped in at the door of hell and saw an enormous banquet hall. In it were a number of long tables with bowls of rice and delicacies on them, well-flavored, smelling delicious, and inviting. The guests were sitting hungrily, opposite one another, each with a plate of food.

The guests all had chopsticks to use, but these were so long that, however hard they tried, not a grain of rice could they get into their mouths. This was their torment; this was their hell. “I’ve seen it, that’s more than enough for me,” said the visitor. Departing hell, he entered into heaven.

Inside, he saw the same banquet hall, the same tables, the same food, and the same long chopsticks. But the guests were joyful. All were smiling and laughing. Each one, having put the food onto his chopsticks, held it out to the mouth of his companion opposite, and so they managed to eat their fill. Joy, love, and fulfillment were found in heaven.

Following Jesus often involves paradoxes: losing our life to save it, the last shall be first, and greatness comes by humility. This is but one more. To be encouraged, we must encourage one another.

—Russ Holden

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The Holy Spirit: Power for Your Life

March 12, 2024

I wonder if you realize that there is tremendous power available to you for your life.  God has made His power available to us to overcome sin in our lives, to bear up under difficult situations, to serve and not grow weary, to comprehend the deep things of God, and to grow in wisdom and in love. 

The apostle Paul prays for the church in Ephesus that they would know “what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.  These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might…” (Ephesians 1:19 NASB95) God has directed his immeasurable, boundless power toward us who believe in Him.  If only we could more fully realize the power that is available!

Paul continues in chapter 3, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…” (Ephesians 3:20 NASB95) There is power that works within us! Through that power, God is able to do far more within us than we could ever ask or even comprehend. 

From where does this tremendous power come?  How does God deliver it into our lives?  It comes through the Spirit of God who dwells in our hearts.  Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian brethren is “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…” (Ephesians 3:16 NASB95) You see, power flows from God into our inner being through the Holy Spirit.  As you continue reading in Ephesians 3:17 and following, you can see God’s intended purpose for this flow of power:  that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith (verse 17); that we would be rooted and grounded in love (verse 17); that we would be able to comprehend the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge (verse 19); and that we would be filled with all the fullness of God (verse 19)!

All of this power is only available to us through the Holy Spirit.  A “natural man” (one who does not have the Spirit) can read and understand some things about the word of God, such as what Christ did for them, and how to be saved, but it is only when the Spirit comes into the heart at the moment of salvation that the power of God in the inner being is made available.  Thank God for His power that He has directed toward us, and which works within us!

—Scott Colvin

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The Spirit vs. the Law

March 5, 2024

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the old and new covenants?  There are many similarities between the two.  They both came from God, they are both glorious, they both show us how God wants us to live, they both require obedience.  But what are the differences between them? 

Something radically changed when God instituted the new covenant, and in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul highlights the sharp contrast between the two.  He writes, “…our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:5b-6 NASB95)   The first difference we see is that the old covenant was “of the letter,” but the new is “of the Spirit.”  This is a major distinction, for the letter of the Law brought death, but the Spirit of God is able to make us alive.

Paul continues, “But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?  For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.” (2 Corinthians 3:7-9 NASB95) The old covenant was “the ministry of death.”  It was very glorious, but it killed those who were under it.  The old covenant was “the ministry of condemnation.” The people under it were condemned because, under a system of law, only those who keep the letter of the law flawlessly will be deemed righteous by God.  In sharp contrast, the new covenant—the ministry of the Spirit—is much more glorious than the old and is actually able to impart righteousness to those who are under it.

Finally, while the old covenant was written on stone tablets, in the new covenant, God writes His laws in our minds and hearts by His Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:3, Hebrews 8:10) Because of this, under the new covenant there can be a real, inward transformation of our hearts and lives.  It is not simply external obedience to a written code (as was the view of many Israelites under the Law), but obedience from a heart that has been cleansed and renewed by God.  As we see at the end of chapter three, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB95) What a wonderful thought!  What hope this verse gives us!  In the new covenant, you and I are being transformed by the Spirit who dwells within us.  God is working on our hearts to transform us into the image of His Son, as we behold His glory.

Thanks be to God for His new covenant in which we can find true life, righteousness, and inner transformation.

—Scott Colvin

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