Hank’s Place

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“What is truth?” Better question: “Who is Truth?”

John 8 – the Pharisees launch a malevolently conceived trap featuring a woman caught in adultery. Jesus destroys their arguments, their self-righteousness, their arrogance, and establishes once again that He condemns no one. As John 3:17 declares, “for God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world would be saved through Him.”

This is God’s honest truth. It’s who He is.

Jesus’ final words to the woman are the same He speaks to us as we stand before Him guilty and ashamed. He has absorbed the punishment for our sins just as surely as He would have stood between the woman that morning and any stone that might have been thrown at her. [“Neither do I condemn you…”]

This is God’s honest truth. It’s who He is.

Jesus then continues with four amazing promises:
1 – vs 12 – the one who follows Him will never walk in darkness (for He is the LIGHT. Walk with Him and you will never stumble).
2 – vs 32 – the truth will set them free (and He is the TRUTH. Walk with Him and gain freedom).
3 – vs 36 – they will be truly free (for He breaks chains and bondages forever).
4 – vs 51 – they will never see death (for He has come to grant those who believe in Him eternal life).

“The truth will set you free” is not a philosophical statement as so many have taken and used it incorrectly; it is a deeply spiritual truth of who Jesus is and what He means.

This is God’s honest truth. ONLY Jesus can set a person truly free.

Without Jesus we all remain a slave to sin. The Pharisees boasted in Abraham as their father. Jesus corrected their misunderstanding: they had in actuality the devil as their papa. And so does everyone who lacks a relationship with Jesus. Yepper.

If you don’t have it, then get that relationship with Jesus going today. I can think of no better words to say than,   “Jesus have mercy on me! Help me.”

He will. You will Come Alive!

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Trapped in a Witness Protection Program?

 

In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells His followers that we “shall BE His witnesses.”

A witness is something you ARE. So forget the odd notion that it is something you DO. It’s not.

Speaking of who you ARE, I came across this awesome pair of questions the other day:
1 – If you don’t know who Christ is in you, then what is it you are offering somebody else?
2 – If you don’t know who YOU are in Christ, then how can you help others get to that point?

Is your witness along the lines of, “Uh, come over to my church, it’s great!”

If someone is hurting there in front of you, is your response, “Uh, I gotta go,” or “Come over to my church, it’s great?”

Sounds to me that you may have self-enrolled in the Jesus Witness Protection Program!

If so, NO WORRIES! You have so much more to offer and you just don’t know it yet.

And that’s where Come Alive can help—
– Our vision is to help people fulfill their calling in God
– Our purpose is to help people come alive to the truth of who they are.

If you are in the greater Austin area, why not drop in to the Cedar Park Public Library some Tuesday evening beginning May 16th 7PM? We’ll be there in the conference room for Bible Storying, which may not sound related, but believe me, it truly is.

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Thirsty?

Let him who is thirsty come….Jn 7:37

 

A dear friend of mine recently expressed frustration with his church. He said, “I’ve been there 15 years, and for 15 years they have been great at calling out to others to accept Christ. And then when someone does, they say, ‘OK, you’re done. That’s it.’ I keep trying to tell them there’s more but no one seems to listen. All they do is tell them to read their bibles, bring the entire family to church, give money, attend groups and bring an unsaved friend if you have one.”

His disappointment was tangible.  

What’s going on? Simple: the need for the Holy Spirit. Thirsty people were remaining thirsty!

Joh 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Ro 8: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

2Co 3:6 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.

Re 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

But the problem with the Holy Spirit is He doesn’t take orders from you – or the elders, church board, and certainly not the pastor. After all, He’s GOD.

Like many churches, my friend’s church preferred a set of rules/practices/steps/etc.etc. for the Spirit of LIFE. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m thirsty for more of the Spirit—and I bet you are too.

Hank

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