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A Contract With Southern Baptists – Part 3
Posted by Guest Author in Baptist Life
Dave Samples, a Southern Baptist pastor in Colorado, continues his seven-part series entitled “A Contract With Southern Baptists.” His first two installments were excellent, as was his coverage of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Now on to part three of Dave’s “contract.” Interact and enjoy.
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Baptists must be …
Based in Humility – A necessary foundation. (Part 1)
Authorized by Scripture - A necessary standard. (Part 2)
Powered by the Holy Spirit – A necessary energy. Exodus 31:1; Isaiah 61:-3; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Luke 24:49; Galatians 3:2-5, 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:21; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6; James 4:5-6
The Holy Spirit of God empowers Christians to accomplish God’s purposes. Without His empowerment we are limited in our effectiveness. But when we move forward saturated by God’s Holy Spirit, we can accomplish anything and everything that God chooses to accomplish. The Holy Spirit allows God’s people to be effective. If we are not effective it would seem to indicate that we are not fully empowered by the Spirit. If people are not coming to Christ in our churches–we are not empowered by the Spirit. If our churches are not reaching their communities–then we are not empowered by the Spirit. If we’re fighting and feuding–then we are not empowered by the Spirit.
May we pray constantly for the filling of the Holy Spirit that the things within us that offend God would be removed and that the Spirit’s fruit would become our norm. “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11:13)
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Dave,
This is a great series of Post. I would have thought there would be more comment on this Post. I Pray more would be filled with the Holy Spirit and join with all those who are in the Body of Christ.
This is for all those who Claim to be Christians as well as the Baptist Identity People. I confess I belong to one of these Groups and it Humbles Me because of God’s Grace.
Title: My Utmost for His Highest
Author: Chambers, Oswald, 18741917
Discovering Divine Design
“As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me …” (Genesis 24:27).
We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s
will (see Romans 12:2). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. “… the Lord led me …” and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give
Him the credit.
We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random
events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.
Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, “I will never do this or that,” in
all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him.
Wayne Smith