To God be the glory!
Dive into Scripture:
SUMMARY
Galatians 1:11-12 like Paul, each of us need a "direct revelation of Jesus Christ"
The Gospel is: "we are not saved by our own efforts, but by the efforts of God."
Step 1: receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour- having a real experiential encounter with Jesus (Acts 9) where we are humbled and surrender
Step 2: receiving the infilling of the Holy Spirit
Acts 9- St. Paul first encountered Jesus on the Damascus Road. Then, God sent Ananias to lay his hands on Paul, so that he would be healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. But, Jesus said, "I myself will show him what he must suffer for the sake of My Name." (Acts 9:16)
Only God can show us what we are to do with our lives, by the Holy Spirit. *spiritual direction implications*
The Holy Spirit takes the desire to sin away from us.
The Holy Spirit gives us discernment of God's will- we need Him
The Bible is all about justification- Adam and Eve sinned and we lost our righteousness, right-standing with God. Something wrong with their relationship with God. When Jesus came, He lived and died and rose as a man, so that we could be justified not by our own efforts (which never worked), but by His sacrifice.
Joint Declaration on Justification: important Vatican document
The Bible is all about the supernatural life in Christ, the acts of the Holy Spirit. It is not just a story book, but what is possible by faith.
More next time!
Dan Devine, M. Div
Identity Crisis Management (Outreach for Men)
Purchase the ICM Manual ($5 CAD)
Download the free audios: "ICM Step 1," and "Faith," the first steps of basic, Scriptural freedom.
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