If I Could Just Feel The Power

Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about.
(Luke 4:14 Amplified)

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Greetings Everyone!

Today we have a devotional from the pen of a guest writers, Woodrow Kroll and Tony Beckett. Walking in the power of the Spirit requires more than a desire for the spectacular. You will never truly “feel the power” until you have raised your hands in submissive surrender to God.

Dr. J

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Read Luke 4:1-30

There is nothing wrong with the desire to have the Holy Spirit’s power in your life. Sadly, however, teaching on the subject too often strays from biblical truth. In the quest for Holy Spirit power, many people follow paths paved with emotion rather than doctrine.

There is an interesting sequence surrounding the temptation of Jesus. He was full of the Holy Spirit and led by the Spirit (v. 1). Filling comes with surrender. Surrender allows the Spirit to lead. The Spirit-filled believer will be an obedient believer.

In a setting of temptation, He withstood the direct attempts of Satan to get Him to sin. The Spirit-filled believer also will resist temptation and live a righteous life.

After the temptation Jesus is described as returning to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit” (v. 14). It is not incidental that “power” is noted after surrender, obedience and resisting temptation.

There is no short circuit to Holy Spirit power. One must start with surrender and proceed with obedience. Righteousness also is required. A lack of spiritual power is not due to a shortage of emotion. More often it is a shortage of the Christ like life.

If you want Holy Spirit power, follow the example of Jesus. Do not start with emotion but with truth.

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Hoping your day is blessed and fruitful,

Dr.J

Joseph A. Cerreta, Ph.D., is an author, broadcaster, popular Bible teacher, and the Senior Pastor of New Covenant Family Church in Holiday, Florida. (C) 2008 by Joseph A Cerreta, all rights reserved.

On The Crisis of Integrity

There is a cartoon that shows a company president announcing to his staff, “Gentlemen, this year the trick is honesty.” From one side of the conference table, a vice president gasps, “Brilliant.” Across the table, another VP mutters, “But so risky!”

A cartoon in “New Yorker” magazine: Two clean-shaven middle-aged men are sitting together in a jail cell. One inmate turns to the other and says: “All along, I thought our level of corruption fell well within community standards.”

We have a crisis in our land–a crisis of honesty, integrity, ethics, morality, what the Bible calls “righteousness.” Our newspapers and magazines abound with stories of people and corporations who have slipped and fallen. You could probably name several recent examples off the top of your head, some really well know people and companies. We have become a nation of cheaters. Sometimes we cheat a little. Sometimes a lot. Is it that big a deal? The answer is a resounding “Yes.”

A man confessed to his pastor that he stole something–a hammer from the steel mill where he worked. Everybody was doing it, he said. No big deal. His pastor, though, told him about a report in the newspapers that thefts at this particular mill averaged out to a thousand dollars a week. His hammer along with what others were taking was costing the company over $50,000 a year. “To make up for that loss,” his pastor noted, “the factory raises the price of steel. Consequently, everyone who buys a car, purchases an appliance, remodels his house, etc., has to pay the price for your hammer. You didn’t hurt the company,” his pastor assured him, “you hurt everybody in this city.” And that’s true. We hurt the entire society when integrity is not maintained, and we also hurt the witness of Jesus Christ.

Dear God, forgive me for the times when I have failed you by not being truly honest. May honesty be my best policy. Amen.

(C) by Ron Newhouse

Hoping your day is blessed and fruitful,

Dr.J

Joseph A. Cerreta, Ph.D., is an author, broadcaster, popular Bible teacher, and the Senior Pastor of New Covenant Family Church in Holiday, Florida. (C) 2008 by Joseph A Cerreta, all rights reserved.

The Wonderful Walk Of Faith

“O’ Lord, please, show me your will.” Have you ever prayed that prayer? Sometimes, I long to know more of God’s plan for my life than He is presently willing to share with me. I guess what I really want is for the Lord to give me a detailed life map – in advance – which clearly illustrates every road that I will travel. This map should contain every potential pit fall and also every glorious blessing that I can expect to find along the way. It would be nice, but it’s not God’s method. If the Lord were to map out our lives in this fashion, I believe we would all opt to pass up the journey altogether!

The life of faith is in reality a life of trust. It is a great spiritual adventure as daily we learn to place absolute confidence in that which we can not see. Paul the Apostle put it this way, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18 KJV)

Faith is trusting in what we can not see. But, the eyes of faith are never blind. The eyes of faith can look beyond the limitations of the human experience. They fix their gaze upon Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. The eyes of faith can peer into the realm of the Almighty. They see things which, at present, may be non-existent here on this earth. And, they see those nonexistent things as if they already were a reality. Why? Because faith is reality. It is the evidence of what, at least at this moment, can not be seen with natural eyes.

By faith we enter the race that is set before us. And, it is faith which enables us to run our appointed course with patient endurance. Swiftly, steadily, each step of faith moves us forward. By faith we hurdle obstacles and even move mountains. By faith our lives are expended in the service of almighty God and thus, we fulfill our destiny.

Hoping your day is blessed and fruitful,

Dr.J

Joseph A. Cerreta, Ph.D., is an author, broadcaster, popular Bible teacher, and the Senior Pastor of New Covenant Family Church in Holiday, Florida. (C) 2008 by Joseph A Cerreta, all rights reserved.

The View From The Pew

Have you ever sat in a church service and wondered, “What am I doing here?”   (Have you ever sat at your desk at work and wondered the same thing?)  Well, you’re not alone. Many Christians haven’t the foggiest notion of where they fit in. The importance of knowing your place in God’s plan for His church and for your life is difficult to overstate.

Every true believer is a member of the universal church of Jesus Christ.  As such, we make up His Body. Jesus is the head of that body. Just as the physical human body contains many specific parts, every Christian is a uniquely qualified and gifted member of the body of Christ. The sovereignty of Almighty God determines our position and our function in the church.

“But as it is, God has placed and arranged the limbs and organs in the body, each [particular one] of them, just as He wished and saw fit and with the best adaptation. Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].” (I Corinthians 12:18,27 Amplified Bible)

Let me share something very liberating. You can not be what God has not called and equipped you to be. Serving God is not a matter of selecting a ministry, but rather a matter of identifying your own unique gifting and sharpening those areas in which God has ordained you to serve.

“Are all Apostles (special messengers)? Are all prophets (inspired interpreters of the will and purpose of God)? Are all teachers? Do all have the power of performing miracles? Do all possess extraordinary powers of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:29-30 Amplified Bible)

The singular answer to these questions is no! If we could function in any calling or operate any spiritual gift at will, we would have no need for one another. As surely as the eyes need the ears, the hands need the arms, and the legs need the feet, the body of Christ needs each of its members working together.

“For because of Him the whole body (the Church in all its various parts) closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:16 Amplified Bible)

When Jesus Christ was physically present on the earth, He had the Holy Spirit without measure. Jesus embodied all the offices of ministry and operated in every spiritual gift. As individual Christians, we move in the Spirit by measure. No one person occupies every office of ministry nor operates in every spiritual gifting. However, the body of Christ can enjoy the manifestation of the Holy Spirit without measure. To do so we must learn to recognize and accept our own gifts and callings, recognize and accept the callings and the gifts in other believers, and learn to harmonize with one another by walking in the unity of the faith. Then the Church can fulfill the great commission.

Joseph A. Cerreta, Ph.D., is an author, broadcaster, popular Bible teacher, and the Senior Pastor of New Covenant Family Church in Holiday, Florida. (C) 2006 by Joseph A Cerreta, all rights reserved.

You’ll Never Know Until You Try

“For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.”

Have you ever experienced a failure that left you afraid to try again?  I have.  We all have.  Somehow the old get up and go just gets up and goes.  Deep inside we remember how badly it hurt.  Why chance a repeat performance?  Isn’t it easier (or is that safer?) to say “I almost made it”, than to face anew life’s more difficult challenges?  Apprehension can paralyze our potential.

One day, I was teaching my son the fine art of catching a baseball in our back yard.  He greeted each successful catch with a broad, infectious – almost enchanting smile.  His delight brought me great joy.  Of coarse, he missed a lot too and those near catches evoked his whimsical frown – more like a puckered pout.  My son did not like missing as much as he liked catching.  Who does?  Then it happened.  A high fly bounced off the tip of his glove striking Joey on the cheekbone.  The impact wasn’t life threatening, but it shook his confidence a bit.  Failure seems to have a way of doing that.  I still remember that startled look as he hid his face in the glove and stood motionless on the grass.

“Are you OK?” I yelled, my voice cracking with fatherly concern.  “Yes”, came the weak, unconvincing reply.  And then, with his face still buried in the glove, Joe began to cry.  So I ran toward him, touched with the feeling of his pain and I held him in my arms.  “It’s all right Joe”, I said, “you tried.”  Mistakes are bad enough, but this one hurt.  He cried for a few moments and drying his tears I said, “Let’s get back to the game.”  Without hesitation he replied, “No thanks”, as he ran off to take up a new, less threatening activity.  Sometimes, in the face of a blunder, it’s hard to try again.

The Apostle Peter tried very hard to be a disciple.  I’m sure he wanted to please Jesus.  Quite often he would do what he thought was right only to be rebuked.  His overabundance of self-confidence often manifest in the form of foot in mouth disease.  Ever had that?

Joseph A. Cerreta, Ph.D., is an author, broadcaster, popular Bible teacher, and the Senior Pastor of New Covenant Family Church in Holiday, Florida. (C) 2006 by Joseph A Cerreta, all rights reserved.

On The Dying Art of Teamwork

I like machines. I love to watch a collection of unique parts work together. I think we take machines for granted. We fail to see them for what they really are. Machines are a collection of individual components that interact with precision to perform a useful (sometimes even vital) function. When was the last time you described a machine that way? “Say Bill, have you seen my new collection of individual components that interact with precision to perform a useful function?” I don’t think so. It’s more like “have you seen my new tape deck?” Machines remind me of the greatness of Teamwork.

In many sectors of our society, teamwork is a dying art. New hi-tech tools are making it possible for everyone to be an almost expert at just about everything. I suppose it’s an interesting trend from a few perspectives. It’s empowering to be able to do it all yourself. If you look at it from the management standpoint, well, it’s the best thing since the PC. “We don’t need all those extra people. One person does the job of three, four or five!” But, let’s take a step back for a second. I believe that we are all really good at something. Yea, we’re pretty good at a lot of things, but we each have one or two gifts that really shine.

In the last two decades or so, I have worn a lot of hats. I have been a businessman, an author, a Bible teacher, a Pastor, and a school administrator. I have also been a broadcaster, editor, producer, program & newscast director, floor manager, CGA operator, and audio mix engineer. I have interviewed paupers and kings. I have even broadcast live from on top of Masada and the Temple Mount in Israel. In none of these situations was I truly all alone–there were other team members there to help with the job, to make better collectively what one person might be able to limp through by him or herself.

I have been blessed to work with some of the most creative, best-humored, and talented people in the world. In some cases I knew that I could do what they do; I just couldn’t do it a tenth as well. If I had a dime for every time someone made a suggestion that resulted in my own growth and improved upon my “project”, I’d be drowning in ten-cent pieces.

You see, when practiced at its highest level, life is a team sport. Is it any accident that the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are unique and yet referred to as one? So, let the Managers manage, the producers produce, the announcers announce, the computer people compute and the editors edit. When the process is right, when collaboration, mutual respect and enthusiasm are in the mix, the results are so much better–and fulfilling–than they can ever be when one person slogs away all alone. Hooray for the team!

Hoping your day is blessed and fruitful,

Dr.J

Joseph A. Cerreta, Ph.D., is an author, broadcaster, popular Bible teacher, and the Senior Pastor of New Covenant Family Church in Holiday, Florida. (C) 2008 by Joseph A Cerreta, all rights reserved.