Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

You are His Temple, May 11, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

We find it easy to think God doesn’t care when we see the devastation man and nature creates around us. Particularly in these times, when we huddle in our homes, afraid of each other. Afraid our neighbor will spread the virus to us. We live in fear today. What happened? In a few short months, we gave up the outdoors. We gave seeing each other. We gave up our extended families. We even gave up our ability to mourn.

I’m not sure God’s desire for us to love each other as He loves us looks favorably on what we have done to ourselves in these last several months. Certainly, we need to take precautions against this new disease about which we seem to know very little. But do we let fear stop our relationships? Do we allow anxiety to be the overwhelming emotion in our lives?

I think it is time we allow God’s rich legacy of peace to take over in our lives and our communities. As His children, we can offer something the rest of the world cannot. We can embrace life with an assurance of hope that a better day is coming. This short time of suffering is not the end, but the beginning of life. No matter what we might face now, it is so insignificant in the face of what we will enjoy with Christ for eternity if we accept Him as the Master of our lives.

Unfortunately, most people today will not agree with me. As in Jesus’ day, most will reject Him. They will call Him a charlatan, a fake, a seeker of fame. That same crowd will declare His followers delusional, gullible, ignorant. But the early followers of Christ held fast for one simple reason. Some five hundred of His disciples saw the physical, resurrected Jesus. Not a ghost or spirit or a delusion, but a physical body. Jesus spoke with them. He ate and walked and touched them. The crucified, once dead, Master overcame the grave and lived. We believe because of the conviction of their belief.

Then Jesus gave those same disciples a mission. The last time they saw Him, He told them to make more disciples and teach them what they knew. Bring them into their fellowship with the rite of baptism in the name of the Triune Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. More than that, Jesus taught His disciples in His last days before His death, that the Holy Spirit would not just come to live with them as He had, but would live in them.

What difference would that make for them? God longs to have an intimate fellowship with His highest creation, human beings. He made us in His image. He touched the earth to walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

He touched the earth in the Holy of Holies, the sacred place in the tabernacle He instructed Moses to build for Him as a dwelling place and later in the Temple Solomon made as a place of worship for Israel. It was the spot God came to bring heaven and earth together with His presence.

Then God lived among us as flesh and blood in human form in His Son Jesus, the second person of the Triune Godhead. How is that possible? He is God, and it is beyond human understanding. If we could understand everything about God, he would not be God, just a super version human.

While He was here, Jesus said something incredible about that third person of the Godhead, though. He said the Holy Spirit would live in us. Think about that a moment—God in us.

God touched the earth again—in us. The Holy Spirit, God, lives on earth now, when we accept Him into our lives as the Master of our soul. When we decide to give ourselves to Him, He lives in us just as He lived in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem or the tabernacle as His people moved across the wilderness. We are His temple.

The Apostle Peter writes to the early church and puts the concept in these words:

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4-10 NIV)

We are God’s temple when we believe in Jesus for salvation. And when he lives in us, it also makes us a priesthood—every one of us because we are His temple. Think about the responsibility of the caretakers for God’s dwelling place; sacrifices, prayers, intercession, care of the temple itself. If I am His temple individually and we are His temple collectively, we have responsibilities to keep ourselves and His church clean and holy, first of all. Then we have a responsibility to minister to those outside this living church; to make disciples and teach them. Jesus commanded us to love each other and love them. He said to make new disciples and teach them.

How do we do that? We love them into the Kingdom of God. And what better time to do that than now. During every pandemic that has swept the earth, God’s people ministered to those in need. It should be the same with this one. Be careful? Absolutely. Be fearful? Never.

As the psalmist wrote, “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” When we know our destiny, the worst that can happen to us is we wake up with Jesus. Let God’s love shine through you as you live each day for Him.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

Jehovah-Shammah (Ezekiel 48:35), May 31, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Today we explore God’s name Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who is present.
Scripture
1. Ezekiel 48:35
2. The total distance around the city will be 6 miles. From that day forward, the name of the city will be The Eternal One Lives There.
Devotional
1. It might seem like an unusual verse to talk about God’s name, Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who is present
  1. Ezekiel given a vision of heaven, the home of God, the place He resides on His throne of glory
  2. Jehovah lives there
  3. Indescribable by those who say they have seen it in near death experiences
    1. Music
    2. Color
    3. People
  4. Many talk about the brilliance of the light, but no one talks about the presence of a sun
2. Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who is present
  1. Whenever the Israelites followed Him and called on Him, He was there for them
  2. Jesus promised His followers never to leave us or forsake us
  3. Promised His spirit to live with us and within us to help us on this journey of life
  4. Promised His presence eternally for those who believe He is the Son of the living God and ask forgiveness of their sins.
  5. Everywhere, at all times, in every circumstance
3. Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who is present
  1. Today, knowing Jehovah-Shammah is always by your side,
  2. How will you live today?
  3. How will you act today?
  4. How will you demonstrate His love to someone around you today?
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Who Am I? (Revelation 22:16), May 24, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
People spend a lot of money trying to figure out who they are and what they should be doing. Jesus was pretty clear about His own identity.
Scripture
1. Revelation 22:16
2. Jesus: I, Jesus, have sent My messenger to show you and guide you so that you in turn would share this testimony with the churches. I am the Root and the Descendant of David, the Bright Morning Star.
Devotional
1. The self-help industry is huge
  1. 2014 estimated $10 Billion business
  2. Books
  3. Coaches/mentors
  4. Programs
  5. Across all disciplines
    1. Business
    2. Health
    3. Relationships
    4. Mental acumen
    5. Spiritual growth
2. We want to know who we are and how to get better because we don’t like the way we are right now
  1. Improvement is good
  2. Obsession over finding something you are not is not so good
  3. There is a place to find help in knowing yourself and the path you should take
  4. Jesus gives us the answer to following the right path
3. “I have sent my messenger to show you and guide you
  1. Holy Spirit knows what’s best for us and how our lives should progress through the journey of life
  2. He was there at the creation, the beginning of all things
  3. He will be here at the end, when time stops
  4. His task from the Father and Son
    1. Teach
    2. Guide
    3. Convict
    4. Convince
    5. Comforter
    6. Advocate
4. John tells us in His letter the words Jesus spoke about this messenger that will help us through this life.
  1. God’s presence with us and in us
  2. He is the best helper we can get
  3. Better than self-help because we don’t know the path God wants us to take unless we ask and allow Him to guide us
  4. Doesn’t tell us what next year will be like or even tomorrow
  5. Gives us the next step to take on the journey

If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Covered from head to toe (John 20:22-23), April 29, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Have you ever lived or worked in a place that required you to be covered head to toe to protect you from exposure to the elements? Welcome to the world!
Scripture
1. John 20:22-23
2. Jesus: Welcome the Holy Spirit of the living God. You now have the mantle of God’s forgiveness. As you go, you are able to share the life-giving power to forgive sins, or to withhold forgiveness.
Devotional
1. Between my freshman and junior year of college, to earn a little money, I worked in a grocery chain warehouse loading their delivery trucks.
  1. It was hard work, but I didn’t mind it so much.
  2. It kept me in good physical condition
  3. pay wasn’t so bad for a young kid
  4. Negatives were night work, 7 to whenever trucks were loaded
  5. Worked in the freezer
2. I don’t like the cold
  1. Born and raised in Tennessee
  2. Got some snow and few days, maybe a week at a time below freezing
  3. Never liked cold
  4. After serving in Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia, hated cold – anything below 60 degrees
3. In the freezer temperatures at zero or just below
  1. Dry ice in boxes to keep frozen foods cold during transport
  2. dressed from head to toe
    1. Thermals
    2. Freezer coveralls
    3. Gloves
    4. Hat
    5. Mask
  3. Stayed protected from the cold and severe injury
4. When we ask Jesus into our lives He gives us the mantle of God’s forgiveness
  1. I think about the covering I had when working in that freezer
  2. Covered from head to toe with His Spirit
  3. Protected by His forgiveness
  4. Guilt and burden of sin cannot get through
  5. Free from the internal injury sin because His spirit keeps the fiery darts of Satan away from us
5. We underestimate the power of forgiveness
  1. God’s forgiveness to us
  2. Our forgiveness of others
  3. When He forgives us, we have the power to forgive others
  4. His grace and mercy extended to us shows us how to love and how to extend that same grace and mercy to those who wrong us
6. What does forgiveness do?
  1. It takes away the barriers that keep us from loving each other
  2. It tears down the walls in relationships
  3. It stops the negative thinking that builds up about our neighbors
  4. It helps us see others as God sees them, their potential as His children
  5. It helps us love unconditionally
7. Invite Him into your life and be covered by the mantle of His forgiveness
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

We all need expert help at times (John 15:26-27), April 9, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
We often think we can do things alone, but we’ve all run into things we just can’t handle by ourselves. We need someone to help, an expert, someone with more experience than we have. When it comes to spiritual things, there is really only one who can help us, though.
Scripture
1. John 15:26-27
2. Jesus: I will send a great Helper to you from the Father, one known as the Spirit of truth. He comes from the Father and will point to the truth as it concerns Me. But you will also point others to the truth about My identity, because you have journeyed with Me since this all began.
Devotional
1. My grandson is an up and coming engineer.
  1. At about four or five built catapults out of paper, duct tape and rubber bands
  2. Bows and arrows
  3. At six built the titanic out of legos
  4. When it came to a tree house he needed help
  5. Asked for help, “Papaw, can you build a treehouse for me?”
  6. “Can you build an elevator to the treehouse for me?”
  7. Got a little over his head although he likes to work with wood and hammers and nails
2. Cute story about grandkids, but we run into the same problem
  1. Sometimes our pride gets in the way, though
    1. Finances
    2. Health
    3. Relationships
  2. Sometimes we let ourselves get in terrible straits before we seek help
  3. Sometimes by the time we let the professionals in we’ve made such a mess, it seems it will be impossible to get out
3. When it comes to spiritual things, there’s a better answer
  1. We can never fix what’s wrong
  2. We can’t be good enough
  3. We can’t pay enough
  4. There’s nothing we can do to make things right
  5. We’re sinners, every one of us
4. There is a solution
  1. The cross
  2. Jesus died so we can live
  3. Then promised the comforter, His spirit, to come and be with us and in us
  4. The question, will we stop and listen to Him when He gently calls
  5. Will we pay attention when He says stay out of that place or go to that one
  6. Will we stop talking or texting when He tells us to?
5. He’s the expert, He’ll answer our questions.
6. I wasn’t the expert at building a treehouse. It will come down one day. In fact, I’ll tear it down in a few years to make sure no one gets hurt on it. But God’s spirit in us will never let us down.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”