Javascript is either disabled or not supported by this browser. This page may not appear properly.
The Ten Commandments
E-book study by Trent Brandt, writer of the Christian Letter found at
www.christianezine.org
">
">
">
">
The Ten Commandments
E-book study by Trent Brandt, writer of the Christian Letter found at
www.christianezine.org
Two out of Three is not One
       Yes, we indeed have some math problems. Two out of Three does leave One...but is not One. We could say, 'some have less than that...some only have One' but I tell you brethren, without the One there cannot be the Three to be One. If I've lost you, then that's OK. When this message was first laid on my heart...I was lost as well.
      One of the Two is God, the Creator of all. Without this One nothing that is could have been. Then we have the other One of Two, God's Son, who died and rose as redemption from sin for all who accept Him as Lord of their lives. We have an awesome faith. If we look at it in the mirror, it becomes the Islam religion, which says man must send his son to die for God, while the Truth of our faith states God sent His Son to die for man. But...there is something missing, and that's the One that makes the Two Three that makes One.
       I am speaking of the One who is often overlooked. He, not it, is the Holy Spirit! We often overlook what we cannot understand in the emotion of the flesh. Let's take a peek at Him though, not with the absent understanding of man, but with the Word of the Spirit.
       First...who is the Holy Spirit? Well, there is much in a name, so let's look at the Hebraic names first. Yehovah (God), means the 'Absolute Ultimate Eternal, I AM that I AM' while Yehoshuah (Jesus) means 'Salvation of Yehovah' but the One we sometimes miss is the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) which means 'the sacred breath of life from Yehovah'. When we miss the breath of God we miss an eternal blessing.
       Some say we must do special tasks to receive the Holy Spirit, but we need only be saved to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. "Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
       When we give gifts to children, we look very hard for what each individual child should have. For example, we give the young boy a toy truck, even though he would desire a real monster truck. The Holy Spirit acts in the same way by giving us what we should have. Just as we don't want a five-year-old boy behind the wheel of a monster truck, the Holy Spirit may not want us to have certain gifts...at least not until we are mature enough for them and need them. He will bless you with tongues if you need them and desire to do His will. He will not give them away without a reason or to someone who is not ready.
       The Holy Spirit will have a different relationship with you because you are different from me. I feel that He has blessed me with writing. Sometimes I fail to listen. You can tell when the devotional wasn't any good... and you know that it surely wasn't the Holy Spirit's fault. It was mine, because I was thinking with my emotion and not the emotion of the Holy Spirit. But teaching is my gift. Yours may be the gift of servant-hood. Do not desire what your brother has; use what you have. Use the gifts He gives and always give credit where credit is due, and that's to the One missing from the Three we need for the Two to become One.
       My friends, we would never work around a pair of broken hands yet we try to work with a broken spirit. If we do not accept correction from the Holy Spirit, then it's not just one of us who suffers...it's all of us. You see, if you have bad knees then your back will hurt because it has to do work the knees would normally do. If our bad knees (pornography) cause our backbone (marriage) to hurt, then how much more does it hurt the body of believers? The Holy Spirit said it better than I can and so I urge you to read 1 Corinthians 12:14-27. To date, after twenty-six years of life, the only reason non-believers have given me for not believing...is because of the way Christians act...because of me. This is true and I know well that none of us have the inability to do as the Holy Spirit has called us to do. The question is, will we give Him our availability before He gives us the time, place, and mission?
       The greatest gift of the Spirit, the one that should be sought most, is love. A love like the Holy Spirit spoke of in 1 Corinthians 13:1-12. In fact, without love the Word says even martyring ourselves is meaningless. He continues to say in 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Oh how I long for the gifts of healing, tongues, and prophecy, but the desire above them all is to have love, hope, and faith in the Grace of our Father.
       Why so many seek the gift of tongues is beyond my understanding since Paul listed it low in importance and desire in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 and 1 Corinthians 12:28. We should seek giving and mercy so much more. (Just a note on a common miss-assumption: Not everyone who is baptized in the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues.) Speaking in tongues and healing are wonderful gifts, but they do not impress me. What does is a man who flees from temptation. Now there is a major testimony. I believe in the gifts of healing and tongues but no one can do these things at 'their will' for they can only be by the will of the Father! Beware! The deceiver is among you. He will use tricks to make you think others or yourself have gifts. If someone had the gift of healing he would be at a hospital. Christ went to the sick beds, not to churches in hopes of an offering.
       In Acts 2:6 those who spoke in tongues were speaking in others' languages for the communication of the Gospel. "Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'" (Acts 2:13) It is when we mock that we endanger ourselves greatly. '"But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.' He said this because they were saying, 'He has an evil spirit.'" (Mark 3:29-30) Therefore do not count your sister who speaks in tongues as evil or a drunkard, nor call your brother evil if he shows love to those whom the world says should not have any, for it will be a curse unto you as this is indeed unforgivable. Gifts are manifestations of the Spirit. To refuse to use a gift is to say no to the Holy Spirit and to mock the gift is to blaspheme the Spirit.
       If someone speaks in tongues and it confuses you because there is no interpretation, then let it be as it is to edify the speaker and not you. Now if someone prophesies, or translates what is spoken in tongues, then take note and be diligent to study the Word to see if what was said is indeed true. As the Holy Spirit made known in 1 Corinthians 14:18-19, speaking the truth clearly is far more valuable than the blessing of being able to speak in tongues. But whatever the gift given is, delight in it and use it for the Glory of the Father.
       Mouths speak, feet walk, and ears hear. The hand of the body of believers in Christ should not try to speak but should work in the way God desires and created it to work, for His glory. Don't look at Biblical things with your own emotion or your own mind...look at the Word and what happens because of it through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. Don't try to comprehend the giving of gifts and listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the flesh. Don't try to be a spiritually gifted person. Don't try so hard. Just let Him guide you like the wind does a seed from a dandelion flower. All it does is let go of its world when the wind blows. The seed exerts no effort and is completely controlled by the wind. Be like the seed and let the wind of the Holy Spirit guide you in all you do. "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things." (Ecclesiastes 11:5) When we do not understand, we need only to do, and then we will understand. Like Christ who prayed, 'not my will but your will be done' in Matthew 26:39. With obedience comes peace that surpasses all understanding.
       The Holy Spirit will not give you anything unless you have the door opened. We must not ever say, "When the Holy Spirit lays it upon my heart I will do it," but rather, "I will do whatever the Holy Spirit lays on my heart." In the same manner we must never say, "The Holy Spirit has not convinced me of this yet," but rather, "I have put aside my thinking and await Him." We need to listen, not (usually) to audible voices, but to the gifts He gives such as dreams or tongues, our heart, His dwelling place, and our conscience that we have given Him. We need to wake up every day and say, "OK Lord...it's your day. Guide me with your Holy Spirit." However, if you don't respond to what the Holy Spirit shows you then He will not likely show you more. Again, if you do not use the Light He has given, then do not ask for more.
       The greatest joy is salvation and the second is to do the Father's will. The same is true for the greatest sorrow, the first being missing salvation and the second to miss, or not do, the will of the Father. The two tie in nicely since His will first and foremost is to preach the gospel to all the nations. "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16)
There is more to the Holy Spirit than gifts of course. He is the Guide and Friend who can aid us in life, from where to move, to family decisions, if we are willing to drop our wants and desires and go for His. (Just a note...His are always better.) But I warn you, friends, Satan wants to lead you as far from God as he can and make you think you are still listening to Him. I assure you that when you spend enough time in humble prayer, fellowship, and diligent study of His Word, then you will know the Holy Spirit's whisper. Again I warn you, though, my friends, Satan is known as the deceiver for a reason. Keep your guard up!
       To do a better study on this subject, please put yourself aside and read Matthew 3:11, Romans 12:6-8, Acts 2:1-4, 38, Ephesians 4:11 and 5:23, 1 Corinthians 12:1-6, 28-31 and 14:1-39, Matthew 25:14-28, John 15:5, Acts 8:9-24, 1 John 4, along with 1 Peter 4:10-11 for a brief start.
       Concerning the question, "Is God a Trinity or is He separate entities?", to me it matters not. From my study the three Persons are three separate bodies acting out as one. However, to me, this is meaningless. If He is Three, then great! If He is One, then great! If God is two feet tall, orange, and His real name is Rumpulstiltskin... I'll still love Him. If you care to study that on your own, feel free, but it just does not have major importance to me. I love Them no matter what, and that's what is important.
       Do not rob the body of Christ and burden it with dead weight by spending quality time with worldly activities and not with the Holy Spirit! There is much more to say in this devotional. I desire greatly to share with you all that I have learned over the last several months of study, but I will not rob you. You see, if I were to show you everything then you would not have the opportunity to find out for yourself. In this opportunity you will meet the Holy Spirit, and in your journey you will learn His voice. So I pray for you a quick recovery when you stumble, and a strong desire to get to know the Holy Spirit, which is the sacred breath of life.
© trent@kci.net