Water into Wine from Jesus as seen by John

I love weddings. They are times of celebration and happiness; a time of a new beginning. I find the story of Jesus at the wedding in Cana really charming; Jesus enjoys celebrating in our happy times.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
   They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

It was just an ordinary wedding. We don't know who was getting married. But, since it occurred in a small town, it was a big deal. It was a celebration where the whole town probably turned out. Mary was invited; Nazareth was nearby. Jesus was also invited and he brought his disciples. No one seemed to mind wedding crashers. I should be noted that Jesus did not come to teach, he came to celebrate -- and he did not teach or heal -- he enjoyed the celebration.

Then there was a problem. I have never been a caterer, but I was a Logistics Officer; when people don't have enough stuff, there is a problem. Mary went to Jesus, "They have run out of wine." Now, how can you celebrate at a wedding if there is no more wine? What was Mary thinking? I suppose she just felt that Jesus would know what to do. She didn't ask for anything specific, she merely stated the problem. Jesus said, "Mom, what on earth do you expect me to do. This isn't the time for me to be performing miracles and becoming the main attraction." (My paraphrase -- not accurate, but you get the picture.) Mary just told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Mom knows her son.

Jesus told the servants to fill the water jars to the brim with water. Now these were big clay pots -- 20-30 gallons -- they were used for the ceremonial washing of the people coming to the celebration. There were six of them (120 to 180 gallons of wine.) Then Jesus told the servants to take the water to the Emcee. What did the servants think? Jesus didn't do any magic. It was just, "Fill the jars with water and take some to the Emcee." When did the water become wine? We don't know, but we do know the reaction of the Emcee. "Wow, where did this come from?" He said that at most feasts, the best wine is used first. After everyone has become a little tipsy and don't much care, they bring out the bad stuff; who cares? But, this was the best. He was impressed. 

No one knew except Mary, the servants and the disciples. Presumably the celebration went on without a hitch.  The Gospel of John is sometimes called the book of signs because John labels many of the miracles as signs -- signs pointing to who Jesus really was. Here he said it was the first sign. He also said that the disciples believed. They were probably blown away!

What does this have to say to us today. I think the most important thing is that Jesus does care about the ordinary routine events in our lives. He cares about weddings and family celebrations. He enjoys a good party. He likes to be happy! This story also tells us that we can ask for ordinary help; it is not selfish to ask. When he answers and provides it may come in seemingly normal, ordinary ways or it may be miraculous. It doesn't matter. He provides. And, it is always good!

Philip, Nathanael and Jacob's Ladder

When I was a young person, one of the songs that we sang was "We are Climbing Jacob's Ladder." I don't think that I ever really understood that song until much later. But, what does it have with the story of Jesus as told by John? Let's look at the Scripture:

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

   “Come and see,” said Philip.

 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

   Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

John the Baptist had been doing his baptizing in the south of Judea. This is where Jesus himself was baptized. But, Jesus was actually a Galilean, brought up in the town of Nazareth, a small village in the hills above Lake Galilee (the Sea of Galilee.) Many of the towns which were important to Jesus ministry were looking in the area around this lake; Cana, Bethsaida and Capernaum.

As Jesus was walking in Galilee he found a man called Philip. I find it interesting, that John and Andrew found Jesus, but Jesus found Philip. He gave Philip and invitation, "Come, follow me." Then another amazing thing, Philip followed Jesus. Of course we can picture Philip having heard Jesus several times and becoming interested well before the invitation -- and this is certainly probably true. But, I really like the picture of this instantaneous action to a sudden invitation. Then Philip moves into action. He immediately finds Nathanael. An interesting side note is that every time that Philip is mentioned in the Gospels, he is bringing people to Jesus; someone to be emulated.  He tells Nathanael that he has found the one that Moses wrote about; a prophet who would be as great as Moses; the Messiah. You can almost hear Nathanael saying, "Who is it?" "Jesus of Nazareth," answers Philip. "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" says Nathanael. Nathanael wasn't just prejudiced against Nazareth (although that could be part of it), there were no prophecies stating that the Messiah would come from Nazareth.

It should probably be noted that this is the only place where Nathanael is mentioned so when the lists of apostles are studied, it is probable the he is the Bartholomew that we see in other lists. I don't think that Jesus was putting Nathanael down when he says, "Here is a true Israelite." Nathanael was not one to be following false Messiahs. He was not an unbeliever. He really was a true Israelite. Then the dialogue follows where Nathanael says how do you know me, to which Jesus states that he say him when he was under the fig tree before Philip even came to him.  Nathanael is amazed. He believed! Then Jesus told him that he would see much greater things than this.

It is at this that we find the reference to Jacob's ladder. Jesus says that he himself is the way to heaven, "you will see heaven open and the angels ascending and descending on me." The imagery comes from the vision that Jacob saw when he was running for his life away from his brother. He saw a ladder into heaven. Jesus is in effect saying that he was the ladder. 

Well, what does this say to us. First, Philip is a good example. We should be interesting those closest to us to Jesus. This passage is also an illustration of a later passage where Jesus says that he is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. This makes it imperative that we invite others to meet him.

The First Followers of Jesus from Jesus as seen by John

One of the first sermons that I preached in Seminary was on this passage. I focused in on Peter and titled the sermon "While he was still shifting sand, Jesus named him Rocky." I don't know how good the sermon was -- probably not very good, but there was some truth to the title.   Let's take a look at the passage:

 

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
   They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
   “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
   So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
   Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).                                                   (John 1:35-42 -- NIV)

  At this point in the gospel, John the Baptist still seems to be the major point of interest, but this was about to change. Jesus was about to come to center stage. As the passage begins, John is still baptizing in the river Jordan. He was with two of his disciples, when he saw Jesus approaching. We know that one of the disciples was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. The other one is not named although tradition tells us that it was John. This makes sense since the Zebedee brothers were close to Peter and Andrew. Also John never mentions himself in the gospel. John did what he always did, he pointed to Jesus. Once again he names Jesus "the Lamb of God."

I don't know how John felt about this, but the response of the disciples was immediate; they left John and went after Jesus. I wonder how long and far they followed Jesus before he noticed that they were following and spoke to them. Jesus asked them what they wanted and they responded by asking where he was staying. In the traditions of the day, they were really asking Jesus if they could follow along and be his disciples. Jesus responded favorably to their request and told them to come and see. It was late in the day and they went with him. Did they spend the night? Probably for disciples walked with, talked with, and stayed with their master. They were hooked.

The first thing that Andrew did was to find Peter, his brother. He told Peter that they had found the Messiah. Evidently Andrew really believed Jesus! A real disciple. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. I actually don't think that Andrew had to work very hard because we see in the scriptures that Peter was quite impulsive. I can imagine him saying, "Yes, let's get going, I need to see this for myself." Jesus took one look at Simon and gave him a new name. He named him the Rock. Peter was anything but a rock, but Jesus saw something in him that no one else did. Certainly later on Peter did become that rock.

What does this passage say to us. When we meet Jesus, we need to follow him as a disciple and get to understand who he really is -- teacher, savior, friend -- of course, but also Son of God, Master, Lord. We need to learn to be followers of Jesus, not just church members. Church membership is fine and good -- but we are not members of some kind of club, we are followers of Jesus. We need to also be sure that our belief in him is not some kind of mental assent -- belief means to place our trust in him and follow him. We need to be like Andrew. Have we told our friends and family that we have found Jesus. Do we bring them into the presence of Jesus and introduce them to him? Lastly, do we accept Jesus' judgment of our character? He saw something in Peter. He also sees the reality in each one of us. Can we accept that? We ought to -- it is a good thing. Jesus always brings out the best in us.

Jesus the Lamb of God from Jesus as Seen by John

John the Baptist has been emphatically denying that he himself was the Christ, but now he sees Jesus coming toward him. He cries out, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Now he not only points to Jesus as the coming one, but he actually points to the man Jesus. As he points to him he sums up the ministry of Jesus in one sentence. The rest of this passage is further testimony as to who the man Jesus really is:

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”  Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

When John called Jesus the Lamb of God, he had several things in mind. Perhaps he had the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 in mind; 

He was oppressed and afflicted,
   yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
   and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
   so he did not open his mouth.(verse 7)

Of course he probably had in mind the Passover Lamb of Exodus 12. Moses had been the instrument to bring God's plagues upon the people of Egypt. The final plague was to be the death of the first born sons. But God came up with a way for the people of Israel to escape this plague. They were to take a lamb, kill it and place the blood on the doorpost so that the angel of death would see it and pass over that house. Jesus is of course our passover lamb who shed his blood so that we could be forgiven. This indeed was the mission of Jesus; to take away the sins of the world.

In fact, John finally really reveals why he had been baptizing; to reveal Jesus to Israel. As he looks at Jesus he says that this is the one that I was talking about when I said there was one coming after me whose sandals I wasn't even worthy to untie. 

Two questions come to mind about this encounter; 1) what does John mean when He ways that he didn't know Jesus, and 2) how did he recognize Him if he didn't know Him? Even though John was a cousin of Jesus, he evidently wasn't raised with him. John's parents were very elderly, did they die while John was young? Was he raised relatively far away from Jesus? He knew that Jesus was coming, but he didn't recognize him. The second question is answered in the passage. When John Baptized Jesus, he saw the Holy Spirit come down upon Jesus and remain on Him. Of course, this was the anointing of Jesus for ministry. Jesus ministered as a Spirit Filled man. After His ascension into heaven, He poured out the Holy Spirit on the Church as an anointing for ministry. He still gives us individually and corporately, the Holy Spirit to anoint us for ministry.

  

John goes on to testify that Jesus is God's chosen one; the Son of God. We hear the Father speak in the other Gospel accounts of Jesus Baptism. Once again, we are confronted with the fact that this man, while truly a man, is at the same time, much more than a man.

This man, Jesus did for us as our sin sacrifice; he is our passover. Because of this death on the cross, we are forgiven of our sins. We are now in fellowship with God. It is important to note that we are not only forgiven, but we are delivered from our sins. Because of the Holy Spirit we are also no longer powerless. We have power to live the Christian life and we have power to minister in the authority and power of Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

John's Role; Jesus' Role from Jesus as Seen by John

Finally the introduction -- the prologue -- is over and we move into the story of Jesus. The story opens with John the Baptist as the first person on stage. He was actively preaching repentance and baptizing people. The crowds were coming from all over the hear and be baptized. But, the religious establishment was scandalized, John was baptizing without a license -- he had no credentials. Look at the scripture:

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
   He said, “I am not.”
   “Are you the Prophet?”
   He answered, “No.”
Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The questioning starts with the religious leaders asking John who on earth he thought he was. John responded by stating emphatically that he wasn't the Christ. Now, the word Christ means the anointed one. In the Jewish history, the anointed one was a king, a priest or a prophet, but prophecy had pointed to one who was to come -- the Anointed one -- in Greek, the Christ, in Hebrew, the Messiah.  John wanted to make it very clear that he was not the promised one.

This led to more questions from the experts; "Are you Elijah? How about the prophet?" John stated emphatically also that he wasn't them. Why did they ask about Elijah -- well again, the prophecies indicated that the great prophet Elijah would return before the Messiah came. The book of Deuteronomy indicated that there would be a great prophet in the spirit of Moses to restore things. John refused to take either of these titles. Finally, they asked him, "Then who on earth are you?"

John gave them this answer -- I am merely a voice crying in the wilderness telling the people to prepare the way of the Lord. The Lord is coming and we must be prepared for this. John's answer tells them that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, Chapter 40 -- the beginning of the book of comfort. 

The leaders accepted the answer but had to ask one more question, "Why then do you baptize?" The real issue to them was that John had not been authorized by the Sanhedrin. He was acting on his own -- and they didn't like that. As a historical note, baptism was not foreign to them. They just didn't believe that John had the authority to perform the rite.


John told them that he was just preparing the way because he was only doing a copy of what was coming. "I baptize in water, but there is one coming. . ." John said that his baptism was one of forgiveness, but there was one coming. . . He is close by and you don't know him, but his ministry will start as mine comes to an end. He is so far above me that I am not even worthy to be a slave in his presence. I can't even unlatch his sandals. This one will perform the real baptism -- the baptism in the Holy Spirit.


John is a great example for us. We are not to call attention to ourselves, we are called to point to Jesus. Of course that means that we need to understand who Jesus is ourselves. We must come to know him. Even though we feel loved and accepted by Jesus and Jesus is our friend, we must also understand who Jesus is. We, just like John, are really not worthy to even be his slave. The only reason that we are worthy to be in his presence is that he gave himself for us. It really is all about him -- not about us.

Jesus, the Word made Flesh from Jesus as seen by John

The word Incarnation sounds serious and theological, but it is really earthy, almost vulgar term. Think of the greatness of God; Jesus at creation. He became flesh -- meat -- bone, muscle and flesh, just like us. Listen to the words of the Evangelist:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

What the incarnation really means is that he became just like us. This is profound! Think of it, the one that has been in existence from the beginning, the Word, the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, left it all behind and became just like one of us. He was able to hurt, to feel, to think just like us. The verse goes on to say the he lived among us. John is using language reminiscent of the Old Testament picture of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was the tent that was erected as a precursor to the temple. It was the physical place where people could say that God dwelt there. The language in this passage really says that He tabernacled with us -- we can look at Jesus and say that it is God dwelling in this human body. In Jesus we see the glory of god. Moses was not able to see the glory of God -- but when we look at Jesus we see His glory along with His grace and truth.


John the Baptist interjects the fact that although he (John) was older than the physical Jesus, Jesus ranked above John because he (Jesus) existed before John. This is a somewhat complicated sentence, but it is important. In the Jewish culture of the time, honor is given to the older person. As an old Naval Officer, I think of the honor that comes with date of rank. Two officers might have the same rank, but if one received that rank even one day before the other, the senior one was the one honored. From this it would follow that John was senior. But, John recognized the pre-existed Jesus -- The Word that became flesh. Therefore the greater honor must be given to Jesus. 


All of us have been blessed by the grace of God in Jesus -- over and over. This is true whether we accept him as God or not. He has blessed us with his words, with his presence and through his grace. We may or may not recognize his grace, but it is by his grace that we live as we do. The people of the Jewish culture looked to Moses as the spiritual founder of their religion; Moses gave them the law. The law was a gift of great importance; one could know what God expected of him/her. But something new about the revelation of God comes through Jesus; he reveals God's grace and God's truth. Grace is that unmerited favor with God. We receive this undeserved love and blessing as a free gift. We do nothing to deserve it. It is pure grace. Jesus reveals God in truth. Through the law a partial picture of God was revealed, but we see the full picture through Jesus. Later in the gospel, Philip requests Jesus to show him the Father. Jesus replied, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father."

Finally, the prologue ends with a statement indicating the Jesus is indeed the One and Only God who has taken on flesh to be like us. No one has ever seen God. Throughout the Old Testament, there were revelations of God; their were angelic appearances, God appearing as a man, but no one saw God as he is. God only reveals himself as he wants to be revealed. But Jesus, who is the One and Only, the one that has come from heaven, he has seen God and he reveals God in truth to us.

Heavy, theological works have been written on this prologue. All that I have written are some words to make a little sense of what God may be saying to us. I think that the important thing is that this sets the stage for the Gospel by telling us that we can truly rely on Jesus; He is like us. To be sure he is also God, but we see him as an ordinary man. Because of what he did for us in taking on flesh and then being obedient through his death on the cross, we receive God's grace for us. He blesses us in many ways. Finally we can trust him. He is also truth personified; there is no falsehood in him.

 

Jesus, the Light of the World from Jesus as Seen by John

Jesus has been called many things throughout history, but John, in his Gospel, uses vivid imagery to describe Jesus and his ministry. After providing us with a picture of Jesus present at the very dawn of creation, he moves to a different image; the Light of the World.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:6-13 (NIV)

The John who is discussed in this passage of scripture is John the Baptist. Actually throughout the Gospel of John, whenever John is mentioned, it is the Baptist. This is a sort of parenthesis in the prologue -- an interjection about John as a witness to Jesus Christ. In this little interjection, the mission of John the Baptist is made clear; he came as a witness: He came to testify about the light so that people would believe in Jesus. John was merely a reflector of the light that comes from Jesus; the true light. Jesus was the true light. When we talked about Jesus as the word, we said that Jesus was the one who revealed God. This also fits well with the metaphor of light. Light shines in the darkness and reveals what was once hidden. The picture is that of a world steeped in darkness until Jesus, the very creator came into the world and revealed the true character of God to all who had eyes to see. Yet, much of the world missed him. They saw him as just another teacher, a seer or even a charlatan. He actually came to his own people, the people of Israel -- yet, in spite of all of the prophecies concerning him, they missed him too. He was rejected by the Jews. Note that not all Jews rejected him -- the disciples were all  Jews. When the Gospel speaks negatively about the Jews, it is speaking about the Jewish establishment of the time; the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and/or the Sadducees.

Then the Gospel becomes good news. "Yet to all who did receive him . . ." Those who believed on him -- on his name -- were given authority to be children of God. Believing on his name means believing that he is who he says he is. He is the one who will save Israel. He is the Messiah, the chosen one, the Word made flesh, the Light of the World. Becoming a child of God is a gift of pure grace. We do nothing -- we merely accept him for who he is.

What does this mean for those of who are Christians now, in the 21st century? We are not just human beings (of course we are human and we never lose that), we are children of God. This is a spiritual, not a biological reality. But it is real! We are God's children. We didn't earn the right to be his children anymore than we earned the right to be born into our earthly families; it is pure grace. This also means that we have the opportunity to be "John the Baptists" for others. Not everyone sees the light, but we can witness to that light. We have a special opportunity to witness to those 8-15 people closest to us that make up our "household" or Oikos.  As "Amazing Grace" says, "I once was blind, but now I see." May we all see the true Light of the World, accept him for who he is and be born as children of God.

Jesus at the Beginning from Jesus as Seen by John

Who is Jesus? Really, who is he? Was he a good teacher, or a prophet? Did he really exist? The Gospel of John gives us a vivid picture of the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. The first part of the Gospel starts with these powerful words:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.(John 1:1-5 NIV)

The other Gospels give a more straightforward description of the life of Jesus. Since they are so alike, the are called the Synoptic (seeing together in Greek) Gospels. But John is different. It is more "theological". It is also more picturesque. The metaphors are such things as light, life, lamb of God, the vine etc. It also gives the cosmic picture of Jesus. In the few verses quoted above we have Jesus at the beginning before anything else came to be -- not just a poor person born in a stable. The birth in the stable is true -- but John gives us a much bigger picture.

The beginning of the Bible, Genesis states, "In the beginning God . . ." Here we have the Word. The Word was there with God when everything began -- in fact the Word was God. Here we not only have the Son of God unmasked in the very beginning, but we begin to see the mystery of the Trinity unveiled. We see the other member of the trinity present in the Genesis account where the Holy Spirit is hovering over creation like a mother bird hovering over her nest.


A question that occurs to me is, "Why the Word?" The Greek word used for Word is Logos which had a certain significance philosophically in the Greek word. It was a divine concept of wisdom and knowledge. To me, the use of Word is much more simple and down to earth. What does a word do? It names something, describes something or tells of an action. It reveals something. When I write the word "apple" people who speak English immediately picture a red, roundish fruit -- unless they are Mac users. Jesus came to reveal the Father. He actually says later in the Gospel that if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.


The Son of God was not only present in the beginning, but he was part of the creation process. God created through a word -- through The Word. This Word was willing to become like us. He took on flesh -- the incarnation. The word incarnation sounds so theological, but it is a very earthy word describing what happened to the Son, the Word as he was born as Jesus of Nazareth. This passage further states that he came to bring life. He was also the light of the world. Both of these metaphors will figure large in the Gospel. They speak of abundant living, having direction and being truth.

Is this little passage of scripture which is jam packed with theological import only theology. Certainly if it was, it would be enough. Having these theological truths is very important. But, there are also very practical implications because of the theological truths. First, it is so important to understand who Jesus is; of course he is savior, he is friend, he is brother. He is also the one who was with the Father in the beginning at creation; He is God; He is Lord.  This is how much God loves us. He came to be like us and we can be close to him. But, we must never forget that this friend of ours is indeed the King of Kings.

And the Spirit said . . .

First I must apologize, if there is anyone out there reading this, for being so neglectful in writing on this blog. I haven't posted for almost 6 months. My excuse is that I have been majoring on my other Blog, "Life Together." Thus, I confess that the Spirit said for me to do some work in this venue. The subject of this posting relates to what else the Spirit told me.

I intended for this blog to generally relate to where I see the Spirit moving in our world, but also to present how the Spirit is leading to me as I minister as pastor of Bay View Baptist Church. For the past couple of months I have been preaching and teaching about ministering to our Oikos. I guess that I have to define Oikos first. This is a Greek word meaning household. As we read the Bible we see that God seems to usually reach people their household. A household consists of relatives, servants and hangers on who make up the network of people around us. In our society we might define it as those 8-15 people who have been placed in our lives so that we can be missionaries to them. I have been learning about the concept of seeing this as the means to evangelize through the head of my mentor group, Tom Mercer. He is the pastor of High Desert Church, a mega church located in Victorville, CA. This is the concept that I have been teaching to my people.

About 6 weeks ago I sensed that God was telling me that I was to teach the people through a study of the Gospel of John; I was to preach an open-ended series moving through that Gospel. I thought, "I like that idea. I'll do that after the first of the year." About a month ago I read a post written by one of my heroes, John Piippo, pastor of Redeemer Church in Monroe, MI, where he was expressing the blessings that had transpired in that church as they had just completed a five year journey through all of the gospels. I thought that this was interesting. I also saw this as a confirmation that God was indeed speaking to me about the opportunity and necessity of concentration on this Gospel.

Later that week as I was spending time with the Lord, I heard him say, "Have you heard me when I told you to teach the Gospel of John?" I answered, "Of course, Lord. I intend to do that after the first of the year." "Why do you need to wait? Can't you start now? Indeed, this is what I want you to do!" he said. I looked a little like my little Pug -- Oso -- I was caught!

I hadn't been listening! Well, I got the word, and I started that week -- Oct. 17. I gave my first teaching on the Gospel of John.

I intend to follow up with these teachings on this blog. This should keep me writing at least once per week to keep up with the sermons. You may see a few more initially because I am playing catch-up.

Our Mission; Go and Make Disciples

Bay View Baptist Church of Chula Vista is a small church which was established in 1959. It grew to a size of around 75 people. It then went into decline -- but lately new life has come. Now we have to determine if we are merely an old mission station or are we now on a new mission. What does God say? Let's look at the Bible:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

This passage of scripture is called the Great Commission. It really isn't controversial. It is accepted by virtually all churches as authoritative. It is the driving force behind evangelism and world missions. Yet, it is for all practical purposes ignored by the average Christian. Let's take a little deeper work at it.

Who receives this commission? Jesus is meeting with his eleven disciples. Yes, only eleven, one of them, Judas, has betrayed him. This commission is given after the resurrection, just before Jesus ascends to heaven. This is one of the reasons that this is so important, these are the last words of Jesus uttered here on the Earth. Well, since it was only given to these early disciples, so what does it have to do with me? We will see later that, by extension, it is just as applicable to us as it was to them.

This is a pretty big assignment for the disciples! Who authorized Jesus to give this commission? Well, this is why we need to include verse 18 in the commission. Jesus starts off by stating his authority. ALL authority in HEAVEN and in EARTH has been given to Him. This authority is more than all the political, military and economic power on Earth. It is more that all of the spiritual powers and authorities in the heavens. This is why Jesus could give this command; he had the authority to do so. Having been a military officer, I know that even those of us with authority can overstep our bounds, but not Jesus. He had all authority.

Well, what is this commission? Go and make disciples! Notice it is not go and make converts. Disciples are the people that follow Jesus as Lord and Master, not merely believers. There is nothing wrong with conversion and belief -- but that in itself doesn't make a disciple. Where are we to go? Jesus said that we were to go to all the nations. The word in Greek is ta ethne from which we get ethnic. National boundaries have changed in the past and will in the future, but there are many ethnic groups. Basically Jesus is saying that we are to go to everyone whether near of far.

How do we make disciples? Well, to make a disciple, there has to be conversion first. As we go, we are to baptize people in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism portrays the idea of dying to our old nature and being raised to a new life -- filled with the Spirit. There can be no discipleship without this. Jesus says that we are also to be teaching them -- this is the phase of discipleship where people are helped to grow to maturity as disciples. What are we to teach? The answer is that we are to teach everything that Jesus taught and did. This would include his major teachings such as the Sermon on the Mount. It would include his parables and little pithy statements -- and the Great Commission. It would also include the things he did; healing the sick, casting out demons and sacrificing himself for others. Discipleship is not merely a course of instruction, it is a way of life based upon the life of Jesus himself.

How can we carry out such a Great Commission? Well, we aren't alone. Jesus finishes this command by saying that he will always be with us. Paul teaches a similar thing when he tells us that we are the body of Christ and that Christ himself is our head. Of course we also have the presence of the Holy Spirit within us to lead us into all truth and to empower our ministry.

Of course the real question for Bay View Baptist Church is, "How do we carry out this commission?" One thing we need to realize is that not everyone is to go. Some disciples stayed in Jerusalem and helped send others out. Therefore we must help to send out missionaries. This involves prayer and giving of money to support the mission. But, we must also realize that we live in a mission field. We have a responsibility to our neighborhood here in Southwest Chula Vista. More importantly, each of us has an Oikos, that 8-15 people that God has placed into our lives to be our friend and relative. This is our mission field. We must go and make disciples of our Oikos baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus taught. This means that one of the prime missions of our church must be a strong teaching ministry.

This is the basic lesson. Now we will continue with some of the specifics.

Love and the Gifts

This is the fifth sermon in the series, "What are the Spiritual Gifts all About?" This lesson was drawn from 1 Corinthians 13:1-7:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

First, a word about love. When I enter into premarital counseling with a couple, I generally ask them what love is. I get a lot of answers; "I just feel like I am going to explode when I see him," "O I feel so good when I am with her." Generally the answers refer to feelings. That is part of the picture. The Greek language is a little more complete than English; they have three words for love. The first one is pretty close to what I described above. The word is Eros, from which we get words like erotic. This is basically based upon feelings usually based upon our sexual/emotional responses. The second word is Phileo, like in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. This is the word that describes our feelings of relationship -- love -- of people that we associate with. We really have a love for someone that is not based upon the sexual/emotional. The third word is the one used by the Apostle Paul in this passage. It is the word Agape. This is the word used in the New Testament when the love within the church is mentioned. It is also used when the scriptures talk of God's love for us. This is a self giving loved that is not based upon emotion, but on decision. It is love that causes us to act in a certain way towards others; we aren't demanding from them, but giving to them.

If we have gifts but no love we have nothing. The Corinthians were really into the spiritual gifts, especially tongues. Paul says that if you speak in tongues, but don't act in love to the other people, you are only making a lot of worthless noise. He goes on to say that if you have prophetic gifts, gifts of wisdom and understanding, actually if you have such a faith that you can move mountains, but don't love your brothers and sisters, you are really nothing.

If we are sacrificial people but have no love we gain nothing. You might say, "well surely, if I give everything to the poor, this must count for something." Isn't that would Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to do? Well, yes, but what is the motivation. If you are just giving it so that you will be blessed you have gained nothing. Love must be the motivation. Even if you were to die a martyrs death, just so you would be a hero, you have missed the point. The only worthwhile motivation is love.

What is love like? Look at the characteristics listed above (and paraphrased below):

• Patient -- we love enough to hang in there with the person we love
• Kind -- we sneer at the concept of "just be nice," but isn't that the kind thing to do?
• Doesn't envy the one we love -- If we love someone we want them to get ahead. We don't pout because they got ahead of us, we cheer them on.
• Doesn't boast about getting ahead our selves -- This is not one-upmanship, this is love.
• Pride doesn't get in the way -- we aren't insulted if they don't seem to recognize how wonderful we are.
• It isn't rude -- Being rude is not nice.
• It isn't about us -- It is about the one we love.
• It isn't easily angered -- this goes along with patience.
• It doesn't keep score -- Keeping score dooms a relationship.
• It isn't happy when bad things happen to another -- Remember, we want them to succeed.
• It really wants the truth -- Too many relationship are built on webs of lies.
• It always protects the loved one
• It always trusts the loved one
• It always hopes for the best
• It always hangs in there
  

Who are we to love? An easy answer is "everyone." But really the first order of love is to God. It actually starts with his love for us. His love is what makes us able to love. Then of course we are to love our family. This whole passage is telling us to love the people in church. Since everyone is a potential member of the church, they are to be loved. Actually since God loved the whole world, and we want to be like Jesus, we also should love the whole world. Jesus really gets down to the real nitty gritty however, when he says that we should actually love our enemies.

How are we to love? This is the real question. None of this really comes naturally to us. It depends on change from the inside out. We are changed when we accept the love that Jesus has for us and ask him into our heart. We begin to change. We are loved and we become loving. This is the difference between the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. Love is a fruit -- not a gift. Fruit grows in us because life has come into us. Pray that the seed within us grows into the lovely fruit of love.

We are that Body

This is the fourth in the series, What are the Spiritual Gifts all about? We are continuing our study of 1 Corinthians, looking at chapter 12, verses 27-31:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.

Last week we discussed the Church as the Body of Christ. We learned of the diversity as well as the unity of the church. This week we affirm that we are that body. The body of Christ is made up of believers -- all believers. In fact, not belong to the church is not an option. All Christians are a part of the church whether like it or not. This is part of the definition of Christian -- and the definition of church. Now, we can decide to stay away from an local expression of the church. Certainly if you are "Lost" on a Pacific Island you have no option to be a part of a local congregation. But, we are still a part of THE CHURCH. The gifting of people by the Holy Spirit and the use of those gifts are in the context of being part of a local congregation.
Once Paul has expressed this truth, he proceeds to deal with the issue of the diversity within the church in a little different way. He lists some of the positions defined by gifting as well as some giftings that are not connected to a position. He starts with Apostles. Now Paul was an Apostle. Usually we think of Apostles (note the capital A) as those who are a part of the 12 who had been with Jesus during his life on Earth. The word apostle in the Greek merely means "one sent out". This word is used for people like missionaries or church planters who have a foundational ministry. There are people who have positions of apostleship (note the small a) within the church and they hold this position because God has gifted them to fulfill this role. Second are Prophets. These are people who really function in the role of people who continually speak forth the word of God. We need these people in the church. Third are those who are teachers. Specifically here Paul is writing about those who are able to take the Word of God and explain it to the rest of the church. He goes on to talk of workers of miracles and healers. These are not necessarily positions, but they are people who are gifted and used of God to be channels of His power to heal and demonstrate His mighty works. He then moves on to those gifted to be helpers. This is just as it sounds, people who are able to be helpful to those in need. Then there are those with gifts of administration -- the are able to set things in order. Finally he lists speakers in tongues, those who speak mysteries only understood by God.
When we get to chapter 14 we will give a fuller discussion of the gift of tongues. It is an important gift, but it probably is listed last here because the People of Corinth acted as if it were the dividing line between those who we "spiritual" and those who were not. Paul makes it plain that this is not the sign of spirituality. But, he also doesn't downplay the importance of the gift.
After listing these diversities, Paul states that none of us are all of these parts. He does this by going through the entire list saying are all ______________? The Greek construction demands that the answer is "of course not." Therefore each of us is only a part of the whole and none of us is sufficiently gifted to be the church in and of ourselves. All of the parts are needed. None of us has it all.
Finally Paul tells us to seek the gifts. There are essentially three fallacious ways to look at the gifts of the Spirit:

• Look down on the gifts -- they aren't for today anyway. They ceased after the Apostolic Era. They aren't needed today, because we have doctors and education etc.
• Pride in our gifting -- My gifts better than your gift! I'm more spiritual than you. This was prevalent in Corinth.
• Guilt at not having certain gifts -- Many people feel this when taught that anyone filled with the Spirit will speak in tongues, for example.

What is the proper attitude toward the Gifts? Well, recognize that they are truly for today and that they are valuable. We need God's power working in us to really be effective as a church for today. Therefore seek the gifts, don't neglect them. But we must also appreciate the gifting we have. Don't have the attitude that says I can't serve because I don't have the gift of _________. Use what God has given you -- for the Glory of God.
Finally he gives us a peek at where he will go in the next chapter. There is something even more important than these gifts -- but that is for next week.

The Body of Christ

This is the third in the series "What are the Spiritual Gifts all About?" It continues from where we left off on 1 Corinthians 12, starting with verse 12:

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

The motto of the American Baptist Churches has been Unity in Diversity. We understand this because we are the United States. We often talk as our nation as a stew pot, made up of many ingredients. Now all of these ingredients are necessary for the stew to taste right. Even though they create a nice flavor when brought together, most of the ingredients don't lose their individuality. You can identify and taste the meat or the potato. But all are necessary to make the stew.

Paul presents another metaphor to describe the church. He calls the church the body of Christ. Of course the identification of this body is Christ. He is the head of the body. It is His Church. The church is the physical presence of Christ in the world today. Paul has just finished discussing the various gifts and then he goes into this long metaphor about the church as a body. There is no need to discuss what is said, it is very plain. He uses the concept of our gross anatomy. We recognize one body with several parts. They all work together to carry out one purpose. Of course the body with parts that don't work together is a very dysfunctional body. We know much more about anatomy and physiology today than Paul did. We could go into a discussion of Physiological Systems or into Cellular Biology, but there is no need; the metaphor holds true at all levels.

This metaphor has many implications of us who make up the Body of Christ. First is the issue of Equality; no part ranks above another. One of the dysfunctions of the church at Corinth was that they felt people with certain gifts (tongues, prophecy) were of a higher nature than the other members. We are all equal and we are all necessary. We are all different, but work for a common purpose. This brings us to the second implication which is Unity of Purpose. The church is not just a random organization of people; it was created for a purpose which is determined by the head of the body, Jesus Christ. While the work of each part may be different, their individual work is coordinated by the head to work toward the overall purpose of the church. The third implication is that our diversity is to be celebrated. The church is made up of diverse ages, genders, educational levels, ethnicity, health and gifting, but these diverse people make up one church. And finally, every one of us is necessary to make the whole. God placed us here to fulfill His purpose. None of us is a part of our local church by accident. The full extent of His purpose in our area will not be the same without the presence of each of us.

I applied this to the congregation of Bay View Baptist Church. This is a small congregation composed of mostly elderly people. Yet, in the last year we have gained some middle aged people and even one young couple. I appreciate this congregation because they have a flavor of love and acceptance. Serving them is a real treat. Yet, with our new diversity, perhaps the Lord wants to bring out some new flavors like outreach into the community or service to people in prison. God calls us together in all of our diversity to use our gifts and talents for the glory of God in the church.

The Gifts

This is the second in the series "What are the Spiritual Gifts all About? It is essentially an exposition of 1 Corinthians 12:8-11:

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Last week we discussed some general principles about gifts, including these gifts.

• They are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. They are not gifts in the sense that they become our possession. They are not signs of who we are. They are signs of the activity of the Holy Spirit.
• They are given for the common good. They are given to up build the church.
• The are given to each one. Not everyone has the same manifestation at the same time, but they are open to everyone, not just the privileged few.
• It is the Spirit Himself who determines the distribution of His gifts.

The question is often asked whether these are the only gifts of the Spirit. Frankly, it seems that many people, particularly those of who are labeled "Charismatic", would answer,"Yes." This is incorrect, however. One of my favorite passages is Exodus 31:1-11:

Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent- the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand- and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you."

This passage demonstrates the unlimited potential of the Holy Spirit working in us. He can work in art and craftsmanship. Romans 12: 3-8 discusses prophecy, but also serving, teaching, encouraging, giving and leadership. 1 Peter 4:10-11 discusses ministering God's gifts of grace in its various forms. There are also a few other "lists of gifts." I guess that the point is that the ways that the Spirit can manifest Himself is unlimited. The gifts that are enumerated here in 1 Corinthians 12 are generally related to worship in the church.

Another question that is often made addresses the differences between "gifts" and "fruit." Galatians 5:22-23 lists the Fruit of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Some people discuss these as if they were "gifts," but they are really character traits. The "gifts" are actions of the Holy Spirit performed through us for the service to the entire church.

Returning to our passage, I have already stated that these gifts are primarily for use in worship. Of course they can be used at other times. It seems that they fall into three categories:

• Word gifts -- they are utterances under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Prophecy, Speaking in Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues).
• Gifts of Knowledge and Wisdom (this would also include Discernment or Distinguishing between spirits).
• Power Gifts -- Faith, Healing, Miraculous Powers.

Following is a short look at each one of these gifts:

• A message of wisdom -- Putting the facts together so that a wise course of action may be taken.
• A message of knowledge -- Revelation of something previously unknown.
• Faith -- this is not the body of belief. This is the strong conviction that God will act in a particular situation.
• Miraculous Powers -- God acting in ways that seem beyond normal human comprehension (in Jesus' life -- raising the dead, walking on water, feeding the 5,000 etc.)
• Prophecy -- Speaking God's word. This is not necessarily foretelling the future, it may be telling it like it currently is. This is not merely preaching, although some preaching may be prophetic in nature.
• Distinguishing between spirits -- This was a real necessity in a pagan place like Corinth. There were spiritual entities connected with the idol worship that could manifest themselves. It was important to understand what was happening at the time.
  
• Speaking in Tongues -- This deserves in blog of its own, but it really is merely someone speaking words that they don't understand under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• Interpretation of Tongues -- Interpreting what was said under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Of course the controversy comes with the question, "Are the gifts still for today?" I answer an unqualified, "Yes!" I believe strongly that God wants to be active in our worship. He wants to manifest Himself in the church. We are to work under His empowerment using the gifts that he gives us. This empowerment and gifting is not for the elite. It is for all Christians. We only need to be open to His working in our lives.

The Holy Spirit Reveals Himself

Yesterday I began a new series based upon 1 Corinthians 12-14. The Charismatic Movement (I am still a part of this) sees this scripture as the "Instruction Book for the Charismatic Movement." Of course those who are not charismatic Christians or, perhaps are "anti-charismatic," see just the opposite. Over the last year I have been preaching through the book of 1 Corinthians, so I want to present what this scripture has to say to us right now. The Series Title is "What are the Spiritual Gifts all About? This week's sermon is titled "The Holy Spirit Reveals Himself." Let's look at 1 Corinthians 12:1-7

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Spiritual Gifts in verse 1 is an unfortunate translation. The Greek merely says pneumatikon which could be translated "spirituals", "spiritual things" or even "spiritual people." Because the chapter is focused mainly upon Spiritual Gifts, the translators have consistently translated this as spiritual gifts. I would like to suggest that a better translation might be "spiritual people."

There was a problem in Corinth. They really thought that they were spiritual people. Yet their behavior was anything but spiritual. They gauged their spirituality by the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. They liked to see these manifestations, particularly the gift of tongues. These people came from a city where there was a lot of idol worship. Whatever you might think of the spiritual world, it was very real to them. They knew a spiritual reality -- and they understood demonic spirits.

Thus Paul starts this section discussing spirits in general. He also knew that there were counterfeits to each of the gifts. If the gifts were in operation, he wanted the people to make sure that they were gifts of the Holy Spirit. As Paul begins the discuss the Holy Spirit, he says that the Spirit shows Himself in many ways. There are many Charismaton (from which we get charismatic)translated gifts, but there is only one Holy Spirit behind them all. There are many Diaconion (from which we get deacon) translated ministries or service, but there is only one Lord or leader over that ministry or service. There are many energamtown (from which we get energy) translated workings or miracles, but they are all brought about by one God. Therefore God the Father, God the Son (the Lord) and God the Holy Spirit are and should be behind everything that happens in the church.

Finally we must understand that the manifestations of the Spirit are for the common good. They aren't the property of the person manifesting the gift. The gift is for and to the church. Yes, we are to use these gifts to serve the Lord -- in the church.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Bay View Baptist? Well, in general, the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, He convicts us of sin and He is the one who gives us the power to live Holy lives. This is not all. The Holy Spirit wants to manifest or reveal Himself. He is not to be hidden. Therefore He gifts people and He wants these gifts to be used. While it is possible to serve God in our own strength, He wants to empower our service. God is also still into the miraculous. A church that is moving in the Spirit, will see the Spirit in action.