Dr Paul Allen

Evangelism is rarely easy. We need to strike a balance between sharing our faith without undue offense and being one who stands up to be counted ( 2 Timothy 4:1–4). Yet as uncomfortable as encounters with unbelievers may be, they don’t hold a candle to having to evangelize someone who already claims to be a Christian or who was a pastor-teacher who may have fallen morally. For some, this will, no doubt, come across as the worst of Christian offenses. “How can you judge someone else’s faith?” they may ask. And our answer is simple: because the Bible says we should ( Matthew 7:15 –20). Fruitless trees are cut down. What, then, are we to do when our lives regularly intersect with those who claim to be for Christ  or who were once followers of Christ and yet whose lives plainly don’t bear the fruit? 1. Examine yourself first. We cannot divorce verses 15–20 of Matthew 7 from verses 1–5, which teach that we should be quick to get the log out of our own eye before turning to note the s

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire - Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist often spoke about the baptism of the Spirit. He continually emphasized that once the Messiah arrived, He would baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit. In all probability, the people of that day had no idea what it meant to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. They may have had ideas, but nobody knew exactly what John meant. Jesus did not speak about the baptism of the Holy Spirit until He prepared to ascend into heaven: “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’ ” (Acts 1:4—5). In these verses, Jesus equates the baptism of th

English: John the Baptist baptizing Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus : and great grace was upon them all.” ( Acts 4:33 ) The apostle Peter observed that believers are to be ministering our “gift” to one another as “good stewards of the manifold grace of God ” ( 1 Peter 4:10 ). The words for “gift” and “grace” are very closely related. “Grace” is the most frequent translation for the Greek word charis, and charisma is most often rendered “gift.” “The working of his mighty power” ( Ephesians 1:19 ) appears to be “the manifestation of the Spirit” ( 1 Corinthians 12:7 ) displayed among God ’s people by means of the gifts that the Holy Spirit has graced us with. Paul’s ability to minister was “according to the gift of the grace of God given unto [him, Paul] by the effectual working of his power” ( Ephesians 3:7 ). Thus, when we preach the gospel, we are using “the power of God unto salvation” ( Ro

Dove representation in the Baptism of Christ by Pietro Perugino, circa 1498 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “For as we have many members in one body , and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ , and every one members one of another.” ( Romans 12:4-5 ) All too frequently in today’s Christian circles, we place certain individuals and certain gifts on a pedestal, and all too often the resulting pride is devastating. Pride may be the favorite tool of Satan . Pride was the reason Satan rebelled and lost his exalted position ( Isaiah 14:13-14 ). He appealed to Eve’s pride in the garden ( Genesis 3:6 ), similarly tempted Christ in the wilderness ( Luke 4:6 ), and uses it on us today. Be warned! “ God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” ( James 4:6 ): “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” ( 1 Corinthians 10:12 ). Paul, through the Holy Spirit , chose to introduce his teaching on the use of spiritual gifts and

English: Sterzing, the Holy Spirit church frescos, on the northern wall, representing the Passion of Christ. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22–23). The Holy Spirit regenerates us, then indwells us and begins the process of sanctification, of making us more like Christ . He is working within us, convicting us of sin , strengthening our desire to live for God , showing us our faults. As the process continues, these internal changes eventually manifest themselves in outward fruit. And since this external fruit comes about as a result of the work of the Spirit, we call it the fruit of the Spirit. We human beings often find ourselves attracted to unusual, extraordinary, and spectacular things. In our Christian lives, this tendency often manifests itself in terms of a keener interest in the gifts of the Spirit than in the f

“For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind .” ( 2 Timothy 1:7 ) The gift spoken of in the previous verse is based on a transfer of authority from God, and we are exhorted to “stir up” that gift ( 2 Timothy 1:6 ) because God did not give us a “spirit of fear.” The word deiliastresses timidity or cowardice, not terror. The gift does not function well if we are too timid to use it. The gift referred to is not power. That spiritual gift comes with dunamis—the innate ability to “do” the gift. Whatever the Holy Spirit has gifted us with upon our entrance into the Kingdom ( 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ), that gift comes with the power necessary to implement and use it. The gift also comes with love. Again, love is not the gift, it is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that comes with the gift. Were it not for the reflection in us of the unilateral and sacrificial love of our Redeemer, these supernatural gifts could well be misused, distort

Rembrandt - Apostle Paul - WGA19120 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In Paul’s writings, the contrast between the Holy Spirit and flesh (often as the sinful urge) looms larger than the distinction between the human spirit and the physical flesh it animates (in some Pauline passages, however, it is unclear whether God ’s Spirit or the human spirit is intended). Paul associates the Spirit favorably with faith and the flesh unfavorably with the works of the law (Gal. 3:2–3). In Galatians , Isaac, freeborn according to the Spirit, represents God’s gracious promise; Ishmael, slaveborn according to the flesh, represents the law, which brings a curse (4:21–31).  The spiritual person lives in a way determined by God’s Spirit; the fleshly person behaves like unbelievers, who do not have the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:12–3:4). Vices (nonphysical as well as physical) are the works of the flesh; virtues are the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16–25). Fleshly behavior leads to death; behavior accor

Holy Spirit dove window (Photo credit: hickory hardscrabble ) “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” 1 JOHN 4:13 In John 14:26, Jesus described the Holy Spirit as “ the Helper .” One of the most important ways He helps us is by assuring us that we belong to God . Several works of the Holy Spirit, if present in our lives, give evidence of the genuineness of our salvation. In 1 Corinthians 12:3 Paul writes, “No one can say, ‘ Jesus is Lord ,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” Apart from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, you would not know who Christ was, nor would you confess Him as Savior and Lord. If you have experienced that work of the Holy Spirit, that is evidence you are a true child of God. Another essential ministry of the Spirit is that of illuminating Scripture. First John 2:27 says, “The anointing which you received from Him abides in you … His anointing teaches you about all things.”  Do you understand the

English: Cross in the village of Úsilné, České Budějovice District, Czech Republic with the writing 'Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ'. Česky: Křížek v obci Úsilné v okrese České Budějovice s nápisem 'Pochválen buď Pán Ježíš Kristus'. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ .” 2 PETER 1:8 If you are a Christian, your life will produce spiritual fruit. If you want to enjoy assurance of salvation in all its richness, you need to faithfully pursue all the virtues we have been studying this past week. The reason is simple—they produce fruit in the Christian life , and nothing is a better indicator of true salvation than that. It was the criterion Christ used to distinguish between the true and false believer (Matt. 7:15–20). The reasonable question that ought to arise next is, what is fruit? The New Testament says it encompasses m

Dove representation in the Baptism of Christ by Pietro Perugino, circa 1498 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.— 1 Corinthians 4:2 Then there are the men who are good but not great, and we may thank God that there are so many of them, being grateful not that they failed to achieve greatness but that by the grace of God they managed to acquire plain goodness.... Every pastor knows this kind—the plain people who have nothing to recommend them but their deep devotion to their Lord and the fruit of the Spirit which they all unconsciously display. Without these the churches as we know them in city, town and country could not carry on. These are the first to come forward when there is work to be done and the last to go home when there is prayer to be made.  They are not known beyond the borders of their own church because there is nothing dramatic in faithfulness or newsworthy in goodness, but their presence is a benedict

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “This is a faithful saying.” 2 Timothy 2:11 (NKJV) Paul has four of these “ faithful sayings .” The first occurs in 1 Timothy 1:15 , “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” The next is in 1 Timothy 4:8–9 , “ Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.” The third is in 2 Timothy 2:11–12 , “It is a faithful saying . . . If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him.” And the fourth is in Titus 3:8 , “This is a faithful saying . . . that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works .” We may trace a connection between these faithful sayings. The first one lays the foundation of our eternal salvation in the free grace of God , as shown to us in the mission of the great Redeemer. The next affirms the doub

Our Lord Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. – Philippians 4:5 – This passage of Scripture comes in a list of brief commands that Paul means to demonstrate as the means of remaining spiritually steadfast (cf. Phil 4:1). That list is usually read through very quickly, and this command to be gentle often doesn’t enjoy the extended meditation that it deserves. But the word is packed with meaning, so much so that the translators have always had a hard time translating the Greek word, epieikes. The verse at the top is the New American Standard Update. The older NAS has, “Let your forbearance,” or “your forbearing spirit be made known to all men.” The ESV says, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” The HCSB has, “Let your graciousness be known to everyone.” The commentators don’t help either, as their lists are even longer: gentleness, graciousness, forbearance, patience, sweet reasonableness, mildness, len