Topic > Christian Beliefs > Holy Spirit > Work of the Holy Spirit >
Powerful Patience
A few years ago, I drove to the Grand Canyon in the US. As we marveled at the natural beauty before us, we had to strain our eyes to see the little ribbon of water winding its way through the bottom of the massive canyon, one of the tributaries of the Colorado River. It was that tributary, some believe, that helped to patiently carve and make manifest the immense and majestic marvel we now viewed—the likes of which no human has ever been able to create!
Time to Grow
In Debbie’s new home, she discovered an abandoned plant in a dark corner of the kitchen. The dusty and ragged leaves looked like those of a moth orchid, and she imagined how pretty the plant would look once it had sent up new bloom-bearing stems. She moved the pot into a spot by the window, cut off the dead leaves, and watered it thoroughly. She bought plant food and applied it to the roots. Week after week she inspected the plant, but no new shoots appeared. “I’ll give it another month,” she told her husband, “and if nothing has happened…
The Spirit Delivers
Until recently, many towns in rural Ireland didn’t use house numbers or postal codes. So if there were three Patrick Murphys in town, the newest resident with that name would not get his mail until it was first delivered to the other two Patrick Murphys who had lived there longer. “My neighbors would get it first,” said Patrick Murphy (the newest resident). “They’d have a good read, and they’d go, ‘No, it’s probably not us.’ ” To end all this mail-delivery confusion, the Irish government recently instituted its first postal-code system which will ensure the proper delivery of the mail.
Sometimes…
Surprising Victory
At the climax of the film Superman II, it looked as if villain General Zod had beaten the world’s superhero. Zod had coerced Superman into a crystal chamber that was designed to expose him to sunrays from their home planet Krypton—rays that would neutralize his superpowers. But Superman secretly reconfigured the chamber so that the power-draining sunrays were released on General Zod and his Kryptonian cronies instead!
Accessible
My first roommate in college didn’t seem to want to be friends. He listened to music with his headphones on and stared at his computer all day, and nearly all night. He didn’t want to joke around or share a meal. We rarely spoke for the first few weeks. He simply didn’t want to interact.
A Heart-Changing Gospel
In 1738, an Englishman named John Wesley entered a church service where someone was preaching from the book of Romans. As he listened to the message of the gospel that night, Wesley wrote that he felt his heart “strangely warmed,” and he knew deep within that Jesus had died to save him from his sins. John Wesley would go on to found Methodism, an approach to living out Christian faith that continues today.
Our fight is not against flesh and blood . . .
Ephesians 6:12 tells us: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Steeped in the occult and a life of crime, Carlos wasn’t even sure God existed. Kathy’s mother mixed Christianity with […]
Is There Wi-Fi?
A few years ago, I brought a group of young people on a mission trip. As we neared our departure date, the most frequently asked question was, “Is there Wi-Fi?” So just imagine the wails and groans one night when the Wi-Fi was down!
Hard Questions
One Saturday afternoon, a group of teenagers gathered in a cafeteria to ask one another some hard questions based on Philippians 2:3-4. Some of the difficult queries included: On a scale of 1 to 10, how selfish are you? How often do you take an interest in others too? Would someone describe you as humble or proud? Why?
Knowing the Deeper Things
As scientists have continued to search the Mariana Trench, which lies 26,000 feet under the Pacific Ocean’s surface, they’ve discovered a new species of fish never seen before—one which researchers describe as a mix between a puppy, an angel, and an eel. It’s mind-boggling and humbling to think that even after so much time and effort has been spent trying to understand this planet, there’s still so much that we don’t know about all that God has created.
The glory of the Holy Spirit brings life
Today on “Discover the Word,” we’ll talk about how the glory of the law fades because it brings death and condemnation, but the new glory—the glory of the Spirit—brings life. Be part of the group as they finish their week-long study in Second Corinthians chapter 3, today on “Discover the Word”!
The surpassing glory of the Holy Spirit
Drop in about anywhere in a reading of the Old Testament, and you find that when God’s people broke the law, the law also broke them. Today on “Discover the Word,” we will dig further into our study in Second Corinthians where the apostle Paul contrasts the glory of the law and the surpassing glory of the Spirit. Join us today on “Discover the Word”!
Being spiritual; not religious
We often hear people say, “I’m spiritual but not religious,” which is often a reaction against the institutional church. But people in the church sometimes say the same thing. Today on “Discover the Word,” we will discuss the apostle Paul’s depiction of spirituality. Would Paul say he’s “spiritual but not religious?”
How to let God’s love shine
As Christians, I think we’d rather be known for what we’re for, than what we’re against. Today on “Discover the Word,” we’ll talk about how we’re a greater witness to people when we allow the love of God to shine through our transformed hearts than when we try and impose our standards of moral conduct upon them.
