by George Runyan | May 9, 2016 | Podcast
John 14:26 – The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
The fruit of revelation came with the teachings of Jesus. All those that heard Jesus’ teachings were amazed because He did not teach in the way they had become accustomed. He taught “with authority” to which Jesus was not just repeating what the writers of the Old Testament had written. He brought revelation to the Scriptures. He revealed their true meaning and fulfillment found in Him. This became revelation to many of those who heard Him. Not only did Jesus explain the Scriptures accurately, He demonstrated them through signs and wonders.
The Holy Spirit is the great teacher of truth. He does not concern Himself with theoretical views, but absolutes that will transform our lives. For the believer, He is the source of all reality. Jesus is teaching His disciples about the Father sending the Helper. The Helper would teach them “all things.” The Holy Spirit is our helper too. Truth comes from the Spirit of Truth who lives in us. We study and listen to messages by Bible teachers, but seeing clearly is rooted in the Spirit of God giving us revelation power. The Holy Spirit’s purpose is to transform our thinking. When we learn the teachings concerning past revelation, it helps to establish us. For example, the “just shall live by faith” or the “priesthood of every believer” are truths that were revealed to past generations. When we hear and receive from the Holy Spirit on a personal level, it can have a great impact and bring dramatic change into our lives. That change not only changes us, but will also affect others.
George Whitefield, one of the great revivalists during the first great awakening is an example of what I am saying. God gave him a simple revelation, “preaching could be done outdoors.” It seems simple to us, but in the liturgical church of the mid-1,700’s it was not only unusual, but thought by many to be heretical. He was mocked and persecuted.
This simple revelation produced dramatic fruit. By age 24, Whitefield had preached to over 40,000 people in outdoor settings. He persuaded Wesley to do the same. Whitefield made six trips to America and once preached to 23,000 people in Philadelphia. There were estimates that during his life, he preached to half the population of the colonies, from Georgia to New England.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask for the Helper to teach me all things that You would have me to know. Give me simple revelations that would have dramatic fruit in my life and in the lives of others I touch.
by George Runyan | May 9, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
John 14:26 – The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. The fruit of revelation came with the teachings of Jesus. All those that heard Jesus’ teachings were...
by George Runyan | May 8, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Philippians 3:3 – For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.
One of the theological battles today is whether the “kingdom of God” is in a natural people or in the Spirit. I have never understood why this is such a challenging area to understand. Paul is absolutely clear in this passage of scripture. The true circumcision are not those who have had the foreskin cut off, claiming to be the “the children of Abraham.” Rather, the true circumcision is those who worship in the Spirit. Jesus also made this abundantly clear when speaking to the woman at the well. She was confused about who the true worshippers were and where they worshipped. Jesus said, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers (John 4:21 and 24).
A contemporary song says “take me back to the heart of worship.” The heart of worship is not connected to a mountain in the earth, a natural city, or a natural people. The true worshipers are all those born of the Holy Spirit. This includes Jews (Acts 2), Samaritans (Acts 8) and Gentiles (Acts 10). In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in removal of the body of the flesh by circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11). The Jews thought that the foundation was in “the law of circumcision,” but Jesus and Paul state clearly, it is a circumcision not made with hands, but of the Spirit, who creates a new heart. The heart of worship springs from what the Father did for us in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our flesh is weak. No matter how hard we try, we cannot meet God’s demands. On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given, a new day began. A new breed was born in the earth on that day. A new nation came into being on that day. The power of religious bondage was broken forever. A new priesthood was formed. A new voice was heard in the heavens, the voice of redeemed saints worshipping the Father in spirit and in truth. It threatened all those who had confidence in the flesh. It was a whole new level of confidence, Spirit-led and Spirit-filled confidence. Emmanuel is with us. Yes, He is with us in the Spirit.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where your confidence is rooted. If it is not in the Spirit of God, then repent of trusting anything else and surrender to the Holy Spirit as the One you have fully trusted, placing confidence in His presence.
by George Runyan | May 7, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Galatians 5:24 – Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Jesus laid the foundation for the truth that Paul is giving to the believers at Galatia. “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’ ” (Matthew 16:24-25). Part of entering into life with Christ is the putting off of the flesh which is rooted in the old nature, also called the old man. Oh, the absolute genius of our God! God becomes human in the Son. Christ lives the sinless life; He dies in our place as our substitute. God the Holy Spirit raises Him from the dead, enthrones Him as a resurrected man seated at the right hand of God the Father. The Spirit of God is poured out in the earth to bring forth a new creation. We choose to put the old nature to death and we choose to receive the new man. We live life through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. What power has been given to man! What eternal joy is ours to possess! What victory over death and hell!
Once again, the Scriptures put the onus on our choosing to “crucify the flesh”. The ability to crucify one’s flesh is utterly impossible! You can hammer the nail into one hand, but someone else must hammer a nail into the other. That is why the Lord has set us into a community of believers. It takes another to finish the job of crucifixion. Sometimes it takes more than one, a few to hold us down while others drive in the nails.
Beloved, this is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. In a marriage, often our partner has the hammer to help finish the job of crucifixion. Many run to another hoping to escape, but it does no good because our flesh still needs to be crucified. This is a part of Christianity that none of us like, but it is so necessary if we are to attain what God has for us in this life.
As the Holy Spirit was with Christ in His time of death, so will He be with us. God promises, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, so that we confidently say, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me” (Hebrews 13:5-6)? “I will never” literally means, “I will never, no never, leave you.” David declares, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
Let us be bold in the Lord and face our cross even as Christ faced His for us. Power will be released from His death on the cross and in His resurrection. Power will be released as we step into the new realms of His kingdom. By His power, we can guide others into the glorious freedom found in Christ Jesus our Lord!
by George Runyan | May 6, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Galatians 5:21 – I forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
As we think about our relationship with the Holy Spirit, it should lead us to His nature. We know He is holy. We know He is spirit. Christ has given each believer His “holy” nature. In the early church, there were those who embraced forgiveness and eternal life, but who had not been fully converted. They did not understand that God, in the power of His Spirit, was raising up a new kind of man in the earth. Those born of the Spirit are now holy and not continuing to practice the base nature of the flesh.
The apostle John said, “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him” (1 John 3:6). This is a pretty difficult Scripture to understand in the light of the normal battling of the flesh. John is saying, if you abide in Him, you no longer practice the habit of sin. Your nature no longer is a “sinful nature” controlling you. We have received His nature that should be dominant in how we conduct ourselves. If we insist on making a habit of continuing to practice sin, it is evident we have not truly seen the Lord and certainly do not know Him.
Entering into the kingdom of God is not exclusively some future event, but it begins now, by entering into His life under His authority. This is evidenced by the fact that our life is to be lived under the control of the Spirit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus only lived to do the will of the Father. He demonstrated a kingdom of God walk throughout His entire life, even by His death on the cross. Heaven becomes the end of the journey which ends at His Throne. It is there at the Throne “we will all appear” (2 Corinthians 5:10). There we will give Him an account of our life and the works done. Repentance and forgiveness bring us to the Throne. Kingdom work brings rewards from Him. When all is said and done, only Jesus stands worthy to receive all the praise, honor, and glory.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any practices of the flesh that are hindering you from entering fully into His kingdom. Repent, and forsake any such practices. Ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit to help you in yielding to His Kingly rule.
