In Acts chapter 2, Luke writes in regard to Jesus: “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father, the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear”. And then, “the promise is for you”. I wondered about myself. Have I received the fulfillment of that promise? Sometimes I feel a little short of it.
I thought of Abraham, Joseph and David. They each received a promise. They had to wait years for its fulfillment. Is this promise something I have to wait years for? The disciples didn’t. They were told to go to Jerusalem and wait, and in just a few days they received what was promised. But with me, after years, I feel I am still seeking—still waiting. It’s not that my life has not changed – it has. But the undeniable transformation that took place with the disciples here in this 2nd chapter of Acts – the power, the boldness, the wonders – are not as pronounced in my life.
This piece is about that, and what I feel the Lord has showed me as I have wrestled it out with Him. I think He likes it when we do that. It gives Him an opportunity to show us things He wants us to see. I think He is disappointed when we have a question and figure there is no good answer for it. Rather than taking the time to work it out with Him, we just cling to a previous misconception and move on. It robs Him of the opportunity to show us cool and life changing stuff.
For some reason I kept thinking of Moses. I’ve always thought he waited 40 years for something previously promised to him. Actually he wasn’t waiting; he was just living out his life. Delivering Israel wasn’t even on his radar. The burning bush incident was the first he had heard of it. It was there that he was first given his promise. And in just a few days . . . he was right in the middle of it.
So . . . Abraham, Joseph and David received a promise and had to wait on its fulfillment. Moses and the disciples received a promise and relatively speaking, didn’t have to wait. There is something there. What is it?
Each was given a promise. Each chose to believe it. Each was tested. Each received the fulfillment. Said a little differently, each was given a promise that they chose to believe. Each faced opposition that tested their belief. Their belief stayed in tack, in spite of opposition, and each received the fulfillment.
Abraham believed his promise through 25 years of waiting. His promise was buried in old age. Joseph believed his promise through 13 years of waiting. His promise was locked up in prison. David also believed his promise through 13 years of waiting. His promise was tracked down and attacked relentlessly by Saul. Moses believed his promise and immediately faced opposition as Pharaoh stiffened. Even in the middle of his receiving the fulfillment – as they were actually leaving Egypt – their enemy pursued and tried to steal the promise.
The disciples faced similar opposition. They were promised abundant life. Heaven’s Spirit – Heaven’s nature would actually fill them. They would be empowered to become witnesses to what Jesus accomplished and what it meant to all. They received fulfillment immediately, but the opposition was great. In the face of beatings, imprisonment, being run out of town, spoken evil of and shipwrecked, their belief stayed tack. It would have been easy for them to question whether they had actually been given abundant life. But as they were able to sing in prison, I think it suggests they believed they had.
So it is with us. We, who have been forgiven, have received the promised Holy Spirit. We have received Heaven’s Spirit. Heaven’s nature is born into us. We are given the promise immediately and immediately the testing begins. In the face of much opposition our faith is being tested. The question is: can we keep our belief in tack in the face of this testing?
When we face hardships, can our belief that we have received the promise remain in tack? When there is a shortage of evidence of our new nature, can our belief remain in tack? When our enemy pursues and tries to convince us that we have not received the new nature – when he tries to steal the promise after we have received it – can our belief remain in tack?
With Abraham, Joseph, David, Moses and the disciples, they first received a promise.
Their belief in the promise was tested. Their belief in the One who promised was tested. Against all kinds of opposition (time, facts that suggest the opposite of the promise, enemy theft and deceitful scheming), their belief remained in tack. It was no easy road.
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we receive immediately the promised Holy Spirit. It is the seed of heaven’s nature. And like any other seed, it must be fed, watered and cared for. Accepting Christ gets us into Heaven; watering and caring for the seed of our new nature gets Heaven into us.
Paul puts it this way: ‘We reap what we sow. Sow to the flesh and reap corruption. Sow to the spirit and reap life. Jesus, knowing we would need water for this new seed to grow extends an invitation to us to come and drink. In John 7:37 He says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink”. Sipping is not enough; we must come and drink and come and drink often.
As we come regularly to drink from His word, we receive the nutrients we need for growth. We are strengthened against all forms of opposition. Our new nature, though it may struggle with the old at times, will eventually dominate. If we do not come regularly to drink – if we just sip now and then – the old will dominate the new.
So to answer my original question, have I received the fulfillment of this promise? Is it something I have to wait years for? In a way, the answer is yes to both. I have received the promised Holy Spirit. It was deposited in me, the seed of Heaven’s nature, when I accepted Christ. To the extent that I water and care for it, is the extent to which the seed of that new nature will grow. No plant bursts out of its shell into a mature plant; there is a growing period – the waiting aspect.
Our growth and waiting may be linked to the plan God has for us. Abraham was to be the father of a nation. So what if it took 25 years for it to begin. What did it hurt to wait? It didn’t have to happen as soon as got the promise. It happened in God’s good timing; the same with Joseph and David. Joseph was to provide food for this nation in a time of drought. What did it hurt for Joseph to wait in prison until the drought got there? David was to be king of this nation. What did it hurt for him to have to live in caves until the other king was gone?
But with Moses it was a little different. He was going to deliver the nation from bondage. What he was called to do was ready as soon as he was called. Waiting 15 or 20 years wouldn’t have worked. When he approached Pharaoh, it was game on; similarly with the disciples. When Jesus left this earth, there was momentum. It was game on. To wait 15 or 20 years for an outpouring would not have worked.
There is one aspect of our growing that relates to our watering and caring for our new nature. But there is another that is out of our control. None of the Old Testament guys or even the disciples could have done anything to hasten the events they are associated with. In God’s good timing it happened. Whether it was years or days, it happened in His good timing.
It is on us to care for our growth. But when the thing God has prepared for us comes together, I believe He tops us off with an extra portion of this Heavenly nature. It is that extra portion that we long for – that can make us feel like we are a little short of what we could have in Him. Whether that takes 25 years, or just a few, we wait. And while we wait, as much as is in us, we believe.
This morning I had a thought that led me to Revelation 12. It relates to the opposition we face. John says of our enemy that he “was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus”. He does his best to keep us from reaching maturity – from the thing God has planned for us.
In the same chapter of Revelation John adds; “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Part of our ability to overcome him has been from the testimony of others who have overcome him. When we overcome him, we must tell it to help others.
John refers to this enemy as the accuser. He accuses us before God day and night. Do you ever feel like you are being accused . . . constantly? It is the enemy. He’s trying to discourage. He’s trying to get us to quit – to not believe. It is his ploy to keep us down.
Our only defense is the word of God. It is His truth. If we do not immerse ourselves in it, we are easy targets to delude. We will not readily recognize his subtle lies and suggestions that lead to our misconceptions. We set ourselves up to have Satan’s side of the story pipelined into our minds.
By familiarizing ourselves with God’s word, we allow Him time to show us His side of the story. We give Him the opportunity to speak to us. We develop a firm bed of truth that the seed of our Heavenly nature can grow to maturity in. Only God knows what He has planned for us and for when it is planned. We have no control over that. But we can control our growth so that when the time does come, we are ready for whatever it is.
It is a critical time in our nation. The church has just been challenged by Glenn Beck in his 8/28 speech. Perhaps if we had paid more attention to this promise over the years, we would not be where we are today. But we haven’t and we are. The way out . . . every individual must wrestle this out with God. We must do the ‘hard thing’ as Beck puts it. If we don’t, we will lose for sure. If we do . . . ? The line has been drawn. It’s game on.
I finally let my wife read this today. With so much going on in relation to it, I wanted her to read it. She waited till I was gone. When I got back, she told me she had read it and that she liked it. Then she sat me down to watch something she had recorded. She had come upstairs to do some ironing. When she turned the TV on, the Martins were singing – of all things – The Promise. Neither of us had heard it before. It was a pretty cool moment. If that was not enough, the link to it, for any who might be interested in listening, was posted on October 13, 2009. We were married on October 13, 1979. The Promise
In Acts chapter 2, Luke writes in regard to Jesus: “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father, the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear”. And then, “the promise is for you”. I wondered about myself. Have I received the fulfillment of that promise? Sometimes I feel a little short of it.
I thought of Abraham, Joseph and David. They each received a promise. They had to wait years for its fulfillment. Is this promise something I have to wait years for? The disciples didn’t. They were told to go to Jerusalem and wait, and in just a few days they received what was promised. But with me, after years, I feel I am still seeking—still waiting. It’s not that my life has not changed – it has. But the undeniable transformation that took place with the disciples here in this 2nd chapter of Acts – the power, the boldness, the wonders – are not as pronounced in my life.
This piece is about that, and what I feel the Lord has showed me as I have wrestled it out with Him. I think He likes it when we do that. It gives Him an opportunity to show us things He wants us to see. I think He is disappointed when we have a question and figure there is no good answer for it. Rather than taking the time to work it out with Him, we just cling to a previous misconception and move on. It robs Him of the opportunity to show us cool and life changing stuff.
For some reason I kept thinking of Moses. I’ve always thought he waited 40 years for something previously promised to him. Actually he wasn’t waiting; he was just living out his life. Delivering Israel wasn’t even on his radar. The burning bush incident was the first he had heard of it. It was there that he was first given his promise. And in just a few days . . . he was right in the middle of it.
So . . . Abraham, Joseph and David received a promise and had to wait on its fulfillment. Moses and the disciples received a promise and relatively speaking, didn’t have to wait. There is something there. What is it?
Each was given a promise. Each chose to believe it. Each was tested. Each received the fulfillment. Said a little differently, each was given a promise that they chose to believe. Each faced opposition that tested their belief. Their belief stayed in tack, in spite of opposition, and each received the fulfillment.
Abraham believed his promise through 25 years of waiting. His promise was buried in old age. Joseph believed his promise through 13 years of waiting. His promise was locked up in prison. David also believed his promise through 13 years of waiting. His promise was tracked down and attacked relentlessly by Saul. Moses believed his promise and immediately faced opposition as Pharaoh stiffened. Even in the middle of his receiving the fulfillment – as they were actually leaving Egypt – their enemy pursued and tried to steal the promise.
The disciples faced similar opposition. They were promised abundant life. Heaven’s Spirit – Heaven’s nature would actually fill them. They would be empowered to become witnesses to what Jesus accomplished and what it meant to all. They received fulfillment immediately, but the opposition was great. In the face of beatings, imprisonment, being run out of town, spoken evil of and shipwrecked, their belief stayed tack. It would have been easy for them to question whether they had actually been given abundant life. But as they were able to sing in prison, I think it suggests they believed they had.
So it is with us. We, who have been forgiven, have received the promised Holy Spirit. We have received Heaven’s Spirit. Heaven’s nature is born into us. We are given the promise immediately and immediately the testing begins. In the face of much opposition our faith is being tested. The question is: can we keep our belief in tack in the face of this testing?
When we face hardships, can our belief that we have received the promise remain in tack? When there is a shortage of evidence of our new nature, can our belief remain in tack? When our enemy pursues and tries to convince us that we have not received the new nature – when he tries to steal the promise after we have received it – can our belief remain in tack?
With Abraham, Joseph, David, Moses and the disciples, they first received a promise.
Their belief in the promise was tested. Their belief in the One who promised was tested. Against all kinds of opposition (time, facts that suggest the opposite of the promise, enemy theft and deceitful scheming), their belief remained in tack. It was no easy road.
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we receive immediately the promised Holy Spirit. It is the seed of heaven’s nature. And like any other seed, it must be fed, watered and cared for. Accepting Christ gets us into Heaven; watering and caring for the seed of our new nature gets Heaven into us.
Paul puts it this way: ‘We reap what we sow. Sow to the flesh and reap corruption. Sow to the spirit and reap life. Jesus, knowing we would need water for this new seed to grow extends an invitation to us to come and drink. In John 7:37 He says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink”. Sipping is not enough; we must come and drink and come and drink often.
As we come regularly to drink from His word, we receive the nutrients we need for growth. We are strengthened against all forms of opposition. Our new nature, though it may struggle with the old at times, will eventually dominate. If we do not come regularly to drink – if we just sip now and then – the old will dominate the new.
So to answer my original question, have I received the fulfillment of this promise? Is it something I have to wait years for? In a way, the answer is yes to both. I have received the promised Holy Spirit. It was deposited in me, the seed of Heaven’s nature, when I accepted Christ. To the extent that I water and care for it, is the extent to which the seed of that new nature will grow. No plant bursts out of its shell into a mature plant; there is a growing period – the waiting aspect.
Our growth and waiting may be linked to the plan God has for us. Abraham was to be the father of a nation. So what if it took 25 years for it to begin. What did it hurt to wait? It didn’t have to happen as soon as got the promise. It happened in God’s good timing; the same with Joseph and David. Joseph was to provide food for this nation in a time of drought. What did it hurt for Joseph to wait in prison until the drought got there? David was to be king of this nation. What did it hurt for him to have to live in caves until the other king was gone?
But with Moses it was a little different. He was going to deliver the nation from bondage. What he was called to do was ready as soon as he was called. Waiting 15 or 20 years wouldn’t have worked. When he approached Pharaoh, it was game on; similarly with the disciples. When Jesus left this earth, there was momentum. It was game on. To wait 15 or 20 years for an outpouring would not have worked.
There is one aspect of our growing that relates to our watering and caring for our new nature. But there is another that is out of our control. None of the Old Testament guys or even the disciples could have done anything to hasten the events they are associated with. In God’s good timing it happened. Whether it was years or days, it happened in His good timing.
It is on us to care for our growth. But when the thing God has prepared for us comes together, I believe He tops us off with an extra portion of this Heavenly nature. It is that extra portion that we long for – that can make us feel like we are a little short of what we could have in Him. Whether that takes 25 years, or just a few, we wait. And while we wait, as much as is in us, we believe.
This morning I had a thought that led me to Revelation 12. It relates to the opposition we face. John says of our enemy that he “was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus”. He does his best to keep us from reaching maturity – from the thing God has planned for us.
In the same chapter of Revelation John adds; “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Part of our ability to overcome him has been from the testimony of others who have overcome him. When we overcome him, we must tell it to help others.
John refers to this enemy as the accuser. He accuses us before God day and night. Do you ever feel like you are being accused . . . constantly? It is the enemy. He’s trying to discourage. He’s trying to get us to quit – to not believe. It is his ploy to keep us down.
Our only defense is the word of God. It is His truth. If we do not immerse ourselves in it, we are easy targets to delude. We will not readily recognize his subtle lies and suggestions that lead to our misconceptions. We set ourselves up to have Satan’s side of the story pipelined into our minds.
By familiarizing ourselves with God’s word, we allow Him time to show us His side of the story. We give Him the opportunity to speak to us. We develop a firm bed of truth that the seed of our Heavenly nature can grow to maturity in. Only God knows what He has planned for us and for when it is planned. We have no control over that. But we can control our growth so that when the time does come, we are ready for whatever it is.
It is a critical time in our nation. The church has just been challenged by Glenn Beck in his 8/28 speech. Perhaps if we had paid more attention to this promise over the years, we would not be where we are today. But we haven’t and we are. The way out . . . every individual must wrestle this out with God. We must do the ‘hard thing’ as Beck puts it. If we don’t, we will lose for sure. If we do . . . ? The line has been drawn. It’s game on.
I finally let my wife read this today. With so much going on in relation to it, I wanted her to read it. She waited till I was gone. When I got back, she told me she had read it and that she liked it. Then she sat me down to watch something she had recorded. She had come upstairs to do some ironing. When she turned the TV on, the Martins were singing – of all things – The Promise. Neither of us had heard it before. It was a pretty cool moment. If that was not enough, the link to it, for any who might be interested in listening, was posted on October 13, 2009. We were married on October 13, 1979.
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Hunger and Thirst 