A New Year generally brings with it the hope of new opportunities and new breakthroughs. 2025 is no different in that
regard. I am confident that 2025 will be a year of double grace and double favor. I also believe that 2025 will also
provide a new pathway for the gospel to be proclaimed, and for the demonstration of the Holy Spirit.
I recently began a series on Wednesday evenings dealing with some fundamental truths regarding the Holy Spirit. I want to share them with you, as well.
There are three great truths regarding God's interaction with us:
These three truths alone can be the basis for a great three point message. I plan to develop these further in the future, and I encourage you to use them for the benefit of those you serve as well.
I recently discovered a quote from William Tyndale, the English reformer who is perhaps best known for two things - one is his work on translating the Bible into English, and the other is for his martyrdom.
Here is his quote: "Spiritual formation is the continuing response to the reality of God's "grace" shaping us into the likeness of Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in the community of faith for the sake of the world."
Let me unpack this quotation to provide further insight into the spiritual realities it contains. It is not the Bible, but it is based on what the Bible clearly says, and I believe it will be helpful to anyone who wants to move forward in their lives with God.
Spiritual formation is a process. It is not a singular, one-and-done event. While there can be no doubt that our lives were dramatically transformed when we accepted Jesus as Savior, that transformation process will continue is we will allow it. One of the hazards of salvation is that many people think that forgiveness of sins is all it involves. They get their ticket punched for heaven and that is all the further they think they need to go. My pastor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, said, "Most Christians never progress beyond their first revelation of God." There is more of God for us to know, to experience, and to display to a world that is in gross darkness.
The reality of God's grace is something of which we should be aware continually. It can be helpful to use a fundamental distinction between God's grace and His mercy. Here is the one I use: God's grace gives us the benefits we don't deserve; His mercy keeps us from getting the penalties we do deserve. We should be thankful for both of them in operation in our lives, but grace is the one that is in view here. Every time we wake up we are recipients of God's grace. Every time we taste our favorite beverage or food, God's grace is upon us. Each encounter with a family member or friend is an example of God's grace. I think you get the idea.
The next phrase involves being conformed to the image of Christ. In John 16:7, Jesus said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you." The Counselor to whom Jesus was referring here, was of course the Holy Spirit. We can also think of Him as not only the Counselor, but as the Conformer.
One of the purposes of the Holy Spirit's involvement in our lives is to make us more like Jesus. Being conformed to His image should be a primary goal of every believer. Notice I said conformed and not transformed - to be transformed is a different process, and one I will need to deal with separately. To be conformed means to be pressed or shaped into an image that is already available. For us, that image is Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is to make us more like Him. When we get out of the proper spiritual shape, the Holy Spirit will press us back into the proper form - if we will allow Him to do it. There are many ways He does this - through His Word, through speaking to us as we pray, through showing us godly examples in other people's behavior - the list could go on and on. Whatever way He chooses to use, we must respond to His leading and allow Him to mold and shape us. The goal is to be more like Jesus, so that we can show a resurrected Savior to a desperate world.
This conforming process can only take place through the operation of the Holy Spirit. We can't do it ourselves! Religious people through the ages have tried and failed. This is another casualty of people ignoring the importance of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is not so much denied as He is ignored, and individual lives and the world at large suffer loss because of it. The Holy Spirit will not only prompt, but produce the character and behavior in us that He desires.
The last two phrases of Tyndale's quote are important. This conformation takes place in the context of the community of faith - the church. We need each other, and God has seen fit to place us in a larger community of believers to help meet that need. What a tragedy when people take themselves out of the community of believers in which God placed them by avoiding fellowship! We must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the author of Hebrews warns us. Every one of us has been given something of value to share with those around us in the community of faith. We can't do that if we are not together. The local church is the gathering place ordained by God for this sort of fellowship. We all need to take advantage of it.
Finally, spiritual formation is for the sake of the world. We seek to grow and to be conformed the image of God not so we can burnish our spiritual credentials and boast about our excellence in spiritual matters. We grow and become more like Jesus so that those around us can see who He is, not who we are. I suppose we could say to refuse to grow spiritually is selfish. Whether we are discussing natural or spiritual growth, everyone starts out at the same level - in infancy. It is normal and natural for babies to eat and to grow, to change and develop. It should be normal and natural for spiritual babies to do the same thing. Unfortunately, what we see in far too many cases is that new converts fail to thrive because they have never been told how to grow up, or they have never been given the spiritual food they need to do so.
We can change that by making fundamental doctrine available to people at every opportunity. We can encourage them to read their Bibles and spend time in prayer. We can provide opportunities for fellowship and activities that will strengthen their bond with one another. We can be part of a thriving community of faith that will show the grace of God to the world around us. I believe 2025 will be filled with new ways of showing the love of God to our families, our communities, and our world.
Yours for the Harvest,
Dr. Rod Parsley
Founder & General Overseer
I recently began a series on Wednesday evenings dealing with some fundamental truths regarding the Holy Spirit. I want to share them with you, as well.
There are three great truths regarding God's interaction with us:
- God created you - this should come as no surprise, since the Bible makes it clear in the creation narrative in Genesis 1 and 2 that we are created by a wise and benevolent Creator.
- God breathes life into you - what is in view here is not just that God has made you alive, but that His life is in you continuously.
- God sustains you - He not only keeps you alive from day to day and moment to moment, but He enables you to overcome every obstacle, and gives you wisdom regarding every difficulty you may face.
These three truths alone can be the basis for a great three point message. I plan to develop these further in the future, and I encourage you to use them for the benefit of those you serve as well.
I recently discovered a quote from William Tyndale, the English reformer who is perhaps best known for two things - one is his work on translating the Bible into English, and the other is for his martyrdom.
Here is his quote: "Spiritual formation is the continuing response to the reality of God's "grace" shaping us into the likeness of Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in the community of faith for the sake of the world."
Let me unpack this quotation to provide further insight into the spiritual realities it contains. It is not the Bible, but it is based on what the Bible clearly says, and I believe it will be helpful to anyone who wants to move forward in their lives with God.
Spiritual formation is a process. It is not a singular, one-and-done event. While there can be no doubt that our lives were dramatically transformed when we accepted Jesus as Savior, that transformation process will continue is we will allow it. One of the hazards of salvation is that many people think that forgiveness of sins is all it involves. They get their ticket punched for heaven and that is all the further they think they need to go. My pastor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, said, "Most Christians never progress beyond their first revelation of God." There is more of God for us to know, to experience, and to display to a world that is in gross darkness.
The reality of God's grace is something of which we should be aware continually. It can be helpful to use a fundamental distinction between God's grace and His mercy. Here is the one I use: God's grace gives us the benefits we don't deserve; His mercy keeps us from getting the penalties we do deserve. We should be thankful for both of them in operation in our lives, but grace is the one that is in view here. Every time we wake up we are recipients of God's grace. Every time we taste our favorite beverage or food, God's grace is upon us. Each encounter with a family member or friend is an example of God's grace. I think you get the idea.
The next phrase involves being conformed to the image of Christ. In John 16:7, Jesus said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you." The Counselor to whom Jesus was referring here, was of course the Holy Spirit. We can also think of Him as not only the Counselor, but as the Conformer.
One of the purposes of the Holy Spirit's involvement in our lives is to make us more like Jesus. Being conformed to His image should be a primary goal of every believer. Notice I said conformed and not transformed - to be transformed is a different process, and one I will need to deal with separately. To be conformed means to be pressed or shaped into an image that is already available. For us, that image is Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is to make us more like Him. When we get out of the proper spiritual shape, the Holy Spirit will press us back into the proper form - if we will allow Him to do it. There are many ways He does this - through His Word, through speaking to us as we pray, through showing us godly examples in other people's behavior - the list could go on and on. Whatever way He chooses to use, we must respond to His leading and allow Him to mold and shape us. The goal is to be more like Jesus, so that we can show a resurrected Savior to a desperate world.
This conforming process can only take place through the operation of the Holy Spirit. We can't do it ourselves! Religious people through the ages have tried and failed. This is another casualty of people ignoring the importance of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is not so much denied as He is ignored, and individual lives and the world at large suffer loss because of it. The Holy Spirit will not only prompt, but produce the character and behavior in us that He desires.
The last two phrases of Tyndale's quote are important. This conformation takes place in the context of the community of faith - the church. We need each other, and God has seen fit to place us in a larger community of believers to help meet that need. What a tragedy when people take themselves out of the community of believers in which God placed them by avoiding fellowship! We must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the author of Hebrews warns us. Every one of us has been given something of value to share with those around us in the community of faith. We can't do that if we are not together. The local church is the gathering place ordained by God for this sort of fellowship. We all need to take advantage of it.
Finally, spiritual formation is for the sake of the world. We seek to grow and to be conformed the image of God not so we can burnish our spiritual credentials and boast about our excellence in spiritual matters. We grow and become more like Jesus so that those around us can see who He is, not who we are. I suppose we could say to refuse to grow spiritually is selfish. Whether we are discussing natural or spiritual growth, everyone starts out at the same level - in infancy. It is normal and natural for babies to eat and to grow, to change and develop. It should be normal and natural for spiritual babies to do the same thing. Unfortunately, what we see in far too many cases is that new converts fail to thrive because they have never been told how to grow up, or they have never been given the spiritual food they need to do so.
We can change that by making fundamental doctrine available to people at every opportunity. We can encourage them to read their Bibles and spend time in prayer. We can provide opportunities for fellowship and activities that will strengthen their bond with one another. We can be part of a thriving community of faith that will show the grace of God to the world around us. I believe 2025 will be filled with new ways of showing the love of God to our families, our communities, and our world.
Yours for the Harvest,
Dr. Rod Parsley
Founder & General Overseer