My 4/1/18AM sermon (Easter), The Holy Spirit’s Power in Jesus, is now online. I know it seems counterintuitive to think of the Holy Spirit on Easter. But, if the Holy Spirit is all about Christ. And, if the Holy Spirit was behind His being conceived a virgin, set apart for ministry, and rising from the dead, then it would be great encouragement to know how He helps us, as well. That was the thrust of this sermon. I hope it encourages you.
My 3/25/18AM sermon, Less Obvious Work of the Holy Spirit, explored the work of the Holy Spirit in helping us through prayer, body life, our relationship to God, and knowing God’s Word/being involved in mission. I hope it helps you and you can see how near God is for all the “stuff of life.”
I love the resources available on The Bible Project.
Their video on Who Is The Holy Spirit? is quite helpful. I hope it helps and encourages you as we’re in this current series on Him.
Paul Miller and his organization (See Jesus) are offering a free devotional for Passion Week (delivered to inboxes starting Palm Sunday).
Here’s his invite:
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of what is known as Holy Week or Passion Week. It is a week when we remember Jesus’ final steps to the cross. I don’t know about you, but for many years, I disliked it. Holy Week was heavy and dark. It was one bad thing after another. I wanted to look away, to fast-forward to Easter Sunday.
But when God turned up the heat on my life, and I began to immerse myself in the gritty details of Jesus’ story, I was riveted by his beauty under incredible pressure—his compassion, his honesty, his oneness with the Father, his focus on others. I no longer wanted to look away from the person of Jesus; I wanted to see him more clearly.
I’m inviting you to join me next week in looking closely at Jesus. We’re sending out a free Passion Week devotional to help you see the real Jesus—full of purpose, dedication, and—yes—passion. Together we will slow down and watch how Jesus lived as a human because seeing Jesus is inseparable from learning how to love.
Will you join me?
–Paul E. Miller
I’m sure, like me, you want to be magnifying Jesus and glorifying God for the work Jesus has done. Sign up for this devotional and draw near to God this coming week.
This coming Sunday, March 25, is Palm Sunday. At Crestview, we’ll also be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. I love the collect from Thomas Cranmer for this day:
Almighty and everlasting God, which of thy tender love toward man, hast sent our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility; mercifully grant that we both follow the example of his patience, and be made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
There’s no crown without the cross. So, we’ll be celebrating Jesus’s life and work during this Palm Sunday.
In terms of preaching, we’ll be continuing our series on the Holy Spirit, thinking about the less obvious works that He does on our behalf. I hope you come and join us for an exciting day.
I’m currently working through pre-marital counseling with a couple and I was reminded that it might be helpful to share my “toys” with others. For a few years, I’ve enjoyed using Preparing for Marriage by the Good Book Company.
Here’s how they describe this curriculum:
Preparing for Marriage seeks to show that a relationship with God is the very best basis on which to build a life, and helps churches which are preparing couples for marriage get on with one of our primary tasks – teaching the gospel to those who are lost without Christ.
Now, I’m not suggesting that every person I meet with is lost. What I am suggesting is that the greatest need for all people in the pre-married queue is the good news of what God’s done for them through His Son. This book leads through 4 sessions, builds a Biblical understanding of marriage, roots it in the Gospel, and also provides all kinds of helpful questions to discuss and applications to practice. If you’re looking for a resource to use in this regard, I’d recommend this one to you.
We enjoyed a great weekend at Crestview, this past weekend. Our good friend, Vivek, arrived on Friday and we had a weekend filled with meetings, unhurried time together, and getting an update on his life and ministry (and studies!). He spoke during the Sunday School hour, giving a brief devotional from Psalm 107 and updating us on his family and needs. Here’s his talk:
Vivek’s Update in Sunday School (March 2018)
Luke continued preaching in our Holy Spirit series. He drew insights from the book of Acts and how we relate to the Spirit’s Mission. Specifically, we’re called to Ask, Act, and seeking Affirmation from others. Here’s his talk:
Like I said, we had a great weekend. I hope these links help you connect to these two great friends of mine. Have a great week delighting in God’s work in the world.
My 3/11/18AM sermon, The Obvious Work of the Holy Spirit, is now online. In this sermon, I dug into John 16, 2 Corinthians 3, 1 Corinthians 12 and back to John 16 to expose some of the familiar things the Holy Spirit does. He convicts of sin. He transforms our lives spiritually. He gives gifts to build up the church. He glorifies Christ. My hope is that as you lean into these familiar works, you would exhibit the fruit of what the Spirit is doing in you.
My 3/4/18 sermon, Why the Holy Spirit? from John 14:15-31, is now online. This sermon launched a short series our church is doing during the month of March on the Holy Spirit. This opening sermon got at why He tends to be “unknown” or “forgotten” by many of us. And, it ended with a call to look to Him not ourselves for real progress and living.
During my introduction, I also mentioned a short children’s book by Francis Chan entitled The Big Red Tractor. Here’s a video with the content of that book:
I hope these things encourage you and put a hunger for the Holy Spirit within you.
This coming Sunday, 3/4, we will start a series on the Holy Spirit. We’ll be looking at who He is, how He works, and His significance in our lives during these upcoming weeks. I hope you’ll be praying for His influence to be among us. And, if you’re interested, join us at 10:15 AM Sunday at Crestview.
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