Refresh
A Recap from Sunday’s Sermon

Preaching Text: Matthew 4:17, 23-25

God opened the heavens and the Spirit came down in the form of a dove and rested on Jesus (Matt 3:16-17). Heaven came down in the presence of Jesus, who was full of the Spirit, and invaded the earth.  From that time forward, Jesus began his public ministry, preaching repentance and that the kingdom of heaven is within reach.  

We see in verses 23-25 that Jesus healed every affliction, disease, sickness, pain, and those oppressed by demons or evil spirits.  When they encountered his healing power, they were changed. When the kingdom of God comes upon you or you have a God encounter of his healing power, Jesus expects your thinking to change.

I interviewed four people in our church that experienced God’s powerful healing. Below indicates three common ways God transformed their thinking through their experience:
(1) There is a God who loves me and wants a love relationship with me.
(2) I have a story. I am a witness of what Jesus did for me, and he is pleased every time I tell others.
(3) I desire others to experience the Living God and continue the ministry of Jesus.

To focus on the first transformation, the Holy Spirit helps us in all relationships.  The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit pours the love of God into our hearts so we can team up with the Spirit to love God, others and ourselves.  It is impossible to love God and others without the power of the Holy Spirit.

However, we must give the Spirit permission to live within us and work in our hearts. He will not intrude.  He wants us to and expects us to invite him to live within us. I challenge you to invite him in, to allow him to occupy your thoughts so you can keep in step with him.  Doing life in the Spirit provides you with all the resources of heaven at your disposal. It makes doing life more joyful.