Category Archives: Larry Craddick

Pentecost Sunday 2021 with Larry Craddick

 

Act 4

5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.
6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John,
Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.
7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,
“Rulers and elders of our people,
9 are we being questioned today
because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man?
Do you want to know how he was healed?
10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that
he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,
the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.

16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other.
“We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign,
and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it

17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to
speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in
the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John replied,
“Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?
20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t
know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God
22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas,
Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against
Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed.
28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.
29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in
preaching your word.
30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

2 Corinthians 7: (NIV)
1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

CAN YOU SEE YOUR FAITH COMING?

 

 

CAN YOU SEE YOUR FAITH COMING?
A lot of us, myself included, feel that we need feelings, some say
affirmation or warmth, happiness to have FAITH in our walk with
God. But feelings and confidence are the by product of our Faith.
Let me explain…
I believe the Lord wants us to see what happens when we take the
Bible seriously.
A pastor friend of mine, Larry Kreider says it this way…
“Imagine a train running down a track. We could say that the
engine that pulls the train is the Word of God, the next car is our
faith, and the last car, the caboose, is our feelings. When we place
our faith in the Word of God, our feelings will always follow, just like
the caboose does. Let’s purpose in our hearts to live by the truth,
the Word of God.”
In Hebrews 4:12 in the The Passion Translation it tells us this..
“For we have the living Word of God, (the Bible) which is full
of energy, like a two-mouthed sword. (In some translations, a
two edged sword) It will even penetrate to the very core of our
being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It
interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of
our hearts.”
Hebrews 4:12 TPT
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I would claim that both the Bible and The Holy Spirit are what give
us discernment.
When we let our feelings rule our beliefs we miss out on the truth
written in the Word of God.
In John 10:10 Jesus says this…
“A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal,
slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything
in abundance, more than you expect —life in its fullness until
you overflow!”
John 10:10 TPT
Has d-evil lied to you? Told you that your not worth of God’s love
and His forgiveness? This Usually comes at us after we sin.
Are you unsure in the area of forgiveness?
If your like most of us, you sin, then confess it, and then later you
commit the same sin again; then you feel guilty and the process
starts all over again. Making us feel unworthy of love and feeling
down about ourselves, even like a failure. That’s the way d–evil
works agains us
So how do you get off this merry-go-round?
First let me say that the fact that you feel guilty is a positive sign. It
verifies that you are a believer in Jesus Christ. For if you were not
a believer, why would you care about your sins in the first place.
Because the Truth of the Bible rings true in your feelings of guilt.
There needs to be a change.
Romans 8:1 says:
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1NASB
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When you believed the gospel of your salvation your sins were
forgiven both past, present, and future.
So if that is true, why do we have to confess them? Does that
mean if I die with unconfessed sin that I will lose my
salvation? Absolutely not! We are eternally secure in Christ
(Romans 8:38-39).
“So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the
universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m
convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles,
fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing
in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his
love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power
that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us
from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us
through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!”
Romans 8:38-39 TPT
Thats the reason 1 John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins; it’s
because of fellowship and not our salvation.
The Apostle John tell us this in 1 John 1:5-9..“This is the
message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is
light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if
we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in
spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we
are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have
fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are
only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we
confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
1 John 1:5-9 NLT
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Notice that this is about having fellowship. Verse 6 says that if we
claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness
(commit sin), we are not practicing the truth. Then in verse 7 it says
however if we walk in the light as God Himself is in the Light, we
then have fellowship.
A prerequisite for fellowship with God therefore is our daily
confession of any known sin (1 John 1:9). Let’s look at that
again..
“But if we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them,
he will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to
forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 TPT
It’s the Holy Spirit who now works our conscience to reveal our
sins.
Actually we should confess our sins the moment we commit one,
because we do not want sin to take control over us (Romans 6:12;
Galatians 5:17).
“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful
desires.”
Romans 6:12 NLT
“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite
of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that
are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two
forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free
to carry out your good intentions.”
Galatians 5:17 NLT
But to truly grow spiritually, we must read and meditate of the Word
of God every day. We need to immerse ourselves, in worship,
listening to music, reading, listening and in study of the Bible, even
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hanging out with believers that are like minded; going to church
together.
In this way, our minds become renewed.
To meditate simply means to “roll something around over and over
again in our minds.”
When I understood this, after I gave my life to Christ, I was in a
Bible Study Group (Navigator’s 2/7) we would take two verses on
small cards with us all week, then pull out the card to memorize
and think about at different times throughout the day each week,
then come together and quote them to each other by memory.
Partnering and accountability was the commitment. I
memorized many verses this way. As we fill our minds with the
Word of God and fellowship, we will start to think like God thinks.
As far as our sins go. God is always ready to hear our
confessions, and whatever other cares we might have in our
prayers.
Hebrews 4:16 says:
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of
grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in
time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NASB
Whenever we commit a sin, we should always confess it
immediately for the purpose of having our fellowship restored to
God.
Over and over again as necessary.
By the way committing a sin, this has nothing to do with our
salvation, we are sinful by nature, that was settled when we
believed the gospel it’s known as the(Good News). Jesus died on
the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins. God wants us to
know His Love and His Will for us.
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Paul wrote it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4…
“Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the
Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then,
and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves
you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless,
of course, you believed something that was never true in the
first place. I passed on to you what was most important and
what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins,
just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised
from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NLT
God desires that we have an ongoing relationship of unbroken
fellowship. 1 John 1:9 is an exhortation to continuous fellowship
with Him. God desires that we have an ongoing relationship of
unbroken fellowship with Him. God is always ready to forgive us of
our sins, whenever we confess them.
Having faith in the truth of God’s Word(s) comes way ahead of our
feelings. It comes first. As we meditated on it, live it out daily, pray
and confess our sins; then we live our lives better, in the way God
has designed us to live!
Victoriously and in love for one another and as a light in the world
Like Christ intended.
Remember, His will and His Word are one. The Word – truth is the
engine, as we believe it and place it in our lives is Faith – the first
car. Then comes feeling – the caboose. They are the map for us to
understand and guide us in our lives.

Staying Filled with The Holy Spirit


Staying Filled with The Holy Spirit

In the Apostle Paul’s 1st letter to the Church at Corinth, he explains that comprehending God’s word is not a matter of human endeavor
but rather it is by the Illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 says:

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world,
but the inn Spirit who is from God,
so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom,
but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

“And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit),
so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things,
we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit,
using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:12-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Our ability to understand, interpret and apply scripture is greatly dependent upon the Holy Spirit’s illuminating ministry.
In order for us to access the Holy Spirit’s illuminating ministry,
we must first understand the Filling Ministry of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)

When we trusted in Jesus Christ by believing the Gospel of our Salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4),
a number of things happened. We were baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13), we were sealed by the Holy Spirit
(Ephesians 1:13-14) and we became new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

2 Corinthians 5:17 says:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creature;
the old things passed away; behold,
new things have come.

We now have two natures living in us. We have our old sinful nature,
and our new spiritual nature which is part of our new creation.
God desires for us to be always living under our new creation.

HOW DO WE LIVE UNDER OUR NEW CREATION?
First you must confess any know daily sins that you have committed.
This has NOTHING to do with your salvation.
That was settled when you believed the gospel

(1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
We Confess our sins for the purpose of fellowship with God and with other believers.

1 John 1:5-9 says:
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him,
and declare unto you,
that God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Verse 9 tells us that when we confess our sins to God (our daily sins),
He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Whenever we sin we break our fellowship with God,
and we need to confess them in order for our fellowship to be restored.

Once we are back in fellowship with God, then we need to apply Ephesians 5:18
which has to do with the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit,
who indwells every believer in Jesus Christ.
The filling of the Holy Spirit is to be continuous.
In other words, when we apply Ephesians 5:18,
the Holy Spirit will fill us and give us the ability to do the things which please God.
When we sin, we break our fellowship with God and the Holy Spirit
stops filling us until we confess our sins and apply Ephesians 5:18 again.

Ephesians 5:15-18 (NKJV)

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,

16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

17 So then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-18‬ (‭NLT‬‬)
“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead,
be filled with the Holy Spirit,”

Verse 15 tells us to be “careful how we walk”. The Greek word for walk is “περιπατέω” (peripatetic – Strongs# G4043),
and means to set one’s lifestyle by, and to live under its control.

Verse 16 says that we should make the most of the time that we have.

And verse 17 states that we are to understand what the will of God is.

It is God’s Will for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)

It is in the imperative mood (a command )

It is in the plural form (applies to all believers)

It is in the passive voice (filling comes from something other than ourselves )

It is in the present tense (a continual filling)!

Notice the contrast in verse 18 between being drunk and being filled. Which area of your body is being controlled if your intoxicated? It is your mind. So in contrast,
when your Spirit-Filled the area of your body being controlled by the Spirit is your mind also.

Therefore being filled by the Holy Spirit means that our mind is now under the control of God.

HOW TO APPLY EPHESIANS 5:18 (Filling of the Spirit)

Colossians 3:1-2
1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,
keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things above,
not on the things that are on earth.

Romans 8:6
For the mindset on the flesh is death,
but the mindset on the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute,
if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things.

So in order for the Holy Spirit to illuminate us to scripture, we must be continuously filled by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18),
by setting our minds on things above, which are found in God’s word.