Written Sept 6th: Being a Spirit-filled Leader

(I'm posting some missives John has sent out the past couple of months, titling them according to when they were written.)

Greetings to all of you on the front lines of kingdom work -

I woke up 3:30 in the morning, not able to sleep - praying for Gary Walter, our newly elected ECC President (and the events of Sunday/Monday) and pondering what it meant when the early church picked leaders "full of the Holy Spirit". And I thought of word-pictures that had come to my attention along the way.

Jesus (John 7:37-39) --

If any one is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this Jesus meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive...

Oswald Chambers --

If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours thru us that counts. It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us. Spiritually, we cannot measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us, and we cannot measure that at all [too spontaneous!?]

Paul, writing to Philemon (Phil. 4-7) --

I always thank God when I think of you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, my brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

BOTTOM LINE -- Have you notice when a Spirit-filled person leaves our presence, our own spirits have been lifted -- the visit has left "a good (sweet) taste in our mouths". What was it that Paul said will impact strangers who have witnessed true, Spirit-filled worship -- "they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you". (I Corinthians 14:25)

When the early church looked for leaders (Acts 6) they picked those who were "full of faith", "full of the Spirit", and "full of wisdom". By the grace of God that is who we are--and are becoming as we are faithful, available, teachable!!!

Keep blessing others! Prayerfully, John N