Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:17-18 NIV)
The apostle Paul uses an interesting anti-parallel illustration here: “Do not get drunk” vs. “be filled with the Spirit.” Obviously these two activities are unrelated, however there are two parallels. First, both activities are the result of a choice: one decides to drink AND get drunk because of not stopping, and one decides to be filled with the Spirit (we will see this a little later.) Secondly, both alcohol and the Spirit have an influence on our behavior.
When a driver is pulled over by a traffic officer who then determines that the driver is intoxicated, the citation issued is for “D.U.I.”, which means “Driving Under the Influence”, i.e., of alcohol or other chemicals. I think that this illustrates what being filled with the Spirit really means. (Read the article)
In a previous post we told our readers about the work that the Turning Point Church (a ministry of the Los Angeles International Church of Christ) has done in partnership with the San Salvador Church of Christ. Recently a group of disciples from that ministry went back to San Salvador to help drill a water well for a needy community outside the city. Please go to this link and be inspired by their testimonies of the experience.
J De Anda
In our previous post of this series we concluded that the “gift of the Holy Spirit” represents the indwelling of God, not in a physical sense, but in the sense of having a personal relationship with each Christian. Some people erroneously refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it”, as if “it” were an impersonal force or some kind of spiritual energy. Let’s take a closer look:
-One can lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3)
-One can grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)
-The Spirit intercedes (prays) for us (Romans 8:26-27)
These scriptures (and others) show that the Holy Spirit has qualities of a person. The Holy Spirit is not a thing. The Holy Spirit is God himself!
How does the Spirit work in our lives? Here are some common misconceptions: (Read the article)
As mentioned in our previous post, MCA Missions is part of a larger family of churches. One of our sister congregations is the South Florida Church of Christ (SFLCC). This church has local ministries across Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties in Florida, and they also partner with churches in South America to support mission work there.
This year, the SFLCC has proclaimed as its theme “A Blessing To All Nations”. The focus is on mission work, and to that effect the church’s ministry leadership has put together an exciting plan to get the congregation involved. Read all about it at this link.
J De Anda
MCA Missions partners with International Churches of Christ in Mexico and Central America. However, we are part of a larger family of churches. Please go to this link for a terrific report from the churches in Peru, brought to you by Cesar Herrera, lead minister for the Lima (Peru) Church of Christ. Please note that the video is entirely in Spanish (…well, except for a familiar Christmas tune!)
Cesar Herrera with news from the churches of Christ in Peru
J De Anda