Author Archives: Pastor Steve

Religion or Relationship?

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It’s kind of become a trend to contrast religion with relationship in churches. Religion is generally defined by the tendency to live by a list of rules, whereas relationship is just what it sounds like — to live in relationship with God through Christ.

I was thinking through the years of ministry I’ve experienced and realized that over and over again, when we are being religious, we are generally fruitless. And when we operate out of a relationship based in grace, we see fruit. It is my opinion that the fruit we are seeing at Curwensville Alliance is partially because we’ve abandoned dead religious tradition in favor of healthy pursuit of God. If you want to hear a good talk on this, there’s one at Willowcreek called Go Outside.

A Theology of the Spirit…

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Tonight (May 4) at 7 p.m. we will be discussing The Forgotten God — the Holy Spirit. These are the questions we will address.

Forgotten God, Chapter 3, by Francis Chan

Without action and fruit, all the theology in the world has little meaning. But theology is still important— what you believe absolutely determines how you act. So while good theology at its best can lead us to live godly lives, bad theology will always point us in the wrong direction. When we study the Holy Spirit, bad theology can lead to ineffective lives or, worse yet, lives spent striving after what the Spirit of God opposes.— Francis Chan, p. 64

  1. What are the classic illustrations of the trinity? Take each one and tell why it falls short of illustrating the triune God.

Acts 2:1-4, 14-15, 36-37 (NIV) 1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Sudden­ly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them…. 14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!  36“…let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

  1. What difference(s) do you see in the life of Peter from the time he denied knowing Jesus to the time he preached his first sermon in Acts 2? How is he different? Why is he different?
  2. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is not an it but a he. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force. Why is this aspect of Spirit theology important? What does his being a person and not a mindless force mean to you and me?
  3. God’s word teaches us that the Holy Spirit is eternal (Hebrews 9:4). How is the eternality of the Holy Spirit relevant to Christians today?
  4. Scripture reveals to us that the Holy Spirit is God and that he is in no way a lesser or different kind of being than the Father or Son (Acts 5:3-4). What does his deity mean to us? His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence?
  5. Chan marvels that the Holy Spirit, having his own mind, prays for us. Can you think of three or four ways it’s valuable to have the Holy Spirit praying for us?
  6. Ephesians 4:30 says it’s possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? What are ways that we may grieve the Spirit?

My hope is that reading these truths about the Holy Spirit will lead you into a deeper relationship with a greater reverence for the Spirit — that good theology would lead you to right action, genuine love, and true worship. ~Francis Chan, pp. 76-77

Forgotten God — Chapter 2…

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On Wednesdays, we are exploring what may be missing in a Christian’s life — the evidential work of the forgotten God.

Join us at 7 p.m. in room 101 for a group discussion and time of prayer.

This week’s discussion material is here:

The Lord challenges us to suffer persecutions and to confess him. He wants those who belong to him to be brave and fearless. He himself shows how weakness of the flesh is overcome by courage of the Spirit. This is the testimony of the apostles and in particular of the representative, administering Spirit. A Christian is fearless. — Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 220 AD)

  1. What is Tertullian’s point in this statement? What is he saying that God desires in us?
  2. Chan asserts that many Christians are “afraid” to explore the Holy Spirit. Some even become defensive when such teaching is presented. Why? How can one personally avoid/overcome it?

Luke 11:13(NIV) 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

  1. Jesus speaks of asking the Father for the Spirit. Chan suggests that some fear doing so because they feel God failed to show up when they prayed in the past. How does his statement, “There’s a difference between believing what God has promised and praying for things you’d like to be true,” (p. 49) address the problem of “unanswered prayer”? How does it apply to the ministry of the Spirit?
  2. A second fear some have regarding the Holy Spirit is not that he won’t show up, but that he will. What are common things that Christians fear when they imagine the Spirit interacting in their lives?
  3. A third fear that keeps us from asking the Holy Spirit to fill our lives is the fear of what others will think. We want to be “Christians” but we want to be “respectable”. What if the Spirit leads us to do something radical? What kind of fear is this? How can we escape it?
  4. The Bible speaks of healthy fear concerning the Holy Spirit. What ones do you see in the following passage? How can we be sure to act correctly as we observe what we believe to be the work of the Holy Spirit?

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NIV) 19Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.

  1. What standards are we given in the following verses to evaluate what is presented as the work of the Spirit?

1 Corinthians 13:2(NIV) 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 14:3(NIV) 3But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.

1 Corinthians 14:31(NIV) 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.

Take some time to consider what fears you have about the Holy Spirit. It may take a while to pinpoint exactly what your attitudes and responses toward the Holy Spirit have been. Don’t hide your fears. Admit them, first to yourself, and then to God (who knows all of them already yet desires to have us share our fears with Him). As you come to Him, be honest about how you fear disappointing people more than quenching His Spirit, or how you don’t really trust Him to come through on His promises, or whatever else you may be feeling to Him. – Francis Chan, pp. 56-57