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Body-Builders |
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Issue 24 from |
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In this issue ·
Feedback For new subscribers: ·
Introducing
“Artios Ministries” |
Welcome to Body-Builders! This is a new series of teaching articles intended to
bless and build the Body of Christ. I trust you enjoy this issue, and I welcome your
feedback. For my latest personal newsletter, please click here. Every blessing, George Alexander For Artios Ministries |
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(For a printer-friendly
version of this article, click here.) Each of us has a birthday this year, and most of us will
celebrate it—or at least mention it.
Of course, it’s not our actual birth day, but simply the annual
commemoration of it. It’s good to
celebrate these annual events. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and we can celebrate
that fact and mark the occasion this Pentecost. But the Holy Spirit is not waiting to come
at Pentecost this year—He is already here. On the other hand, knowing that He is here, we can
become so accustomed to the Holy Spirit’s presence with us, that we lose
touch with the reality, and in our blasé familiarity drift into non-awareness
of His presence. Through natural
eyes, we view the trappings of our Spiritless activity, and lose sight of the
very heart of our distinctiveness.
Without the Holy Spirit, what we do looks like the religious version
of what the world does. What’s the difference between the Church and a caring
charity? What makes our worship
different from Wal-Mart starting each day singing the company song? What separates between Bible teaching and
an informational lecture? The answer
is the Holy Spirit. What’s the difference between prophetic exhortation and
a motivational talk? What
distinguishes our evangelism from recruitment? What separates between our calling and simple commitment to a
cause? Again, the answer is the Holy
Spirit. Even the Clydesdale Bank has
a vision and a mission statement! Without the Holy Spirit, full-time pastors become
managers, worship becomes the singing of songs, and close intimacy with God
becomes a distant honouring of God.
Without the Holy Spirit, the Bible becomes the rulebook, or even the
guidebook. Without the Holy Spirit,
obedience becomes postponeable — later will do. Without the Holy Spirit, the Church becomes the Sound
Doctrine Club; apostles become administrators, prophets become mavericks,
evangelists become salesmen, pastors become social workers, and teachers
become academics. We need the
Holy Spirit! Jesus would not allow His Church to go off half-cocked. It was not to be a human effort or
enterprise. They were to wait for the
coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,
“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you …” (Acts 1:8). A short time later, at Pentecost, the power came; that is, the
Holy Spirit came in presence and power.
Using Acts 2, let’s therefore review that day. Presence and Power in Demonstration The believers knew they had to wait until they were
clothed with power from on high (Lk 24:49; Acts 1:4). Then suddenly it happened. They heard the sound as of a violent wind,
they saw the tongues of fire, and they spoke in other languages as the Spirit
enabled them. They hadn’t read about
this in Acts 2! It was all new and
fresh and unknown. As these dramatic experiences spilled out to the crowds,
the Jews who had come to Jerusalem for the Feast each heard them speaking in
his own native language (v6,8). Some
have suggested that the disciples were simply speaking, and each of the
hearers supernaturally heard their speech as his native language. In other words, was the miracle in the mouth
of the speakers or in the ears of the hearers? In response, we could ask, “Who was the
Holy Spirit on?” Also (v4),
they spoke in other tongues before anybody heard. Clearly the miracle was in the mouth
rather than the ears. They heard the believers declaring the wonders of God in
their native languages, under the power of the Holy Spirit. And they responded with one of three
reactions: amazement, perplexity, and mocking. Signs and wonders, healings and miracles — the moving in
power of the Holy Spirit always evokes these same three reactions: amazement,
perplexity and mocking. The mocker
seeks to rubbish, to pour scorn, to pull down to the level of his own
understanding. The perplexed doesn’t
know what to think. And the
amazed is open. His mouth may
be physically open, and it’s likely that his ears are too! Now the Word can come … Presence and Power in Proclamation A crowd had gathered, and on this first day of the
Church, Peter stood up and preached a powerful word. First, he explained their observed
experience in Scriptural terms (v17-21).
Then he proclaimed the good news of Jesus (v22-24), and tied it in to
what they already knew (v25-31). Then
he summarised his answer to their question (v32,33), drew breath, and made
his peroration (v36). The Holy Spirit was on the words, and the result was the
conviction of sin (v37). Peter gave them practical instructions of responses to
make (v38,39). And the result was
that 3,000 were saved and added to their number that day. It seems unlikely (to say the least) that Peter had been
up all the previous night working on his outline in anticipation of the
possibility of God moving the next day!
No, his message was spontaneous, and yet perfectly crafted for the
event. The presence and power of the
Holy Spirit will do that. The response of the people revealed the further moving
of the Spirit. Jesus had said, “When
he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and
righteousness and judgement” (Jn 16:8). An addition of 3,000 in a day may not seem impressive
missiologically with our experience of worldwide increase. But when looked at as an increase of
2,500% in a single day, it takes on a new significance! This is what can happen when the Holy Spirit comes. Presence and Power in the Congregation In Acts 1 after the Ascension, the believers were
waiting as they’d been commanded (Acts 1:4).
However, the waiting was not simple inactivity. They met together in the upper room and at
the Temple, they prayed together, worshipped and praised together, they
appointed leaders (Acts 1:14-26; Lk 24:53)—they were doing more than some
“churches” do today! And yet it was
incomplete, lacking a vital dimension—perhaps one could say “flat”. At Pentecost, when the power and the presence of the
Holy Spirit came, it became three-dimensional in full colour! This was the dramatic result: 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching
and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and
miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
44All the
believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to
anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to
meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate
together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the
favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved. Acts
2:42-47 This vitality and vibrancy from being filled with the
Spirit is attractive and infectious, and although that’s good, it can be also
be a problem. People can come around
having been drawn by the life and vibrancy, but never having been
filled with the Spirit personally.
Thus they seek to draw life from the Body without drawing life
from the Head. They are around
our churches still today. We need to
tell them, “Don’t just come for the life, vibrancy and up-beat music. Don’t be content with the wrapping paper,
but go for the gift. Be filled
with the Spirit!” Did the vitality of Pentecost continue? Was it lasting, or did it fade away? In Acts 2:4, “All of them were filled with the Holy
Spirit”. As early as Acts 4:8, Peter
was “filled with the Holy Spirit.”
The language indicates that he was filled with the Spirit just prior
to speaking, so we could say that in Acts 4:8 he was filled with the Spirit again. Similarly in Acts 4:30, they were all
filled with the Spirit (i.e. again), and we can see similar references
elsewhere in Acts. In Ephesians 5:18,
Paul writes, “be filled with the Spirit”, the language indicating not a state
of having been filled, but an on-going, repeated experience of continued
re-filling. If we are filled with the
Spirit, and some time later are again filled with the Spirit, simple
arithmetic shows us that our “level” must have fallen in between. Either we have an increased capacity or a
leak! If our experience falls far short of Acts 2:42-47, we
may simply need to seek a re-filling of the Holy Spirit. It is normal to be re-filled with the
Spirit, according to the Scriptures.
However, not everybody knows or realises this. And so as well as telling people, “Be
filled with the Spirit”, we also need to tell them, “Be continually re-filled
with the Spirit.” A car has great potential for usefulness, and indeed it has
usefulness. It’s a good shelter from
the wind and rain, and a good place to listen to the radio or play tapes or
CDs. But without petrol, it’s not as
useful as it could be! Once filled,
it uses fuel, and eventually will again become empty. Once empty, don’t throw the car away, or
keep it as a shelter with vivid memories of what used to be. Get it re-filled! And the best way is like a long-haul
aircraft, with in-flight refuelling. It’s been 2,000 years.
Yet we still, as we always will, need the Holy Spirit. This Pentecost, and every day, we can
experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in demonstration, the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit in proclamation, and the presence and
power of the Holy Spirit in the congregation. In continuing openness to and amazement at the works of
God, let us individually and corporately be filled, and be re-filled, with
the Holy Spirit. George Alexander May 2007 Note: All Bible
quotations are NIV unless otherwise stated. For a printer-friendly
version of this article, click here.
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News and Update |
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I received much encouraging response to the article The Stone Has Been Rolled Away. It’s always good to have feedback. This is the time of Pentecost, the time of the year when the Church of
Jesus Christ traditionally focuses on celebrating the coming of the Holy
Spirit, and that is the theme of the article in this Issue. All feedback appreciated. In response to a request, printer-friendly versions of the Body-Builder
Articles are now available. To access
the list, click here.
Also in this Issue, there’s general update information on the Artios School of Theology,
including correspondence
courses, and links to any
previous issues of Body-Builders that you may have missed. There’s also a link to my latest personal newsletter. The new course module Bible
Doctrines is now in process in Dunfermline. (For more information about the current module, click here.) A re-designed website
was launched in February. There is
still much development to do, but check it out if you haven’t already done so:
www.artios.org So much unwanted e-mail flies around that ISPs are always trying new
ways to curtail it. This is generally
welcome, but it sometimes affects the distribution of the likes of
Body-Builders. We’ve been investigating
alternative ways to send out the Body-Builders, and it’s likely that around
the summer time the distribution method will be changed. We trust that will solve some of the
problems. In addition, please add mail@artios.org to your address book so that any
anti-spam software you may use doesn’t put the Body-Builders in the “Junk”
folder, but that you continue to receive them as normal. If you have difficulty opening these e-mails or if the text looks weird
and you suspect it’s not showing as it was intended to (I know it looks a
little strange in Hotmail for instance), please let me know and I’ll try to
solve the problem. Alternatively, you
could try the web version (click here). I continue to receive more requests to subscribe to Body-Builders. If you have received this e-mail
second-hand and would like to be subscribed, please click here. If you’d like to subscribe a friend,
please click here. (The
friend will first receive an e-mail offering the chance to subscribe.) Check out www.artios.org
for updates. More news and
developments soon …. Return to top
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Previous Body-Builders |
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You may have missed or
mislaid a previous issue of Body-Builders.
If so, don’t despair! They can
be accessed by clicking the links below: Issue
2 (The Beginning of Life) Issue
3 (Getting the Word Out) Issue
5 (The Purpose of the Church) Issue
6 (Pointers to Personal Purpose) Issue
8 (Laying Hold of the Word) Issue
9 (The Community of Perfect Love) Issue
10 (What Should We Do With Christmas?) Issue
12 (Internal Prosperity) Issue
13 (How To Develop Spiritual Strength) Issue
14 (Building the Walls of Your Life — 1) Issue
15 (Building the Walls of Your Life — 2) Issue
16 (Building the Walls of Your Life — 3) Issue
17 (Up and Down the Mountain) Issue
18 (Living in the Light of the Word — 1) Issue
19 (Living in the Light of the Word — 2) Issue
20 (Living in the Light of the Word — 3) Issue
21 (Living in the Light of the Word — 4) Issue
22 (Of Faith and Miracles) Issue
23 (The Stone Has Been Rolled Away) NEW! Printer-friendly versions of the
articles only are now available. To
access the list, click here. |
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Artios School of Theology |
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Artios School of Theology
is a modular course leading to a Diploma in Theology from Artios
Ministries. The first run of the
School, with classes held in Dunfermline, is currently under way. The first
module, Old Testament Survey, had eighteen students enrolled, and was completed
in June 2004. The second module,
“Acts of the Apostles” had seventeen students, and completed in December
2004. That was followed by,
“Gifts and Ministries”, “Spiritual Dynamics”, and “New Testament Survey”,
which finished before Christmas 2005. In 2006, we have done “Romans”,
“Healing” and “Pastoral Epistles”.
Now in 2007 “Biblical Interpretation” is complete, and “Bible
Doctrines” is in full swing. If
you’re within striking distance of Dunfermline, you can register in advance
for the next module. Click here. For general information on the Artios School of Theology,
please click here*. “Old Testament Survey”
is now available as a correspondence course (distance learning). The module comes with a notes booklet,
teaching sessions on audio, and email support. The audio teachings are recordings of the “live” class, and are
nominally 20 hours in length. There
is a charge for this course. To
apply, request more information, or ask a specific question, click here.
Other modules are
currently in preparation as correspondence courses and will be introduced
very soon. * If you tried this and
it didn’t work, you may have to download an Acrobat Reader first. This is available free of charge from
Adobe. To get it, click here. |
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Introducing Artios Ministries Building the
Body by Equipping the Saints |
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Artios Ministries
is a pastoral and teaching ministry launched in October 2003 and based in
Dunfermline, Scotland. Deeply concerned for the Church of Jesus Christ and
committed to its restoration to God’s original intention, Artios Ministries
seeks, in partnership with many others, to work towards the development,
maturity and completion of the many-membered Body of Christ on the earth, as
the whole Church attains to the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ. The Founder and Director of Artios Ministries is
Rev George Alexander.
An ordained minister, George has been privileged to serve in a
full-time ministry capacity for more than twenty years, spending most of that
time in pastoral ministry. Now
concentrating on teaching and training, he is still based at Liberty Church
in Dunfermline, where formerly he was Senior Pastor. George is married to Mary, and they have
four grown-up children. Artios Ministries is a charitable trust recognised in
Scotland as Scottish Charity number SC 034194. |
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“Artios” is
a Greek word occurring in the New Testament. It means, “complete,
fitted, completely qualified, with all its needed parts”. It
occurs, together with another word derived from it, in 2 Timothy
3:16,17 “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for
every good work.” RSV |
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Contact Information |
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Difficulties or Comments? Just click here and let us know. |
Artios Ministries 13 Whinhill Dunfermline Fife KY11 4YZ U.K. |
01383-739537 (+44-1383-739537) |
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© Copyright 2007 Artios Ministries |
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