The Oft Forgotten Person of the Trinity

263 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 3:1-5, But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Tim 3:1-5) We have reached the last of the behaviors that will periodically pop up in the church in the “last days” And again, the last days include that period of time from the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost until Jesus returns. This last one is an easy trap to fall into for any congregation, and I think you'll see why as we look at the term “form of godliness.” One of the synonyms given for the word “form” in the Greek is “formula.” There have been times, there are times, and there will be times when churches settle into a “formula” of holiness. All the trappings of worship and praise and ministry are there wrapped up in each individual congregations “formula.” But one thing is lacking....the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. He becomes the forgotten and neglected person of the Trinity. I fellowship in a Lutheran denomination, and we have this tendency to lock the Holy Spirit up in the baptismal font. Other factions lock Him up in the Sacraments, and others just lock Him up in their own weekly rituals. Even so called charismatic churches can lock Him up in their own kind of rituals and routines. It is so easy to do as we get comfortable with our own weekly worship practices. The Holy Spirit desires deeply to act and react with all congregations who name Jesus as Lord. He wants to release His supernatural power in your midst! How do we get some of that? How do we break out of our self-imposed spiritual ruts? It starts with becoming familiar with the Holy Spirit! What does the Bible say about this miracle working Third Person of the Trinity? Find out! Congregations ought to spend time learning about the Holy Spirit's ministry. Pastors ought to preach and teach about Him, and then most importantly of all, we ought to act on what we learn, believing that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and is more than capable of moving among a congregation in supernaturally powerful ways. Ways that demonstrate an embracing of His power, rather than a denial!