Over the past couple of weeks, Keith and I have been thinking through how to improve the weekly Evangel while retaining the prayer news and announcements that make it so useful to the congregation. The main difference between the new and old is that there will not be a regular article from Keith. With the launch of new Home Groups and Discipleship Groups, he hopes to...
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Our final installment on the Spirit examines his role in reviving the church. Now, as we look for revivals in Scripture, the word is not specifically used. What we see is God moving at specific times, with specific people, and for a specific purpose. We can see various revivals around the world throughout the history of the church as well. A revival brings new life,...
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This week we will focus on the Spirit’s ministry of producing fruit and good works in believers. The key texts for these aspects of the Spirit’s ministry are Galatians 5 and Romans 8. We discussed being filled with the Spirit last week. To walk by the Spirit is related to being filled with the Spirit because we will not be filled without being obedient. We must submit...
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This article is a continuation of the series on the Holy Spirit. This week we will look at what it means to be “filled with the Spirit.” The Spirit came upon many servants temporarily in the Old Testament so that they were empowered to complete the work of God. The New Covenant indwelling is different, as evidenced by the promises of Jesus in John 14-16, the way...
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This week’s installment for our Holy Spirit series presents the Spirit’s comforting ministry for the children of God. As the person of the Trinity who indwells us intimately so that he has a personal, internal ministry, the Spirit is the person who provides personal care and comfort. Jesus actually calls the Spirit the Comforter or, as the ESV translates, the Helper...
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Earlier this week, Asher Griffin sat down with John Bowman to ask about the deacon’s vision discipleship. Below are some of the questions and answers from their discussion. John, what is the vision for discipleship at JPBC? When Keith first presented his vision for our life together at JPBC in October of 2010, the first priority was that we would keep the gospel central...
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Earlier this week, Asher Griffin sat down with John Bowman to ask about the deacon’s vision discipleship. Below are some of the questions and answers from their discussion. John, what is the vision for discipleship at JPBC? When Keith first presented his vision for our life together at JPBC in October of 2010, the first priority was that we would keep the gospel central...
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In order for us to be the church God has called us to be, we must depend upon the Spirit to unite, equip, and empower us. The beauty of God’s high calling is that he equips us to fulfill it. When the Spirit descends upon us, he not only seals and guarantees the inheritance we have in Jesus Christ. He also comes to give each Christian gifts so that we are equipped, we...
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This week’s meditation on the Spirit will focus on the Spirit’s role in prayer. The Spirit’s work in giving us access to God the Father is essential because it is the basis for the doctrine of the priesthood of every believer. We do not rely upon a hierarchy of human priests. We have the Great High Priest Jesus Christ who leads us into the presence of the Father to...
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This week’s meditation on the Spirit will focus on the Spirit’s role in prayer. The Spirit’s work in giving us access to God the Father is essential because it is the basis for the doctrine of the priesthood of every believer. We do not rely upon a hierarchy of human priests. We have the Great High Priest Jesus Christ who leads us into the presence of the Father to...
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