THE PENTECOST ISSUE 101 SEPTEMBER 2016

THE PENTECOST

Cover photo: North Vancouver, BC Above photo: Squamish, BC

The Pentecost is back! We have taken a long break an would like to thank our readers for you understanding. Issue 101 begins with the topic of spiritual hunger. Are you hungry for God? We also are beginning a series of studies in the book of Ephesians by Jake Balzer, my father in law. God Bless you.

Shawn Stevens

Jesus Christ is God who desires to have relationship with us. He is a Holy God so the more we get to know Him the more we desire to be like Him. We cannot do this solely through our own effort but by asking Him He teaches us. In this issue we will dive deeper into that. What it looks like to desire to know Jesus and how He meets us in that. The scriptural text for this issue is Ephesians chapters 1 and 2 where we learn these principals are also emphasized through the life of a man named Paul. God Bless you.

Ramona Stevens

HUNGERING AND THIRSTINGFOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Blessed are they which do hungerand thirst after righteousness: forthey shall be filled.

Matthew 5:6

Bible commentator Mathew Henrysays that, "Righteousness is hereput for all spiritual blessings"1 It isthe spiritual blessing of greatercommunion with the Lord that weare after. This is not a selfishrequest. The Lord created us toworship and know Him. Adam, thefirst man, had a beautifulrelationship with God. Sadly, the fallof man broke this communion.Fortunately, through God'sredemptive act, a provision for themending of that break has beenmade. When Jesus died and roseagain he opened a whole new worldup to mankind. The doorway toGod's kingdom was mercifullythrown open and men and womenbegan entering. The temple inJerusalem had two curtains. Onehung in front of the Holy Place andthe other partitioned off the HolyPlace from the Most Holy Place.When Jesus died on the cross, thissecond curtain was torn from top tobottom. This symbolized that Godhad made a provision so that mancould again pass through the barrierinto fellowship with God.Christian, how far have you steppedinside this curtain? How deep haveyou gone in God and how hungry

are you to go deeper? Just as we hunger forfood to sustain us and water to refresh us,communion with the Lord has the sameeffect spiritually for the Christian. This hungercan be seen in the life of the young 18thcentury missionary, David Brainerd. Deep inthe woodlands of America, Brainerd prayedhis heart out to God. His journal recordshungry and thirsty words such as these:

I retired pretty early for secret devotions; andin prayer God was pleased to pour suchineffable comforts into my soul that I coulddo nothing for some time but say over andover, ‘Oh my sweet Savior! O my sweetSavior! Whom have I in heaven but Thee?and there is none upon earth, that I desirebeside Thee.' If I had a thousand lives mysoul would gladly have laid them all down atonce to have been with Christ.My soul never enjoyed so much of heavenbefore.2

Friend, do you desire to give up your soul tothe Lord afresh? Do you hunger to encounterHim today? Do you thirst to have Him fill yourlife with His Spirit? How do you get hungry?Cry out to God and ask for hunger. Ask foran experience with Him. Experience willmake us hungry for more. God is the sourceof spiritual hunger; He is also the source ofspiritual food and spiritual fulfillment. He isalso the one who has said of those whohunger and thirst for righteousness that "…they shall be filled."Spiritual hunger causes us to keep ourperspective right. It causes us to lose ourdesire for the rat race we are caught up inand, instead, gain a heart for God's kingdom.For the spiritually hungry, all of the lesserthings of this world become dim and evenunattractive compared to the spiritual richesof Christ. Spiritual hunger causes us to cryout to God, asking for Him to make His

presence known.Some would question, "Why askGod to descend and make Hispresence known when He iseverywhere anyway?" It is true thatGod is an omnipresent God.However, He is still present in someplaces in a specific way that He isn'tin other places. For example, He ispresent in the hearts of His childrenin a way that He isn't in those whodo not yet know Him. In a similarway, God is here in our workplace,schools and community. However,there is a greater awareness of Godwhen He makes His presenceknown and when we experience Himin a special way. So, we cry out forHim to come.

In the 1904 Welsh Revival, a minerwalked in on a service and wasgripped by an awareness of God. Hecried out, "Oh, God is here." Hestood in the doorway for a time, tooafraid to come in the door or to leavethe building. We have been going italone for too long. We need the Lordto fill us with His Spirit. We need forHim to meet with us. We needcommunion and encounters withHim. All things are possible. Godhas granted communion to otherswho have sought Him. He hascommuned with His called-out ones.Again, we read from the diary ofBrainerd:

At night, God enabled me to give mysoul up to Him, to cast myself uponHim, tobe ordered and disposed ofaccording to His sovereign pleasure;and I enjoyed greatpeace and consolation in so doing.

My soul took sweet delight in God; mythoughtsfreely and sweetly centered on Him. Oh thatI could spend every moment of my life to Hisglory.3

Brother and sister, we can drink of heavenwhile living on earth. How hungry are you?How hungry am I for this experience? Let uspray:

Oh Lord, who fills the hungry with goodthings, we come to You now. We want togo deep behind the veil. We want to go asdeep in You as Your grace will allow.May our lives be like the Holy of Holies.Lord, we want to follow You ardently asothers have done. May there be examplesfrom our generation of those who hungerand thirst for righteousness, and may we bethey. Bring the things of Your kingdomnear to us. We give up our souls to Youafresh. Have us wholly and make us holy.Fill us with Your Spirit. Fill us with Yourrighteousness. Our eyes are lookingupward to You, who have promised to fill thehungry. None of the lesser things ofthe world will satisfy this inner ache. You, OhLord, are a rewarder of them whodiligently seek You. May this be our hour ofvisitation. Make Your presence known.Your presence is healing to us. Yourpresence is life to us. Give us the faith to layholdof You. We are now asking to be enrichedwith this spiritual blessing of deepcommunion with You. Be glorified in us andin the witnessof You living in us. Amen.

Shawn Stevens

Works Cited

1 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry'sCommentary On The Whole Bible,Vol V., (Iowa: World BiblePublishers,n.d.),50.2 David Brainerd, The Life And DiaryOf David Brainerd, ED JohnathanEdwards (Grand Rapids:Baker BookHouse, 1998) 83.3 Ibid 83.King James Bible

A TREATISE ON THE BOOK OFEPHESIANSJAKE BALZEREDITOR :SHAWN STEVENSPREFACEThe Book of Ephesians is truly oneof the mountain tops of holyScripture. In it, the Apostle Pauldiscusses the eternal purposes inChrist for the body of Christ, HisChurch. It teaches on God’selection, salvation by grace throughfaith, the unity of Christ’s body,walking in the light, marriage, familyrelationships and much more.Ephesians calls us to walk worthy ofthe calling that we have received, toput on the new man that wascreated in true righteousness and tobe imitators of God. I trust that you will be inspired asyou journey through this book andas Jake Balzer takes us on a studyof its precious truths.Shawn StevensREFERENCE :Full Life Study Bible. Grand Rapids:Life Publishers, International.Zondervan, 1992. Pg 1842.

STUDY OF THE EPHESIAN

EPISTLEINTRODUCTION :Several commentators consider the epistle ofEphesians the queen of the Pauline epistles.we have both a theological and a devotionalnature in this epistle. The firstthree chapters are more theological and thelast three chapters are more devotional.Note : It is estimated that from the 155verses in Ephesians, 75 verses are clearly,or rather clearly, paralleled in Colossians.Thus we can conclude that bothepistles are written by Paul to differentgroups of believers.It is estimated that Paul wrote the epistle tothe Ephesians some seven years afterspending two years ministering to them inEphesus. He likely wrote this epistle about62 A.D. TEXT : EPHESIANS 1:1-14

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christby the will of God, to the saintswhich are at Ephesus, and to thefaithful in Christ Jesus:2 Grace be to you, and peace, fromGod our Father, and from the LordJesus Christ.3 Blessed be the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, who hathblessed us with all spiritualblessings in heavenly places inChrist:4 According as he hath chosen usin him before the foundation of theworld, that we should be holy andwithout blame before him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto theadoption of children by Jesus Christto himself, according to the goodpleasure of his will,6 To the praise of the glory of hisgrace, wherein he hath made usaccepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we haveredemption through hisblood, the forgiveness ofsins, according to theriches of his grace;8 Wherein he hathabounded toward us in allwisdom and prudence;9 Having made known untous the mystery of his will,according to his goodpleasure which he hathpurposed in himself:10 That in the dispensationof the fulness of times hemight gather together inone all things in Christ,both which are in heaven,and which are on earth;even in him:11 In whom also we haveobtained an inheritance,being predestinatedaccording to the purpose ofhim who worketh all thingsafter the counsel of his ownwill:12 That we should be tothe praise of his glory, whofirst trusted in Christ.13 In whom ye also trusted,after that ye heard the wordof truth, the gospel of yoursalvation: in whom alsoafter that ye believed, yewere sealed with that holySpirit of promise,14 Which is the earnest ofour inheritance until theredemption of thepurchased possession,unto the praise of his glory.

TOPIC: GOD’S GREAT PLAN OFSALVATIONTHERE ARE THREE BOOKS IN THEBIBLE THAT SPEAK ABOUT PRE-HISTORIC EVENTS1.Genesis 1.1 “In the beginning God createdthe heaven and the earth.” 2. Gospel of John 1.1 relates “In thebeginning was the Word, and the Word waswith God, and the Word was God.”3.Ephesians speaks about God choosingthose in Christ before the foundation of theworld. (See 1.4)

PAUL SAYS IT WAS GOD WHO CALLEDHIM TO BE AN APOSTLE. IT WAS NOT OFHIS OWN CHOOSINGIn order to get some perspective of God’sgreat plan of salvation, let’s first of all look atit from God’s view point of salvation which isreal and practical to us who need Hissalvation.THERE ARE SOME SEVEN THINGS GODDID IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS PLANl. God chose us in Christ before thefoundation of the world to be holy andblameless in His sight. (See 1:4).“in Christ” occurs 164 times in Paul’sepistles.2. God placed us in position as His sons anddaughters in accordance with His pleasureand will. (See 1:5).3. God bestowed grace on us accepting us inthe beloved. (See 1:6).4. God redeemed us through the blood of HisSon by paying the ransom for our sins,providing forgiveness. (See 1:7).5. God imparted to us wisdom and insight tounderstand His purpose in Christ. (See1:8,9).6. God predestined and chose us in JesusChrist according to His plan. (See 1:10-12).7. God affirmed the deposit of his Holy Spiritin believers. (See 1:13,14).

NOW WHAT IS OUR PART INPERSONALLY EXPERIENCINGTHIS GREAT SALVATION?1. We must hear the good news.(See 1:13).2. We must believe in and respondto Christ. (See 1:13).

TEXT : EPHESIANS 1:15-2315 Wherefore I also, after Iheard of your faith in theLord Jesus, and love untoall the saints,16 Cease not to givethanks for you, makingmention of you in myprayers;17 That the God of ourLord Jesus Christ, theFather of glory, may giveunto you the spirit ofwisdom and revelation inthe knowledge of him:18 The eyes of yourunderstanding beingenlightened; that ye mayknow what is the hope ofhis calling, and what theriches of the glory of hisinheritance in the saints,19 And what is theexceeding greatness of hispower to us-ward whobelieve, according to theworking of his mightypower,20 Which he wrought inChrist, when he raised himfrom the dead, and set himat his own right hand in theheavenly places,21 Far above allprincipality, and power, and

might, and dominion, and everyname that is named, not only in thisworld, but also in that which is tocome:22 And hath put all things under hisfeet, and gave him to be the headover all things to the church,23 Which is his body, the fulness ofhim that filleth all in all.

TOPIC: PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL ANDEXPERIENTIAL GROWTHPaul is very encouraged to hear that theirfaith in Jesus Christ has translated to theirlove for fellow believers of Jesus Christ. (See1.15-16).In the following verses Paul expresses thathe is praying for them to experience thedivine experiential dimension. (See 1.17).

– That they might receive from theLord the ability to see things from thespiritual perspective or from thespiritual viewpoint. Paul wants for themthat they might become an integratedperson with a spiritual centre tobecome an integrated personality.

SOME HAVE THEIR PERSONALITYFOCUSED ON SELF-CENTEREDNESS, ORPLEASURE, OR VOCATION, OR THEIRACHIEVEMENTS, OR SOME HAVE THEIRPERSONALITY FOCUSSED ON JESUSCHRIST.We need the glorious Father to give us thespirit of wisdom and revelation, therebyenabling us to integrate our wholepersonality around Jesus Christ as ourcentral focal point.Remember when a follower of Jesus Christchooses a central focal point that militatesagainst his commitment to Jesus Christ heexperiences major conflicts.Having Jesus Christ in the centre means Heis Lord of our lives and we seek to screeneverything through His prompting andenabling. Our constant prayer should be:

“Lord open my eyes to behold thewonders in Your Word that will guideme in all Your ways.”2. THE FOLLOWER OF JESUSCHRIST’S EXPERIENTIALDIMENSION (SEE 1:18-23)Furthermore, we need the HolySpirit to enlighten the eyes of ourheart in order to experientially knowthe hope to which He has called us.2.1 EXPERIENTIALLY KNOW THEHOPE TO WHICH JESUS HASCALLED US BELIEVERS.

• hope regarding your past –God has accepted us. We areHis sons and daughters.

• hope in the present – God willcontinue to empower us to liveas His faithful sons anddaughters.

• hope in the future – God willcontinue the work out what Hehas begun and will bring us tothe glorious return of JesusChrist.

• for we by faith are shielded byGod’s power until the comingof the salvation that is ready tobe revealed in the last time.(See 1 Peter 1:5).

– Hebrews 6:19 says; “Which hopewe have as an anchor of the soul,both sure and stedfast, and whichentereth into that within the veil;”2.2 EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGEOF OUR GLORIOUSINHERITANCE. (See 1:18b)– We are joint heirs with JesusChrist. (See Romans 8:17).– We will receive our due reward forwhat we have done.-We will receive spiritually

transformed sinless bodies.2.3 EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OFHIS EXCEEDING GREAT POWER ATWORK TOWARD US. (See 19-23)– The great power that raised Christ fromthe dead (See vs 20).– The great power that seated Christ atGod’s right hand (See vs 20).– The great power that appointed Christ tobe the head over everything for the Churchwhich is Hisbody (See vss 21-23).TEXT : EPHESIANS 2:11-22

11 Wherefore remember, that yebeing in time past Gentiles in theflesh, who are calledUncircumcision by that which iscalled the Circumcision in the fleshmade by hands;12 That at that time ye were withoutChrist, being aliens from thecommonwealth of Israel, andstrangers from the covenants ofpromise, having no hope, andwithout God in the world:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye whosometimes were far off are madenigh by the blood of Christ.14 For he is our peace, who hathmade both one, and hath brokendown the middle wall of partitionbetween us;15 Having abolished in his flesh theenmity, even the law ofcommandments contained inordinances; for to make in himselfof twain one new man, so makingpeace;16 And that he might reconcile bothunto God in one body by the cross,having slain the enmity thereby:17 And came and preached peace

to you which were afar off,and to them that were nigh.18 For through him we bothhave access by one Spiritunto the Father.19 Now therefore ye are nomore strangers andforeigners, butfellowcitizens with thesaints, and of thehousehold of God;20 And are built upon thefoundation of the apostlesand prophets, Jesus Christhimself being the chiefcorner stone;21 In whom all the buildingfitly framed togethergroweth unto an holytemple in the Lord:22 In whom ye also arebuilded together for anhabitation of God throughthe Spirit.

TOPIC: GOD IS BUILDINGHIS CHURCH INTRODUCTION : From the Old Testament to the Newtestament we have what is called “the progressive revelation,” that is,God progressively reveals more andmore of His great plan of salvationas we move through the Old

Testament into the New Testament. Take note of how God progressively hasrevealed His great plan of salvation. TO INDIVIDUALS – ADAM AND EVE

AFTER THEY SINNEDGenesis 3:15 “And I will put enmitybetween thee and the woman, andbetween thy seed and her seed; itshall bruise thy head, and thou shaltbruise his heel.”

This is the first promise of the Messiahwho would come and defeat Satan andprovide personal salvation for all mankind. TO A FAMILY – NOAH AND HIS FAMILY

BEFORE THE FLOOD.Genesis 6:8 “ But Noah found gracein the eyes of the LORD.”Genesis 9:9 “And I, behold, Iestablish my covenant with you, andwith your seed after you;” Genesis 9: 12-13 “And God said,This is the token of the covenantwhich I make between me and youand every living creature that is withyou, for perpetual generations:

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall befor a token of a covenant between me andthe earth.

TO A NATION – ABRAHAM AND HISDESCENDENTS

Genesis 12:2 “And I will make ofthee a great nation, and I will blessthee, and make thy name great; andthou shalt be a blessing:”

TO THE WHOLE WORLD Genesis 12:3 “And I will blessthem that bless thee, and cursehim that curseth thee: and inthee shall all families of theearth be blessed.”

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST 1 Timothy 2:5“For there is oneGod, and one mediator betweenGod and men, the man ChristJesus;”Hebrews 1:1-2 “God, who at sundrytimes and in divers manners spakein time past unto the fathers by theprophets, Hath in these last daysspoken unto us by his Son, whomhe hath appointed heir of all things,by whom also he made the worlds;” To summarize God’s intent inproviding His great plan of salvationto all mankind who desperatelyneeded it we could say it this way:

God had a twofold purpose for allmankind in providing salvationthrough His Son Jesus Christ.

1. To provide forgiveness of sinsand restore all who repent andbelieve thus bringing them backinto fellowship with Him. 2. To provide forgiveness andrestoration to all who repent andbelieved in order tobring brothers and sisters inChrist into fellowship with eachother.

In our scriptural passage these

two dimensions are clearly taught. Let’sexamine them to discover God’s overallplan from before creation.

IN OUR TEXT WE WILL SEE THAT GOD ISBUILDING HIS CHURCH IN TWOSPECIFIC YET RELATED WAYS.

1. God is building His Church (See 2:11-19).

by creating a “new man” fromboth the Gentiles and theJews.

2. God is building His Church (See 2:20-22).

by joining together a livingtemple in which God lives bythe Holy Spirit.

1. God is building His Church by creatinga “new man” from both the Gentiles andthe Jews. (See 2:11-19).

When God creates something Hemakes it totally new in a spiritualsense. When we create something wemake it out of something physicalthat all ready exists. For example,when we build a house we usematerials that are already inexistence. When God creates a “new man” headds a spiritual dimension which istotal new to both the Gentiles andthe Jews. Let’s examine ourpassage to see how God created a“new man” from both Gentiles andJews. WHAT DID GOD DO FORTHE GENTILES?

NATURALSITUATION CONVERTED SITUATION 1. Separated from Christ (See2:12) Brought near by the bloodof Christ (See 2.13). 2. Excluded from citizenship ofIsrael (See2:12) Fellowcitizens with God’s people (See2.19). 3. Foreigners to the covenants ofpromise (See 2:12). Both haveaccess to the Father by one Spirit (See 2:18). 4. Without hope and without God inthe world (See 2:12b). Members of the household ofGod (See 2:19). WHAT DID GOD DO FOR THEJEWS? NATURALSITUATION CONVERTED SITUATION

2. Dividing wall partition (See2:14) God abolished theenmity in His flesh (See 2:15).

HOW DID GOD BRING THE GENTILESAND JEWS TOGETHER? JESUS PREACHED PEACE TO BOTHGENTILES AND JEWS PROVIDEDACCESS TO GOD BY ONE SPIRIT. (See2:17-18) Note :

1. God did His part in making one manfrom both the Gentiles and Jews.

2. Jesus did His part in making oneman from both the Gentiles and Jews. 3. The Holy Spirit did His part in makingone man from both the Gentiles and theJews.

4. But the challenge now lies with thefollowers of Christ. Both converted Gentilesand Jews need to do their part in becomingone man through the enabling of the HolySpirit who knows both the mind of God andJesus Christ.

What are you and I doing to bridge thegap between followers of Christ who findit difficult to become one with us in theChurch of Jesus Christ? We must continually keep in mind God’spurpose for His Church. Namely, Hewants us, as followers of Jesus Christ, tofollow His example in bringing togetherboth Gentiles and Jews, creating a“newman” who now learns to live theempowered life by the Holy Spirit andlearns how to love and respect eachmember of the body of Jesus Christ.

2. GOD IS BUILDING HIS CHURCH AS ALIVING HOUSEHOLD IN WHICH GODLIVES BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. (See 2:20-22)

God by the Holy Spirit is joiningHis followers together, placing themwhere He wants them to function.This is where real body life beginsand grows. 2.1 THE CHURCH IS BUILT ONTHE FOUNDATION OFTHE APOSTLES AND PROPHETSWITH JESUS CHRIST THE CHIEFCORNERSTONE. (See 2:20)Jesus said to Peter, before he wasan apostle; “And I say also untothee, That thou art Peter, and uponthis rock I will build my church; andthe gates of hell shall not prevailagainst it.”(Matthew 16:18). ”Fromthe passage in Ephesians, itappears that the Church is built onthe foundation of apostles too.”(Shawn Stevens). The prophetsprobably were those in the firstcentury who also became part of theChurch foundation.

2.2 BUILT TOGETHER IN CHRIST TOBECOME A DWELLING IN WHICH GODLIVES BY THE SPIRIT (See 2:22) In Solomon’s day much time was spent in shaping and fitting the stones together. Infact, when the actual temple was built therewas no sound of a hammer.

When God is building His Church He spendsa lot of time shaping and molding the “livelystones” (see 1 Peter 2:5) that become Hisdwelling place. In order for God to effectivelymold and shape us he needs our totalcommitment and trust in Him to know what isbest in training us to love and respect eachother.

Jake Balzer

Scripture taken from King James Version