A New Creation

Just as an ordinary caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly, we can become a new creation in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As a new creation, we all receive spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul explains that the Holy Spirit decides who receives each gift. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them” (vs. 12). Believers are to live for Christ using the spiritual gifts they are given. In order to become a new creation in Christ, you must believe that He died on the cross for your sins. If you would like to accept His free gift of salvation, you can approach Him through prayer using words similar to these: “Dear God, I know that You love me, and I know that You want to save me. I am a sinner. My sin deserves judgment and will receive judgment unless I am saved. But Lord, I want to be saved. Jesus, You died to save me. You promised to save me if I would trust You. I do trust You. Lord Jesus, I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my heart. Forgive my sin. Save me. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You paid for my sin with Your blood. I believe that You were raised from the dead. I believe it and I receive it. And now begin to make me the person You want me to be, and help me never to be ashamed of You. In Your holy name I pray, Amen.” Once you accept Jesus as your Savior, one of the first things to do is to find a local Spirit-led church where you can fellowship and grow with other believers. Years ago, I had the privilege of attending a workshop at a spirit-led church where each believer was using their spiritual gift. It was truly a blessing to experience! As you grow as a believer, you too can discover what your spiritual gift is. Open a web browser to https://giftstest.com and click the link to sign up for free The spiritual gifts test can be helpful in explaining different gifts and discovering what your gift might be. What is a Spirit-led church? Here are ten characteristics that a Spirit-Led church possesses. 1. Fear of the Lord Worship has never been about bringing God down to our level but about worshiping God for who He is. When we have a sense of awe and godly fear in the presence of God, we carry an awareness of His presence through the week and live in obedience to Him. 2. Desire for the Holy Spirit’s Fullness Although I regularly preach on the holy lifestyle God calls His children to live, in the past twenty-eight years of pastoral ministry, I’ve preached more on the Spirit-filled life than any other topic. Without a yieldedness to the Holy Spirit and a hunger for His power, no matter how free from worldliness our lives may be, they will be empty and shallow. Having a desire for the power of the Holy Spirit means we move from self-reliance to God-reliance in every facet of our lives. 3. Fervent preaching Biblical preaching that lifts up Christ and boldly declares the truths of His Word is the great need of the hour. As E.M. Bounds rightly said, “The power of Christ’s dispensation is a fiery pulpit. Not a learned pulpit, not a popular pulpit, not an eloquent pulpit, but a pulpit on fire with the Holy Ghost.” 4. Doctrinal teaching Nothing is as important as the doctrines of the Word of God. The early Christians saved at Pentecost continued first in the Apostles’ doctrine. With the emphasis on doctrine—the clear teaching of God’s Word—they continued in fellowship and prayer. The doctrine of the Apostles was the natural backdrop for teaching young Christians the lifestyle set forth by those doctrines. To reverse the pattern—teaching what we do before teaching what we believe—is to give people the fruit without helping them develop the root. 5. Fervent prayer One of the overriding characteristics in the early church was prayer. Prayer was their source of power, comfort, courage, and hope, and it was the underlying force for their witness, faithfulness, and growth. A church without frequent times of fervent prayer is a church without power. 6. Loving fellowship We easily connect the two words fervent prayer in our minds. But what about fervent love? Indeed, the early church was a loving church—a church with an intense spirit of love for one another to bear burdens, sacrificially give, and gladly fellowship. 7. Sacrificial spirit The natural outflow of love is sacrifice. As Amy Carmichael once said, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” 8. Obedient witness The early church not only witnessed in the power of the Holy Spirit, but they did so in spite of intense persecution. A Spirit-led church is a church that witnesses for Christ regularly, passionately, and faithfully—regardless of the obstacles. 9. Gracious spirit A Spirit-led church overflows with the grace of God. And that grace will never be more evident than it is in the relationships within the church. Whether it be the member to member, member to pastor, or pastor to member relationship, every relationship in the church should set forth the graciousness of Spirit-filled people. A bickering, quarreling church is not likely to see the supernatural power of God. 10. Dedicated ministry While the first characteristic we saw—the fear of the Lord—is an attitude of the heart, this characteristic is the corresponding outward action. To serve the Lord is to obey His will by obeying His commands. And a Spirit-led church will be focused on obeying Christ’s command to preach the gospel in its community and around the world. To see the power of God in our churches, and spiritual fruit for our efforts, we need to return to a dependence on and yieldedness to the Holy Spirit of God. Here are a few more verses about gifts and the Holy Spirit:Humble Service in the Body of Christ Through Gifts “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with somber judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:3-8). Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:15-21). Using your spiritual gift will yield great joy. It is God’s will for your life in Christ. As a believer, it is also important to share the good news of salvation with those around you. Jesus gave directions to His disciples that became known as the Great Commission. “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:16-20). He commanded us to prioritize Him in all that we do and spread His message. One day, in a dream, I saw Jesus. I was standing at the foot of the cross and looked up into His eyes. I could see the tremendous pain. After a while, the pain turned to love. Soon the love overshadowed the pain. He spoke to my heart and said “I do this for you.” As I turned to walk away, He commanded me “Tell someone about Me.” Through the spirit of truth that lives in me, I am obeying Jesus’ command by sharing with you through this tract. I am humbly submitting this to you in my Father God’s name, Yahweh. I am a new creation, living with the gift of faith 24/7. What an exciting life we live in Jesus! My Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well, living in me. We both love you very much. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29). “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:19-21). “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yolk is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).