Hey family, this week was wild, I got to hear about the history of the Circuit Riders and lessons on the Holy Spirit by Amy Ward. We also had an awesome time of evangelism. So here are little descriptions and my favorite nuggets.
The ministry I am in is called the Circuit Riders. We get our name sake from a group of early Methodist revivalists that rode the circuits of early America that helped to usher in the first great awakening. If you want deep specifics lets talk because I was so fired up by hearing stories of the early riders. My favorite specific take aways from the stories were the overwhelming grit and abandon these riders had for the Lord and the spreading of the gospel. During that time they would literally describe bad weather by saying, "The only people out today are the Circuit Riders". These revivalist lived in uncomfortability because they saw the great need and honor to go and share the gospel. They were so ready at any time to go wherever & whenever God called them. There were so ready to reform methods as the holy spirit directed. They would not settle just for form/structure, they wanted to see fruit, not for numbers sake but to follow where Gods hand was. They had a culture of humility where they for the most part stayed nameless and faceless because the name they were etching into peoples hearts was the Lords and not their own. There was one rider that waited for two years before joining because he wouldn't go into the ministry until his pride was not mixed in with his call. These are alot of breadcrumbs from the overall history, but the mantra/DNA of a circuit rider is to be so sold out to Jesus that you realize that suffering for the sake of the gospel is the greatest calling there is. Suffering looks different for every person. It can mean full time traveling, sharing the gospel when you feel awkward, looking different because you are seeking kingdom culture and not modern culture.
For three of the days we had Amy Ward come and talk about the Holy Spirit & the baptism of the spirit. One of my favorite points she made was that the Holy Spirit is a person, not just a feeling or goose bumps. I think often times we think of Father God & Jesus as people that we can talk to, then the Holy spirit as a feeling or something that makes people a little wild. But He is an equal part of the Identity of God, stand alone and within the trinity. He is in the creation story, in Genesis when it says, "spirit hovering over water" and " the breath breathed into Adam both of those translate to spirit as in the Holy Spirit. Which I did not know until this week, which is crazy cool. The last thing with this is the relationship that Jesus had with the Holy Spirit, particularly when he was on Earth. During his baptism he had the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove over him. (Luke 3:21) Then he was sent into a wilderness for 40 days. It was there you see him being led and talking to the Holy spirit as he is tempted. Every time he overcame the enemy he gained authority. Jesus is the example we have to follow here on Earth. So in the same way we have the ability to be baptized in the spirit and with the spirit gain authority & empowerment over the enemy. A nugget she gave here that rocked me was, "The problem is not Satan lying to you, that his job - it's expected. The issue is you listening." We are called to combat every lie with the truth and rely on "the helper" aka the Holy Spirit for guidance. I know the Holy Spirit has a lot of debate on different parts so I am gonna link a document with verses about him & baptism of the spirit for you to look into & pray about. But at the end of the day know that Jesus said He was leaving so someone better than He could come, talking about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is there, all you have to do is say hey holy spirit help me know how to talk to you and he will show up. The Holy Spirit will always point back to Jesus and Truth.
Last is the evangelism time. During our evangelism time this week I grew past alot of my fear of man. I am starting to see more that I would rather look like a fool and go & talk to someone, than stay comfortable and miss a chance to let Jesus speak to them/affect their eternity. Guys this life is so not about us. The Lord has been reinforcing that our lives are like short breathes in the sight of eternity. I am realizing that any attempt to make my own name remembered is futile. Not just as a missionary but any sector you are in. Make money, do what the Lord is calling you to, and work hard. But remember whether you are on wall street, teaching, or anywhere else that your purpose is not in that. That is your calling, or the avenue in which God is using you. No matter your calling, your purpose within the calling is to make God's name known. That could be to your coworkers, in your projects, or in your cities. Maybe all 3. Guys ask God to awaken your hearts in areas to grow in sharing your faith, you are a child of God before anything else.
Link to more holy spirit scriptures from Amy Ward:
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