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I Believe in the Holy Spirit
Kurt Steinbrueck
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I Believe in the Holy Spirit

I Believe in the Holy Spirit

“I believe in the Holy Spirit,“ – The Apostles’ Creed

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” – John 14:26

When you think of the Holy Spirit, what do you picture in your mind?

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is perhaps the most difficult for us to comprehend. The idea of a God that creates things and rules over us (the Father) we get. Jesus came in the flesh which we can certainly relate to. However, the Holy Spirit can seem much more ambiguous.

One of the things that makes the Spirit more difficult for us is that He often hides Himself. Sure, at Jesus’ baptism He descended in the appearance of a dove, and on Pentecost, there were what appeared to be tongues of flames above the disciples, but mostly He works in the background. Yet, we dare not dismiss the Spirit or underestimate Him.

Even though we can’t see the Holy Spirit directly, He is at work…a lot!

  • He moves people.
  • He creates faith through the proclamation of the Word.
  • He comforts us.
  • He reminds us of Jesus and what Jesus said.
  • He changes us, producing fruit in our lives which we could not produce on our own, but which externally appear to come from us.
  • I could go on…

The Spirit has been active from the beginning.

He was a part of creation, hovering over the waters. It is the Spirit who carried people along to write Scriptures. It is He who gives us life-giving faith. He moves through the church. He advocates for us, comforts us, gives us words to speak, and so much more. And, of course…

The Holy Spirit is God.

He is co-equal with the Father and Son. He is one with the Father and Son. He rules with the Father and Son and Saves with the Father and Son.

When we proclaim our belief in the Holy Spirit, we proclaim the one who enables us to proclaim our faith in the Triune God. We proclaim the one who reveals the truth to us. We proclaim the one who moves in us to live our Christian lives for God.

Holy Spirit,

Thank you for creating faith in me. Move through me and purify me of all unrighteousness. Produce your good fruit in my life that I might glorify God.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Walking By the Spirit
Kurt Steinbrueck
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Walking By the Spirit

Walking By the Spirit

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16

Pentecost Sunday is coming up in a few weeks, when we celebrate God sending His Spirit to dwell among us and in us. 

  • It is the Holy Spirit who opens our hearts and minds to hear and understand God’s Word. 
  • It is the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts of people to create faith. 
  • It is the Holy Spirit who then lives in us as redeemed followers of Jesus Christ. 

As such, we are no longer slaves to our sinful flesh, rather we are alive in the Spirit.

In Galatians 5 the Scriptures warn us against the works of the flesh and tells us about the fruit of the Spirit.  When we think about the sinful desires of our sinful flesh and how God warns us not to indulge in them, it can quickly turn our lives into a massive, unending effort to avoid those sins and produce the fruit of the Spirit.  It creates a tiring life that often leads to despair as we continue to give in to our sinful desires.

Works vs Fruit
However, it’s telling that the sinful desires are called “works” and the good things of the Spirit are called “fruit”.  We don’t produce the fruit, the Spirit does.  This changes how we understand these passages from Galatians.  No longer are they about our efforts, but rather, the work of God.

Martin Luther wrote about this:

“When someone becomes aware of this battle of the flesh, he should not lose heart on this account; but by the Spirit he should fight back and say: ‘I am a sinner, and I am aware of my sin; for I have not yet put off my flesh, to which sin will cling as long as it lives. But I will obey the Spirit rather than the flesh. That is, by faith and hope I will take hold of Christ. I will fortify myself with His Word, and thus fortified I will refuse to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

In verse 16 the Scriptures put it this way,

“walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” 

It is not by our efforts to avoid sin that we won’t gratify the desires of the flesh, it by turning to God by the power of the Holy Spirit and clinging to the wonderful promise we have in Jesus.  Instead of a life of unending effort and despair, this is a life of peace and rest and hope.

Heavenly Father,

May Your Holy Spirit dwell in me richly that I might bear the fruit as one filled with the Spirit. Help me to walk in Your Spirit rather than the desires of my sinful flesh not by my own effort, but the work of Your Spirit living in me.

Amen

Better Than Words
Kurt Steinbrueck
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Better Than Words

    Better Than Words

    “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” – Romans 8:26-27

    Have you ever had someone say something to you that just left you speechless?

    It happens to me now more than ever since I have kids. Sometimes it’s something that makes me think,

    “I’m sorry, did you just dare to say that to me?”

    Other times, it’s something that makes me think,

    “Where did you learn such wisdom?”

    Of course, there are also the times when I’m thinking,

    “Did I drop this child at some point because that made no sense?”

    Life gives us those speechless moments, too. Sometimes they are horrifying moments, other times they are awe-inspiring, and sometimes they are bewildering.

    Prayer in the Speechless Times
    In those times when we want to pray but are at a loss for words, what do we do?

    Pray without words.

    You can say something like,

    “God, I am so overwhelmed right now that I don’t know what to say, but You know my heart.”

    Then, just sit quietly with God. Let the Spirit do the praying for you. The Spirit knows the Father’s heart and He knows our heart better than we know it, ourselves. Trust that the Spirit is interceding for you. While we may not know what’s being uttered, I’d bet it’s better than anything we could have come up with anyway.

    Holy Spirit,

    You know me better than I know myself. Intercede for me in those moments when I don’t know what to pray. Then fill me with Your presence, overflowing with Your peace, comfort, and love.

    Amen.

    In Christ’s Service,

    Pastor Kurt

    Open My Eyes
    Kurt Steinbrueck
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    Open My Eyes

      Open My Eyes

      “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” – Psalm 119:18

      How Do You Read the Bible?

      There are several things we can do to make sure we have the clearest understanding of God’s Word.

      • Read multiple translations of a text and read editor notes. When creating a translation, decisions have to be made and those decisions can obscure the full meaning of a passage. By reading multiple translations and the editor’s notes, you can get a more complete understanding. Of course, better still would be to learn Biblical Greek and Hebrew.
      • Read the surrounding context. No Biblical passage exists in isolation and when we pull a passage out of its context, it makes it possible to misunderstand it. So, read the surrounding paragraph, section, or even chapter to make sure you understand the context of a passage.
      • Read the Bible more. The context of any passage isn’t just the paragraph, chapter, or book. Scripture interprets Scripture. The more familiar you are with the whole of Scripture, the better you can understand the full context of any passage within the Bible.

      The One Thing You Need
      All of the above ideas are helpful for your study of God’s Word, but in the end it will be all meaningless without the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit revealing God’s Word to us, we are blind to it. We need God to open our eyes so that we can truly see what His Word tells us.

      “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

      The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

      We need God’s Spirit to truly understand God’s Word. So, let us pray. Let us pray for wisdom and insight. Let us pray for faith. Let us pray for God to open our eyes to understand His Word.

      Heavenly Father,

      Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Word. Give me faith, understanding, wisdom, and insight. Teach me Your ways.

      Amen.

      In Christ’s Service,

      Pastor Kurt

      From a Trickle to Roar
      Kurt Steinbrueck
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      From a Trickle to Roar

      From a Trickle to Roar

      “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” – Acts 2:17

      What do you think of the Holy Spirit?

      Who is He? What does He do?

      Has this always been how the Holy Spirit works or has this changed?

      The Effect of Making Information Generally Available
      Western society has changed dramatically over the centuries. One of the greatest changes has been the democratization of information. It used to be that only a small percentage of people were educated. Very few people could read and very few people had information about anything outside of their job and basic living skills.

      It was generally the wealthy and powerful who received some form of education. The rest of the people were seen as little more than beasts of burden.

      However, when people of all class levels were allowed to attend school, learn to read, and grow in knowledge, something amazing happened. The world saw a rapid increase in the development and growth of a wide variety of fields, from manufacturing, to technology, to medicine, and more. Why? Instead of only a few people being able to contribute to the advancement of these fields, now, anyone could.

      The Trickle
      In the Old Testament, God put His Spirit on a select few and sometimes only for a given time. The first King of Israel, Saul, was given the Spirit of God, but after a while, he started getting full of himself and started going against the Lord. So, God removed His Spirit from him.

      We see this throughout the Old Testament. The Spirit would be given to the prophets, some kings, and a few others, but most people did not have the Holy Spirit upon them.

      However, God promised that one day it would be different.

      The Roar
      On Pentecost, shortly after Jesus’ ascension, the Spirit came in power to the disciples. He came in a literal roar and the disciples were filled with the Spirit and began to preach. The Spirit then was given to all believers.

      The Holy Spirit continues to be poured out on all believers.

      “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

      Some people look for the “supernatural” gifts of the Spirit. God can give spiritual gifts of prophecy or visions, but the primary way He speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible. When we only look for these gifts, however, we miss the truly miraculous nature of the other gifts God’s Spirit gives. 

      It is a miracle of the Spirit that we have faith. It is only by His power that we understand God’s Word. You have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and He is your comforter, advocate, guide, He bears fruit in you, He reveals the Scriptures to you, He creates faith and sustains you, and He is a guarantee of your salvation and the resurrection to come.

      Much like the effect of the democratization of information, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit now means that the ministry of the church is not limited to just a few. All believers have God’s Spirit. All believers can minister to one another and share the Gospel with the world.

      When the whole church is ministering to each other and the world by the power of the Holy Spirit, amazing things happen!

      Dear Jesus,

      Thank you for sending your Spirit. May Your Spirit guide me and protect me and keep me in true faith to life everlasting. May I be filled with Your Spirit and minister to my Christian brothers and sisters as well as share the Gospel with all those around me who do not know You. 

      Amen.

      In Christ’s Service,

      Pastor Kurt

      Lost in Translation
      Kurt Steinbrueck
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      Lost in Translation

        Lost in Translation

        “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14

        Have you ever tried to explain something about God to someone and they just don’t can’t get it?

        The other day Melissa and I were looking at some books to get our daughter. One of them was about how to make good choices in your tween years. I read some of the reviews on Amazon and was taken aback by one of them.

        In the description of the book, it was very clear that the author was a Christian and that the concepts in the book were based on her faith. The first few reviews were 5 stars. Then there was a 1-star review.

        Why 1 star?

        Here’s my version of their review…

        I thought this book was just about making good decisions, but the author brings religion into it. I don’t think you should bring religion into how to make choices.

        They Just Don’t Get It
        My first thought was, “Wow! I don’t think this person understands the concept of religion. Of course, someone’s religion is going to affect how they make good choices.”

        Today’s passage makes it clear that this really shouldn’t surprise us. Natural man (those without the Holy Spirit) just cannot understand the ways of God. It’s like trying to explain something to someone from a completely different culture with a completely different language.

        The Great Translator
        It’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we understand God’s Word. He reveals the truth to us. That’s what Jesus means when He tells Peter after Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah,

        “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 16:17

        So, as we read God’s Word, we pray that the Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds and reveal the truth to us. As we share the Gospel with non-Christians, we pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal that Gospel truth to that person and give them faith.

        Don’t be surprised when those outside the faith don’t get it. They can’t. Rather, pray that God’s Word would be shared with them and the Holy Spirit bring them to faith so they might understand.

        Holy Spirit,

        Open my heart and mind to receive and understand Your Word. Teach me Your ways and show me Your path.

        Amen.

        In Christ’s Service,

        Pastor Kurt

        Comforted to be a Comfort
        Kurt Steinbrueck
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        Comforted to be a Comfort

          comforted to be a comfort

          “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

          Are you hurting?

          God cares. He not only cares. He actively comforts us. In fact, one of the names for the Holy Spirit is “The Comforter!”

          God knows what it’s like to suffer and He knows if you are suffering. He is not callous or unmoved. He doesn’t always remove the suffering, but He loves you and will comfort you in the suffering.

          How Does God Comfort Us?

          God comforts us in many ways. One of the greatest ways He does this is through His Word. In His Word, God gives us His promises and shows us His love. The Holy Spirit also gives us peace beyond our circumstances and beyond our understanding. 

          Also, God often comforts others through His people, the church. They share His Word, empathize, care for others, and can even give nice, warm hugs.

          Blessed to be a Blessing:

          God told Abraham he would be blessed to be a blessing to all nations. What God meant is that He would bless Abraham to have many descendants and that one of those descendants would be be our savior, Jesus. God also blesses us to be a blessing to others, yes, through the love and salvation Jesus gives us, and also through the comfort He brings

          He comforts you not only for your sake, but so that you can then comfort others.

          Is there someone you know who you could comfort, today?

          Heavenly Father,

          Praise be Your name for You show us great compassion. Please comfort me as I go through…

          (pray over anything you are suffering through)

          As You comfort me, help me to also be a comfort to others, especially bringing the comfort You give through Your Word and Spirit.

          Amen

          In Christ’s Service,

          Pastor Kurt

          The Trinity Sermon
          Kimberly
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          The Trinity Sermon

          The Trinity Sermon

          Sermon for June 16, 2019

          Join us for worship this Sunday at 4 pm.

          We use the dance studio at Song and Dance to hold worship services.

          Song and Dance, Inc.
          27221 Foamflower Blvd.
          Wesley Chapel, FL 33544

          Follow us at facebook.com/FaithWesleyChapel/

          See you Sunday and God bless!

          Pastor Kurt Steinbrueck

          Earth, Wind, and Fire – Pentecost
          Kurt Steinbrueck
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          Earth, Wind, and Fire – Pentecost

          Earth, Wind, and Fire – Pentecost

          “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” – Acts 2:1-4

          Today is Pentecost Sunday. It is the day we celebrate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had been around before this. He is part of the Triune God. He there at the creation of the world and the Bible tells of God’s Spirit being upon certain men and women throughout the Old Testament.

          However, the fact that the Holy Spirit was only upon certain people in the Old Testament is the big difference. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out onto many.

          “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;” – Acts 2:16-18

          On Pentecost Sunday we celebrate that the Holy Spirit is now upon all those who have faith and is working throughout the world to create faith in people’s hearts through the proclamation of God’s Word. It’s not just a select few who have the Holy Spirit. It’s not just prophets, priests, and royalty who are filled with the Holy Spirit…or is it?

          In the recent sermon series, I Am…, we have been hearing about our identity with 1 Peter 2:9 as our guide.

          “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” – 1 Peter 2:9

          As Christians, we are royalty, we are priests, and we are those who proclaim the Word of God to people (prophets). Perhaps it is better to think of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit not just as the expansion of who has the Holy Spirit, but who God is calling to be His prophets, priests, and kings and to whom God is sending His people.

          The Good News of God’s favor is for all people. As we receive the power of the Holy Spirit, we are sent as His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

          The Holy Spirit does many things (comfort, teach, advocate, transform, conform us, etc.), but chief among these is to point people to Jesus and salvation. This is the first thing we see happen on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came upon and they went out and proclaimed the Gospel.

          “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” – Acts 2:38-39

          Praise God for sending His Spirit. May the Spirit work in our lives to conform us to the likeness of Christ. May He move in us to be His witnesses throughout the world.

          Heavenly Father,

          Thank you for Your Spirit. Fill us. Renew us. Transform us. Send us.

          Amen.

          In Christ’s Service,

          Pastor Kurt

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            27221 Foamflower Blvd.
            Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
            Ph: ‪(813) 602-1104‬
            Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Church in Wesley Chapel, FL

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