Just for the record, I surrendered my life to Christ / Yeshua the Messiah on one particular Saturday morning in the spring of 1977, at the Sheraton Hotel in New Kingston, Jamaica, under the ministry of Deeper Life Ministries. That’s when I believed the gospel presentd by the preacher, was convicted by God’s Spirit about my past sins, repented with many tears (that’s just me) asked forgiveness and received the full, free salvation offered by God the Father through God the Son. That’s when I was born again by the immediate indwelling of God’s Spirit. All of that happened on that day. As a child enters the world once by natural birth, so I entered God’s family once by being “born again”, spiritually. Being born again is no more an on-going process than is natural birth. Since that spring day in 1977, I have been “working out my salvation” (Philippians 2:12) – exploring all its aspects and benefits; submitting myself to its mind-renewing disciplines; reconciling my behaviour to its distiction; marveling at what the apostle Sha’ul (Paul) called “the depth of the riches, of both of the wisdom and knowledge of God”.  By my count, I have now been “born again” for over 38 years, and at this point I’m loving it! But it has not always been easy to live up to my spiritual “family name”. I have only made it thus far with the indispensable help of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Spirit of God/ Spirit of Jesus/ Spirit of Yeshua).

Way back when John the Baptist was immersing people in the Jordan, he said to those who came to him to be baptized (Mark 1:8), “After me comes One (Who) will immerse you in the Ruach haKodesh.” Well, Yeshua – the “One” Who came – fulfilled the first part of John’s prophetic promise almost immediately (Mark 1:9). However, He only began to fulfill the last part after He’d laid aside the limiting “Rabbi from Nazareth” costume and returned to glory. Even before that though, He endorsed the second part of John’s prophecy by re-naming it “the Promise of the Father”, by confirming that He would Personally send the Promise down “upon” the disciples, and that as a result they would be “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Furthermore, being clothed with power from on high was so important that Yeshua told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had received this Promise. They were not to venture out from Jerusalem without it. Then, on that particular Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) which is mentioned in Acts 2, Yeshua began to fulfil this promise and He keeps fulfilling it until today, in the lives of successive generations of disciples.

When I was immersed in the Caribbean Sea by a modern day baptist and came up sputtering, the water ran right off me, having fulfulled its symbolic function. However, when I received the Promise of the Father months later, the “clothing” of power from on high that was showered down on me (immersing me in its other-worldly consistency) did not run off like water. Instead, it seemed to penetrate me, and pour out of me in trickles, squirts and spurts over time, without being depleted at the Source. That ever-living water is the sustainability secret that has kept me over these 38 years, and flowed through me in varying measures to others as well. Praise the Lord! Read more about it in …

TGIF: Thank God It’s Friday by M. Evangeline Anderson

From Xulon Press

From Amazon.com (eBook or paperback)

From Barnes and Noble (eBook or paperback)

At “Perfect Books” bookstore, 258 Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa, you’ll be able to purchase autographed copies of my books on Sunday August 16, from 2 to 4 PM. Click on this link:  Book Signing – MEA 1.5

I have a word for someone out there, which is also a reminder for all of us, myself included. It is this: as Christians we need to avoid all kinds of evil activity, and where possible – even the appearance of doing evil. Otherwise, we risk dangerous accusation against ourselves, we risk leading others astray, and we risk bringing Christianity into disrepute. Sometimes we are so eager to meet the “needs” of someone that we act too hastily, without regard for discretion, propriety and transparency. It is tempting to rationalize that “to the pure all things are pure”, but although that statement (Titus 1:15) is true, it is also true that we neither live among “the pure” nor do we consistently qualify as “the pure”. Since God brought me this reminder this morning, I reviewed the following scriptures that set boundaries for our ACTIONS, however noble our motives may be. Some alternate translations are in parentheses, and you may investigate the translations for yourself 🙂

1 Thessalonians 5:22 – “Keep away (abstain) from every form of evil (all appearance of evil).” Ecclesiastes 7:1 – “Better is a good reputation than precious oil.”  Titus 2:7 – “In all things, show yourself to be an example of good deeds.”  1 Corinthians 8:9 – “Watch out that this freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.”  1 Corinthians 10:32 – “Give no offense either to Jewish or Greeks people or to God’s community.”  2 Corinthians 6:3 – “We give no cause for offense in anything, so that our ministry may not be blamed.”  2 Corinthians 8:21 – “We have regard for what is honorable – not only before the Lord, but also before people.” 

Even Yeshua (Jesus) gave consideration to avoiding the appearance of evil. Matthew 17:24-27 tells the story of Yeshua’s response to the collectors of the Temple tax. Although His knowledge of truth (verse 26) required no payment of this tax, He conceded (verse 27) “But, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw out a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth you will find a coin. Take that and give it to them, for me and you.”

Yeshua paused in His busy schedule, exercised His power over organic and inorganic creation, sent His busy disciples on an impromptu errand – and all for what? To avoid the appearance of “evil” – that is, the perception that He was avoiding the Temple tax which according to the Law all Jews should pay! Yeshua was not going to put a stumbling block before these people and all observers if He could avoid doing so. Since they were not privy to all that He knew, and since their eternal life depended on their eventual response to His gospel, He made a well-considered response to their request – their “need”. Let us do likewise, to the best of our ability 🙂