Ephesians 4:30

We have now come to the fourth and last in this series of articles on the important subject of grieving the Holy Spirit. In the first article we noted that it is possible for a believer to commit this sin. Then in the second article we described how it happens, and last week we looked into the sad results of grieving the dear Holy Spirit. Now today, as we finish, we will look at the way a Christian can stop grieving Him.

It is important to note that we are not talking about a sin which results in a truly born again Christian to lose his salvation. That is secure. Paul says, in verse 30 "....by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." We are referring to the loss of fellowship, of getting answers to prayer. But that is still a very sad and serious state for any believer to be in. So we need to ask- How does one stop grieving Him?

After the warning us not to grieve the Spirit, in Ephesians 4:30, Paul goes on to tell us that we do not need to continue to practice our sins. He gives us several clearly stated steps:

1. First we are told what not to do. We are to "put away" all bitterness, wrath, anger clamour and evil speaking with all malice. Step one is that the believer is to take the initiative and turn from these known actions. To persist is to disobey God. While it is not possible for us to do this ourselves, we should remember that what God orders, He pays for. Back of all of His commands, He puts His omnipotent power. He has promised, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." So you and I have no excuse for continuing with a hateful unforgiving attitude toward others.

2. Then we are told what to do. As is so often the case, when God asks us to step away from wrong-doing, He gives us something to take its place. In verse 32 of this fourth chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul was inspired to give believers a list of what to do. Here they are:

A. Be kind to one another. B. Be tenderhearted. C. Forgive one another.

Then Paul tells us the reason we should take these steps when He writes," ...even as God in Christ forgave you."

Have you been grieving the Holy Spirit? Have you been doing it without even realizing it? Then I urge you to turn from it. To do so causes harm to the work of God, His church. So please,STOP IT. in the strength of the Lord, and become a kind, tenderhearted, forgiving person. When you do, you'll enjoy sweet fellowship with the Lord and others, and God will be able to answer your prayers again. God bless you.

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God...." Ephesians 4:30

In this column two weeks ago we noted what it means to grieve the Spirit of God, then in last Sunday's post, we looked into the causes of grieving Him. Now this morning we take another step in this subject.

THE TRAGIC RESULTS OF GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT

First, we must face the fact that grieving the dear Holy Spirit is sin. And if that sin is not confessed, there is immediately a broken fellowship with the Lord. This means then that our prayers are not answered, because Psalm 66:18 tells us, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."Or, if I see sin in my life and look upon it favourably, God turns His back and does not listen to me, even when I pray. When any one of us grieves the Spirit, though we do not lose our salvation, for that is guaranteed, we have cut ourselves off from the Lord and His blessings. We will make it into heaven, but we will not enjoy His grace on the journey.

Second, when we show bitterness, anger, wrath and speak evil of others, that is an indication that we have not forgiven those who may have wronged us. And the price of unforgiveness is very high. In Matthew 6: 15, Jesus said, "...if you do not forgave men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." This does not mean that unforgiveness results in one's losing his or her salvation. But what it does mean is that though we are saved, and we have been promised eternal life, if we as believers refuse to forgive others who may have offended us, the Lord will not forgive us of our daily sins. That means then that we are out of fellowship with Him and when we sin, or sin is not forgiven. What a tragic life that is, living with unforgiven sins.

Third- Imagine the hypocrisy of Christians serving in a local church who continually ignore this important warning "...do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." When this is happening, and so often we are not even aware of it, or we try to pretend it is not happening, we continue to go through the motions of "serving the Lord." What a mockery, pretending to be serving our Heavenly Father, but grieving His Spirit with the result that He does not hear us, and He does not forgive us.

Next week we will look into the way out of this awful pit we have dug for ourselves, and see how to stop grieving the Holy Spirit. Please read this column next Sunday. It could change your life.

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking be put a way from you  with all malice."Ephesians 4:31

In the last post, I began this article on Paul's strong warning for believers not to "grieve" the Holy Spirit. When this happens, we as God's children run the risk of hurting the very work of God of which we are a part. You may recall that I outlined four important points we will think about. The first was what it meansto "grieve" the Holy Spirit. Now today we will take a second step in this important truth, as we considerhow we, as believers may grieve the blessed Holy Spirit. In verse 31, Paul gives us six ways in which this sad act may be committed. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed.  
1. By  "bitterness." This means resentfulness, harshness. We are to rid our lives of  all manner of bitterness. 
2. By "wrath" which is a violent outbreak of anger boiling up and then soon subsiding again. 3.By "anger"  This is not "righteous indignation" but simply human passion here. 
4. By "clamour" which is loud or vehement shouting or noise. It is the outward manifestation of anger. 
5. By "evil  speaking." This is slanderous or injurious speech  about another person. Paul says these five instruments of grieving the  Holy Spirit in a Christian's life are to be "put away." Then he adds, 
6. By all "malice" or having a desire to harm or cause difficulty to others.    

These attitudes, actions or traits are dangerous characteristics of  our sinful nature. They are common in the world, but with the indwelling presence of the  Holy Spirit, they should not be a part of a believer's life   and  testimony. If we permit them to be  present in our lives, we "grieve" the dear Holy Spirit, and harm the work of God. Let us beware!    In next week's post, we will deal with the third part of our discussion- What is the result of grieving the Holy Spirit? Please stay tuned.
Pastor Alex Rockwell

 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God...." Ephesians 4:30 

Please read Ephesians 4:30 again. Paul was inspired to write it to believers,  then and now about our relationship to the third person of the godhead, the Holy  Spirit. Please take note of a few points with me:
1. Only a person can be  grieved. You can't grieve an inanimate object.
2. The Holy Spirit is a person  who can be grieved.
3. A person can only be grieved by a friend or loved one,  not by a stranger. Only Christians can grieve the Holy Spirit.

Today, and in the  next few weeks in this column we will attempt to answer several important
questions.  We will only have space to deal with one of them today.
They are as follows: 
1. What does it mean to "grieve" the Holy Spirit? 
2. What causes one to grieve the Holy Spirit? 
3. What is the result of grieving the Holy Spirit? 
4. How does a believer stop grieving the Holy Spirit?


What Does It Mean To Grieve the Holy Spirit? 
The word grief means deep or intense sorrow. So the word  "grieve" means to cause deep or intense sorrow. Because we are told not to  grieve the Holy Spirit, it means that because we are loved by the Lord, we can  grieve Him. That is a sobering thought isn't it? So what Paul is saying to us  clearly means that there are certain thoughts, attitudes, or actions a Christian
can have that grieves the Holy Spirit. We'll be looking into that next week.  Since we as a congregation are on the verge of making serious decisions on a new  Pastor, on a children's ministry and other matters, we could hurt the work of  God if we are in a state of grieving the Holy Spirit. We really need to pay  attention, lest we hurt the work of God here in Georgetown. Stay tuned!  (Pastor Alex Rockwell)

The Bible reveals that there are two basic requirements for a person to become a genuine Christian. They are first, repentance, and second, faith. Let's take a look at these vital requirements.


First the matter of repentance. In Acts 2, Peter preached a powerful sermon. Those who heard it were convicted of their sins and need for God in their lives. Verse 37 says, "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter, and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter responded by saying, "Repent." This refers to a change of mind and purpose that turns a person from sin to God. Then Peter said, "and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." This is not teaching that we must repent and be baptized in order to be saved. Because when we consider the rest of the Bible's teaching about being saved, we realize that baptism could not possible be a requirement for salvation. The thief on the cross had no opportunity to be baptized, but Jesus told him "this day you shall be with me in paradise."

And Ephesians 2:8,9 says, "by grace are you saved through faith, and not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast." So we ask, what does this verse in Acts 2:38 means? God does not contradict Himself. The answer is that when a person is saved, he or she is told to be baptized (immersed in water) to identify with Christ's death, burial and resurrection. In the early church, baptism was so closely associated with believing and being saved that when a person was baptized, everyone knew he or she was saved. The little word "for" can also be translated "because of" which means that Peter was probably saying, "Repent and be baptized 'because of the remission of sins'."

Second, the matter of faith. When the Philippian jailer wanted to know how to be saved, Paul did not say, get baptized, join the church, turn over a new leaf. He said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Jesus said in Mark 1:15 "Repent and believe in the gospel." Paul summed it up in Romans 1:16 when he wrote "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God to salvation, for everyone who believes." 

God's only requirements for salvation are Repentance and Faith. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward  experience which has already taken place, not to produce salvation, but to demonstrate a change of heart.
(Pastor Alex Rockwell)

One of my favourite passages in the book of Acts is found in Chapter Two, verses forty-two and forty-three. It captures the heart of the early church in its infancy. That church is surely the model for us to follow in the 21st century.

It says, "Then those who gladly received His Word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers."

I like it because in two short verses, it describes genuine conversions - "those who gladly received His Word". It contains obedience to the Lord because it says they "were baptized". It speaks of growth since "that day about three thousand souls were added to them". But there is more, for they were firmly established "in the Apostles' doctrine" and "breaking of bread". Then it says that they enjoyed "fellowship" and "prayers".

What a wonderful church! What an example for us at Georgetown Baptist to follow!
(Pastor Alex Rockwell)

“And he brought him to Jesus.” Those words stood out to me many years ago, and many times since when I was contemplating the words I heard from a godly Christian leader. His words were, “The thing that is closest to the heart of  God is getting people to Jesus.” 

Those special words, “And he brought him to Jesus” were spoken about Andrew, when he led his own brother, Simon Peter, later to become the famous preacher and winner of souls. The story is found in the first chapter of John’s gospel, verses 35-42. In  those inspired words there are wonderful lessons for us all. 

First we saw Andrew’s CONSECRATION in verses 35 and 36. Andrew heard of Christ, became instantly interested and then began to follow the Saviour. Then he demonstrated CONCERN in verse 41 where we learn that he first found his own brother Simon. In that same verse, we see Andrew’s CONTACT. He did not just  think about Simon’s need to also follow Christ, but he spoke up and said, “We have found the Messiah.” And perhaps best of all, there was a CONVERSION, since John wrote, “And he brought him to Jesus.” And the rest, we know is history. 

May God help us all to Consecrate ourselves to the Lord, show Concern about  the  salvation of others, then  actually do something about it by making Contact  with lost people and rejoice in Conversion as we to bring folks to Jesus.

Pastor Alex Rockwell

There is no doubt that many evangelical churches are far from what they should be and far from the model I laid down in the New Testament. Sadly, many believers have had unfortunate experiences with churches and have been "turned off" by those experiences. Because of this some will never join another church. Others do not believe that church membership is taught in the Bible.

Doubtless, some have genuine reasons for leaving their former churches, and they could not in good conscience continue to attend, support or be a member. Does that justify never becoming a member again? I believe that except in unusual cases, every Christian should join a good Bible based, Christ centered church if there is one available. Here's why:

1. Of the approximately 114 times the word church, or assembly, is found in the New Testament, 92 times the word referred to the local church, such as at Rome, Philippi, or Ephesus. Only 22 times does it refer to the universal church. God is very interested in the local church.
2. The early church had an agreed upon doctrinal statement (the apostles' doctrine) according to Acts 2:42.
3. They voted on various issues to make decisions (Acts 6:5). Membership permits decision making by all, not just a few.
4. They disciplined members who needed it (Acts 5:1-11). Without membership, there can be no biblically based discipline.
5. In Ephesians 5:25, we are told that "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it." If He loved the church, and gave Himself for it, should I not join it?

Pastor Alex Rockwell