We all want to live the Christian life with the kind of wisdom and power that Jesus displayed. As crazy as it sounds we can. In John 14:12 Jesus says to His disciples, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” How can we possibly be a part of these greater works? In Mark 9:29 our Lord reminds us of the power of fasting and prayer. Fasting and prayer are part of our one two punch against the dark forces of this world. Why? Because when we fast we don’t focus on feeding our flesh but make room for God to feed our spirit. And the more our spirit is strengthened by the Holy Spirit the more focused and effective are our prayers.
All this works to fulfill our three fold baptism. What do I mean? (for a more complete explanation check out the podcast on our website archives from 8/28 Hot Topics: Three Baptisms) The short version goes something like this. We are baptized in the Father to admit our sins (the ways in which have failed to live out God’s law of love) and repent or change our ways. We are baptized in the Son, Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. We are cleansed by His blood and continually receive His grace to get up and try again. We are baptized in the Holy Spirit to be filled with God’s wisdom and power to live out our lives as one of God’s ambassadors in the world. Though water baptism may be a one time event, our need for repentance, forgiveness, wisdom and power to live like Jesus goes on. It may be you are a baptized believer but you have become disheartened by your lack of impact in your world. Maybe you are not a believer but would like to know your purpose and receive the wisdom and power to live it out. Come and join with us here at Pathfinder church as we seek to learn to live more like Jesus.