Author: Tim Ehrhardt

I'm just a common ordinary pastor, chaplain, father, grandfather, and dog owner who loves the smell of a genuine leather Bible and the aroma of its message. I'm on a quest to track down the best Bibles, how to best read and use them, and to discover the encouragement inside.

Ephesians 1:17-19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            “I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit.  The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God.  My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you.  Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.  I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers” (CEV).
 
            A few observations about this biblical prayer:  praying this makes every Christian a “Pentecostal” believer, whether you are in a Pentecostal denomination or not; and, God wants us to pray that his Holy Spirit will give us spiritual wisdom and understanding so that we will know his great power.  Out of all the things we might pray, we really ought not to fail in praying biblical prayers.  And this is a doozy of a prayer!
 
            Let me lay down a challenge to you:  pray this prayer every day for two weeks, beginning today.  Yes, every single day.  Maybe even multiple times in the day.  Pray it for yourself, your church, your family, your friends, and even for those who do not yet know that they need Jesus.  Pray this prayer for the Spirit and, after fourteen days (up to and including June 1) see if there is any change, any difference in your life, in your congregation, and in your relationships.  There is no need to keep bemoaning the state of religion and the lack of spirituality in this world when we have such a prayer as this to pray.  Let’s you and me have less complaining, more praying, please.
 

 

            Mighty God, give me your Spirit.  May the light of your gracious gospel flood my heart so that I will experientially know all of the blessings of Christ’s redemption and the incomparably great power available to me because of his finished work on the cross.  Amen.

Luke 1:26-38

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            “Nothing is impossible for God!”  So the angel said to Mary concerning the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about the births of both John and Jesus.  Mary’s response is one full of faith and commitment:  “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.”  I admire the confident belief of Mary.  There was no cognitive disconnection or spiritual gap between her hearing the Word of God and exercising faith.
 
            It is far too easy to relegate the power of the Holy Spirit and the faith of others to special saintly-type persons.  We common folk cannot surely have such faith!  Yet, we are all called to a life of faith believing that the impossible is always possible with God.  In those times when we think God certainly cannot or will not forgive us for sinning yet again, we are called to trust in the gospel of grace which turns impossible sinners into saints full of possibility.  In those seasons of life where cynicism and sarcasm become our constant companions because we have lost hope that life can be different, God breaks in and speaks impossible words of expectancy which blows our hearts open to the Spirit’s work.  In the days when our faith seems so small and puny that even getting out of bed seems impossible, God takes the littlest mustard seed of belief and grows it so big that even our spiritual blindness can see it.
 
            Just as Mary had to believe and patiently wait for the child within her to gestate, so we must simply believe, wait, and watch for the growth that God gives in the power of his Spirit.  For faith is not some human engineered checklist of right beliefs, but is an active relationship with God through Christ by means of his Holy Spirit.  We only learn such a faith by trying, failing, receiving grace, and going at it again.  Our lives are not impossibly messed up and hopeless because we serve the God of all possibilities.
 

 

            Mighty God, I want to believe; help me in my unbelief!  May I have the faith of Mary so that I can see the power of your Holy Spirit in action through my life into this world.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Pentecost

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
            Just this morning a group of us guys from church had a large grill session of burgers, brats, and hot dogs in preparation for a Sunday celebration.  This time of year is hugely significant when we attune ourselves to Holy Time because it is Pentecost.  Ten days after recognizing Christ’s Ascension, and fifty days after our Lord’s resurrection from death, the Christian Calendar observes the day of Pentecost (which literally means “fifty” in Greek).  The day coincides with an established Jewish festival, the Feast of Weeks.  Back in the day, Jerusalem would be filled with all kinds of different nationalities and ethnicities during the festival.
 
            Pentecost is often known as the birthday of the church.  It marks the time when the Holy Spirit came upon the fledgling believers in power.  The account is found in the New Testament book of Acts:  “On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers [120 believers] were together in one place.  Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind!  It filled the house where they were meeting.  Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there.  The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak” (Acts 2:1-4).  The upshot of it all was that Peter, once an up-and-down follower, was filled with the Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.  His call to repentance and faith in Jesus led directly to three-thousand persons added to the little band of one-hundred twenty.
 
            But it didn’t stop there.  We live in a tremendous age in which all believers in Jesus have the same Holy Spirit as our spiritual ancestors.  It is an era of the Spirit empowering the church to reach the world with the good news that there is forgiveness and grace through the person and work of Christ.  So, then, the church possesses confidence and security in knowing that the Spirit’s enablement and power is available for the mission of proclaiming Christ to the nations.  It is an immense call, a calling that befits the bigness of God.
 
            There are a wide range of Christian celebrations of Pentecost. Some churches do not recognize the holiday at all. Most churches at least mention it in prayer, song, or sermon. Other churches go all out, with worship focused on remembering the first Pentecost and praying for a similar outpouring of divine power.  Churches that employ liturgical colors generally use red on Pentecost as a symbol of power and fire of the Spirit.
 
            Pentecost reminds us that Christians are meant to live in the presence and in the power of the Holy Spirit, all day, every day, 24/7.  It is a chance to confess our shortcomings and failures because of fear, apathy, and selfishness, and to ask for a fresh infusing and infilling of God’s wonderful Spirit.  Pentecost flings every single believer into a congregational whole, the church, and lets us know that we are not to be rugged individualists acting alone but are part of the Body of Christ.    Thus, we must renew our commitment to the church for whom Christ died and the Spirit is ready to use.  Pentecost throws disparate people together in a unified whole, made up of every kind of language, nationality, ethnicity, gender, and race.  We are all to use the gifts of the Spirit given to us for the benefit of building up one another.
 
            The church is the church because of the Holy Spirit.  We are to do the work of spreading the gospel in passionate outreach using the power of the Spirit, equipping and encouraging each other displaying the fruit of the Spirit, and worshiping the person of the Spirit for always being present with us.
 

 

            Pentecost was and is a watershed event.  Worship, community, and outreach are the logical extensions and the collective responsibility of each and every church around the globe.  In solidarity, let the day of Pentecost be recognized and observed with heartfelt thanksgiving and renewed impulses to exercising our spiritual abilities graciously promised by Jesus and given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 104:24-35

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            All of creation depends on each part in a complex ecosystem which is alive and teeming with all kinds of creatures and exuberant nature.  And all of this creation depends completely on the hand of God that formed it.  Without God, there would be no living holistic creation working together to flourish over the earth.  Humanity, along with the rest of creation, is to sing and praise the God who has made life possible by means of his powerful Spirit.
 
            This same Spirit which worked in creation, animates all creatures, and has left the imprint of God’s likeness on humans, is the very same Spirit which came upon the little band of believers at Pentecost, as well as being the very same Spirit which is given to you and me as followers of Jesus.  Just as we are to listen to the voice of creation praise God; just as we are to listen to the ancient voices of Holy Scripture lift up the name of Jesus; we are to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit of God filling us, guiding us, and empowering us for love and service in the name of Jesus Christ.
 
            In our fast paced society of fast food, fast cars, fast service, and fast everything, there is something profoundly spiritual about slowing down in order to listen to God’s Spirit speaking.  Today when you eat your meals, take the time to chew slowly, thanking God in a rhythm of praise which is connected to the gratitude of each bite.  Carve out some time to walk the dog, and do it slowly, listening to the sounds of creation around you.  Hear it all giving praise and adoration to the God who is pleased to fill creation with his glory.  For, if we do not hear God speaking it is because we are not listening.
 

 

            Mighty God, I join with all creation to sing your praises and give adoration to the Name of Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me through the power of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.