"John answered, saying, 'I indeed baptized you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.'" (Luke 3:16, 17)
I read an article this morning about a woman who was sterilize under the eugenic laws in North Carolina, laws which were in effect from 1929 to 1974. It was like reading something out of Germany in the 1930's. I knew about this years ago from the Nuremberg Trials transcripts (yes, I have indeed read some of them). In a historic- novel film of the early 1960's, one of the defending jurists referred to such laws in the US to show that Germany did not invent such barbarity. While this film is referred to as "a fictionalized version of the trials," much of it is based on actual facts and personages.
Man today keeps looking for good people and bad people. He has to do this so that he can excuse and justify himself in his denial of the Preeminence and Supremacy of Jesus Christ, "the (only) way, the (only) truth, and the (only) life." He just will not accept, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Listen particularly to the religious and political so-call "left," their constant agitating of class warfare and people group warfare in our own nation as well as the nations of the world. It is all motivated by the need to find blame for the chaos of the human condition and perhaps worse, self justification. Our Gospel reading for today reveals just how Jesus will deal with all of this; it is a "side" of Jesus which most never mention or discuss.
During the Charismatic Renewal of the mid twentieth century, the first part of our text was widely used in meetings. Verse 17, however, was very rarely, if at all, mentioned, typical of religionists (in the pulpit and the pew!). The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for relationship in the Blessed Trinity, to equip us to, "disciple the nations," to pray the will of God, to do, "works of service." But by the "wind" of the Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus will also, "thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire." I embrace this gift of the Holy Spirit.
Father, in Jesus' Name, my consolation today is what Peter said, "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation." Amen.
***********
www.apf327.blogspot.com
I read an article this morning about a woman who was sterilize under the eugenic laws in North Carolina, laws which were in effect from 1929 to 1974. It was like reading something out of Germany in the 1930's. I knew about this years ago from the Nuremberg Trials transcripts (yes, I have indeed read some of them). In a historic- novel film of the early 1960's, one of the defending jurists referred to such laws in the US to show that Germany did not invent such barbarity. While this film is referred to as "a fictionalized version of the trials," much of it is based on actual facts and personages.
Man today keeps looking for good people and bad people. He has to do this so that he can excuse and justify himself in his denial of the Preeminence and Supremacy of Jesus Christ, "the (only) way, the (only) truth, and the (only) life." He just will not accept, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Listen particularly to the religious and political so-call "left," their constant agitating of class warfare and people group warfare in our own nation as well as the nations of the world. It is all motivated by the need to find blame for the chaos of the human condition and perhaps worse, self justification. Our Gospel reading for today reveals just how Jesus will deal with all of this; it is a "side" of Jesus which most never mention or discuss.
During the Charismatic Renewal of the mid twentieth century, the first part of our text was widely used in meetings. Verse 17, however, was very rarely, if at all, mentioned, typical of religionists (in the pulpit and the pew!). The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for relationship in the Blessed Trinity, to equip us to, "disciple the nations," to pray the will of God, to do, "works of service." But by the "wind" of the Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus will also, "thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire." I embrace this gift of the Holy Spirit.
Father, in Jesus' Name, my consolation today is what Peter said, "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation." Amen.
***********
www.apf327.blogspot.com
"Looking unto Jesus"
