by Shannon Tillman | May 29, 2025 | Bible Study, Theology, Thoughts
My husband played a song to practice for Sunday morning. The lyrics beckoned the Holy Spirit to come, for He is welcome in our midst. The song was beautiful. As I pondered the words, I asked myself, “Do we really want the Holy Spirit to come? Do we understand what we are asking in this?” Too often, I think the church has a misguided perception of the Holy Spirit. We expect His presence to be like cotton candy, soft and fluffy. We forgot that He is the fullness of the Holy God who reigns over the entire universe.
I began asking these questions to my husband, but realized that this early morning, pre-caffeine setting would not be a good time for the conversation. However, later Kevin mentioned in the worship service that we often want the Holy Spirit to come as our Teacher and our Guide. But do we truly want to accept Him as the One who convicts us of sin and our need of transformation? (My husband listens to me even before he is officially “awake” in the morning. Miracles do happen!)
In some of the final words Jesus spoke before His crucifixion, He foretells the coming of the Holy Spirit.
John 16:7
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus knew that it was for our good that He was going away, so the gift of the Spirit could come. Jesus wanted to send the Spirit to us. He understood the necessity of all of the Spirit’s roles on earth. The Spirit came not just for believers, but for the entire world.
John 16:8-11
When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Jesus was limited on earth by time and space, being contained in a human body. However, the Spirit is limitless, exercising His ministry to the whole world! His powerful ministry points out sin to bring people to belief, to give a picture of what righteousness looks like, and to understand the judgment of the enemy. The Spirit is moving on a global scale to change lives.
When we ask the Holy Spirit to come, we are asking for more than a “feel good” feeling. We are asking for transformation.
1 Peter 1:1b, 2a
To God’s elect…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood…
Part of the ministry of the Spirit to the believer is to sanctify us. That means the Spirit is in the process of purifying us, making us more holy, bringing us into righteousness. The point is to bring every aspect of our lives into obedience to Jesus. The Spirit enables us to do this. When we ask for the Spirit to come, we are inviting Him to do whatever it takes to help us to look more like Jesus. He decides what is righteous and unrighteous, allowed or disallowed, holy or profane. The Spirit should have the final say in our lives because He is Lord.
I do not want to minimize the amazing fact that the Holy Spirit is Comforter, Guide, Teacher, Advocate, Intercessor, and so much more. However, I do want us to know that He is Sanctifier. When we ask for His Presence, we need to give Him the freedom to do whatever He wants in our lives. It is not about us just wanting a super-charged emotional feeling, preferring cotton candy spiritual fluff over the substance and even the difficulty of sanctification. The Holy Spirit is to be God over every part of our lives.
Holy Spirit, come. We need to be transformed. Forgive us for staying comfortable in our unrighteousness. Highlight the areas of our lives You want to change, so that we can be made more like Jesus.
by Kevin Tillman | May 22, 2025 | Bible Study, Thoughts
“The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference. No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do; that is, move on toward the place of crucifixion.”
A.W. Tozer
The term “Christian” has lost so much of it’s power over the years. In many ways it has become a mere label for someone that is mildly spiritual and attends a worship service on occasion. But, being a Christian is far more than attendance, and some mental assent to a set of beliefs. It’s far more than doing good deeds and treating people kindly. Sure, those are great things, and we are indeed commanded to do so. But …
Christianity is about surrendering.
“The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny…”
When we follow Jesus we relinquish our rights. We live in a society that promotes self, personal ambition, and control. The message of the gospel stands in stark contrast.
Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
These aren’t easy words. The first readers of Luke’s gospel would have completely understood the cross as being a symbol of death. A death that was public, very painful, and humiliating on top of that. Before Jesus died He had to carry His own cross to Calvary. It was a one way, dead end walk that was guaranteed to end in death. As we “take up our cross and follow Jesus”, we are giving up our rights. We have committed to a death walk. We can’t dictate our path, the cross determines it for us.
Practically for us, this means we don’t ask God to bless our ambitions. Instead we surrender and yield to His plan. We have to give up our false illusions of control. Does this come easy? Absolutely not. Is it a one time surrender? Jesus answers clearly by telling us it is “daily”. Everything in us wants to pursue self. To put it bluntly, we are selfish. That is our nature. But God’s plan is surrender.
“That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference.”
Once we pick up the cross, Tozer is asserting it should become our defining focus. It’s not some side gig or hobby. It’s not just an “add on” to our daily lives. It’s not some occasional religious duty we perform. The cross becomes everything. The cross isn’t just one compartment of our lives. The cross is our place of death. All our movements, all our decisions, all our relationships. All are absorbed by the cross. It is indeed an “interference”. It gets in the way of our choices.
“No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do.”
As we continue living in this interference changes start happening. Our desires begin to change. Our decisions begin to change. It’s a holy interference. Denying self and taking up the cross goes against our selfish desires, but in time our entire identity starts changing. Pursuing Him becomes part of what we want to do. The things we once valued highly suddenly don’t seem as important. It’s a process, but it’s worth it.
Christianity isn’t just some set of principles. Jesus wasn’t just some prophet that gave some strong advice for living. We are called to die. This death can be hard and even humiliating. But, there’s life, real life on the other side.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
by Shannon Tillman | May 15, 2025 | Bible Study, Thoughts
I am not made for politics. I get upset when the candidates are not kind in their speeches during a debate. I think they should get along and truly listen to one another. Maybe they could even hug at the end or at least give a friendly high-five. I would definitely make the other candidates uncomfortable and unsettled if the debate went my way. My problem is I want others to like me. I do not want to fight or even have a minor disagreement. I would rather us eat popcorn together and laugh over silly stories. In my little world, everybody should get along.
However, the truth is that not everyone is going to like us (even though I think we are amazing!) When we live for the acceptance of others, we remove our focus from God’s acceptance and calling over our lives. We can do everything “right” and still be “wrong” in the eyes of some.
Mordecai, whose story is found in the book of Esther, exemplifies someone consistently doing what was right. He raised an orphan cousin by the name of Esther. He gave her wise counsel in protecting her Jewish heritage so she would not be targeted by prejudice in the royal courts. When Esther became queen, Mordecai still checked on his adopted child to ensure her well-being. When a murderous plot came against the king, Mordecai informed Esther so that the king’s life was spared. Mordecai refused to bow down to an evil man named Haman and was willing to risk his life in doing such a noble deed. Besides all of that, it was Mordecai who encouraged Esther to risk her life to save her people from the murderous plot by Haman that would have wiped out every Jew in the entire kingdom. Mordecai wrote letters to help the Jews so that they were able to defeat the enemy. These actions are still celebrated thousands of years later during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Mordecai had remarkable achievements including being promoted to the highest-ranking official in the kingdom.
Esther 10:3
Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his MANY fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. (emphasis mine)
Did you catch that? Mordecai was held in high esteem by “many” fellow Jews, but not all. This a reminder that you can do everything right and still have relatives or others not esteem you. Mordecai saved a nation of people, helped rule an empire, championed rights for the Jews and yet some did not respect him.
In our lives, we will experience those who do not like us. However, if we live trying to gain their approval, we are not living for the approval of God.
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
We cannot serve the Lord and please people at the same time. Not everyone is going to like us along the way, but that is not the goal for our lives. To make an eternal impact, we must do what is right, which is accepted by some and not by others. We must choose to live for God alone.
by Shannon Tillman | May 8, 2025 | Bible Study, Thoughts
I cannot follow instructions. When there is an item that needs to be assembled, I stare blankly at the directions. I had my nine-year-old niece put together a baby basinet because I could not figure it out. I knew the baby would be safer with her assembly than mine. We did not tell her mother about it for years!
I need directions simplified. Jesus makes life easy. Every decision, every action, every word choice, every relationship can be evaluated by two simple commands. These instructions were originally given in the Old Testament. Jesus takes them to summarize how to evaluate every aspect of our lives.
Mark 12:28b-31
…“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Love God and love others. It is all about Him and them. Think through decisions, behaviors, choices, words, time, money, relationships. Put them in the context of loving God and loving others. Are we obeying the commands of love? If not, what changes need to be made so that we are following these instructions? If we are violating the commands of love, then we need to confess this sin, repent, and choose to do whatever it takes to obey the directive of love.
I do want to make a note that love is hinged with truth. Sometimes, we separate the two and treat love as an all encompassing “free pass” for others to harm us. Love has boundaries. God loved the nation of Israel, yet He left them to the consequences of their sin by allowing nations to oppress them and even take them into captivity. Love is not about rescuing those who do not want to be rescued, or incurring mistreatment from those who refuse to change.
That is why we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We need to recognize our value and show concern for our own well-being. To be emotionally whole leads us to love others effectively. From the love we have for ourselves, which is rooted in the love God has for us, we can then love others. Maybe the first question for some of us should be, “Do I love myself?” If we are struggling with that love, then it is time to ask the Father to show us how to love ourselves, so we can truly love others.
I challenge all of us today to evaluate these two commands (by the way, they are not suggestions). “Do I love God? Do I love others as myself? Where am I violating these commands of love?” As God reveals to us areas that must change; may our love for God, love for others, and love for ourselves compel us to do whatever it takes to be transformed into a life of love. Jesus gave simple directions: Love God and love others as yourself. May each of us follow those instructions today to build a community of love.
by Kevin Tillman | May 1, 2025 | Thoughts
“I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.”
Dwight L. Moody
How’s that for a strong quote to start off? Convicting to many I’m sure. In this short quote by Moody two words in particular stuck out to me.
The first word was “useful”. Can someone be a Christian without a healthy intake of the Bible? Yes. Are they “useful” to the Kingdom? According to Moody, he hasn’t met one.
The second word was “student”. Being a student implies more than a casual reader. In a day where we can see a Bible verse on a meme in our social media feeds, we can “read” the Bible quite a bit. Verses are everywhere from social media to billboards. But, are these casual glances enough to be a “student”? I think we know the answer. I’m definitely not against scripture being posted on social media feeds, but it’s just simply not enough. Several reasons come to mind. First, a one verse meme can easily be misinterpreted. A false teaching can arise out of a verse taken out of context. Second, without studying the Bible in it’s totality, the bigger picture can be missed. Third, and maybe most importantly, we aren’t allowing God to speak to us through His Word.
Can God speak through just one verse here and there? Of course He can, but that’s not the point. The point is He has given us His Word. He has literally given us answers. He has given us His voice. It’s in our hands. Now we have to be “students” to be “useful”.
Imagine that you have a relative that passed away. Think back on someone that you were close to. In my case I think back to my grandfather that passed away in 2002. He was rough around the edges in so many ways, but he taught me so much. He had a strong work ethic. He grew up poor. He had polio his entire life. But, he never quit. He was tough. He also took me on many adventures as a kid growing up. I saw things and traveled with my grandfather. To this day, much of who I am was shaped by his influence. But now, imagine that I find a book that has a cover that reads “To Kevin, Instructions for Living”. Inside of this book is a collection of stories, truths, laws, parables, prophecies, etc. It’s all written directly to me from him. Would I read it? You bet I would. Would you read a book like that? I know you would.
I’m sure you see the point. That’s the Bible. It’s God’s direct Word to us. Not only that, but there is a promise that God’s Spirit will help us interpret it. It’s not just words on a page, it’s life giving to us.
Without geeking out on specific polling data here are some conclusions drawn by pollsters:
- Most Americans believe the Bible has been the most influential book in history (this even includes younger people polled).
- A majority believe the Bible contains everything someone needs to know in life.
But, that’s where the positive stats end. Pollsters go on to find that many don’t trust the Bible as completely true. They view it as “just another religious book”.
This I believe is key. It starts with our foundational belief in the Bible. If we believe it is truly the inspired Word of God that He has given directly to us, then it should promote our reading. If though, it’s just a “good book” full of some “good application points”, then it’s just another book on the shelf with other self-help books.
Another blog for another day is the defense of the Bible as being the authentic Word of God. Proving the Bible is indeed God’s Word to us is actually not as complicated as one might think. It’s truly too much for this blog post, but here are some bullet points:
- It’s been proven by historical accuracy and archeological digs.
- It’s thematically unified despite being written by approximately 40 different people, across three continents, over roughly 2,000 years. These people were from all different walks of life (scholars to shepherds).
- It made bold future prophetic predictions that were fulfilled with 100% accuracy. By the way there’s still somewhere around 25% of prophecies to be fulfilled. We literally have a future-telling book in our possession.
The Bible isn’t just another book, it is THE BOOK. God does amazing things in the lives of those that bury themselves in it.
Here’s the encouragement from this blog: Become a “student” of the Bible today. Commit to more than just a casual read. The Bible is the greatest book of all time for a reason. It is the one and only book written by God Himself. It’s stood the test of time, and still continues to change lives today. Put it to the test. Pick it up, give it a try, and watch what God will do.
