Aglow In The Spirit: The Secrets of Walking in the Supernatural

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Today we focus on the first fruit of hope. Our text is the first phrase in Romans 12:12 — “Rejoice in hope!” We could paraphrase it like this: “Let your joy be the joy that comes from hope!” Or: “Bear the fruit of joy in the branch of hope!” Or: “Be glad because you have hope!” The text establishes a firm relationship between joy and hope! Much about the fruit of the Spirit can be best understood by looking at the process from a gardening point of view. Since God is the Master Fruit Grower, we need to cooperate with Him so our lives will grow and develop spiritual fruit. Our Purpose in Being Planted

Here is a joy in the word of God that is not a spiritual joy and is no evidence that a true conversion has taken place. It is not the work of the indwelling Spirit of God. It does not have the character of Christ’s joy. It vanishes like the dew when the hot sun of affliction rises in the sky. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” And since the text says, “Rejoice in hope,” we ask, “How does hope figure into our obedience to this command?” And since we have seen that Christian joy is a fruit of the Spirit, we must also ask, “How do the Holy Spirit and hope relate to each other in producing joy?” According to these verses, we remain in His love if we obey His command to _________________________. This scripture tells us that the Lord prunes those branches (or areas in our lives) that __________ _______________________________ as well as those branches that __________________________. This is so we will become _________________________________. One method of pruning (or being made clean) is by receiving His ________________________.If you do not presently belong to a church, visit several before you make your choice. Find out what each particular church stands for. Do you share their beliefs? Their practices? Do the members truly believe in the lordship of Christ, the authority of the Scriptures, the trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? These are very serious considerations and you should not join a church whose doctrines and practices you cannot wholeheartedly support. If you are presently in a church which gives you little or no edifying fellowship and yet feel the Lord would have you stay there, you can know that the Lord will use you as a blessing and as a help working out His plans in the situation. But, you will also need to receive food and fellowship on a regular basis from other Spirit-filled believers. What have we learned thus far from Romans chapter 12, and what will be considered in the following article? Read Romans 12:1, 2 . In the earlier part of his letter, Paul clearly demonstrated that anointed Christians, whether Jewish or Gentile, were declared righteous before God by faith, not by works. ( Rom. 1:16; 3:20-24) In chapter 12, Paul explains that Christians should show their gratitude by a life of self-sacrifice. To that end, we have to make our minds over. Through inherited imperfection, we are subject to “the law of sin and of death.” ( Rom. 8:2) We, therefore, need to be transformed, “be made new in the force actuating [our] mind,” by radically changing our inclinations. ( Eph. 4:23) Such a complete change can be brought about only with the help of God and his spirit. It also requires serious effort on our part, using our “power of reason.” It means that we do our utmost not to be “fashioned after this system of things” with its corrupt morals, debased entertainment, and warped thinking.​— Eph. 2:1-3. Let us remember to fellowship with the Holy Spirit more and more. 5. Learn to Know the Lord's Voice Read Romans 12:15 . Paul’s counsel in this verse can be summed up in two words: Show empathy. We need to learn to understand and even share another person’s feelings, whether joy or sadness. If we are aglow with the spirit, our feelings of shared joy or compassion will be evident. When 70 disciples of Christ returned joyfully from a preaching campaign and related the good results of their work, Jesus himself “became overjoyed in the holy spirit.” ( Luke 10:17-21) He shared their joy. On the other hand, Jesus ‘wept with people who were weeping’ when his friend Lazarus died.​— John 11:32-35.

Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Lord, I know You have strategically positioned me as a carrier of Your Goodness, Glory and Presence. Show me how to bring Your Kingdom to my community. It is very difficult to put emotional experiences into words. But let me try to at least point in the right direction with three contrasts — three things that joy is not and three things that joy is. Be aglow with the spirit: The Greek word rendered “aglow” literally means “to boil.” Here it is used metaphorically to convey the idea of one overflowing with or radiating zeal and enthusiasm as a result of the influence of God’s “spirit” (Greek, pneuʹma), or active force. This spirit can motivate and energize a person to do things in accord with Jehovah’s will. (See study note on Mr 1:12.) Being “aglow” with God’s holy spirit would also affect the impelling force that issues from a person’s figurative heart, filling him with zeal and enthusiasm for what is right. While some feel that this Greek expression is simply an idiom for great eagerness and enthusiasm, the rendering in the main text favors the idea that “the spirit” here is God’s holy spirit.​—For a discussion of some principles of Bible translation exemplified by the rendering of the Greek phrase discussed here, see App. A1. a) To what extent was a witness given to the honor of Jehovah’s name in 1953 by means of distribution of books and booklets, subscriptions obtained and individual copies of magazines placed? (b) What admonition of the apostle Paul regarding their business was heeded by Jehovah’s witnesses during the past year, and to what extent? (c) What lands saw an increase of 100 per cent or more during 1953? (d) How many full-time ministers, pioneers, were active throughout the world during 1953? (e) In what lands were more than 10,000 public meetings held, and what was the world-wide total? (f) In spite of certain restrictions, what progress was made in Argentina? Dominican Republic? Spain? (g) What results did underground activity bring in “4 Other Countries”? (h) What other remarkable information does the above chart contain?

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This distinguishes Christian joy from all other joys. When something is called spiritual in Scripture, it means that it comes from the Holy Spirit and has the character of the Holy Spirit. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that something is “spiritual” simply because it has to do with the spirit, and that something is natural simply because it has to do with the body or with material things. In other words, Jesus says He must live in us, His words must remain in our hearts, and we must be vitally united with Him if we are to be fruitful. Just as a stalk nourishes an entire plan causing it to sprout leaves and flowers, so we will grow in Jesus' love, His patience, His joy, and His peace as we actively take our spiritual nourishment from Him.