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Holy Spirit

Catching Fire: A Book of the Spirit (Acts 28) Chris Altrock – October 21, 2012 – Sunday Morning Message

For a period of four years, 1,500 churches participated in a study designed to measure the spiritual growth of the members of those churches.  The study was called REVEAL.  It tried to identify what practice or habit led to the most spiritual growth in a congregation.  What was most responsible for leading people from just exploring Christ to being completely surrendered to Christ in every area of life?  Using the language of our current Sunday morning series, we might put it this way: What leads a church/ Christian to “catch fire”?  What makes the difference between a church/ Christian that is as cold as ice and one that is on fire and full of the Holy Spirit?  What transforms a person who just plays at religion to one who bubbles over with generosity, spirituality, integrity?  The answer from REVEAL was simple and surprising.  The one practice most associated with deep spiritual growth was this: reflecting regularly on Scripture.  The researchers put it this way: “If churches could do only one thing to help people at all levels of spiritual maturity grow in their relationship with Christ, their choice is clear.  They would inspire, encourage, and equip their people to read the Bible—specifically to reflect on Scripture for meaning in their lives.”[1]  They found that even if a person was involved in a small group, attending worship services and volunteering in a ministry, if that person wasn’t regularly reflecting on Scripture, that person wasn’t growing.  Simply put, Christians catch fire through regular reflection on Scripture. Read More »Catching Fire: A Book of the Spirit (Acts 28) Chris Altrock – October 21, 2012 – Sunday Morning Message

Catching Fire: A Community of the Spirit (Acts 1, 8) Chris Altrock – October 14, 2012 – Sunday Morning Message

Recently Highland staff and elders worked through a book which explores the spiritual state of young adults in the United States.  This book is part of what led us to conclude that, as part of Vision 2018, God wants Highland to reach and involve over 200 young adults.  The book we read is the second of a two-book series by David Kinnaman.  His first book, entitled UnChristian explored what non-Christian young adults think about Christianity.  The second book, entitled You Lost Me, explored what Christian young adults think about Christianity. Read More »Catching Fire: A Community of the Spirit (Acts 1, 8) Chris Altrock – October 14, 2012 – Sunday Morning Message