Jacob Anders

Husband. Pastor. High School Teacher. Romans 5:8

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

There was a time in my life when I pictured Pentecost as the breakthrough moment for the Holy Spirit in the life of God’s people. Pre-Pentecost, the Spirit was in heaven. Post-Pentecost, the Spirit finally began his work on earth.

I was wrong. Dead wrong. The Holy Spirit has been active in the world since the beginning.

As in, literally, The Beginning. Genesis 1:2, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” In Hebrew, the word ru’ach (רוּחַ) can mean wind, breath, spirit, or Spirit, depending upon the context. Sometimes, as at the Red Sea, I suspect a double meaning is intended, for God sent a strong east ru’ach (wind? Spirit?) and made the sea dry land (Exod. 14:21). And “at the ru’ach [breath? wind? Spirit?] of your nostrils the waters piled up” (15:8).

The Spirit is all over the Old Testament, equipping the builders of the tabernacle (Exod. 31:3), coming upon prophets (Num. 24:2), giving strength to judges (Judg. 6:34), clothing a priest with courage (2 Chron. 24:20), giving visions to Ezekiel (11:24), rushing upon David (1 Sam. 16:13). David prays that God will not take his Holy Spirit from him (Ps. 51:11) and that this same Spirit will lead him (143:10). If you are reading Bible in One Year with me, in one of today’s chapters, Isaiah speaks of the Spirit being poured out from on high (Isa. 32:15).

When we read in the NT that “the Spirit had not [yet] been given” (John 7:39), this is talking about the spectacular miracle of Pentecost, not that the Spirit was somehow trapped in heaven until then.

By his Spirit, God the Father has always been active in this world: creating, guiding, comforting, inspiring, and leading. Fill our hearts with your Spirit, dear Father, that he may lead us into the life of Jesus, that there we may find peace and joy that know no end.

[Joe Shakour @JoeShakour]

Proverbs 20:1 “Wine 🍷is a mocker, strong drink 🥃 is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

God says social use is misuse. A mark of wisdom is what someone does with alcohol. At best, it’s warned against and not wise. At worst, it’s what will make a fool out of you and destroy your life.

It’s not just the abundance but the actual substance warned about. Wine itself is a mocker. Strong drink in itself is raging! The wine of today didn’t exist in Bible times. Wine was always served mingled and would affect the bladder before the brain. That’s why people were warned not to look upon it when it was red (strength of mingling.) What’s available today and consumed recreationally is a dangerous drug that should be avoided even more than what is warned about here. You may take a drink but be aware that a drink may take you.

Adrian Rogers wisely stated that, “Moderation is not the cure for the liquor problem. Moderation is the cause of the liquor problem. Becoming an alcoholic does not begin with the last drink, it always begins with the first. Just leave it alone.”

The answer is to be filled with the Spirit! Billy Kelly would say that his former alcoholic father didn’t stop drinking—he just changed fountains! 🙌🏼

#Proverbs20 #DailyProverbs

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@JustinPetersMin @shedoesnotdrink Imagine claiming to be sola scriptura while mocking something that is as biblical as speaking in tongues.

[Brian Morris @brmorris]

Interviewer: “I’m not walking away from Jesus, but I’m done with the church” (context is Mark Driscoll harm)

John Piper: “IF YOU DO THAT, YOU’RE WALKING AWAY FROM JESUS!”

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@DrMichaelLBrown @Timcannon26 What movie?

[Dr. Michael L. Brown @DrMichaelLBrown]

I personally believe that if 100 new Christians were locked in separate rooms alone with a Bible for 10 years, being able to read the original text fluently and with no outside influences, studying the Scriptures day and night, after 10 years, they would have some differences about the end times, about the meaning of election and predestination, about leadership structure, about Christians and the law, about the exact nature of God's triunity, about the relationship between the church and Israel, among some other issues -- but I do not believe that any of them would come out cessationists.

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@CSLewisDaily Romans 5:8 disagrees. Unfollowing as this is not what this page is supposed to be.

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@lukegeraty @_the_last_echo_ @lukegeraty what is the full name of the book you’re referencing? I’d like to read it.

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@DPGBehler @1984_nate LFW?

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

For some people, this week was just the ordinary grind of work and home and sleep on repeat.

For others, there were nights of tossing and turning, panic attacks, and that looming sense that something terrible is always around the corner.

For others, this is the week they will forever hereafter use to orient time: "that was the summer before Joe died" or "two years after the hurricane" or "that was about the time I was diagnosed with breast cancer."

Whatever this week held for you, let me tell you what it held for our Father in heaven: it was another week of looking down upon a world of people whom he loves in Jesus Christ. Me. You. All of us.

He saw me, still overwhelmed with grief for my son, waking up from dreams about him, unable to sleep. And our Father loved me through it.

He saw families standing around ruined homes, trembling with fear, sobbing over loss, and wondering what tomorrow will hold. And our Father loved them, and will continue to love them, through it.

He saw a couple sit down with an oncologist to receive news that shook them to the core. And our Father loved them and held them through it.

The God who sent his Son to live, die, and rise again for you, do you imagine he is now going to ignore you or walk away when you need him most? No, he cannot do that. His love leaves no room for apathy or betrayal.

You, my friend, are on God's mind right now.
He is thinking of you. Right now.
He is loving you. Right now.

The empty tomb of Jesus is the full promise from God our Father that nothing and no one can separate us from his love, every moment of every day, no matter what that day might hold.

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@EverydayFFB Hey man. Check the EFFB chat 😊

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@JakobSanderson What does this do to ETN in your opinion?

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@HastiGomes Who is this??

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

What Would Convince Me *Not* to Be a Christian?

As we celebrate Christ’s bodily resurrection, let us remember that our doctrine is not founded upon a legend or “leap of faith” with no evidence. It is founded upon the reality of a personal, all-powerful God; evidence that this God not only promised to do so, but actually raised Jesus from the dead; and the eye-witness testimonies to this resurrection fact.

In other words, if someone were to ask me, “Is there anything that would convince you to leave Christianity?” the answer is Yes. If the bodily resurrection of Jesus were objectively and irrefutably proven *not* to have happened, then I would walk away from Christianity.

If the bones of Jesus of Nazareth are in the ground, then Christianity is utterly and diabolically false. Everything depends upon the facticity of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. As Paul puts it: “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:16-17).

For this reason, the Evangelists and Paul repeatedly affirm that Jesus appeared, physically alive again, to hundreds of his followers. He was seen, he ate, he conversed, he invited Thomas to touch his wounds. As Paul says, “He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).

These hundreds of historical eye-witnesses, the written testimonies of some of them, their willingness to face even martyrdom before denying it, Paul's revolutionary conversion from persecutor to apostle, and much more, combine to provide more than adequate evidence of the truthfulness of Christianity.

In other words, our faith is not founded upon an ahistorical legend, unprovable myth, or non-evidence-based tale, but on historical, objective, eye-witness accounts of a man who was crucified and bodily, gloriously resurrected.

Bodily crucifixion.
Bodily resurrection.
Hundreds of people who witnessed him alive again.
Written testimonies to this fact.

We worship not an idea or legend or fairy tale, but a flesh-and-blood man, who is also fully divine, who was crucified, buried, and bodily raised back to life, who now reigns as King of kings at the right hand of the Father.

And that, my friends, quite literally, makes all the difference in the world.

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@McNamaraDynasty @amazehayes_ @DynastyHumbleSR Sooooo I guess Bijan shouldn’t be above Breece Hall or ETN?

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@SleeperHQ Panthers for the 1.01

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@thatbrian Couldn’t disagree more. The Bible speaks of the lifting of hands in worship. Hard to do that sometimes when you’re tied to a hymnal. I say this as a church who literally just installed its projector yesterday haha. I believe it will benefit the people greatly.

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@FootballStock Could you share some of your grades from the previous classes so we can compare them to previous grades?

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@balltillifall56 @FlockFantasy Absolutely lol. We should definitely try to get a Church Dynasty league man!

[Jacob Anders @Jacobders]

@balltillifall56 @FlockFantasy What’s up man!!! Yessir. I love dynasty haha