ILLUMINATION THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING by J.I. Packer

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:14

The knowledge of divine things to which Christians are called is more than a formal acquaintance with biblical words and Christian ideas. It is a realizing of the reality and relevance of those activities of the triune God to which Scripture testifies. Such awareness is natural to none, familiar with Christian ideas though they may be (like “the man without the Spirit” in 1 Cor. 2:14 who cannot receive what Christians tell him, or the blind leaders of the blind of whom Jesus speaks so caustically in Matt. 15:14, or like Paul himself before Christ met him on the Damascus road). Only the Holy Spirit, searcher of the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2:10), can bring about this realization in our sin-darkened minds and hearts. That is why it is called “spiritual understanding” (spiritual means “Spirit-given,” Col. 1:9; cf. Luke 24:25; 1 John 5:20). Those who, along with sound verbal instruction, “have an anointing from the Holy One... know the truth” (1 John 2:20).

The work of the Spirit in imparting this knowledge is called “illumination,” or enlightening. It is not a giving of new revelation, but a work within us that enables us to grasp and to love the revelation that is there before us in the biblical text as heard and read, and as explained by teachers and writers. Sin in our mental and moral system clouds our minds and wills so that we miss and resist the force of Scripture. God seems to us remote to the point of unreality, and in the face of God’s truth we are dull and apathetic. The Spirit, however, opens and unveils our minds and attunes our hearts so that we understand (Eph. 1:17-18; 3:18-19; 2 Cor. 3:14-16; 4:6). As by inspiration he provided Scripture truth for us, so now by illumination he interprets it to us. Illumination is thus the applying of God’s revealed truth to our hearts, so that we grasp as reality for ourselves what the sacred text sets forth.

Illumination, which is a lifelong ministry of the Holy Spirit to Christians, starts before conversion with a growing grasp of the truth about Jesus and a growing sense of being measured and exposed by it. Jesus said that the Spirit would “convict the world” of the sin of not believing in him, of the fact that he was in the right with God the Father (as his welcome back to heaven proved), and of the reality of judgment both here and hereafter (John 16:8-11). This threefold conviction is still God’s means of making sin repulsive and Christ adorable in the eyes of persons who previously loved sin and cared nothing for the divine Savior.

The way to benefit fully from the Spirit’s ministry of illumination is by serious Bible study, serious prayer, and serious response in obedience to whatever truths one has been shown already. This corresponds to Luther’s dictum that three things make a theologian: oratio (prayer), meditatio (thinking in God’s presence about the text), and tentatio (trial, the struggle for biblical fidelity in the face of pressure to disregard what Scripture says).

From: Concise Theology: A Guide To Historic Christian Beliefs

Great time tonight with @apostlesbk in prayer. @devinederek leading us in considering mission through #Justice to the poor.

News and Invitation: Serving With Apostles Church

This summer for eight weeks I am working alongside Apostles Church in an effort to launch a new local church: Apostles Church Brooklyn. 

I am overjoyed that I can be used in this way. I believe in what God is doing through His church, which is expressed in local congregations. I know that the church, as a collective community, is God's primary agent in reaching the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

My heart is thrilled to use my gifts and abilities for the furtherance of His kingdom, and the advancement of the gospel of grace throughout the world. 

I invite you to join in on what God is doing through me and this local congregation by praying for us and supporting the mission of making disciples.

Please pray for the people in Brooklyn to be saved, for intimacy within the church, for an overflow of love that reaches the lost, for the practicalities of a church plant and whatever I may be missing. Please pray for my family, that we may grow in love for our Savior, for the church, and those not in the church. Pray that we would be sensitive to the needs of others, and that we would be intentional to engage these needs with the community of God.

Please prayerfully give to support our mission by supporting me and my family and the work we are doing this summer through Apostles Church Brooklyn. You can give by sending a check to Apostles Church: 209 E 16th st New York, NY 10003, and in the memo write Melvin Mercado. You can also give online at Apostlesnyc.com/give. Instructions for giving are as follows: 

Feel free to leave a comment or question. 

Grace and peace, 

Melvin Mercado

I enjoyed singing this at Apostles Church this past Sunday, and look forward to the day when His kingdom is consummated. I hope this stirs your affections for Jesus.

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-3

  “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”” Galatians 2:14

  “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” 1 Corinthians 1:30

  “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” 2 Peter 1:3-4

  “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” Colossians 2:6

  “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,” Colossians 1:23-24

  “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” Philippians 1:27-28

Awaken a Seed

 Last night I was super tired, but after laying in bed for a while I was confused as to why I wasn't asleep. It was definitely God ordained that I stay up. After trying to sleep, keeping my eyes closed for quite some time, I gave up. I was wide awake, and time was passing by. What happened next, I think, will be a point in my life that I will thank God for into eternity.  I remembered this man that I heard about. He is known by men that I am familiar with. Among whom are Eric Mason, Darrin Patrick, and so on. I knew the church this man is at is a sister church of Apostles Church in New York City, with whom I have a chance to work alongside of this summer, as an intern, in an effort to plant Apostles Church Brooklyn (more on that to come). The man that I was thinking about, is Matt Carter. Recently, he has been seen by many in a video that went viral. In this video he catches a bird with his bare hands (it's incredible). But that's not what I want to speak about. Carter is the founding pastor of Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas.  Last night when I couldn't go to sleep, I decided to listen to a podcast. This time it wasn't from John Piper, Matt Chandler, Eric Mason, or any other preacher I usually hear. Instead, Matt Carter came to mind. So I downloaded a sermon of his and heard the entire thing. The sermon can be found on iTunes by searching the church or Matt Carter, or at Austin Stone Community Church's sermon archive. It's entitled: Why Church Planting?  This sermon fanned a flame in my heart into a consuming fire. I am really praying about my future in ministry, and being able to plant a church, or be involved in starting a church.  Church planting is so important. God is still building his church through us today, and having many expressions of his church—for his glory and the spreading of the gospel. This is infinitely worthy of our attention and investment.  Please listen to the sermon; I hope it stirs your affections for Jesus. And share your thoughts on this afterward. Grace and peace, Melvin Mercado

Brad House on community. 

Fam and friends enjoying each others company. #relationships #love #missional

Chillin on the block. I love these people. No matter what. #sixave #missional #inittowinit

@gisselleiscool & @jae_mercado sisters chillin on the fire escape enjoying a book project

Behind the scenes in Bk

In the back I the building

#free

Ladder

God's will: Not an Ambiguous Term, and What It Is

            It isn’t uncommon among Christian circles to hear the phrase “God’s will”. Some of the most well-known lines spoken concerning God’s will are: “If it’s God’s will it’ll happen”, “is that God’s will?”, “whatever the Lord wills”. These phrases are very general, and ambiguous in many cases. They refer to future plans, past sufferings, or guidance—they are certainly not limited to these—but they are often used to address these. There are several issues tied to using this term, which should not be. The phrase “God’s will” refers to, well, what He wills, so there is nothing wrong with the term in and of itself. The problems arise when we don’t know the character of God, and what His will is. This occurs on both ends of communication, with the communicator and the hearer.

     Often we will be approached with someone’s troubles, and respond with a dismissive, “well, whatever God wills”, and this should not be. Or we’ll be seeking the counsel of another and they’ll tell us, “just seek the will of God in this”, and we leave more confused than when we came to them. As far as we’re concerned we were seeking God’s will through that individuals counsel. But still there is one more question that lies at the root of all of this: what is God’s will?

     There are certain Scriptures that we go to in order to figure out what God’s will is for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us that God’s will for us in Christ Jesus, is that we rejoice always, pray ceaselessly, and give thanks in everything. In Romans 12, specifically in verse 2, it tells us that we will know the will of God, not definitively but progressively, as we walk in renewed minds and are tested. In other words, as we continue in Jesus we’ll face testing and gain a better understanding of God’s will through it. 1 Peter 2:15 tells us that God’s will is that we “put to silence the ignorance of foolish people” by doing good. Jesus said in John 6:40: “this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Lastly, the will of God is contrasted with human passions in 1 Peter 4:1-3, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.”

     My conclusion is then, that the will of God, in light of all of these verses, is to be holy. Consistent in all of these passages is the call for us to align ourselves with the character of God. He rejoices, knows we need Him, is blessed, is perfect, and knows that suffering refines us to be more like Him. All of these are calls to be more like Him, and less like our sinful selves. He calls us to be who He has made us to be, or who He wills us to be. This He calls us to do in Christ.

     If one wants to be in line with the will of God, then one wants to be holy. If one wants to know God’s will on a certain matter, they ought to choose the way that would help them walk in holiness. This could narrow the options to several, and then one has liberty to choose whichever.

     With that said, the only way to be holy and do God’s will, is in being united with Jesus through faith. We can only do God’s will when we are in Christ, for it is God’s will that we believe in His Son and walk in him.

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever… No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life… And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” (1 John 2: 17, 23-25, 28-29)

Music for My Hispanic Brothers and Sisters