We Are Sanctified by His Blood
I was looking at old pictures of yester-year of the saints that I dearly loved. I say loved because so many of our dear saints that we had sweet fellowship with have transitioned onto glory. I must admit at times I have a longing to be with them again to reminisce about how we would dance in the spirit or how we would help families that needed one thing or another. Back then we would laugh at some of the saints’ funny testimonies. Some of them at different times would get up and start their testimony off with, “I thank God that I am saved, sanctified, and filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost and that with fire.”
That kind of testimony would give you goose bumps because you could feel the power of God. Just thinking about the word ‘sanctification’ was enough to bring on a shout. I grew up in a church that believed in freedom of worship. You did not see anyone doing the Tulsa two step as we lovingly called the shuffle. Back in the day it was a foot stomping dancing church, and I loved every minute of experiencing the presence of God in a good old-fashioned shout. Dancing in the Spirit is liberating.
Sanctification means ‘making holy.’ It also means ‘to consecrate or set apart for the service of the Lord.’ For a believer sanctification has two parts - God’s part and ours. Our relationship with God is built on our response of faith and obedience to what God is saying to us. God is playing the major role; yet, we have our part to do also. It is far more than excepting Christ as our Savior and sitting by idly waiting to go to Heaven. We offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), to consciously offer our whole spirit, soul, and body to God, so that we devote ourselves to forever do His will and not our own; we dedicate our lives to God forever.
The Saints had something to shout about. God’s part in our sanctification is to change us by the operation of His Blood, His Word, and His Spirit. We are sanctified by God’s grace which is His unmerited favor working in our lives. God is the One who produces godly character in us, the fruit of the Spirit, to overcome sin consistently.
“Oh yes, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, your time of tears is over. Cry for help and you will find its grace and more grace. The moment he hears, he will answer” (Isa 30:19 Message Bible).
That kind of testimony would give you goose bumps because you could feel the power of God. Just thinking about the word ‘sanctification’ was enough to bring on a shout. I grew up in a church that believed in freedom of worship. You did not see anyone doing the Tulsa two step as we lovingly called the shuffle. Back in the day it was a foot stomping dancing church, and I loved every minute of experiencing the presence of God in a good old-fashioned shout. Dancing in the Spirit is liberating.
Sanctification means ‘making holy.’ It also means ‘to consecrate or set apart for the service of the Lord.’ For a believer sanctification has two parts - God’s part and ours. Our relationship with God is built on our response of faith and obedience to what God is saying to us. God is playing the major role; yet, we have our part to do also. It is far more than excepting Christ as our Savior and sitting by idly waiting to go to Heaven. We offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), to consciously offer our whole spirit, soul, and body to God, so that we devote ourselves to forever do His will and not our own; we dedicate our lives to God forever.
The Saints had something to shout about. God’s part in our sanctification is to change us by the operation of His Blood, His Word, and His Spirit. We are sanctified by God’s grace which is His unmerited favor working in our lives. God is the One who produces godly character in us, the fruit of the Spirit, to overcome sin consistently.
“Oh yes, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, your time of tears is over. Cry for help and you will find its grace and more grace. The moment he hears, he will answer” (Isa 30:19 Message Bible).