Radiant Review May/2021

RADIANT REVIEW MAY/2021

The Holy Spirit WHAT’S INSIDE If you ask a Christian to describe Jesus Christ, they will likely be able to tell you many things about him and his work. If you ask them about God the Father, they may THE HOLY SPIRIT describe his work of creation or talk about prayer. But Page 1 ask them to describe the Holy Spirit and you may get a different reaction. PENTECOST The doctrine of the Holy Spirit (sometimes called Pneu- Page 2 matology) is a vital Christian teaching that is intercon- nected with every other doctrine. As one person in the CONNECTION Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the God we rightly worship. Yet Page 3 many Christians find it difficult to conceptualize the Holy Spirit. This may be due, in part, to a lack of analogies. KIDS & YOUTH When we describe Jesus, we rightly think of a human Page 4 being. If we focus on his divine nature, we generally call him the Son. The first person of the Trinity is the Father. RADIANT SPOTLIGHT While we know that the Father and the Son are different than us, we do have a point of comparison. We under- Page 5 stand what it means to be a parent or a child. We have analogies to begin to understand them. The third person BAJA LOVE UPDATE of the Trinity, however, provides a different challenge. Page 6 Scripture commonly refers to him as the Holy Spirit (or in earlier English, the Holy Ghost). But what is a spirit? (continued on page 7) Pentecost Pentecost is holy day or festival day in the Church that celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit given fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus. While the name comes from the Greek word meaning “50th”, the roots of the day are not found in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament. The Feast of Pentecost, also called the Feast of Weeks, was one of three major Israelite Feasts that were commanded to be celebrated every year in Jerusalem. (The others were Passover and The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.) Pentecost celebrated the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest and took place 50 days after the offering of the sheaf of firstfruits at the time of Passover. (This is an important interpretive clue about why the Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost.) The “wave offering” that was presented in the Temple was given on the day following the Sabbath after Passover. This would have happened on Resurrection Sunday. Last month we discussed how this relates to our own resurrection, but there’s another correlation for us. That same day, according to John’s Gospel, he appeared to the disciples and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21) When we consider all this, and the fact that Jesus used the Jewish festivals as a means of teaching people about who he was, we can see why God chose Pentecost to unleash the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus was sent into the world to carry out God’s mission, which we might say was completed on Res- urrection Sunday, he was only the “firstfruits” of God’s plan. The culmination of the plan was in the sending of his followers out into the world as witnesses of God’s redeeming love. Thus, God sends the Spirit on Pentecost. Just like in the OT, one harvest is done and another begins.

The wind and fire that accompanied the gift of the Spirit (vv. 2–3) are common biblical symbols for the activity of the Spirit. The Greek and May Sermons Hebrew words for “Spirit” can also mean “wind” and “breath.” In the valley of dry bones, wind and breath come and give life to dried- May 2 up bones. After that the Lord said, “I will put my Spirit in you and Pneumatology you will live” (Ezek. 37:1–14). According to Jesus, the blowing of the The Spirit of Christ wind “illustrates the mysterious operation of the Spirit in effecting new birth” (cf. John 3:7–8). In both cases the wind was a symbol of regeneration. May 9 Ecclesiology Moreover, fire is also a symbol of the powerful presence of God, as The Mission of the Church both the fire at the burning bush (Ex. 3:2–5) and the pillar of fire at night (Ex. 13:21–22) indicate. The separation of the tongues of fire “to rest on each of them” (v. 3) seems to suggest that, though under May 16 the old covenant the divine presence rested on Israel as a corporate Ecumensim entity and upon many of its leaders for special purposes, under the The Unity of the Church new covenant, established by Jesus and inaugurated at Pentecost, the Spirit now rests on each believer individually. May 23 This does not negate the importance of the corporate relationship Pentecost with God. Paul was clear that the Church is the Body of Christ and The Sending of the Church we are united together as individual parts. But without the body, we cannot survive, just as a branch cannot survive apart from the vine. (John 15). May 30 Stories with Intent Pentecost, then, tells us that we, today, can have an intimate expe- Parables rience of God and can manifest power in ministry. We are charged with carrying on the mission of God in the world. 2 Connect Connect

Men’s Breakfast Saturday, May 8th at 8:00am All men are invited to join us this month as we resume our in-person breakfast, devotion, and discussion at the home of Roland Chasse (11154 Stonecress Ave, Fountain Valley). For more information, please contact Chris Bacon at [email protected]. We hope to see you there!

Bible Study Sundays at 8:30am at Radiant Our Sunday morning Adult Bible Study has resumed meeting in person at Radiant at 8:30am on Sundays. You are invited to join us this May as we conclude our study of Romans.

National Day of Prayer Thursday, May 6th

Americans from all walks of life will gather on May 6th to lift up our country in prayer on the National Day of Prayer. Our nation has endured a year marked by unprecedented challenges, but we know prayer has carried us through these days and the hand of God will move us into a brighter future. This year marks 70 years since Reverend Bil- ly Graham stood on the capitol steps in Feb- ruary 1952 and called for congress and the president to establish a day of prayer. By April of that year, President Truman signed the leg- islation into public law. Through the decades, the efforts of the Na- tional Day of Prayer Task Force have mobi- lized Americans to observe the National Day of Prayer in all 50 states and in U.S. territories to pray for those who lead and those in need in our nation. Our theme and prayer in 2021 is: “LORD pour out Your LOVE, LIFE, and LIBERTY.” This comes from 2 Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” There are numerous ways you can participate in the National Day of Prayer: 1. Join the livestream on Thursday, May 6th at 5:00pm: https://vimeo.com/event/920326 2. Pray on your own or with your family: http://www.radchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ HOW-TO-PRAY-FOR-AMERICA.pdf 3. Join others in Huntington Beach on the steps of City Hall at 6:45pm.

3 Kids & Youth contact Pastor Joel at on theChristianfaith, andsmallgroup discussion. Inviteyourfriends!For more information, We continue to gather on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 6:00pm for dinner, games, a talk Second/Fourth Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30pm @Radiant Radiant Youth know God, loveeveryone, doGod’s work, and makes God’s usapart of family. who believes. kids aboutwhat that legacyis! The HolySpirit isthelegacythat Jesus givestoeveryperson The legacyhasbeenhandeddownlike avaluablefamilyheirloomandthismonthwe’lltell small grade-based and groups.worship Ourthemethismonthis“Legacy.”to There isalegacywaiting,back foreverykideverywhere. families and kids our welcome to excited are We Sunday, May9 one iswelcome! them! Following church, we’llplaysomegames andenjoylunchtogether. course, Of every All kidsandfamiliesare encouraged tojoinusforaspecialworshipservice designed justfor Sunday, May2 Important Dates: disciples! tion of generanextraise the to you partneringwith and We soon again you forwardseeing look to grades 3-5. lead to and support the small group. Grades K-2 will have their own space and story, as will proach tonurture yourchildintheirfaith. Socialtime, games, activities, worshipandstoryall ap groups small this using be will we – to used are many vernacular that’sthe since now for As we welcome kids and families back to worship and “Sunday School” – we’ll use that name change, butthemethodsweusetoshare itmostcertainly do. ing thelesson, andrelationships overcontent. course, theGospeldoesn’t Of thecontentof the Bible,teaching gathering incirclesclassrooms, instead of dialogueandcommunity overpresent just over disciples making education, over formation spiritual emphasizes that el This isnot the traditional Sunday School model that you’re usedto. It’s asmallgroup mod based curriculumandstrategy that isdesignedtodojustthat. Jesus.lowers of Therefore, we have adopted an integrated, comprehensive, age and stage- launchingthemintoadulthoodasmaturechild throughlifewiththegoalof fol each phaseof your children. The KidsMinistryteam membersserveaspartners whocanhelpyouwalkyour As parents, faithfor God hasgivenyoutheincredible beingtheprimaryformerof role of with theirchildren. age themtoactivelyparticipate inworship, community, andmission, bothindividuallyand by partnering withparents each childandencour innurturing thespiritualdevelopmentof Our mission as a church is to make disciples all of people – including kids! We seek to do this Our visionforkidsat Radiant istoinspire themtofollow Jesus andshare hislovewithothers. Rad Kids The HolySpiritisforeveryone th nd –“SundaySchool”Relaunch –Family Worship at 10:00am [email protected] (Grades 6-10) 4 . and helpsussomuch. The Holyspirithelpsus ------Radiant Spotlight Michael is in the 8th grade at Bell Intermediate School. He was recently featured in the in the featured recently He was School. Bell Intermediate at grade the 8th is in Michael you here! it with share we’d thought and we newspaper school Missions Update

When Baja Love Outreach officially launched in 2016, we were faithfully assisting 1 orphanage and had fallen head over heals in love with their children and staff. Out of that, we decided that there was just simply too much love to go around to stop at just one! So, in 2016 we quickly added 4 more homes. The following year we added two more, and we added another! If you’re counting with me, that is 8 homes total with nearly 200 children!

We are Baja Love Outreach and our mission is to empower orphans and orphanages in Baja California, Mexico, through supplemental aid and tangible love. Baja Love Outreach, has an incredible passion to come alongside children living in orphanages in Baja, Mexico to ensure that they become all that they were created to be. They are kiddos who simply need a tangible expression of hope and love. We get to play with the kids at Kids Kingdom orphanage. These are some of their littlest orphans. Their smiles are so warming and their spirit is so contagious. Whenever we go on these serve-cations we come back with full hearts. We get back so much more than what we give.

This little girl is one of the many kids that are being helped by your generous support. We are here to help provide supplemental aid and it is only through your amazing support that we can do this.

Annika made these turkey treats and sold them at church to support Baja Love.

Baja Love Boutique - Sunday, May 16th Kent and Chappell Ferrin will be at Radiant on Sunday, May 16, to discuss their current outreach efforts and how Radiant Church can get involved. Eight orphanages and nearly 200 kids need your help to get school supplies, backpacks, uniforms and shoes for the upcoming school year! Chappell will also be bringing a selection of B. Love Boutique handmade beaded bracelets and necklaces. Come on out and treat yourself! All proceeds benefit the orphaned children Baja Love Outreach supports. 6 (continued from page 1)

“Spirit” is a common word in the Bible. We should be careful to note that not every use of the word “spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit (just as not every father is God). Both the Hebrew word for spirit (ruach) and the Greek (pneuma) can refer to a variety of things. They can be translated as breath or wind. They can mean life or the soul, as distinguished from the body. Spirit can also refer to living beings that do not have a material body. Calling something “spirit” does not make a moral judgment about it, since spirits can be holy or fallen (1 John 4:1–3). The highest example of spirit is God himself, who, apart from Christ’s incarnation, is spirit (John 4:24). Along with these meanings, Spirit is also the name of the Third Person of the Trinity. He is the Spirit or the Holy Spirit. Scripture also names him with other titles and descriptions. He is the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 3:3), the Spirit of the Lord (Acts 8:39), the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20) and the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 4:6, Philippians 1:19). These descriptions remind us that the Holy Trinity is one God, not three gods. Other descriptions of the Holy Spirit reveal his character. He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17), the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2), and the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17). Jesus called the Holy Spirit the helper (also translated as counselor, comforter, or paraclete) (John 14:16) who will guide and bless the church. The Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts and gives us life and salvation as he connects us with the benefits of Christ’s saving work. For this reason, we call him the giver of life, but he also is the giver of physical life. The Holy Spirit participates in all the works of the Trinity, including the work of creation. The Spirit continues in active relationship to human beings and to the Christian church today. He continues to give physical and spiritual life. He reveals divine truth and offers his comfort and guidance. He equips Christians with his gifts and gathers us together in the church. He blesses us as individuals so that we may be a blessing to his church and to the world. These blessings of the Holy Spirit are often divided into two categories: gifts of the Spirit and fruits of the Spirit. Spiritual gifts may refer to a wide variety of things. They may be special abilities, roles, offices, func- tions, or a number of other things. Whatever the gift is, it is a gift from God for use in his church. Spiri- tual gifts call Christians to serve one another and to confess Christ before the world. Some of the gifts described in the Bible are obviously supernatural. Others seem more “ordinary,” like helping, teaching, or administration. The important thing is that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for use in his church. All Christians have the Holy Spirit, and all Christians have spiritual gifts. The Spirit gives us different gifts for use in the body of Christ. We should not expect that all believers will have the same gifts and abilities. Instead, we should rejoice in these diverse gifts that the Spirit gives. A second type of blessing from the Holy Spirit is generally known as “fruits of the Spirit,” described by Paul in Galatians 5. Unlike spiritual gifts which are given to different Christians, the fruits of the Spirit are available to all believers. Paul shows these fruits in contrast to the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19–21). Here he describes the life of the justified child of God. When our sins have been forgiven, the work of God in our lives is evident. The Spirit equips us with these virtues as a fruit of faith. As sinners, we may not always manifest these characteristics but the Spirit will graciously guide us in these things. While Christians have sometimes overlooked the work of the Spirit or misunderstood his work, the Holy Spirit has been with us all along, doing the work that he wants to do. He reveals Christ to humans. He works faith in our hearts. He gives us life and salvation in the means of grace. He equips us for ser- vice in his church and the world. He blesses us each day. At times, the church may have neglected her teaching about the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit has never neglected us.1

1 Mueller, S. P. (Ed.). (2005). Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess: An Introduction to Doctrinal Theology (Vol. 3, pp. 247–256). Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers. 7 Our Kids & Youth are RAD!

Davis Lingren played in his first travel ball baseball tournament.

Brooks Lingren turned 7 – Happy Birthday!

Fin Lempert has been en- joying Little League and some online art classes.

We would love to give a shout-out to our Rad Kids & Youth! Let us know what cool stuff your kids are up to and we’ll highlight them here. Email your highlights to [email protected].

May Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthdays 1 Karl Kerner 23 Cindy Bulaich 1 Debbie Knox 28 Cyndee Albertson 4 Dave Wagner 29 Linda Young 6 Nance Caltagirone 7 Lenny La Vache 7 Nathan Young Anniversaries 9 Suzanne Hinze 5 Shawn & Sonia Olsson 9 Mike Jobst 14 Ron & Tonya Hollenbeck 9 Judi Lane 19 John & Debbie Knox

Radiant Church 15155 Springdale St. radchurch.org Huntington Beach, CA 92649 facebook.com/radchurch.org 714.892.3819