I heard a fine example today, namely, that his excellency General Washington rode around among his army yesterday and admonished each and every one to fear God, to put away the wickedness that has set in and become so general, and to practice the Christian virtues.
– Henry Muhlenberg, Lutheran pastor at Valley Forge
When someone tells you that you are “full of it,” that is probably not meant as a compliment! But I think it is time for Christians to be full of it – the Holy Spirit, that is! If we are really people of God, we should be so full of Him that He spills out all over everyone we meet.
If a full cup of liquid is moved even a little, whatever it contains spills out. In the same way, when life’s circumstances jar us even a tiny bit, our true nature spills out. If we are full of ourselves, out comes, “I can’t help it.
I’m Italian and we have always had quick tempers.” Well, the truth of the matter is, we are simply full of the flesh!
But we know from the Word that God is loving, patient, kind, and forgiving. He is full of wisdom and power. He is also holy and just. If we are truly people of God and we are full of Him, we will overflow with His nature and character.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
(Luke 6:45)
What have you been overflowing with and spilling out lately?
If your spiritual checkup proves you to be a quart low on the Spirit of God, then pull yourself up to the Holy Spirit filling station and get a fresh tank full.
You will soon find that the stuff you were full of has been replaced with the character and nature of God. Then when you start spilling over onto people, they’ll experience Jesus!
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.