Let Freedom Ring!!

So, I didn't realize that when I agreed to be blogger for week one this would pretty much guarantee the 4th of July for me every year!! Yippieeee!! I love Independence Day!! For this post, I go to The Great Book for inspiration (the word free and its derivatives occur a bizillion times in the Bible, I have limited the citations below to the Gospels, but I encourage you to also go to www.biblegateway.com or other such site and do a keyword search on "free" in the Psalms or Romans--yowser! God is good!!):

A (Strange?) Bible Study in Freedom

Why do we have the Holy Spirit?

"'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'"
-Jesus, reading from Isaiah 61:1-2 in Luke 4:18-19

"As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."
-Jesus to the disciples, Matthew 10:7-8

Do you make use of the Holy Spirit in your life? How do you accomplish the things Jesus is calling us to?

What can someone be freed from?

"He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.'"
-Jesus to the woman with the issue of blood, Mark 5:34

Other examples include Mary being freed from her cultural limitations, Zacharias being freed from an inability to worship, Martha instructed to be free of maintaining appearances through service, Prodigal Son is free to return, Woman at the well is freed of the secrets she struggled to keep, Jesus is free to grieve, Peter in the last chapter of John is freed of comparing results of his ministry to the results of others, Paul receives a vision freeing him from his need to judge according to the law...the list goes on and on!

What do you need to be free from? Or for all you grammarians: From what do you need to be freed?

What will it take to free you?

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
-Jesus, John 8:31-36

What are some of the lies that are keeping you bound? What teaching of Jesus counteracts them?

I hope you have an AWESOME 4th of July!! As for me and my house, I plan on rocking out to the Newsboys, "I Am Free."