18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
He is A God Of Faithfulness Without Injustice Good And Upright Is He [2]
Ascribe Greatness To Our God, The Rock His Work Is Perfect And All His Ways Are Just [2]
A God Of Faithfulness Without Injustice Good And Upright Is He [2]
No shadow of turning with You!
We give you all the glory.
He is Exalted
He is exalted the King is exalted on High
I will praise Him He is exalted forever exalted And I will praise His name
He is the Lord Forever His truth shall reign Heaven and Earth Rejoice in His holy name He is exalted the King is exalted on high
He is exalted, the King is on High I will praise Him He is exalted, forever exalted And I will praise His name
He is the Lord Forever His truth shall reign Heaven and Earth Rejoice in His holy name He is exalted…
1 Chronicles 29:10, David's prayer
“Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled
15“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
Jesus has come to shine his light through your life..
Father, we decree that any darkness in any aspect of our life, let it be dispel in Jesus's name. Father, Let there be a light be released,
Pentecost, the Jewish Festival, was a major festival to celebrate the wheat harvest and also known as the Feast of Weeks. It brought visitors from all over who were either Jews or Jewish converts and we get a clue to geography from the reading and Acts 2:41 the numbers as 3000 + become Christians that day, so there were a lot more! What a Day!
Until that day, since the latter part of Good Friday it seems the disciples were in an in-between place and it remained the same since the Resurrection and it also seems they were also fearful, certainly early on, and maybe even later.
At Pentecost they are released in two ways:
1. From this semi-captivity
2. From the last bit of mental captivity to Jewish expectations, cp Acts 1:6
Now, and in the first instance under Peter's leadership, we get what is the first proclamation of the message of true liberation and salvation which comes through Jesus. The fulfillment of promise, birth of the new era of God's Kingdom and so the birth of the Church which is the new Israel etc. This is the start of the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel.
All that proceeds from the monumental words that lead into the sermon from Peter after he quotes Joel and he says:
This is it, this is what God promised through Joel with reference to the last days. It is starting right now with the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit to all and that mighty things will happen as they are happening right now in your presence. This is it. The Day has arrived and as you see and hear it arrived with a bang.
Today, too often, not always, we are left with a damp squib because some of our understanding of the Holy Spirit is deficit and so without real expectation and you are looking at one who can be as guilty as others! So, for my benefit, and hopefully yours as well, I am going to glance at some verses we have looked at recently along with a few others.
This then will be a bird's eye view of the work, role and importance of the Holy Spirit.
As 7 is a good and complete number in the Bible, 7 points! Of course, there are other aspects to the work of the HS and other scriptures which make similar or complementary points to the ones I list which are quite key and foundational scriptures.
1. Spade Work
The Holy Spirit opens eyes and hearts to the truth.
John 16:5 -11 - Jesus speaking to his disciples in the upper room
[5] but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' [6] Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. [7] But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [8] When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] about sin, because people do not believe in me; [10] about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; [11] and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can 'convict' people of their need to repent, turn to God through Jesus and come to a living faith. It follows on from here that when a person comes to that point the Holy Spirit moves to the next stage:
2. Birth Work
John 3:3-8 - Jesus in conversation with Nicodemus
[3] Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
[4] "How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!"
[5] Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. [7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' [8] The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Spiritual birth - we are all born physically and as such live and grow into physical awareness. Likewise to be spiritually aware in God's Kingdom we have to have spiritual birth.
John 1:12-13 - John introducing the theme at the start of his gospel
[12] Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— [13] children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Paul in Romans 8 talks about and compares life lived without and life lived with the HS - worth look at! He comes to this climactic statement which is apt h in what we are thinking where he uses the word for 'adoption' as the work of the HS:
Romans 8:14-17
[14] For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [15] The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Galatians 4:4-7 - the same point but a different context and angle:
[4] But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." [7] So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Jesus is the eternal and natural Son of the Father and heir of salvation - we are adopted as children, and as such co-heirs with Jesus of all he has inherited!
3. Sealing Work
Seal - as on a legal document showing ownership and authenticity. It follows on from what we have just considered:
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
[21] Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
4. Jesus Work
John 14:15-21 - back in the upper room and we looked at this in detail a couple of weeks ago
[15] "If you love me, keep my commands. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
ANOTHER advocate - the HS being to us what Jesus was to his disciples before death, resurrection and ascension.
5. Growth Work
Galatians 5:22-26 - being like and becoming more like Jesus by bearing the fruit of the Spirit - note, 'fruit' singular, these are a whole!
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
forbearance,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
[23] gentleness
and self-control.
Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
How, as we walk in the light of God's word and with the help of the Holy Spirit we are changing and growing!
6. Prayer Work
There is a lot in Romans 8 to challenge, encourage and strengthen us but in terms of prayer I want to look at 2 vv - 8:26-27
[26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.
Paul isn't saying word don't matter but in searching for God's will (you will be done . . . ) words are not always the most important thing and the Holy Spirit helps us align to the will of our heavenly Father
7. Body Work
1 Corinthians 12:1-13
[12:1] Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. [2] You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. [3] Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
[4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. [5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. [6] There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
[7] Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. [8] To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom,
to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, [9]
to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
[10] to another miraculous powers,
to another prophecy,
to another distinguishing between spirits,
to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,
and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
[11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
[12] Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
As human beings we have gifts and abilities which we use of the benefit of others as well as ourselves albeit we keep some of them covered up at times!! What Paul outlines here is the oft maligned and neglected gifts of the spirit for the building up of the body of Christ -our brothers and sisters in him.
I was born with gifts, some have to be worked on others come more naturally. What then about when we are born again - cp the conversation of Jesus with Nicodemus? It seems that if we are born of the Spirit and adopted in the family we should have gifts from the Spirit for the benefit and building up of that church family!
Conclusion
Well, as we come out of this, I hope and pray it is with a renewed and invigorated faith and trust where we look to our heavenly Father to do mighty work in our midst and in our lives. A new and renewed liberation from where we have been to where the Lord takes us as churches in France and other countries as well as in us.
Your Kingdom come and keep on doing so, You will be done here as in in heaven and keep on doing so. Your power and glory being seen and appreciated in ever increasing ways, now and until on the very last, only known to you Father, day Jesus returns.
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior,4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
So what does the apostle Paul recommends in his letter to Timothy?
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—
2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
A prayer tonight.
Father, we thank you for your word; open our eyes and our hears to your voice, that we may guide us according to your will and pray for those your Spirit leads us to pray. We are your people and you are our Father, we pray that you look after us and that we may feel your loving presence by us all the time especially in the middle of a storm. We ask you to heal us emotionally and physically, transform our hearts of stone in hearts of love and renew our mind so that we see you clearly. We know we can take refuge under your wings and that your grace and mercy abound all around us. We ask you in the name of your son and Saviour Jesus-Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, our Counsellor. Amen
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 “And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me
God wants us to become His children—to be like Him (Hebrews 2:10; 1 John 3:1-3)!
To become more like God, we need to learn to have His priorities. We need to learn to use those priorities to produce a plan for improving our lives and aligning them to God’s plan. And we need to put those plans into action. God’s priorities and plans always produce results, and so can ours.
Priorities
God reveals to us what is truly most important in life. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
The Kingdom of God is the perfect government of God that will bring peace and plenty to this earth when Jesus Christ returns. We must be preparing for that time now. Seeking God’s righteousness means striving to live the right way—obeying God’s beneficial laws that are based on God’s love. (Study more about these priorities in our article “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God.”)
The end of Matthew 6:33 reveals an amazing thing about God’s priorities. If we put what God says is important first, the other things we need and want will be added to us as well!
Read on, follow this link here. I found this interesting website: www.lifehopeandtruth.com . Have a blessed evening my friends. N.
Dr. Nabeel Qureshi is a former devout Muslim who was convinced of the truth of the Gospel through historical reasoning and a spiritual search for God. Since his conversion, he has dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel through teaching, preaching, writing, and debating.
Nabeel has given lectures at universities and seminaries throughout North America, including New York University, Rutgers, the University of North Carolina, the University of Ottawa, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Biola University. He has participated in 17 moderated, public debates around North America, Europe, and Asia. His focus is on the foundations of the Christian faith and the early history and teachings of Islam.
My Easter hols started at 3:15 pm ...and I feel great..I thought that I'd check up the latest film the Noah movie as maybe I would consider going to see it (though it may not be out still) This is what I found out...on the expert website Answers in Genesis! Let me know if you have seen it and what you thought about it!
We didn’t expect Hollywood to handle the biblical account of Noah and the Ark with integrity and respect for the Scriptures. Sadly, several Christian leaders have endorsed the film and encouraged people to go see it, claiming that the filmmakers did a good job of handling the text. Having seen the film now, we find it difficult for us to understand how any informed Christian could make such a claim. (See below for many examples where the movie distorted the text.)
We have no problem with artistic license in a Bible-themed movie when it is done properly. In fact, anytime you decide to depict historical events, you will be using artistic license. The difference is that the filmmakers went beyond artistic license when they overtly contradicted the text in multiple areas and completely changed the character of Noah from being a godly, righteous man into a madman who was bent on making sure every last human being died, even if it meant Noah must slaughter his own grandchildren. See Paramount’s Noah: Artistic License Run Amok for more details on the film’s abuse of artistic license.
There is no doubt that this film will provide an opportunity for Christians to talk to people about the film. But talking about the film and connecting the ideas to the truths of Scripture is actually going to take a lot of work. How will you explain the film’s “rock people” from the Bible? Why doesn’t God speak to Noah in the movie? Does the serpent’s skin really give magical powers? Because of the multiplicity of errors and the paucity of biblical truth, sitting down with an open Bible and deprogramming the person who saw the film is the only answer—but it is going to be a lot of work. It would be a lot easier to encourage someone not to see the film and then offer to teach them the true account of Noah.
Ultimately, if we are looking to an atheist to make a film that that provides us an evangelistic opportunity, then maybe we have forgotten something: the power of the proclamation of the gospel (Romans 1:16–17) and the command to preach that gospel—even when there isn’t a movie to help us. With that said, there are still going to be opportunities to talk to those who have already seen the movie, but Christians are going to have to be intentional and boldly speak of the truth of God’s Word with words of grace and truth.
Happy resurrection day to you all, friends and visitors! At the end of my Scripture Union bible notes, in today's reading, the author, Derek Tidball asks these two questions: what would you think if it were you who found the tomb empty? Does this help you in sharing the message with those who don't believe in the resurrection? For me, the whole Christian faith hinges upon the resurrection as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Here is the beautiful passage that brings confirmation that we can trust Jesus-Christ completely and that what he said was the truth and what he did for us fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy and many other prophecies. Isaiah 53:8, 11 [8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. [11] After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 700 B.C.
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. John 20:1-9
For the past weeks, I have been reading The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit by Reuben Archer Torrey and I do recommend it.
If you have Kindle on your PC, go to Amazone.co.uk and you can download that book in less than 5 minutes.
I like very much Torrey's style as it is concise, to the point and very clear.
I can think of no thought more humbling or more overwhelming than the thought that a person of Divine majesty and glory (the Holy Spirit)dwells in my heart and is ready to use even me.
What are the distinctive characteristics, or marks, of personality? Knowledge, feeling or emotion, and will. Any entity that thinks and feels and wills is a person.
If we read 1 Corinthians 2: 10-11, we are taught that the Holy Spirit is a Being who knows the truth.
In 1 Corinthians 12:11, we read, “But all these are the work of one and the same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.” Here will is ascribed to the Spirit and we are taught that the Holy Spirit is not a power that we get hold of and use according to our will but a Person of sovereign majesty, who uses us according to His will. Further on, R. Torrey tells us more about the personality of the Holy Spirit
In Romans 15:30, Paul says “Now I urge you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” Here we have “love” ascribed to the
Holy Spirit. The reader would do well to stop and ponder those
five words, “the love of the Spirit.” We dwell often upon the
love of God the Father. It is the subject of our daily and constant
thought. We dwell often upon the love of Jesus Christ the Son.
Who would think of calling himself a Christian who passed a
day without meditating on the love of his Saviour, but how often
have we meditated upon “the love of the Spirit”?
Have you already read that book or are you acquainted with R.A. Torrey's books, let us know please. Steven and I are about to go out to diner in an Indian restaurant in Stone, the Crown of India, so to all my blogger and non-blogger friends, have a blessed Valentine evening. Your sister in Christ.
To You O Lord I lift up my soul In you I trust O my God Do not let me be put to shame Nor let my enemies triumph over me
No one whose hope is in you Will ever be put to shame That's why my eyes are on you Oh Lord Surround me, defend me Oh how I need you To you I lift up my soul To you I lift up my soul
