5 Apr 2009
He is not here. He is risen!
Luke 24:6
Welcome
to the
Church of the Holy Spirit
Current Sunday Scriptures below!
Archived Scriptures in The Family Room!
Who We Are
The Church of the Holy Spirit is a Christian church.
We believe in God the Father, Jesus the Son
and
Holy Spirit the Comforter, Teacher and Healer.
We believe that God made the heavens and the earth,
and gave all creatures His son, Jesus,
who died on the cross to forgive our sins
and
to give us eternal life.
We believe Jesus went to heaven, he is now seated at God’s right hand,
and
that God gave us Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us.
We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.
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 Who are God, Jesus and Holy Spirit?
God is our heavenly Father who created heaven and earth. He gave us His Son, who died on a cross to allow our sins to be forgiven and give us eternal life becoming our Lord and Savior. When Jesus died, Holy Spirit was made available to us to comfort, teach and guide us.
God in the beginning: Genesis 1:1
Jesus: Matthew 1, 2 & 3
Holy Spirit: John 15:26
Are you one with God, Jesus and Holy Spirit?
If you have not accepted the Trinity into your life and you would like to, pray this prayer or use your own words from your heart:
“Dear Heavenly Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, please forgive me of my sins known and unknown. Please come into my life, heal me and make me whole. Give me a new life in and with you. I wish to receive all that you have to give. Baptize me in the fullness of your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn all I can about you to love you, and others, as you love me. So I can love myself. Thank you for giving me this new life. Please send other Christians to surround me to help me grow and be strong to defeat Satan and the things of the world. Help me to be worthy of your love. Thank you God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. In Jesus name I pray by and with the power of the Holy Spirit to dear Heavenly Father God. Amen.”
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If you have prayed this prayer, please email us at TrinityMissions@msn.com, so we can agree with you in prayer, praise God, and uplift you with prayer support. We are thrilled to welcome you into the family of believers and encourage you to find a church home nearby where you can study, grow and fellowship with others. Someone may need your support as much as you need them. We are commanded to come together in fellowship to worship His majesty.
If you choose to fellowship with us via the web, we are honored to welcome you to the Church of the Holy Spirit. We pray you will be enriched and uplifted in the fullness of the Trinity to their glory. Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing from time to time. As the website grows, we will have a special page for this purpose, and, you will be able to list prayers for all to see, so that we may come together as a body of believers, for ‘wherever two or more shall gather, there will I be.’ Don’t forget to send prayers of thanksgiving, as well as petitions of tears.
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You are who I call ‘The Promise Children’, as in Romans 9:25-26 NLT:
“Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before. And, once they were told, ‘You are not my people.’ But now he will say, ‘You are children of the living God.”
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“The Kingdom of God is near you now.”
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The Apostle Paul gave us a “Prayer for Spiritual Empowerment” in Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT. It reads
“When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.”
Jesus told us to remain in his love in John 15:9-13 NLT:
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it - the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.”
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Thoughts...
The Triumphal Entry. Quite impressive sounding. As it should be. Here is the King of the Jews riding in on a colt of a donkey and the people are ecstatic. What is incongruent?
For starters, the Jews expected a political King, not a spiritual one. And they expected the polictical king to arrive on a great horse readied for war to take control. And yet, here is a carpenter's son, called a prophet, arriving in the gentlest manner atop a donkey's child...a colt. He fulfilled the prophecy of him being the Messiah, as well as exhibiting humility.
He entered at a time when Passover was to begin and great crowds were gathering from all over the world to celebrate the memory of the great exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:37-51). It was the Sunday of the week that Jesus would be cruicified. Many had heard of Jesus and were hoping he would come to the temple (John11:55-57). He knew that that those who would hear him would announce him as the Messiah to the world.
Each of the 4 Gospels has a little different account...notably because they were 4 different people seeing things from different perspectives and noticing different things. Mark uses the word "Hosanna" meaning "Save!" because Jesus was recognized and was fulfilling prophecy. See Zechariah 9:9 and Psalms 24:7-10 and 118:26. Unfortunately they did not understand where Jesus' kingship would lead him. OR themselves...I might add.
This same crowd cried out "Crucify him!" when Jesus stood on trial only a few days later realizing they were not going to fulfill their political hopes. They did not realize his unmistakable mission of saving souls.
In Luke 19:39-40, the Pharisees tell Jesus to quiet the followers for chanting about the King coming in the name of the Lord. He replies, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!" I love this! He intimates even the stones knew he was establishing God's eternal kingdom, a reason for the greatest celebration of all. And in John 12:19 it says, "Then the Pharisees said to each other, "We've lost. Look, the whole world has gone after him! Oh, that this would be so....
Then Jesus wept. Luke 19:41-44 reads: But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to cry. "I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you. They will crush you to the ground and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."
The Jewish people refused God's offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. And they suffered. Those who obeyed God were loved by God, and God continues to offer salvation to the Jews and Gentiles still today. Will you reject the offer of Salvation that Jesus is offering you today? Or will you choose to suffer in the end?
Today, on Palm Sunday, we are offered the opportunity to give glory and honor to the Redeemer King. But is he your king? Is he your LORD? If he is not, please consider reading from the beginning of this page and offering your prayers for forgiveness and requesting he come into your heart and life today. And pray the prayer given next. Make him your Hosanna in the highest. If you have prayed prayers for you salvation, but you feel adrift of the magnificent oneness with Jesus Christ, reenter his gates with thanksgiving after you ask forgiveness. He's missed you and will be thrilled you've gone back to him. If you are being embraced by him as I speak, PRAISE GOD! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Alleluia!
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Let Us Pray
God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, we are thrilled to hear the account of how you were loved...fully loved and accepted. We are saddened to learn of the suffering of those who chose not to obey you. Please Lord, let us not be one of the sufferers. Please, forgive us of our sins. Come into our hearts today. Cleanse us and make us new. And give us the spirit of strength to go forth in your name sharing who you are, that you are, and how wonderful you are with all we meet. Let us not be cast aside as unbelievers, or as those not obeying you and doing for you. Help us to hear your voice when you speak, so we may know exactly what you want us to do and how to do it. We want to always be in your perfect will. Still the world from spinning out of control around us. Bring order where there is chaos, so that we might have time to look up, and with you, then look out. We want to be your voice, and your heart, and your strength in the world. Enrapture us, as you envelop us in your arms. Embrace us to wholeness. And when the days are long and the going tough, embrace us tighter and lift us higher, as you carry us over the bumps. Oh, Lord, heal us in only the ways you can. Grant us forgiveness of sins and eternal life only found in you. Thank you Father, Savior, Comforter. Thank you for loving us so much and offering us everything you do. If we but obey you, we can have it all. Let every day be a winning day for and with you. We praise you....we glorify you....for you are Lord....and no one else. Hosanna in the highest. All glory, laud, and honor to the Redeemer King. We thank you! Amen.
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Psalm 98
Sing a new song to the LORD, for he has done wonderful deeds. He has won a mighty victory by his power and holiness.
The LORD has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The whole earth has seen the salvation of our God.
Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!
Sing your praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram's horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the LORD, the KING!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD.
For the LORD is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.
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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'.
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Definition of a Christian: Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. Regardless of church name or religious affiliation.
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If you feel that the Church of the Holy Spirit has inspired or helped you, we'd like you to prayerfully consider tithing regulary to us or gifting us, so that we can further the work and carry out the will of the Father as proclaimed in Matthew 28:16 NLT
to
"Go and make disciples out of all the nations
baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this:
I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
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Our Current Cause
We have a family in crisis who could desperately use your prayers and support. The Mom, a good Christian woman, is young still...she just turned 50, and she has 3 young children under 15. She has just been diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Her husband died 3 years ago from Cancer, and her Mother, who has her own health issues, is trying to care for her and her children and help her along life's way. They do not have enough money to meet their everyday expenses right now. But I am confident that, with your help, we can find some balance for them. If this touches your heart, we hope you will pray earnestly for her to be healed, and pray for her family. And, if you would, please send any amount of money you can to help them. Please note 'Elizabeth and kids' in your note line on your check and we will see that all funds go directly to them. Please consider reaching out to help them. I know they will be sincerely grateful for anything you can do to help.
Please accept our sincerest thanks....and may God bless you.
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Checks can be made out to
Church of the Holy Spirit
and sent to
Church of the Holy Spirit
P.O. Box 86076
Tucson, Arizona
85754-6076
If you have any questions, we can be reached at:
1-866-402-GIFT
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Mountain Time
As we grow, you will have options for allocating your gifts.
In the meantime, we hope you will trust us to direct them to where the need is the greatest.
We will be integrating Pay Pal soon for your convenience.
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One last thing....
Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving
'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'
"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."
Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.
Matthew 11: 25-30
The Message
And the people said,
"Amen."
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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God. Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scriptures may be taken from the New Living Translations website.
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April 5, 2009
Matthew 21: 1-11
The Triumphal Entry
Matthew
As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. "Go into the village overthere," he said, "and you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them here. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs them,' and and he will immediately send them." This was done to fulfill the prophecy, "Tell the people of Israel, 'Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey - even on a donkey's colt.'"
The two disciples did as Jesus said. They brought the animals to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!"
The entire city of Jerusalem was stirred as he entered. "Who is this?" they asked. And the crowds replied. "Its's Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.
Bible Authors and Minister
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