He is not here.  He is risen!

 Luke 24:6

Welcome

to the

Church of the Holy Spirit

 We welcome and embrace you, loved ones in Africa,

Italy, France, the Guinea Basin and

from the area of the Caribbean! 

My site map is not detailed, so, if I've missed someone, or misplaced someone,

let us hear from you via email! 

Current Sunday Scriptures below!

 Archived Scriptures in The Family Room!

Embracing understanding with open arms...so all may become one.

  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 and Teacher.

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 teach, 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, 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.”

***

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.” 

 ***

 April 18, 2010

 Hebrews 12: 1-13 

  Seek A Quiet Harvest   

Hebrews

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.  And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.  He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward.  Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don't become weary and give up.  After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 

And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children?  He said, "My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you.  For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children."  As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.  Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined?  If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all.  Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever?

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how.  But God's discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness.  No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it is painful!  But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs.  Mark out a straight path for your feet.  Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.  

***

Thoughts...

Good morning.  I pray everyone is well and joy pervades your hearts. 

There are alot of embedded messages in todays scriputres.  Let's review by paragraph and see if we can get them all.   

In the first paragraph, Paul alludes to being a strong witness to others.  He tells us to 'strip off every weight that slows us down'.  What could that be?  I believe it means those things or people that cause us to sin, or feel sin, or act sinfully.  Does your fancy car cause you to be arrogant and puffed up?  Does your attitude get in the way of being kind to others.....are you too prideful in your car to help the homeless person on the street, seeing them as beneath you?  Do you scorn them because they are not working as you are?  Perhaps you should 'walk a mile in their shoes' as an old Indian saying goes.  Wherein lie your sins?

He talks about 'the sin that so easily hinders our progress'. Throughout scripture Paul indicates sexual sin to be the most demanding, the thing that takes someone away from God the most.  Though he was empassioned for God, passion for rather than with another, can cause someone to not be as focused on what God wants and is calling us to do, and it can hinder our walk with him.

He then goes on to remind us to 'run with endurance the race that God has set before us'.  Run.  Don't sit back and say, "ya, well, when I get up, I'll get to it".  Don't find excuses....believe me, they are all around....to keep from doing what God is calling you to do.  And if you have stepped into something of your own accord, then, you must call upon him to help you.  He wants nothing less than your very best at everything you set your mind to....while he wishes it was his mindset that caused you to make a better choice.  If it is something that he absolutely would not want you to do, then you need to retreat.  Can't do it on your own?  Then you best ask him to help you get out of what he has not set asunder....ordained...for you!  Nothing will be worse for you than to commit yourself to something, or someone, God has not called you to.  Nothing will be worse for the situation or the other person either.  He will be there for you, if you call on him, to make all things right.  He tells us he will help us by 'keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.'

Paul says, 'he was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward'.  Not only because 'he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven'.  His joy is also immeasurable....as is ours, when we turn to him, find him and follow him.  Look up.  He's there.  Jesus endured terrible things, 'so that you don't become weary and give up.'  His goal for us is the freedom and  joy in life everlasting.  He does not want us to become weary and give up in following him......following him.  Not our own selfish desires.  Is the life you are living one you manipulated, or one he has, or is trying to, gift you with?  Time to get real folks.  Why are you where you are?  Who are you with?  What are you doing?  Is it God's plan for your life, or your plan for your life?  Watch out.  Satan can cause joy, too.  But the outcome of his joy is an all consuming fire and death.  Jesus' outcome is eternal life and freedom in heaven.

Paul reminds us that 'you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin'.  His continual reality check.  He knows we will say, "well of course I am doing God's work and his will."  His response would be , "Are you?"  "Are you sure?"  Does Holy Spirit control your life?  "He will produce this kind of fruit in us:  love, joy,  peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."  Gal 5: 22-23.  Don't delude yourself here, folks.  Here is another reality check.  Do you have any of the following in your life:  sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, ourbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkeness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin?  Say each of these words individually and apply them to all areas and people of your life.  Start with your family, then your friends, your workplace cohorts, the television, computer, etc.   If any of them apply, according to scripture, you are following the desires of your sinful nature and will produce the above evil results.  Paul says, 'Let me tell again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.'  Gal 5:19-21

Paul now speaks of discipline.  He tells us to not ignore the disciplines of God and not to be discouraged when we are corrected.  That the Lord disciplines those he loves and punishes those he accepts as his children.  This one is tricky.  Your job is to discern...KNOW...if what you THINK is good stuff coming in, is of God or of Satan, OR, if the 'bad' stuff coming at you is God's loving punishment or Satan attacking you.  This is difficult.  Let's say you believe you are in love with someone, yet God sees you as having manipulated a situation to obtain control so to have someone be forced presumably to love you.  They don't.  And they are not meeting your demands.  Suddenly, they turn around and acquiese.  They meet your demands.  You think God is good.  Yet the mere manipulation and demands you place are not of God, tho' you say you are of God.  They are tactics of a terrorist.  Someone not of God.  So, is God good to have had your loved one acquiese?  Nope.  God wasn't a part of the relationship from the get go, and he is not about to jump into the middle of something and make it right for you, if you are not right with him from the start.  On the other hand, perhaps the other person is more right with God and they are trying to just stay the course in the name of God hoping you will make a turn around and stop talking the talk without walking the walk.  Some food for thought.  Look at all areas of your life, each family member, every person in the work place, people with whom you church, people you call friends, acquaintances, and strangers.  Who are you to them?  How do they see you?  Maybe you should ask them, if you are ready for the truth.  Who are you to God?!  Who are you to yourself?  How are you acting in the name of God?  Are you being disciplined.....by God?  Or are you walking with Satan?

God is a loving, caring, nurturing God.  He treats us with the love and care and concern that a parent is supposed to give to us.  That we are all to emulate with one another.  'Who is your Daddy' was the title of a 'Thought' I did a few weeks ago.  (Find it archived.)  So, who is your Daddy?  Are you in a rightful relationship with God?  Are you heir to his eternal life?  Or are you 'illegitimate and not really his children after all', as Paul says?  Are you willing to respect God and 'cheerully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever'?  Are you seeking to 'share in his holiness'?  Are you ready for a 'quiet harvest of right living'?  Oh, what a blessing that would be.  Just to consider it brings peace, serenity, tranquility, much joy.  Blessed assurance.  Think of yourself as a child, laying on your back, looking at the clouds going by in the sky, with no cares in the world, just being loved by the almighty Savior, sun shining upon you for warmth....or is THE SON shining on you in an ultimate loving embrace?  Maybe you haven't seen or felt Jesus in a long time....maybe you've only thought you have been seeing and feeling God.

What kind of life do you want to live?  What kind of love do you want to surround you?  Who do you want to embrace you through life and be there to carry you through the hard times?  Is the love you have now for the Savior the one he loves you with?  You need to make a change if not.

'So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs.  Mark out a straight path for your feet', Paul says.  Look up to your Savior, look at Jesus, and ask him what you should be doing with your life, and who you should be loving in your life, if you are loving rightly, and if you are doing anything in your life right.  Ask him to help you to make whatever changes that are necessary to give you a full life in him and with him forever.  Tell him you want to walk with him and never let him go.  Tell him you've been wrong and you want to be right.  Then let go of your control and start listening to what he is telling you to do.  Sometimes we can hear him directly.  Sometimes we cannot and he sends others to us to tell us what we need to do.  For those wanting to be in control, this will be hard...to listen to others.  But I encourage you to listen to others OF GOD...know them by their works...and then honestly and sincerely pray about everything you hear.  Some changes will seem contrary to what you want...or need.  Too bad.  This is God we are talking to here.  'Listen up!'  Do you think you know better than he does about your life?  Do you think he brought you to life only to have you tell him to get lost, that you know better?  Are you out of your mind?  You must be.  The problem is you are not in his, nor is he in your.  Don't you think you better let him in?  Remember:  the end times don't matter, if your end time comes first.   

We are on this earth...we have been given this life...to love as he does and give as he does.  To share the Gospel message that he lives and we can live with him eternally.  To live a life that others can learn by.  Are you talking the talk?  More importantly, are you walking the walk?  Because 'then those who follow you'....providing you are doing so in the name of and with God....'though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.'  You see, our life is not supposed to be just about us and what we need and want, but about others.  Jesus did not die for himself merely.  He died for the world.  It was his last and greatest example of love...giving up entirely of himself for God.  He did it because he loved God, his Daddy, so much.  So we are to sacrifice to God and for God.  Then God will make all things right for another....and us.  Remember, it was another first, then us.  Jesus surely didn't just jump up on the cross and say, 'Yo, Brother, this one is for you.'  He did it  with the greatest love, respect and honor for his Father.  And because of that selfless love,  God allowed his death to count for all our sins.  And our sins are many.  Be made new in Christ today.  Turn your lives over to him and let God rule your love and life.  Seek a quiet harvest from and for him, for others, and then for yourself.  He wants to love you so much, for you to know true joy, and be able to say, "God is so good to me" KNOWING it is God that is directing your life, and, that your joy does come from the only one true ever living ever loving God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit.  Every day and every moment.  Run to him now....with endurance!        

***

Let Us Pray

Oh, God, my Lord and Savior, Holy Spirit....forgive me of my sins.  Forgive me for so many there are too many to mention.  But you know what they are.  You know who I have sinned against...you...and so many others.  I have not loved you with my whole heart.  I have not loved my neighbor...my family, and those who are closest to me, those friends and acquaintances I talk to many times a day and many times not very often.  I have hurt you and many others.  I have even hurt myself.  By not fully turning my life over to you and by not trusting you and others who have come in your name.  I have thought myself right in all areas of my life.  I have let my thoughts and actions even be controlled by others who are not really in and with you.  I have believed everything I have been taught and now that I am old enough to do so, I have not checked with you to know if what I have learned has been right by  listening to you, or if I cannot hear you, by checking it all out with your Word in the Bible.  I have heard so much, and listened to so many others not of you.  Even my own family is not necessarily a source of strength and rightness because of things that happened to us as children, but you Lord can make all things right.  You can heal all the wounds and bring me and them, and those around us, to a new understanding of who you are, what you want for my life and theirs, and show us, as well as tell us, what we are to do for you and ourselves for our future.  A future with you.  And if I have made decisions Lord that are not of you, please correct them.  I realize that you may make major changes in my life and remove those for whom I should not have opened a door.  Prune me, Lord, and make me right with you.  It may be the hardest thing I have ever done or gone through, but I know in the fullness of my heart, I want to be right with you and have your love.  If you don't love me and aren't there for me, nothing else in the world matters to me.  I want to have wholeness on this earth, as much as I want it in heaven.  Either way, I want to always be in your arms.  I hope you will find it in your heart to heal me and make me into someone who can love your way and receive your love from someone else, as you are making them right for me, too.  But if it is not your will, Lord, I will live a chaste, and pure, and clean life for you with humility.  I've been deluding myself and others.  Forgive me, and help me to go to them, and ask their forgiveness, for how I've been acting and the pain I have caused them.  I have been a fool acting foolishly.  I know that you don't give a lot of these chances and that you cast out those who continue to act like they don't know you, even if they say they do, and play act as if they are one of yours.  I know that going to church has no meaning, if I am not going to church in my heart with every person I meet.  I am truly ashamed and humbly repent.  And I prayerfully request that you give me another chance at loving you and showing you that....and the opportunity to show it to all others, too, especially all those directly around me in my family, with those I work, and even strangers along the way.  This will be a painful discipline, but if it will bring me your love fully and the hope of maybe being fully loved by another, then I am willing to be disciplined with your love.  Thank you for loving me so much.  May I learn to truly really emulate that.  Thank you for being you and thank you for making me....may I finally show that it is in your image.  Amen.

***

More love.... 

  Benediction...Blessing

Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

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 resouces 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.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

*** 

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."

***

  Our Current Cause

It is time to reach into the community and the world around you to see wherein lies the greatest need.  As you choose to focus on these areas, do so with a servant's heart.  Whether the need is for children, adults, or animals, or any cause in between that will help those in need, ask God how you can best serve his needs, what path you must take, and how long you should persevere.  Sometimes we are to be in the lives of others merely as stepping stones.  Sometimes we are to touch those lives forever.  Whatever journey you are called to take, whatever team you will be a member of, know this:  God is with you always...even til the end of time.  He loves you, is grateful for you, and will help you along life's way, especially if you are helping others along theirs, persevering with a servant's heart. 

Please accept my sincerest thanks....and God's....and may God richly bless you!   

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 Checks or money orders can be made out to

Trinity Missions

or the

Church of the Holy Spirit

and sent to

Trinity Missions

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. - 8 p.m.

Mountain Time

or

TrinityMissions@msn.com

Please note Trinity Missions or CoHS in your subject line.

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.

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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.

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