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!

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

We welcome and embrace you loved ones in

the area of Italy, China,

 and the United States of America!

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

let us hear from you via email! 

   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.

***

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.” 

***

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.  

***

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.”

***

“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.” 

 ***

September 5, 2010

Luke 14: 25-34 

  Follow Him Or Be Thrown Away  

Luke

Great crowds were following Jesus.  He turned around and said to them, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes more than your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.

But don't begin until you count the cost.  For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?  Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds.  And then how everyone would laugh at you!  They would say, "There's the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!'

"Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him?  If he is not able, then while the enemy is still far away, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace.  So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.

Salt is good for seasoning.  But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?  Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for fertilizer.  It is thrown away.  Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!" 

***

Thoughts...

Good morning.  I hope this finds you anticipating with joy a new season.  Be it the weather, or a feeling in your heart, may today be a new season for you. 

I've preached on this scripture before, but as those who read the Bible regularly know, every time you read a scripture, new layers of meaning are uncovered.  We are embraced with this new meaning either for ourselves or others, and our task is to receive all we can from Holy Spirit, so that we might go forth for the glory of God.  Let's look at...to...the Word now.

Jesus is very specific on what he would have us to do to be his disciple...a follower.  What does it mean to carry your own cross?  Throughout scripture, Jesus carried his cross figuratively and then literally.  If we take up the cross of Jesus, accept him as our Lord and Savior, be willing to share the gospel in due season and out, that can be considered a cross, a heavy burden to carry in a world rife with turmoil and torn with violence, a world unable to accept others for various reasons, a world who spurns someone of different thought....deeper thought.  A person who knows joy has no bounds in Christ can be considered obnoxious, arrogant, threatening to someone who only has the Word, but does not indwell the Word...truly know the Word....and live with Him. 

Loving him more than your own life.....what makes up our life?  Family, as indicated, friends, emotions, mental thoughts, physical conditions, material things, a career, fun things to do, tedious things to do.  I believe Jesus is calling us to stop being busy for him all the time (are you?) and start being with him more often.  He is calling us to lay down our life as we know it and start living for and with him.  Letting him direct our thoughts, actions and our devotion.  As the Author of life, God knows our thoughts, our heart and our mind.  He calls us to come to him fully, so that he might be able to fill us to overflowing with his love, his joy, his everything.  As we journey with him, we are called to share who he is, that he is, and how wonderful he is.  We are called to share the truth that sets people free.  Freedom born of pain perhaps, but a new freedom with his offer of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. 

In the second paragraph, Jesus tells us to count the cost.  We are not to go willy nilly running to him just because of what he can give us.  He wants to enter into a commited relationship of love with us.  In the earthly world, we are 'supposed to' take time to get to know someone before we agree to be their friend....this is seldom done.  The same is true before we say yes to an engagement or marital relationship.  Even an employment commitment requires us to do our homework before we align ourselves.  In real life there is always an excitement phase, just as in Christianity.  And many are baptized in that excitement phase.  Others are taught some foundation before they get excited.  Some get excited, learn some scripture, wane a little, but still get baptized.  Others are baptized, taught, confirmed, and not until later in life do they grasp an understanding.  And some adults even think that now that they 'get it' they should continue to 'get it' from the church that gave it to them.  It's not the church, it's Holy Spirit that imparted the information.  You were ready to open your heart to receive it....to hear it.  God's timing is always right.

But Jesus wants more than us just hearing him...the Word.  He wants an interchange of thought, dialogue, devotion to one another.  He doesn't just want to love us and have him continually hurt him as we can do to others in life.  He doesn't want his life, or death, or love to be in vain.  He wants to know you are worthy to receive his love.  Are you?  Are you finally ready to lay down your life for him?  To pick up the cross of love and embrace the fullness of it and give back to him all that is due him in thanksgiving for what he did for you?  Are you ready to receive the great love of someone who was so good and who loved you first?  He's calling you!  He's calling you now, here, today, right at this moment!  Are you ready yet to run to his arms?  Will it be for a lifetime?  Or will you be the seed that fell on dry ground, unwatered, blowing away?  Is it time and are you willing to be watered, grow deep roots, and bloom?   The seed has been planted.  'What say you?'  Are you ready to have the ultimate of love relationships that will last an eternal lifetime?  Count the cost....know that it is worth your everything(s).  Bow down, and worship the ever living ever loving Jesus Christ today.  

Still not sure?  Talk to those who you know are of God.  Let them show you the way, the truth and the light.  Let them gather with you in strategic session to show you how to prepare and take command of your life to be successful at waging a war against Satan and his assigns.  How to be successful at being a Christian...someone who is one with their Lord and Savior in heart, mind, body and soul.  How to let go of those things that are not important.  It's not just material things as most think, it's our thoughts, our actions, our way of life.  Even our illnesses...who would you be without them?  FREE to worship THE Lord!  Give them to God!  Release them!  Sometimes he makes us go to Doctors so they can see HIS glory!  Still feeling hurt by something someone did to you in the past?  Release it!  Stop stuffing your emotions!  Is it easy?  Not always.  Can you do it?  Absolutely!  Just tell God to take it all away.  Release it unto him.  Then when it hurts again, just tell Satan to talk to Jesus, you don't have time for his nonsense.  Tell him nothing he does can take you away from Jesus.  He can huff and puff and beat at your door, but you have Jesus as your stronghold.  You have the man who died for you, he loved you so much.  Why are you not letting him help you from hurting?  From making wrong choices?  From living a life of sorrow, turmoil, trauma?  WHAT are you thinking?  This is the guy that freed you from your sins and has offered you eternal life with him.  Oh my goodness!  He is JESUS!

So you say you have a great life, no problems, everything is hunky dorey...wonderful.  Is it?  If it is as great as you say and you do not have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ, imagine....just imagine....how much more dynamic it could be if you bowed down and worshiped the one true Lord.  In Luke 12: 21 Jesus says, "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."  What is earthly wealth?  Not just money, cars and houses, investments and the like.  What about those who say they have lots of friends in the world?  Note...the term 'in the world'.  That's the point...they are in the world, not in Christ.  Etc.....think this through.

Okay, so you say, "I go to church every Sunday.  I work in the Altar Guild.  The ladies like me, I dress nice, I'm friendly.  Or, I usher, and I know lots of people, I do my share, take up the collection, even present the Gifts.  I look fine for the Lord on Sunday mornings.  BUT DO YOU KNOW JESUS?!  More importantly, does he know you ?!  If you are not doing for HIM and living with him, you need to give up that possession....self.

The time is coming...in fact it is here.  As I've said LOTS of times, YOUR end time may come before THE end times.  Pay attention folks.           

Will you be salt that enhances, cures?  Salt can also destroy, too.  Will you be health filled, 'glory pointing' to the Savior, feeding souls?  Or will you choose a stagnant state, a path of destruction, and choose to walk away?  Jesus is calling you to a life with him.  He wants you to be filled to overflowing with the Trinity and to know what he knows and walk beside him on the journey.  He wants you, your life, to be a living testimony to him.  He needs you in the trenches now.  People are suffering, they are lost....are you one of them?  Think about the things I've said today.  Here is an outline that may help you decide:

TO BE VICTORIOUS

PREPARE - Learn who he is, that he is, and how wonderful he is....get into the Word...read the Bible.

CALCULATE - The cost:  What have you to gain?  What have you to lose?

FOUNDATION - Make the right choice:  Accept Jesus into your heart and life today!

PEACE - Receive the peace of God that passes all understanding.  Speak in terms of peace with the Trinity.  

SUCCESSFULLY - Continue the journey with HIM who first loved you.

Jesus tells us in Luke 12: 34  "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be."  Treasure him.  come home in your heart to Jesus and treasure him....as he treasures you.  He's standing with outstretched arms now...go to him...he's waiting for you.  Don't delay.  'There's no other way, than to trust and obey.'  You will be so immensely glad to fall in love and be in love with him, who first loved you.  Let Jesus be your joy, your embrace, your life Savior.  He loves you so......   

***

Let Us Pray

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, please, take mine, too.  Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, please, have mercy upon me.  Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world, please, grant me your peace.  Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.  Heal me now, please.  God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I have not lived my life in the fullness of all I can for you.  I strive, but I am lacking.  I have not loved you with my whole heart, I have not loved my neighbor as myself.  I am grateful that in asking, you will give me what I ask for...'to love you more dearly, to see you more clearly, to follow you more nearly, day by day'.  I am grateful that in looking, I will find....you always by my side.  I am grateful that in knocking, the door will be opened unto me....the door of heavens gate at that moment when you call me into your loving arms...at the twinkling of your eyes.  Thank you that I have prepared, calculated, built the foundation, have and speak peace.....now help me to successfully follow you to the ends of the earth.  I saw a picture once, Lord, of a sunset...the caption read:  'Somewhere the sky touches the earth and it is called 'the end'.'  Let me get to 'the end' however you measure it, and may I be in your arms at the close of my days.  Lord, you've given the opportunity of forgiveness of sins and eternal life to others....I pray now for all others in the world and thank God for offering you up as a living sacrifice for them, and me.  May they know a love with you as deep and as pure as you and I have...even more.  The world is hurting, Lord.  Thank you for sending me into the world that I may effect a change of heart....that the tides may turn in your direction.  That the world may be healed.  I know I am only one small person with a small world around me, but I recall the words on the paper on my refrigerator of Edward Everette Hale who said, "I am only one, but I am one, I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  What I can do I ought to do.  And what I ought to do, by God's grace, I will do."   So God, help me now...give me more of your grace, please.  The road is long....the world ain't heavy 'tho'...I want them to be my brothers and my sisters.  You say, "Whatever you do for these, you do for me."  Let me help them as you've called me.  And in helping, I know I will be helping you.  Let me not help them to help me, but to help all you've called to be yours.  And thank you, Lord, for trusting me with such precious gifts of these....your children.  Here is my heart....receive my heart.  Know that I love you and I will always love you.  Thank you for loving me first and showing me what real love is all about.  I bow down to you....I worship....I adore you.  And you will 'raise me up in Eagles' Wings, bear me on the breath of dawn, and make me to shine like the sun, as you hold me in the palm of your hand'.  Humbly, I thank you.  Amen.    

Sing:

I Can Only Imagine *

I can only imagine

What it would be like

When I walk, by your side

I can only imagine

What my eyes would see

When your face, is before me

I can only imagine

Surrounded by your Glory

What will my heart feel

Will I dance for you, Jesus?

Or in awe of you be still

Will stand in your Presence

To my knees will I fall

Will I sing Hallelujah

Will I be able to speak at all

I can only imagine

I can only imagine

When that day comes

And I find myself

Standing in the Son

I can only imagine

When all I will do

Is forever, forever worhsip You

I can only imagine. 

 ***

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 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.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

*** 

Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'.

***

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.  

***

***

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!   

 ***

  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.

  ***

    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."

***

***

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.

***

* I Can Only Imagine:  Music and lyrics by Bart Millard p 1999 Floodgate Records Rita Springer appears courtesy of Floodgate Records www.floodgaterecords.com 

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.

 *