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Thoughts Archived > Will You Endure & Be Saved? Part 1


23 Jan 2011

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,

throughout the world!

Hello....Africa!

We welcome back our friends in the ... is it

the Angola Basin or Guinea Basin?

Hey, USA, hi!

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.

 

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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.”

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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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January 23, 2011

 Matthew 24 

 Will You Endure & Be Saved? - Part 1 

 

Matthew

As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.  But he told them, "Do you see all these buildings?  I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!"

Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives.  His disciples came to him privately and asked, "When will all this take place?  And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world?"

Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you.  For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.'  They will lead many astray. And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic.  Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.  The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.  But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.

"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed.  You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me.  And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.  And may false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.  Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.  But those who endure to the end will be saved.  And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.

"The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about; the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place - reader pay attention!  "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.  A person outside the house must not go inside to pack.  A person in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days.  And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again.  In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed.  But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.  

"Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't pay any attention. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.  See, I have warned you.

So if someone tells you, 'Look the Messiah is out in the desert, don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!  For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.  Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.

"Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.

And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. 

"Now learn a lesson from the fig tree.  When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near.  Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.  I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.

"However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.  Only the Father knows.

"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.  In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.  People didn't realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away.  That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

"Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.  Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken; the other left.  So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming.

"Know this:  A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into.  You also must be ready all the time.  For the Son of Man will come when least expected.

"Who is a faithful, sensible servant to whom the master can give the responsibilities of managing his household and feeding his family?  If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.  I assure you, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.  But if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while, and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk, well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected.  He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

 

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Thoughts.....

 

Good morning!  Todays scripture is a wild ride into something akin to what MSN news this morning said of the upcoming 2011 Sundance Film Festival:  "Taking in the creepier side...." and labeled "horror to horrifying".

Consider the world news over the last few years....floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, famines, wars.  Murder and persecution is everywhere.  Sin is in the living room on television...and in minds as people consider and do despicable things.  Hatred and betrayal is everywhere.  No one can forget or should forget Auschwitz or the genocide going on now in Africa and elsewhere in the world.  Even those in churches will turn away from the Lord and betray and hate each other.  "....the love of many will grow cold."   Look around you.  Take in the moral scenery of the world.  Take in the hearts of the people.  Where are the people with hearts for the Lord?  Are there any people with hearts for the Lord left?  And will they act as if they are of the Lord, or say they know him not, by their actions?  Who are you?  What do your actions say about you?

I am going to leave the tearing apart of the scriptures for purposes of prediction of time to those wishing to waste time doing so.  I do not have time to worry about tomorrow, when I am supposed to be focusing on who I am IN Christ and what I need to be doing for him right now....today.  For that is essentially what the scripture is telling us. 

We are not to run to a false messiah, but look to THE Messiah.  We are not to worry about tomorrow, but look to today, this moment, so we will know our destiny in his arms.  We are to endure to the end....""But those who endure to the end will be saved."  Will you endure?  How do you endure?  You endure by reading the Word...the Bible.  Learning about who God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit are and what they are calling you to do.  How to live your live for and with them.  Then you do what they've told you to do.  It's called obeying.  It's not enough to know the word, you have to enact the word. 

Will you be saved?  You can be assured of going into eternal life if you love God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and, if you do everything you can to obey the Trinity.  Jesus followed his statement of endurance and salvation with the following:  "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come."  It appears as though while loving and obeying him, we are to preach the Gospel to everyone everywhere.  It's as if he expects that those of us who love him WILL preach.  In this chapter Jesus foretells the future.  A hopeful future that all will endure and be saved.  And yet, he knows and states many will not.  For those of us listening, we must ask ourselves, are we going to endure and be saved?  Are we willing to be prepared....be ready all the time?  He says "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever."  Picture a stillness on the earth....throughout the skies.  And those aren't stars, but words of Jesus hanging in the darkness.  No one walks the earth....it is desolate. No one breathes oxygen.  There is heaven....and there is hell.  "People didn't realize what was going to happen."  But those who prepared...who were ready all the time....they had life breathed into them....eternal life.  Those were the sons and daughters he called home to his arms. 

Be careful who you listen to.  "Don't let anyone mislead you."  There is only one way to have eternal life....and that is through Jesus Christ.  If you have asked Jesus into your life, and asked for forgiveness for your sins, and walked with him obeying him, you can be assured, when he sends forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast....as they gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven, that you will be one of the chosen.  Who is the faithful, sensible servant, to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his household and feeding his family...the world?  Will it be you?  If not, you will be weeping and gnashing your teeth...not with him....oh no, no eternal life for you. 

"No one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.  Only the Father knows.  And he is watching....you....and me.  I am not so bold as to say this is only about you.  It's about all of us.  No one is immune to the judgment of God.  All fall short of the glory of God. So what will you do to insure your future?  What is your insurance policy WITH JESUS worth?  No offense to my insurance agent, who is the best, but we are talking eternal life here. What are the headlines for your life?  Think about how Jesus would write your obituary.  What would he say about you?  Oh, woops?!?!  No one is perfect, but we must strive to do everything we can and to be everything God, Jesus and Holy Spirit need us to be for them, ourselves and ALL those around us. 

You can't hide in that shell of yours anymore. You can't say, 'I can't'. You must say, 'I will'.  And what 'will' you? Ask God what his will is for your life.  Then do it.  Don't let it be too late.  Don't get into a position to feel like you have to beg him to 'beam you up'.  For begging will not get you there.  Only living right today and every day thereafter will get you eternal life.  And it's not about works you think are right that will get you anywhere.  It's about gifts of thanksgiving for the love God has already given you.  What gift will you give him today?  On his wish list it says, "I want you....your heart....your life."  Will you give him your life today?  He wants to save you...to help you become righteous, so to receive eternal life.  He can't do it without you.  Are you ready?  Will you endure?  Will you be saved?  Turn to him today and tell him you're sorry.  Perhaps you didn't realize.  But you do now.  'Today is the first day of the rest of your life.' 

I remember a quote, but I do not remember the author, and I've shared this before, so forgive me the repeat:  "I have no tomorrows, time took them away; I may not have tomorrow, but I have today."  You do have today.  You have this very moment.  Will you be prepared...ready all the time?  Don't be the one left behind.  He's waiting....embrace him now.   

And here is something more for you to study and think about.  Jesus said, "the angels will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven".  I always knew about and conceptualized 'earth'.  I didn't consider, or maybe I had missed a word, that he would draw from 'heaven' as well.  This has even farther reaching implications than I already understood.  How about you?  We earthlings think we are the only ones here.  We have also believed we go to heaven.  Now we are going beyond a star trek.  Play on words intended.  We are not heaven bound...well we might be.  But we are to work toward receiving eternal life.  Is there somewhere else to live?  Stay tuned for part 2 next week.             

 

***

 

Let Us Pray

 

Dear God, Jesus, Holy Spirit please come into my life and forgive me of my sins.  Life is kinda rough and I am not sure one minute to the next what is going on.  I'd like to have more control over my life, but knowing that you can have control over my life is even better.  You know what is best for me...I just have to listen and follow your lead.  So, tell me everything you need me to know, and what I need to do for you, for myself, my family, the world of believers and non-believers that you send in my path, so they, too, may know your saving grace.  Help me...I'm gonna need you.  Don't leave me for a minute.  But forgive me in advance for not being perfect, because there may be moments you are not ever present in my mind due to the demands of life.  And thank you.  For everything.  I would not be were it not for you.  I would not be alive to life were it not for you.  And I would not have a life or know how to love were it not for you.  Thank you, Lord of heaven and earth....and eternal life.  I bow down to your majesty, I raise up in praise.  I rest in your peace, I lie down in your rest.  Let my comings and goings be all about you.  Your will.  Not my ways, but your ways.  Lead me on and make me whole.  Help me to raise you to new heights of glory.  With thanksgiving I praise your Holy Name.  Alleluia.  With love I say amen.   

A Morning Resolve *

I will try this day to live a simple, sincere, and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike faith in God.

In particular I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer, work, study, physical exercise, eating, and sleep which I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me to be right.

And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord God my Father, in Jesus my Savior and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For Today *

Give me strength to live another day;

Let me not turn coward before its difficulties or prove recreant to its duties;

Let me not lose faith in other people;

Keep me sweet and sound of heart, in spite of ingratitude, treachery, or meanness;

Preserve me from minding little stings or giving them;

Help me to keep my heart clean, and to live so honestly and fearlessly that no outward failure can dishearten me or take away the joy of conscious integrity;

Open wide the eyes of my soul that I may see good in all things;

Grant me this day some new vision of your truth;

Inspire me with the spirit of joy and gladness; and make me the cup of strength to suffering souls, in the name of the strong Deliverer, our only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.   

For the Unemployed *

Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work.  Guide the people of this land so to use our public and private wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive just payment for their labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

 

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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         

 

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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. 

It is not how we worship, but that we worship!   

 

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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 regularly to us or gifting us, so that we can further the work and carry out the will of the Father as proclaimed in Matthew 28:19-20 NLT

 to

 "Go and make disciples out of all the nations

baptizing 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, 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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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.

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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 Rhythms 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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*Prayers:  A Morning Resolve and For Today are from Forward Day By Day, as is For The Unemployed, which is from The Book of Common Prayer.

  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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Bible Authors and Minister