July 1, 2012

    Will Your Faith Save You?    

Luke 7: 36 - 50

Luke

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his home for a meal, so Jesus accepted the invitation and sat down to eat.  A certain immoral woman heard he was there and brought a beautiful jar filled with expensive perfume.  Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping.  Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair.  Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who was the host saw what was happening and who the woman was, he said to himself, "This proves that Jesus is no prophet.  If God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman is touching him.  She's a sinner!"

Then Jesus spoke up and answered his thoughts, "Simon," he said to the Pharisee, "I have something to say to you."

"All right, Teacher, Simon replied, "go ahead."

Then Jesus told him this story:  " A man loaned money to two people - five hundred pieces of silver to one and fifty pieces to the other.  But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts.  Who do you suppose loved him more after that?"

Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt."

"That's right," Jesus said.  Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Look at this woman kneeling here.  When I entered your home, you didn't offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You didn't give me a kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in.  You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.  I tell you, her sins - and they are many - have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love.  But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love."  Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."

The men at the table said among themselves, "Who does this man think he is, going around forgiving sins?

And Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." 

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Thoughts.....

Good morning!  It's a little hot in Tucson, Arizona this morning....already 100 and expected to get to 107 degrees.  Perhaps having you focus on being in a hot seat will help you better understand todays message.  The crux of it being forgiveness.  

I'm going to put todays lesson in the format of questions for you to ask yourself.  You may want to read again todays scriptures to be reminded of any unresolved issues....any unforgiveness still lingering.  And then you may want to read them yet again to focus on what you can do to change things for the better in your future.  Hopefully that future entails a relationship with Jesus Christ rather than him being merely on the perimeter of your life.  All of these are not intended to have brief answers...please do not answer these lightly or without much thought....much prayer.  Here we go....

How do you live your life?

Has your faith saved you?

Are you willing to forgive others?

Are you willing to forgive yourself?

What have you done for others in Jesus' name?

What will you do for others in Jesus' name?

What will you do for Jesus directly?

Will you even spend time with him today?

What would you do?

What will you do?

How much love will you give yourself....others....JESUS....the world?

Are your sins forgiven? 

Do you believe you need to be forgiven for sins still not forgiven?

Will you ask Jesus to forgive you?  

If yes, do you believe you have been forgiven of those sins? 

Will your faith save you?

Do you love him more?!   

At the end of the day, ask yourself this:  What did I do for and with Jesus today?

Then ask yourself again:  Will your faith save you? 

Does he love you more?

Some would say, "How can he love me more than dying on a cross for my sins to be forgiven and for me to have the opportunity to receive eternal life?"

Get to know him better and you will see how you will fall in love with each other more and more with each new day.  Especially when he sees how much you love him and show him.    

Do you believe in Jesus and what he did for you, and all, in the world?  Receive him into your heart today, if you have not already.  Love him.  Your faith will save you and bring you peace!    

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Let Us Pray

God, thank you for loving me enough to give me life and give me Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus, for being obedient to God, for dying for me, and loving me.  Thank you forgiving me.  I do believe my faith has saved me....and will save me.  Thank you for being in my life day after day after day, regardless of the fact that I am not there for you as often as you are there for me.  I need to change that....I need to spend more time with you and for you.  Please forgive me for that and any other unresolved sins I know or don't recall, or of which I am unaware.  Help others to forgive me as I forgive them.  As I go about my day today doing for others in your name, I will also be spending time with you and for you.  I want to spend some precious alone time with you as well, Jesus.  I want to get to know you better, so I will not only listen for your voice, I will read the New Testament more....again....over and over....to better understand you and God.  I want to love you more and perfectly magnify your Holy Name.  Please remove from me anything that is not of you.  And then, Holy Spirit, please fill me with all you have to give to overflowing, so those areas now left void by Satan and his assigns leaving will not be able to enter those areas again.  Sanctify me by your love.  Wash me anew and ablaze with the fire of your love, your zeal, your passion that all should be saved.  Direct me on my journey to show you to others, that they, too, may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your Holy Name, as they are saved by their faith, as well.  I do love you more.  I hope you will love me more, too.  May my life always be a testament of who you are, that you are, and how wonderful you are.  I praise you, my Heavenly Father, my Lord, my Comforter and Teacher!  Thank you for your embrace.  Your life.  Your love.  Thank you for my faith that has saved me.....thank you that I may go in peace with that knowledge.  Make me wiser, please.  Amen.        

Lord,LordJesJeJeJJjEJJJ     JJThe LORD is king!  Let the nations tremble!  T***

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 Rhythms 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....the Trinity!   

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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."

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  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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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 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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  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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