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!

Visit our NEW rooms 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 and Welcome....

to our Brother(s) & Sister(s) in the areas of

Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico,

 the Phillipines and Indonesian Islands! 

Hey, USA, hi! 

We miss all others not with us today and look forward to meeting more!

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

let us hear from you via email!

PRAY...for all in the world!

'You care for people and animals alike O LORD.' 

Psalm 36: 6b

   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 of truth, 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 & 2
Jesus:  Matthew 1, 2 & 3
Holy Spirit:  John 15:26, 16:5-15

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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December 2, 2012

Just Doing For vs Being With The Savior

Luke 10: 38 - 42

Luke

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing.  She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work?  Tell her to come and help me. "

But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details!  There is really only one thing worth being concerned about.  Mary has discovered it - and I won't take it away from her. 

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Thoughts.....

The message for today may seem simple, but it is not.  For instance, when was the last time you invited Jesus into your home like Martha did?  Seems like a simple question, but after the choke and sputter of thought, you may have realized it's not an everyday occurrence or even a moment by moment one.  One of which we are all guilty.  Today, let us make this moment as the one we decide to follow him more nearly.  Just because we don't see Jesus walking with us, does not mean he does not.  In fact, he walks with us everyday....if we have invited him into our lives.  And the other step to inviting him in, is to make him LORD of our life.  Let me personalize that....He wants to be Lord of YOUR life.  Will you let him? 

And that is what Mary has done.  Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to learn what he had to teach HER.  Many people talk and teach.  We listen to a lot of things in life.  But listening to the Savior of the world....that's worth holding onto.  It's worth putting into practice.  It was worth his life.  I hope you will find it is worth yours.  Mary did.  Will you follow him more dearly as Mary did?

Martha's gripe was that she was doing FOR Jesus, but she was not being WITH him.  She expected Mary to do FOR Jesus as she was.  The last 3 words are the difference.....as she was.  Mary WAS doing FOR Jesus...she was listening FOR everything he had to say....to teach, so she could go FORward with him.  She was honoring him with her attentiveness, her willingness to learn from him, her devotion to him.  She was loving him.  Those are the ways Mary was doing FOR Jesus.  Mary was BEING WITH Jesus in a way that Martha wasn't able to because she had to cook for him.

"A good homemaker has the meal ready for the guest's visit....and every good homemaker knows to keep something at the ready in the event of guests."  That's what was taught YEARS ago and is timeless and helpful always.  Apparently, Martha was 'going all out' to insure Jesus' meal was a feast instead of just a simple meal.  Martha believed she was the only one doing FOR Jesus.  But she couldn't be WITH him in the ways that Mary had chosen.  One might conclude that Martha liked Jesus, whereby Mary loved Jesus.  Yet, please don't misinterpret the thought that if someone is cooking for you they only like you and do not love you.  Cooking for someone can be as loving, if not more so, than any other form of expression.  Yet if you read this passage again, you can see there is a depth to Mary's action that we cannot reach with Martha. 

Many is the time that we can be doing so much FOR the Lord, that we don't have time to spend WITH him.  We believe we are doing right by going to work to support ourselves and our family.  And meeting our responsibilities further by doing in the home, taking care of the kids, helping our neighbor, working in the church, etc.  And then Sunday rolls around and we are so tired, and we still have to get up and go worship the Lord.  And then come home and do more.  Jesus is telling us in this passage that there is a pattern to follow.  Put him first, make him the number one priority, honor him by listening to him, spending time with him....alone.  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind."  "Do this and you will live."  And then go cook, clean, work, do FOR.  But first BE WITH the Lord.

Learn to find time....make time....quiet time....to do nothing but spend time with the Savior....YOUR Savior....make him LORD of your life.   

Jesus told Martha that Mary had discovered what was important in life.....the WHO of life....Jesus.  Mary had learned about love, to love, from Jesus, and, to return that love as a gift of thanksgiving and devotion.  Martha may have loved Jesus, but like a lot of men today, they don't get that being in a kitchen is a loving act of devotion.  Yet Jesus saw more in Mary's act of devotion because of her demeanor....her spirit.  Martha appeared to be in rote action....doing what she was taught and thought she ought to do....to Jesus is was superficial....without the depth of element of God's love and devotion.  We are not unlike Martha in many ways as we all go out and do because we have to do.  We forget the spiritual element in the responsible element.  We can do, or, we can do as an act of devotion and thanksgiving with love to and for the Lord.  Do you see the difference between the doing for instead of doing with?  Certainly we must do FOR, but we must do WITH him as well.

We must not exclude the quiet times with our Lord.  We must not exclude him in our busy times either.  If we do without him, we burn out.  If we do with him ever present, and do what we have to do for him first, we will have a peace that passes all understanding.  Remember, we are to see God within everyone, since he created them.  That having been said, if when we are doing something for someone, we consider that we are doing it for God, the task will become easier and our reward greater. Truly, we all know that in doing for another there are many times we see no reward from the person we are doing FOR.  It is when we do that same task for JESUS, it will entirely lighten our load, and there will be reward for our good works on his behalf.  In this case, you are not just doing for the other person, you are doing FOR God IN the other person WITH Jesus and FOR Jesus.  Have I reached the 'Ah.....I get it' moment now?   

We are still to also spend time alone with God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.  It is in those moments we learn the most, we embrace the most through worship, we most feel the love come down from heaven as we give praise and thanksgiving beyond our worship.  It is during those times when we are able to better prepare for battle in the world and can put on our armor to step out the door. 

In Ephesians 6 we learn to put on truth, GOD's righteousness (not self-righteousness), peace, faith, salvation, the word of God.  We are to pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are to stay alert and be persistent in our prayers for all Christians everywhere.  Do you do this everyday?  I confess I do not.  There are times when I've been too busy doing for to be with.  And sometimes I've used 'with' as an excuse to not do 'for'.  We are all 'only human'.  No one is better than another.  And we are certainly not great on any level.....only God, Jesus, Holy Spirit are.

If you've sinned as I have, know that Jesus died so that we may be forgiven of our sins.  As Christians, we've only to ask him to forgive us and he will.  He knows the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  Paul knew this, too, and shared with us in Romans 7 & 8, "It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God's law with all my heart.  But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind.  This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me."  He states he is a miserable person and goes on to say, "Oh will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  So you see how it is:  In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin."  But then he says, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death."  Paul tells us rather than the law of Moses, "God put into effect a different plan to save us.  He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful.  God destroyed sin's control over us by giving us his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.  He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit."  Continue reading Romans 8.....especially the part who really is a Christian.

And the Spirit's way was with Mary in the depth of her devotion.  He was also with Martha in her skill to be a homemaker.  There are just times when we must choose to be with or do for.  Sometimes there will be times we will do both.  Jesus' example to us today is to understand there can be a vast difference between doing for him while being with him, and just doing FOR....him or another.                                 

Gosh, if all this hasn't made you cross-eyed.....let me make it simpler for you.

1.  Ask God, Jesus, Holy Spirit into your life.

2.  Make Jesus LORD of your life.

3.  Spend time WITH him everyday.

4.  Put on God's armor everyday.

4.  Do FOR him and walk WITH him, as you do for others and yourself. 

5.  Look for God in everybody.

6.  Realizing your imperfections, ask God for forgiveness for your sins.

7.  Try to do better tomorrow....and the next day....and the day after that.....

God loves you.  Jesus loves you.  Holy Spirit loves you.  You might want to consider loving them back.  Don't just do for them, do with them.  Don't just do for others.....take the LORD along for the ride.

As we reach the end of the year, we get closer to the time when we worship His Majesty by sharing in the joy of the birth of his Son, Jesus Christ.  There is no better time than now to let God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit know how grateful you are for them being there for you, Jesus being born, and being fed the Word of God.

Through your donations,

 people will be able to continue to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world,

and lives will be changed!

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and water will quench thirsts. 

Please consider donating your best gift possible today.

We now offer Pay Pal as a way to donate immediately and safely.  You'll find that option as you scroll down on this page.

Thank you and may God richly bless you!  

May your Christmas be merry and bright!

 *** 

Let Us Pray

"Oh goodness", as my friend and Spiritual mom, Mother Gladys, would say.  What have I done now?  I've not put you first in my life again, Lord.  Please forgive me.  And I don't say that lightly.  I'm either stubbing my toe or not being in the right place at the right time, because I'm too busy trying to figure things out on my own, or think I'm doing the right things, only to find out life could have been much easier.  Really?!  IF only I would put you first in my life, make you LORD of my life, not only during intermittent critical moments, and put on the armor of you, God.  You would think....I would know.....I do know.  I am supposed to do better, be an example, lead from the source of you instead of my empty shell within.  Empty because I have not fully embodied you every moment of every breath.  Forgive me, Lord.  Tomorrow is another day.  I will do better....I must do better.  When I get up in the morning, I'm 'hitting the deck' running.  Help me to breathe you into my life, bow down in honor to you, give you the respect you deserve.  I am very grateful for all you've done for me.  Help me show you how grateful by inviting you in.  Let this be a way of showing you I've made you Lord of my life.....I will breathe you in every moment....embrace you at every turn. Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, give me a new life in and with you as I go forth.  Help others see you through me....that you are my Lord and can be their Lord, too.  Help me to see you in everyone, God.  Holy Spirit, help me to hear you, and help me do better tomorrow because today I've already not done all I can do....yet.  Help me do more today....in spending time with you, loving you, honoring you, worshiping you, praising you and giving you thanks....making you, Jesus, Lord of my life.  And as I give you thanks, by giving money to the church today, help that gift be used for your glory, so that lives may be fully touched by you in all ways, and those receiving may know the miracle of your birth, the miracle of your life...that you, Jesus Christ are LORD!  Thank you.  I love you.  Amen.  

A good read:  Prayers That Prevail The Believer's Manual of Prayers by Cliff Richards with Lloyd Hildebrand Copyright 1990 by K & C International, Inc.                     

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 Visit our NEW rooms in The Family Room! 

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."

***

  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! 

BesidesBesid   

 ***

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Church of the Holy Spirit

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Trinity Missions

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No gift is too small or too large for the Lord. 

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If you have any questions, we can be reached at:

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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 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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