3 Aug 2014
He is not here. He is risen!
Luke 24:6
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Church of the Holy Spirit
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PRAY...for all in the world!
'You care for people and animals alike O LORD.'
Psalm 36: 6b
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Who We Are
The Church of the Holy Spirit is a Christian church.
We believe in God the Father....our Father, Creator
In Jesus, the Messiah....our Savior and Lord
and in
Holy Spirit, our Comforter, Teacher, and Guide.
We believe that God made the heavens, the earth, and all creatures therein.
And that He forgives us of our sins.
God has given all creatures His son, Jesus, who died on a cross and arose from the dead.
We believe Jesus went to heaven and is now seated at God’s right hand.
Jesus' death and resurrection has given us the opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life.
God has given us Holy Spirit to teach, comfort, and guide us.
We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.
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Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man who was crucified, was raised from the dead by God!
Jesus has now become the cornerstone.
"There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."
Acts 4: 10 - 12
Holy Bible New Living Translation
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 Who are God, Jesus and Holy Spirit?
God is our heavenly Father who created the heavens and the earth. He lovingly forgives our sins. God gave us His Son, Jesus, who died on a cross, and arose from the dead. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God. He is the Messiah, our Savior. He can be our Lord, if we believe in him and accept him. He gave us the opportunity to receive eternal life. When Jesus went to heaven, 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 (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit) into your life to receive all they have to give you, and you would like to, pray this prayer or use your own words from your heart:
“Dear Heavenly Father God, please forgive me of my sins known and unknown. Jesus, 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 as you love me, so I can love others, and, so I can love myself. Holy Spirit, please fill me to overflowing with all the fruits and the gifts you have to give me to help me grow in Christ Jesus and be able to share the Trinity with others. 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, to dear Heavenly Father God. Amen.”
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If you have prayed this prayer, or one from your heart, 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. We hope to have a special page for this purpose. We now have a page where you will be able to list prayers for all to see, so that we may come together praying as a body of believers, for Jesus said, ‘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 God calls ‘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 this “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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August 3, 2014
Essential Steps With God
Acts 8: 26 - 40
Luke
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, "Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he did, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was not returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
The Holy Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and walk along beside the carriage."
Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah; so he asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
The man replied, "How can I, when there is no one to instruct me?" And he begged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:
"He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." [Isaiah 53:7-8]
The eunuch asked Philip, "Was Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?" So Philip began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him the Good News about Jesus.
As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?" [Some manuscripts add verse 37: "You can," Phillip answered, "if you believe with all your heart." And the eunuch replied, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."] He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Phillip baptized him.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the city of Azotus! He preached the Good News there and in every city along the way until he came to Caesarea.
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Thoughts....
If you will recall, we learned Philip had gone to Samaria to preach and teach. He performed miracles, many evil spirits were cast out, and many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. Many men and women were baptized in water in Jesus' name to be cleansed from and forgiven of their sins. Peter and John joined Philip and laid hands on folks to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This opened them to being able to listen/hear, understand the Word of God, and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to go forth to perform the Word of God.
In todays lesson, the essential steps with God are given, so that we may know how to do and what we are to do for and with the Lord. Fortunately for us in this day and age, we have the New Testament to refer to which is like an easy reference book, compared to the prophecy outlined in the Old Testament that Philip used that day with the Eunuch. Please note, that although we have documented history to rely on to share the Gospel, Philip had prophecy and actual hands on life story to share. He was there, 'in the know' when Jesus walked. The Eunuch may have heard the stories of Jesus, and Philip may have been there when Jesus walked, but everything was still 'word of mouth', and prophetic from the Word, then, the Old Testament, as we know it today.
So whether Philip shared it, or we share it, it still all comes from God, Jesus, Holy Spirit by 'word of mouth', if you will, and the written Word. Neither Philip's, Peter's, John's, nor anyone else's job was easy then, nor is it easy today. But we MUST do it, if we are to be declared a member in the Kingdom of God, and expect to not be cut from the Tree of Life, and receive eternal life. So let's get started on the steps outlined in todays lesson.
1. Expect to hear from angel's of the Lord. Acts 8:26.
2. Be sure it is an angel of the Lord speaking to you. Test what you hear with Scripture, and the element of peace.
3. Act on what you hear, because the Lord sent the angel to tell you what you need to do. Acts 8:26-27
4. Know that you will meet many people from many walks of life. Do not be intimidated. Do the job you were told to do. All need to hear the Word of God, to know the steps to eternal life. Acts 8:27-28
5. Worship God. Acts 8:27
6. Read the Bible, so you will know the Word of God. Acts 8:28, 30
7. Listen for the Holy Spirit's voice. Acts 8:29
8. Be sure it is the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Test what you hear with Scripture, and the element of peace.
9. Act on what the Holy Spirit tells you to do....rapidly. Acts 8:30 Note: Phillip RAN to do God's will.
10. Understand the Word of God. Acts 8:30
11. Seek instruction for that which you do not know. Acts 8:31
12. Invite others to join you on the journey. Acts 8:31
13. Remember the message: "The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus." Acts 5:42
14. Provide foundations of truth to support what you are saying. Acts 8:32
15. Ask questions to gain clarity. Acts 8: 34
16. Always go back to the Word to give the truths inherent for you, and others, to gain/insure salvation from sins and receive eternal life, as you share the Good News about Jesus. Acts 8:35
17. Be baptized/baptize others. Acts 8:37
18. Continue to listen for the Holy Spirit to tell you what to do. Be open and ready for the journey. Acts 8:39-40
19. Rejoice! Acts 8:39
20. Preach the Good News everywhere. Acts 8:40
Let's look at todays lesson some more. Are you willing to listen for the voices of angels and Holy Spirit? The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship God. Do you worship God? Do you go out of your way to worship God?
Before we go further, when I ask questions such as these, I am not asking in a reproachful voice. These questions are directed at me as well. Have you heard, 'Whatever you can get through you, you can get to you.'? Much of what I preach is a teaching lesson for me, too, if not all. Those of us who are preaching are the ones who need the Word the most. Not just to relay it, but to feed on it. Remember how Jesus was tested by Satan? All of us choosing Jesus as our Savior and making him Lord of our lives need to be fed constantly, as if we are starving, to get through every moment of every day of life. Do NOT think Satan will NOT test you....or me. TRUST ME....he most ASSUREDLY does test us ALL. Every moment we NEED God, Jesus, Holy Spirit! Every moment we need to be reminded of what we are not doing, so we can do it better, right, more accurately, etc.
Do you read the Bible? Do you read it aloud? "Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news - the Good News about Christ." Romans 10:17 You may have heard this phrased this way: "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" as Gloria Copeland quotes from the translation she uses. Whether you read aloud, listen to others preach and teach through CDs, DVDs, television, or angels, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit....listen.
Do you follow the leading/promptings/direction of the Holy Spirit? Do you ask others if they understand, or even heard the Word of God? Do you fully understand the Word of God? Get instruction from those who do. Be it any of the sources I just mentioned above....or listen closely as you study deeply.
Are you willing to share what you know about the Word of God? You do not have to memorize it. It doesn't change. Know where to look for the answers. Perhaps outline in a special color foundational/basic truths to create the desire to know more about Jesus and have others accept him as their Savior and choose to make him Lord of their life. By the way, have you made him Lord of your life yet? There is a difference.
Find out where the prophetic Scriptures are in the Old Testament that correlate to fulfillment in the New Testament. Highlight them. Maybe even keep a list on the inside cover of your Bible. If you only use the New Testament, type up the references, so you have them to read and tape them to the inside cover or plasticize them and have them ready to pull out. You could even make some small copies of the references with your ministry number and contact info to be able to hand out. It doesn't have to be fancy. Remember, Jesus walked in sand to give himself without the benefit of a regular shower, probably lacked toothpaste, so I am thinking tho' we have a societal norm to be clean, we don't have one that says we HAVE to be fancy. And tho' there are those who cannot clean on the outside, it doesn't matter, if the soul who spreads the message is clean.
If you are not baptized, get baptized. Whether it is by another literally, or Jesus spiritually anointing you in the shower, water hole or pool, it is 'an outward expression of an inward confession'. In other words, you declare aloud and by action what you have acknowledged and released internally. Be cleansed of and forgiven for your sins. The action of baptism is a pronouncement, or seal, if you will, allowing the Trinity [God, Jesus, Holy Spirit] see the intent of your heart, mind, body, spirit, soul to be one with them. By doing it in front of others, you are saying, "You are witnesses, help me stay on the right path." You then must help others come to this understanding. Baptize others whenever you can.
Have you been willing to go anywhere and do anything for the Lord? "When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away!" "...Philip found himself farther north at the city of Azotus!" Say WHAT?! Yes, you read all of this right. Just like Jesus appeared in the upper room, and who was it who 'aphantosed'(?)...disappeared, and other situations throughout Scripture, we may be picked up and set down like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz....sort of. "Are you ready for some football?" as the commercial on TV in America says. Gives new meaning to scrimmage, eh? I'm quite sure I might be a bit surprised, but I've been phenomenally surprised at a number of things already with the Lord, what is yet one other. All I'm saying is 'be prepared'. You never know where or when God, Jesus, Holy Spirit might exert their authority.
Have you preached the Good News for the Lord? Anywhere? WE are called to preach it everywhere. Get comfy with it. Get comfy with God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, the Bible. Be ready, be prepared. Go forth. And know that you are never alone on the journey. Also know that all fall short of the glory of God. That does not mean you should not try to do for him. It means that if you do step forth on the journey, and you don't appear as successful as the guy on TV, it doesn't matter to the guy on TV, it matters to GOD, JESUS, HOLY SPIRIT! The fact you step is success in and of itself. Keep stepping. As in all things, everyone improves with practice. It's the practice the Trinity is going for, not perfection. The Trinity are the only ones who are perfect. The rest of us are just forgiven sinners trying to stay attached to the Tree of Life and gain entrance into eternal life in heaven....doing our job one step at a time....every moment in time, with every breath.
Enjoy the journey! Receive the gift!
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Let Us Pray
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I just praise you and thank you! I rejoice that I have the opportunity to know who you are, that you are, and how wonderful you are. And that I can be forgiven of my sins. Even more, or equally so, is to be so trusted as to be put in a position as everyone else to share all you have to offer everyone....forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Thank you. It is humbling. Please send other Christians to surround me to help me walk this walk and talk the talk. I have a lot of steps to take, a lot of listening to do, a lot of action to take to insure I continue on the journey that leads to everlasting life. Help me hear you better. Also good would be to help me act on what I hear. I don't mind telling you, Lord, I am tired. I've been doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing, but sometimes you call us to just lay down our life....and wait on you. This is a profound lesson in patience, if nothing else. And truly it is many things else as well. Help me to 'see you more clearly, follow you more nearly, love you more dearly day by day'. I know there is more to life than loss and sorrow. Raise me to new heights of praise for you and with you. In Philippians, Paul said, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ." Lord, I have a little trouble with this sometimes. Help my heart please. Protect it. How do I not worry? I do pray about everything. I do tell you, God, what I need. I do thank you for all you have done, don't I? Maybe I don't thank you in advance expecting you will grant my prayer. Forgive me, God. But besides peace, I need a lot more right now. You know my needs, Lord God. Please help me....please meet my needs, and show me what action, if any, I need to take to achieve my needs being met. I do understand there are times I need to step back and wait on you. I do not believe this is one of those times. I have been earnestly moving forward on every direction I can to rise above my life circumstances. Unfortunately, there are those who seem to fumble the ball more than even me. Oh, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, come fully into my life and make me whole in you....I feel so without you some days....and yet I know neither of us have moved from our positions. Satan has been a NEARLY unbeatable foe. But I KNOW, that I KNOW, that I KNOW, with you there IS VICTORY! Just tell me the essential steps I need to take with you and for you, God. And pleeeease tell me it's time to get on to the victory part! I PRAISE YOU, GOD, JESUS, HOLY SPIRIT! I REJOICE WITH YOU AND FOR YOU! I BELIEVE in my heart of hearts that victory IS yours....and mine! THANK YOU! ALLELUIA! 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 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.
'All who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians - you are ONE in Christ Jesus.' Galatians 3: 27
It is not how we worship, but that we worship....the Trinity!
Teach tolerance....reach in acceptance....worship as one!
Embrace....Respect....Encourage!
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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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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, all they have done for you and will do, and, show thankfulness for being fed the Word of God, so you can know and obey him.
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Our Continual 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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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. I encourage you to pray your own prayers as well.
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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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NOTE: I said it long ago, but let me say it again. If you are wanting to lead a group, start a church, or are confined in an institution, or live in a country where the Gospel is not preached, and you don't know what to say or how to say it, and yet feel led to share, teach, or preach, besides just reading straight out of the Bible and sharing what God puts on your heart, please feel free to share any or all of what I've written, if it will help you, as long as you include where it comes from, due to copyright laws. Jesus gave God's love and healing freely, as well as his message. Our responsibility is to get the Word out to those who need to hear it. If what I've written....by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit....or what he has said through me....has helped you, it may help others that you know. You are welcome to share it. God calls all of us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. Please share it with the fullness of love that God, Jesus, Holy Spirit....and I....have given it. Amen!
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Bible Authors and Minister
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