Gifts of the Holy Spirit!

What are they for?

A great debate rages in the Ekklesia today in relation to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with many claiming that that time in the book of acts is over?

But if we take time and end our doctrinal blind spots we will take note that in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 4 we are told the essential reason, before hitting the juicy bits!

Gifts, service and activity are the essentials of being touched at His will by the Holy Spirit, one who will remain active and effective in the lives of all believers who remain in fellowship with God.

We cannot preach, teach, witness, share, talk about God without the Holy Spirit, we have to be touched and given each individually our gifting, so that we may serve, so that we will remain active no matter what Satan tries to use to draw us down?

Romans 15:17, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Ephesians 4:12, 2 Timothy 4:5, Hebrews 12:28, James 2:22, Revelation 2:19.

Angels Ministered!

Great Anguish.

Jesus was moments before His journey to the cross and our atonement, but in His human flesh he was in anguish and many believers may find themselves in these moments of great mental and physical pain from the evil people in this world!

Some modern translations do not have these verses in the text, how sad they have missed such an important point, that we too may go through periods of suffering and may even be attended to by Angels, as our Lord was?

We are warned to be careful about people who brag about the subject and dream also, but that must also be taken that Angels will help us, since Peter was released from Prison and the Apostle Paul saw Heaven!

Luke 22:43-45, Psalm 91:11-12.

‘Which Bible!

Translation is the Best or is Right?

Many of us who preach will use a modern version to get what we want to say out in modern language of today to people who do not have any understanding of anything to do with God? But when it comes to our own study we seek the basis of the King James version to get refences to Strong’s lexicon or something similar!

But a knowledge of the ability to read the Hebrew and Greek does not always make it as easy as many lay people think and this has been an ongoing problem for the last two thousand years? Since the Greek raises more options in the choice of words that can be used and many people do not fully understand this getting hot under the collar in relation to the KJV being so called adulterated when it is not!

What is more important is the application of the message that is being taught, preached or shared, by others or in our own reading and understanding of it for daily living?

Proverbs 3:2, Matthew 4:23, Mark 9:31, John 8:51, 1 Corinthians 11:23, 2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 6:1-2, 2 John 1:9, Revelation 3:8.

Holocaust Denial and Revisionism!

Now a new revision of Parallelism?

#blm is fueling a new kind of anti-Semitism is trying to undermine the Nazi systematic murder of a race and religion from human history, over their enslavement and suffering!

Whatever we may think of the Nazi-Holocaust we must face the facts that the human mind and soul is evil and through hype, conspiracy and ideology it can rouse the masses to do unspeakable things as the Putsch of the 1920’s proved in Germany and what was attempted on the 6th January in the U.S.?

Black slavery existed for one-thousand years prior to the European arrivals and was carried out by N-African Muslims! There can be no parallels to the events of 1938-46 in occupied Nazi-Europe and the events of a false messiah and his twisted ideas!

Genocides are random acts, or they are based on ridding the other side politically as in insurrection, seen in Cambodia, China, Rwanda and Burundi an many other places on a smaller scale since?

Exodus 1:14, 5:7-11, Esther 3:8-12, Daniel 3:6, 24-26, Matthew 2:16-18, 24:5, 9-12, Acts 27:4, Revelation 6:11, 7:14.

The Magnificat? Part-One.

Problems for Protestant Christians!

The main problem with the Song of Mary is that of her veneration by the Roman Church and other Orthodoxy, Coptic’s, Maronites, Armenian and so on?

But if these reformation ideas are explained and then excused we have a marvelous revelation of the humbleness and humility of this chosen young girl to allow the incarnate Jesus to enter into humanity!

The beginning of this song opens with exaltation to God, rather than the word praise that is used in many translation. There is an important deeper meaning to this interaction between humanity and eternity and next time we will see the problems of replacement theology that has done much damage to the misunderstandings by the commonwealth of Israel to the Jewish race?

Luke 1:46-56, Psalm 34:2-3, 102:17, 111:9, Isaiah 12:2-3, 45:25, 1 Corinthians 1:26-28, Jeremiah 10:6.

Satan and the Devil. Three.

Halloween spooky Fun?

All Hallows is perhaps one of the most important lessons in the Church in relation to showing children and young people that the light of Jesus has victory over darkness, it also helps to show them good from wrong!

But the problem lays with us believers, since many today do not believe in the Devil, seeing him as a mythical or fun creature with hors, a tail between his leg and a pitch fork?

But we who have been attacked, who suffer intimidation, threats or many kinds from criminal gangs on estates, know better and really need to have a daily assurance from time to time that God is still there to hear us and help us!

Jesus came to save sinners, to save those in darkness, those in sexual deviancy, crime, prison and slavery, Halloween is a great opportunity not to be missed but used to cut crime and much more dishonesty in our community with village, stick or town!

Isaiah 42:7, 16, Matthew 6:13, Luke 1:79, John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, 1 Peter 3:17, 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:11.

Looming Darkness!

The U.S and Iran?

It was the U.S. President George Bush Jnr that said, ‘Dark forces were looming in the world! This being after the 911 attacks in 2001, and these prophetic words have since become a reality in the world as supposed Christianity battles Islamic inspired terrorism or Jihadism!

Now the world is in a new and extremely dangerous situation with Iranian Shia retaliation not a possibility, but a reality and these attacks coming with lead to at least a one-hundred year war in which the United States and its friends will have daily body bags coming home!

Was it the right decision, probably yes, but it was the wrong timing because of motives in one mans egoism to win another term in office!

We cannot play with God, we cannot abuse power and ultimately when we are in great responsibility we are closer to God in the sense of His power and control rather than our faith in Him as believers.

Psalm 2:9-12, 82:1-8, John 5:23, Romans 9:33, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Hebrews 4:12.

Halloween?

Showing that the Light of God always shines through the Darkness!

Many Christians today are quick to dismiss ‘Harry Potter and Halloween as evil and not of any value, yet the Anglican Church maintained this festival since the reformation to show that God is greater than the Devil!

Evil is a ever present reality just as sin is, but we all have choices in relation to our actions and people, children can have the fun, while learning to see the difference?

The means to evangelise over this all hallows, will be a great blessing to us and may change the hearts and minds of many young people in these perilous times of increased knife crime and other criminal activity, such as county lines and prostitution with all the other social media and cyber space related issues!

Genesis 6:5, Job 4:8, Psalm 7:14, 119:43, Proverbs 6:18, Ecclesiastes 2:13, Matthew 4:1, John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46, 16:3, Acts 13:10, 2 Corinthians 4:2, 11:14, Ephesians 6:11-12, James 3:15, 1 John 2:8.

Effective Ministry?

Many groups and Meetings!

Some fellowships do very little and rely on the community, others act in a silly way bringing golf and the funfair to their buildings in the hope of raising the attendance numbers? While others are full of activity, from house groups to meetings and yet there is no essential results of attendance or growth?

Good leadership is needed from the Pastor to the elders or deacons or what ever way you make that call! Organisation and review is as important, while the prayer meeting is one of the focuses of the believers to pray weekly on the events, the direction of the Ekklesia, the sick, troubles and the surrounding community!

Preaching the Gospel with emphasis on the Cross, the need for personal salvation and that believers share their faith at work, home, school and other without the fear of humans is the key to success!

Leviticus 19:15, Psalm 91:5, Isaiah 8:12, Acts 8:25, 1 John 4:18, 5:9-11, Revelation 22:20.

The Value of Preaching? Two.

The Altar Call?

At one time this was the essential of leading those who were ready to repent to faith in Jesus, despite the terminology it remained an effective tool in Evangelism to lead to the lost to Jesus!

The preaching of Jesus death and resurrection remains essential today in ever increasing hostile and anti-Christian world! Our societies are in a state of moral collapse and the world is justifying sin, since it sees the Church doing the same!

An active Church is one that is preaching and reaching, while also comforting and helping the needy of the believers conscience rather than some far flung government scheme! Prayer must not be used as an excuse not to talk to people and share our faith with them?

Colossians 2:12, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, 2 Peter 1:8, Revelation 1:4, 11, 20.