Thursday, December 20, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Baptized In The Holy Spirit
Matthew
3:11; Acts 1:5, 8
I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am
not worth to bear; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.
This
is Matthew's account of John the Baptist ministry of preaching repentance as he
was baptizing all who believed with water, but John the Baptist was mindful of
the coming Messiah who was mightier than him who would baptize all believers
with the Holy Ghost/Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives great powers to boldly
witness Christ the world over (Acts 1:8) as well as live holy lives unto God.
The
significance of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is that it gives believers
more than just the ability or strength to perform miracles, but the authority
in which to heal the sick, drive out demos and to travel to remote places in
the world witnessing Christ that would be otherwise omitted. Being baptized in
the Holy Spirit is the initial point of the spirit-filled believer witnessing
with such profound boldness that the hearer will accept Jesus as Lord and
Savior as proclaimed by the believer. The indwelling Holy Spirit testifies
through the believer to the truth of Christ's deity, His death burial and
resurrection and His message of salvation as Christ is the message. Being
baptized in the Holy Spirit brings a greater awareness of God's presence, the
desire for righteous living and a deeper love for His Word and understanding of
the Word.
Baptized
in the Holy Spirit is submerged in God's holiness.
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welcome
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Thou Art The Christ
Matthew 16:14-16
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
The setting for today's discussion is during Jesus'
ministry and there arose questions as to who Jesus was as many thought He was
John the Baptist, Elias, Jeremias, or some other prophet (v.14). Jesus wanted
to know if His disciples really knew that He was the Christ, the Son of the
living God as emphatically stated by Peter and this was revealed to Peter by
the Holy Spirit.
There were many during Jesus' day who failed to recognize
Him as the Christ the Son of the living God as many do today. Unbelievers of
Jesus' day who failed to recognize Him as Christ the Savior of the World who
came to earth in human form to be the sacrificial Lamb for humanity's sins, but
there were many who recognized Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Let me assure you that yes Jesus is the Son of the living God as He was born of
the Virgin Mary and the Holy Ghost who is God as His Father which make Him the
"Christ".
Jesus is the "Christ" the Son of
the living God who is the Savior of the World.
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welcome
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Mercies Of God
Psalm 145:9-10
The Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works.
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.
Today's
focus discussion is the mercies of God as it will give us a glimpse into His
compassion and being slow to anger as it is His desire that all be saved. God
in His divine wisdom knew before the beginning of time who would become part of
His holy nation and who would reject His plan of salvation and the promise of
spending eternity with Him.
That
being said, in His mercies, God still loves the unbeliever just as He does the
believer. All who call on the name of the Lord in sincerity He is sure to
answer as He is willing to forgive and His heavenly invitation remains open to the
repentant heart.
God's
mercies are seen in sending His Son to become men propitiator when justice
demanded that the human race remain in a state of lostness, but mercy prevailed
as God's compassionate love was on display. God's mercy is evidenced by the
balance of nature as all forms of His creations are cared for through His
sustaining power.
There
is no mercy like the mercy of God. He loved humanity when mankind didn't love
Him. In the midst of trial and tribulation His hand of mercy is present.
What
a merciful God?
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are welcome
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contact
Friday, December 7, 2012
How Do You Spell Christmas?
John 1:4
In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Many times I see Christmas written as Xmas and wonder why
and how can anyone remove the name "Christ" from Christmas? When
Christmas is written as Xmas the last three letters stands for the promised Messiah Anointed by
God the Father to be the Savior of the
world. Therefore, the last three letters points to Christ our Savior. This
appointment was made before the foundation of the world.
Therefore, without His holy birth there would be no
Christmas celebration to honor the Savior as He is the reason for the season
and His coming to earth was to save man. Christ's beginning was in the
beginning with God (v.1), but to pay man's sin debt He had to be born of a
woman to die. Thank God He did!
Christmas is Christ.
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Christmas Perspective
Matthew 1:21-23
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call His name JESUS;
for He shall save His people from their sins.
During this Christmas season I have noticed the media
airways being filled with shopping advertisements. Some merchants chose to open
on Thanksgiving in an attempt to increase their bottom line. This gave less
time for families to thank God for His many blessings and offer praises to His
holy name.
With the media blitz of Christmas advertisements bring
these questions to mind, what is our perspective of Christmas? Do we fully
understand the true meaning of Christmas that it is the birth of our Savior and
without His birth there would be no Christmas to celebrate? Have we as a
society of people made Christmas less about Jesus and more about our materialistic
values? Regardless of one's answer or perspective Christ is the reason for
Christmas.
Each letter in Christmas reflects Christ;
His deity, His mission and His holiness.
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