Archive for category Holy Spirit
|Image courtesy: http://images.christianpost.com/blog|
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8,9
That sounds really spiritual, doesn’t it? Maybe that applies to you if you are a Jew – but certainly not if you are a Christian. Because if you are a Christian, then the Bible says that you have the mind of Christ:
“For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:16
Do you really think you can fulfill the Great Commission if your thoughts are lower than God’s thoughts and your ways are lower than His ways? If that were possible, then why would the Bible say that we have the mind of Christ? Why would we even need the mind of Christ? Praying and reinforcing the idea that God’s thoughts are higher than ours and His ways are higher than ours is a good way to try hard not to fulfill all that God has called you to do, as a Christian. Because God’s heart is for salvation, deliverance and healing for every human. So if He conceived that plan, only His thoughts and ways can achieve the fulfillment of these goals. If you don’t share His vision, think His thoughts and deploy His methods, there is no way to achieve these goals.
Maybe I’m preaching this to myself too, but if you want to fulfill the Great Commission, then the starting point is this:
- Learn to think (believe) like Jesus did; and
- Learn to walk (act) the way Jesus walked (acted).
That’s because the Old Testament saints – the Jews – did not have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. So they could not think or act like Jesus. But since we have the mind of Christ, and Jesus Christ and God the Father are one, our thoughts and ways are positionally the same as God’s. So the only thing we need to do is enforce that position in our lives. Once we get to doing that on a regular basis, we will be taking big strides to fulfilling God’s plan for our lives!
Are you on fire for the Gospel? Good, because you should be! Then here’s a blog post you might like and find useful: How to Spiritually Capture a City: Download MP3
The picture above is that of Gilbert Hill, Mumbai, India. According to Wikipedia, Gilbert Hill is a 200 ft (61 m) monolith column of black basalt rock at Andheri, in Mumbai (my hometown). The rock has a sheer vertical face and was formed when molten lava was squeezed out of the Earth’s clefts during the Mesozoic Era about 65 million years ago. If you are a practicing Christian, you might know that the Earth is not that old, but probably only about 6000-7000 years old. Scientists seem to have proven that all it takes for the Earth to cool down is a fraction of a second (Refer to Josh McDowell’s free ebook Reasons Skeptics Should Consider Christianity: http://www.josh.org/resources/free-book-downloads ).
Gilbert Hill is a national level prehistoric heritage site. Many people the world over might be thrilled to learn that the town they live in is home to a prehistoric site like this. I too was, until the Holy Spirit told me that every square inch of ground I walked on is a prehistoric site. It has always been existing since He created Earth! What’s more, He showed me another important fact – guess what it was – that I am a prehistoric site myself, being born again! And how? Of course, because as per the Bible, my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and the spirit of Jesus Christ lives in me. The Ancient of Days (God the Father – Jehovah) lives in me through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. So is not my body a prehistoric site? Yours too is, if you are a born again child of God through faith in His Son Jesus. Yet what a joyful irony, the Bible says that when you turn your life over to Jesus, old things pass away and all things become new and all things are of God!
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
It’s been a long time since I wrote a blog post. So here it is…
In the Divine Healing Technician Training seminar conducted by Curry Blake of John G. Lake Ministries, Blake says a few landmark things. Open a notepad or Word document and save this:
“When a child of God speaks, Heaven hears and agrees, and hell hears and obeys.”
Read that once more. Let it sink-in.
Here’s another one:
“An anointed teacher makes the complicated simple. An annoying teacher makes the simple complicated.”
And another one:
If you’re a Christian (saved, born again), then say this:
“I am God’s son, the devil’s master, and Man’s servant.” Read each part of that statement carefully and let it sink-in. Then repeat.
I suggest you memorize all the 3 statements given above.
If you want to learn more about their ministry, visit www.jglm.org. God bless you!
Here’s a great teaching from John G. Lake Ministries, titled “How to Spiritually Capture a City.”
Click the link below to download the teaching as an MP3 file:
Curry Blake – General Overseer of JGLM says in that teaching that they have actually practiced what he teaches and it’s worked. If it worked for them, it should surely work for any other church and for any born again child of God.
Caution: Jesus sent disciples two-by-two. So I suggest you go out in groups to evangelize the way they recommend. And if there is hostility in the area you live or plan to evangelize, I suggest you speak to your pastor first, because the pastor is responsible for your spiritual well-being and life before God. If all is fine, then try it out and leave your comments here. If I do try out the method, I too will update. Till then, forever, God bless you and use you more mightily as a blessing, in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Andrew Wommack is one of my favourite tele-evangelists. I have begun to appreciate his teaching even more since I began using the free stuff put up on his website www.awmi.net.
You can check out teaching material in text and audio formats. The audio teachings probably run into hundreds of hours, covering topics like “A Better Way to Pray,” “Revelation Knowledge” etc. Don’t miss the 4-part series on healing, titled “God Wants You Well.” Those 4 hours of solid teaching have actually opened my eyes in many ways.
There are doctrinal differences with the church I attend. But I believe that there really is only one doctrine – the doctrine of Jesus Christ as taught by the Holy Spirit. Andrew Wommack teaches boldly yet without sensationalism. I’d suggest you go check out his website and get built up!
Jesus Christ is the greatest evangelist the world has ever seen! That’s because he spread the Good News before the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost.
What’s this “Good News?” Read this post to find out.
So how could Jesus evangelize even before the Great Commission was given to the apostles? He could, because for one, he is God the Son. But more importantly, Jesus was, at all times, filled with the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit). And it’s the Holy Ghost who teaches us how to evangelize. And as a human being, he led us by example, praying and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Being God the Son, he could evangelize anyway; but by being filled with the Spirit, he set this beautiful example for us to follow. Mortal man (not Jesus), in his own capacity, cannot glorify God unless he is led by the Spirit of God to do so. [“no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)] This verse has taught me that the first step to become a successful evangelist is to pray and be Spirit-filled.
In the next post, we will look at a few examples demonstrated by the Evangelist # 1 – Jesus Christ.
Studying the Bible is as important as praying. In the early days of my Christian faith, I was taught that we speak to God through prayer, while God speaks to us through His Word – the Bible.
– Foundation Course in the Bible
– Old Testament Prophets
– The Book of Acts
– Applied Bible Doctrine
– 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation
– Biblical Psychology
– Evangelizing World Religions
– Discipleship…and many other courses.
There are a total of 36 credits to be earned, in order to graduate with a Bible College Degree.
Although formal Bible education cannot substitute personal prayer and study and quiet time with the Lord, it can add value to your Christian life and faith, provided:
> It is planned and imparted thoughtfully and with love,
> The student applies himself/herself to the studies prayerfully, choosing to be taught directly by the Holy Spirit; and
> It helps the students and instructors alike, to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, both during the training and later, because of it.
Don’t worry if your church does not have a formal Bible education system. You can buy the Thomson Chain Reference Bible or the Open Bible. The latter is available in the New King James Version (NKJV). The NKJV retains the flavor of the King James Version while leaving out Shakespearean English. You can click on the link “Purchase the BIBLE here” on this page to buy one.
The first Church service I attended was about four months after I gave my heart to Christ.
I was a struggling singer in May 2002. I did not want to do a job, but only wanted to be a singer. After I confessed my sins to Jesus and prayed the Salvation Prayer, God began to change me from within. I took my parents’ advice and took up a job as a management trainee. As part of my initial assignment, I had to visit door-to-door, to sell personalized books. One September afternoon, when I rang the doorbell of a house in downtown Mumbai, a young man opened the door. After pitching about my stuff, I asked him if he was a Christian, as there were stickers of Jesus and some verses on the door post. I also told him about my faith in Jesus Christ. He handed me a tract and invited me to his church, the Greater Grace Fellowship’s Sunday service.
I went to the church that very Sunday. He was an usher there. I loved the preaching and the love I experienced there, which was totally unique. It came from within the hearts of the people there. No showbiz. No fooling oneself or others. No commercialism. It was God the Holy Spirit Who was dwelling in their hearts. I accepted the salvation call from the Pastor (Karl Silva) and the rest, as they say, is history! God bless Justin John for being the one who brought me into His house.
When you turn over your life to Jesus Christ, you become “a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” [2 Corinthians 5:17] The Holy Spirit goes at work in your life and lays foundations that grow deep and wide first and high later. If you haven’t as yet, I urge you to turn your life over to Jesus. You won’t regret it!
Yesterday was Good Friday. My local church Pastor Karl Silva began aptly when he said the day was as much a Good News Friday as it was Good Friday. This day, 2000 years ago, God the Father “gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Imagine eating out at a restaurant and running up a huge bill you cannot foot. A man walks by and sees your plight. He has compassion for you. Out of grace, he approaches the manager and volunteers to pay your bill, so that you can walk away free! The manager will then stamp the bill with “PAID IN FULL” That Saviour is Jesus Christ, the Son of God – or God the Son. And Jesus not only died on the Cross to pay for your sins as much as mine, but on the third day (Easter Sunday), he also walked out his grave alive in a resurrected body that cannot be killed or destroyed. He has not died since then and is alive and living in heaven, seated at the right-hand side of God the Father.
So if you want to be sure of going to heaven when you die, pray this simple prayer, but with a genuinely repentant heart. God will begin the beautiful process of change in you.
“Father God, I confess that I am a sinner. I have committed sins against you. I do not deserve to be forgiven. I cannot pay for my sins on my own. I need someone who can do that for me. Lord, I want to go to heaven when I die. But as your Word – the Bible – says, if I die as a sinner, I cannot go to heaven. I would go to hell to suffer forever in the lake of fire. But Lord thank you for sending Jesus as a human being 2000 years ago to pay for my sins. Lord I believe that he died to pay for my sins, was buried and rose again. Lord, wash me clean with the precious Blood that he shed on the Cross. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and make me the person You want me to be. Take me to heaven when I die. Save me, Lord. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”
Start visiting a Bible-believing church and study the Bible everyday, starting with the Book of John or Mark. Pray everyday. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to do so. Your life will change for the better, for good. I should know. Mine has.