“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11 John speaks of Christ being above him in dignity and pre-eminence. John speaks of how he might magnify Christ. John may have had power, for he came in the spirit, Christ has more. Even though John was truly great in the sight of the Lord, he thinks of himself unworthy to be in the place of attendance upon Christ. God strengthens those who are weak. God puts honor on those who are humble. This…
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You Will Be My Witnesses – Part 2
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the Earth.” Acts 1:8 The moment we encounter God through salvation, he wants us to be his messenger to others. As we grow in our relationship with him, the Holy Spirit gives us power to proclaim the message of salvation. The Holy Spirit also increases the effectiveness of our own personal testimony or witness to God. The Holy Spirit reveals and makes more real the relationship with God. Listening to the Holy Spirit will bring us to a deeper,…
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You Will Receive Power – Part One
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea, Samaria and to the end of the Earth.” Acts 1:8 The main purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to provide power to communicate the message of Jesus to others. The purpose of the baptism is to receive power to deliver the message to those who do not have a personal relationship with God. We can have forgiveness, learn how to follow Jesus, and fulfill His purpose in our lives. The greek word for power is dunamis. It means more than strength or ability;…
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A Nursing Mother Taking Care Of Her Children
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 In one of my bible study groups I am apart of, we have been talking about being spiritual moms to other women. Women that don’t have a physical mom or women that are young in their spiritual walk. Any women that needs a mom and a spiritual mom for that matter. We all need sound, mature godly people in our lives. Missionaries,…
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To Wait for Jesus Return
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 This is amazing how the Thessalonians follow Paul’s teaching about Jesus. They turned away from their idols and wholeheartedly serve God. They served the one true God. Every day they expected the return of their Lord. The return of Jesus is what we all anticipate. The word wait meant to wait for one whose coming is known or foreseen, with the added notion of patience and trust. We are putting our hope and trust into God’s that he will send his son to return to us…
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God Chose You
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 1 Thessalonians 1:4 Hey, Dear friend!!! God chose you!!! Yes! You!! Just as He saw Hagar, Mary, Ruth, Deborah, David, Samuel, and Paul, He sees you. He sees the very core of you and He still chose you. God already took the first step in our relationship with him. God did this when He sent His son who died to pay the price for our sins. Jesus made a bridge between man and God, so we could have a personal, deep, connection to Him. God’s chosen people are those who choose to accept his invitation of forgiveness…
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Reflection Day
Please, Go grab your journal, pen, bible, music, favorite drink and favorite spot to spend time with God. Pray, listen, seek, listen, ask, ask listen. Write down what you hear God speaking to you about. Seek where in your life you need to make changes to honor God. Dear Heavenly Father, As we spend this time with you, please speak to our hearts. I pray that each one of us will be patient and sit at your feet. I pray that we will hear your voice and be obedient to what your speak to us about. Holy Spirit, guide our time with you. In Jesus Name Amen
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The Power Of The Holy Spirit
Because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 When preaching the word, the message is focused on the gospel of God and Christ. The apostles preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. Preaching God’s word in the power of the Holy Spirit is where the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. The Holy Spirit would shows us how we need God in our lives. That we need God’s forgiveness and new life. When we…
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Apple Of His Eye
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, Psalm 17:8 When I hear the phrase apple of your eye, it makes me think of one who is special to a person. Well, according to this verse, we are! We are special, we are loved, we are cared for by God. The Psalmist is using word pictures to teach about God’s love and care for His faithful people. The apple of the eye is referring to the pupil of the eye. This is a metaphor for something that is cherished and valued. Doesn’t this make you excited that you are the apple…
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Confronting With Love
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over, But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Matthew 18: 15-17 How to handle conflict among each other! This is a hard one. For one, confronting is hard for…