Category Archives: Holy Spirit

Holy Week- Tuesday -The Fig Tree

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He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening. Mark 11:14

As we continue our “Quest To The Cross” our next stop is “The Fig Tree” Here Jesus was hungry , looking for something fruitful, and found a barren tree that produced no fruit. He immediately rebuked the tree and commanded that it will never produce fruit again,  the tree withered and died immediately.

A few things we can observe from this, first notice again this is not the watered down Jesus that is portrayed by most. The power that Christ posses , even when he speaks, the tree withers and dies immediately. Just as when demons listen to his commands or he calm the waves of the sea. Jesus has full authority on Heaven and Earth.

Second “The Fig Tree” is symbolic to our spiritual lives. As Jesus said “Good trees produce good fruit , bad trees produce bad fruit, by our fruit we will be recognized (Matthew 7) So will Jesus say to us Good work faithful servant or depart from me you worker of lawlessness?

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Mark 11:22

As the disciples noticed “The Fig Tree” withered Jesus said to them “Have faith in God” We can take this multiple ways, as they were amazed at Jesus power and authority over Heaven and Earth. Jesus instructed them faith can move mountains!

Do we have the faith to continue to be a fruitful disciple or will we wither away from lack of faith? Put your faith in God in Jesus name Amen!

Everyone’s Welcomed

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but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. Acts 10:35

Peter, who was chosen by Jesus to build the foundation of the Christian Church, misunderstood an important message by God. The message is that everyone through Jesus Christ can now be saved and children of God, not just the Jews.

At first Peter didn’t understand this revelation and as a Christian still only associated with other Jews as traditional practice. However one day God gave Peter a vision, that not only were Jewish people Gods children but now also Gentiles through Jesus Christ

All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. Acts 10:45

The Holy Spirit was poured out now to just Jews but to Gentiles also, just as the prophet Joel fortold

“It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28)

The Holy Spirit will be poured out on everyone who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior including men, woman, and children

These revelations show us God is preparing spiritually for his Kingdom to Come, and not reestablish a present Kingdom here on Earth. This is what most Jews didn’t understand and reject Jesus as the Messiah. As Christ said his Kingdom is Not of This World (John 18:36) but of the Kingdom to come in Jesus Name Amen!

 

Road To Damascus

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and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Acts 9:4

Saul (Paul) loved God, he devoted his life to worship and service to him. However even though Saul loved God he was listening to false doctrine. See Saul (Paul) was training to become a Pharisee, and followed their doctrine instead of following the Messianic prophecies foretold throughout the scriptures. So Saul was essentially persecuting God , even though he believed he was being loyal to God

We as Christians need to be careful also of not following false doctrine. Even though our hearts may be in the right place, following false doctrine could be persecuting God also. This is why its important every Christian devotes time to studying the Bible, and going to Church.

 

“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Matthew 24:11

Jesus warned us multiple times that there will be many false prophets and religions created to mislead and stray us from true Christianity. Some of these false prophets and religions are so convincing they will even fool the elect. Its important to validate every Churchs and preachers doctrine with the Bible. If there message doesn’t align with scripture , it is false doctrine

Jesus asked Saul why are you persecuting him and the Church? From Sauls perspective he was serving God, when really he was doing work for Satan. Be careful who and what doctrine you are following and serving, if it doesn’t align with The Bible, then your not following God

Be careful of false prophets in sheeps clothing but are ravenous wolves Amen!

Can’t Buy God

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But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! Acts 8:20

Do you think you can buy your way into Heaven? Do you think you can purchase the Holy Spirit? There was a sorcerer named Simon who thought he could buy the power of the Holy Spirit from the apostles. Not only was this mans heart far from God, but also he didn’t understand what Jesus Christ has already done for us!

At the cross, when Jesus said “It is Finished” and died for us, he paid our debt to God. We are purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no money or deeds you can do to obtain salvation and power from God. This is a gift that was earned by the atonement of Jesus Christ and given to us because God loves us

So how can we obtain this salvation and power? First we need to repent for our wickedness. This sorcerer Simon, who was driven by demons, had no intention of repenting or worshiping Jesus. He just wanted the power of the Holy Spirit. You cant obtain the Holy Spirit, until you obtain the salvation of Jesus Christ

Another take away from this story is even though this Simon had demonic powers, which he displayed great wonders. The power of The Holy Spirit was greater than any demonic power, as Philip was casting out demons on the Samaritan people.

If you want the gift of Salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit, you must get right with God and repent. There is no money or works that you can earn your way into Heaven, only through Jesus Christ can we obtain access to God Amen!

True Gospel

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They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Acts 7:59

The Apostle Stephen was the first martyr in Christian church history, this means he was killed and persecuted because of his faith in Jesus Christ. He would be the first of many Christians throughout history who have been martyred for our faith. This should be no surprise to Christians however as Jesus stated  “”You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)

People who are preaching “Prosperity Gospel” are not only contradicting The Bible, but they are rejecting the teachings of Jesus Christ. This will not be your best life now, as famous “Prosperity Gospel” teachers tell you, however as True Christians this will be the only hell you will ever know!

People are often mislead into Christianity by “Prosperity Gospel” teachers, they tell you everything you want to hear! They say you will have wealth, health, and happiness. However when reality comes crashing down and they get sick or unemployed, they blame it on God. This is because they never had real faith and have never listened to the True Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus told us we will have tribulation or troubles in this world, however through him we can overcome our problems, even death, because Jesus has already overcome death at the cross!

Don’t be mislead , you will face problems in this broken world, however we can remain at peace with God because of what Jesus had finished at the cross Amen!

Follow God Not Man

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But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

Peter and the apostles were given strict orders by the religious leaders, stop talking about Jesus or you will be imprisoned or even put to death. For most this would have been an easy decision, keep quiet and save yourself. However the apostles couldn’t keep quiet because they were obeying God and not man

This may seem like a story for the distant past,  but as Christians today we often face the same circumstances. Think about if you just started talking about Jesus on a crowded public street, what reaction would you receive? In todays politically correct world, talking about Jesus is forbidden. How dare we offend the Atheists and the Muslim, and the Hindu, and the Buddhist

Most workplaces and schools today don’t welcome the gospel of Jesus Christ either. If you started preaching to your co-workers, what reaction would you get? Most of them would probably avoid you or  maybe you  would even be fired

So who are you truly obeying, God or society? We need to understand this current world we live in is temporary, and our higher calling is to call people to be saved through Jesus Christ. This mindset wont make you popular or rich, however what does it profit you to gain the whole world and to lose your soul?

Peter and the apostles understood this and faced imprisonment, persecution, and even death. However today they are at home with the Lord because they obeyed God in Jesus Name Amen!

Holy Spirit

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While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Acts 5:4

Who is the Holy Spirit? Often this has confused many including Christians, but Peter makes it clear here that the Holy Spirit is God. Now to understand this, you need to understand the Trinity doctrine. Those who deny the Trinity doctrine not only don’t have a clear understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but they are also denying scripture (The Word of God)

but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin “—Mark 3:29

Jesus made it pretty clear, that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was pretty serious. So why would this penalty be so serious if the Holy Spirit wasn’t to be taken serious? As we go back to our story in Acts, Ananias and Sapphira didn’t take the Holy Spirit very serious and lied to God. The consequences were major, sent shockwaves through the Christian Church.

As a Christian, The Holy Spirit was sent to guide, convict, comfort, (John 14)  and seal you (Ephesians 1) Listen to the Holy Spirit, don’t rely on human intelligence, greater is he living inside of me than he that is living in the world Amen!

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“But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Acts 3:18

The second sermon given by Peter revealed how Jesus Christ has been foretold throughout the entire Bible. Even since the book of Genesis all the way through Revelation, Jesus Christ has been revealed to the world. Prophets like Moses, Isaiah , and Daniel all spoke of the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

And even though Jesus was revealed through the scriptures, the people still didn’t recognize him in the flesh. And not only did they reject him but had him tortured and crucified on a Roman cross. The Messiah that was promised by all the prophets through the Holy Spirit, was murdered by his own people

“For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” Acts 3:26

God raised up his only begotten Son, the suffering servant, who took the wrath of all our sins, so we can be justified before our Heavenly Father. The time has come for everyone to repent, the blood is on all our hands.

Only  Christ, can save us from the curse of death, repent and receive his salvation in Jesus Name Amen!

Receive Power

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But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 1:8

These are the last words Jesus spoke before he ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon You”.

Often as Christians we feel helpless and maybe even forgotten, but God has said he will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6) God has fulfilled this promise by the arrival of The Holy Spirit. Now wherever you go or whatever circumstance you may be facing, The Holy Spirit dwells inside you and you receive his power!

Some might say, “I don’t feel powerful” or maybe you feel totally defeated. Remember we are fighting a spiritual warfare not a physical one.   Think about when Jesus went to the cross, from a physical standpoint, he seemed weak and even defeated. But what the world didn’t realize is on the cross, Jesus defeated sin, death, and Satan! Jesus won the war of our souls and Gods Kingdom

Jesus went on to say “We are his witnesses, not just in Jerusalem but to the entire world”. When you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and are baptized by The Holy Spirit, you are a Child of God! Its time to be a witness for Christ, this is not optional its an obligation as a Christian!

Spread the gospel to all the nations in the name of The Father, Son , and Holy Spirit Amen!

Swallowed Up Death

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He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8

As Easter (Resurrection) Sunday has just passed, it’s a great time to remind ourselves what Christ has accomplished for us. Jesus defeated death forever, and he rose as the eternal King of Kings , that will rule Gods kingdom where there will be no more pain, sorrow, tears, or death forever

So why is there still death today since Jesus defeated death over 2,000 years ago? Because God doesn’t want anyone to perish , but to come to repentance and accept Jesus Christ for salvation (2 Peter 3:9) The old broken world still continues today because God provides Free Will to all and doesn’t force himself on anyone.

However time will be running out for Satan and this sinful world. And when the day comes when Christ returns, time is up for the wicked. There will be a day, when God will restore his kingdom and The New Heavens and Earth come together, to complete paradise for all of us who are saved through Jesus Christ.

And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” Isaiah 25:9

There will be a day when we rejoice and say this is our God, Jesus Christ, whom we waited for to return and bring Heaven down with him. Without the work Christ did on the cross or in the tomb, the New Heavens and Earth would not be possible for us wretched sinners!

Thank you Lord Jesus for swallowing up death forever Amen!