Let's Honour The Son Of God By Listening To His Voice.

John 4:43-5:29

In Jesus’ healings, we see the love of God. He ‘went about doing good.’ In His healings, we see the Source of His spiritual strength: ‘God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power’ (Acts 10:38).

We look beyond Jesus to God the Father: ‘mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through Him’ (Acts 2:22). Jesus speaks of His unique relationship with the Father (19, 26). Jesus is no mere servant. He is ‘the Son’. We are to ‘honour the Son’ as well as the Father (23).

Through Christ, we receive ‘eternal life’ (24). The gift of eternal life is the gift of God’s love. In love, God ‘gave His only Son’. ‘In His Son’, there is eternal life. ‘This life’ is given to everyone who ‘believes in the Son of God’ (3:16; 1 John 5:10-12). Listen to ‘the voice of the Son of God’, believe and ‘live’ (25).

Jesus' Ministry Of Love

John 4:1-42

Here, we see Jesus’ ministry of love.

He brings the Samaritan woman out of her bondage to sin and into the joy of His salvation.

Jesus comes to the woman in love. His love overcomes cultural divisions. His love breaks down cultural barriers (9).

This is not simply the story of one woman. It is the story of ‘many Samaritans’ coming to faith in Christ (39). There are two ‘stages’ in their coming to faith.

* First, they ’believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony’ (39).

* Second, ‘they believed because of His Word’ (41).

The Samaritans came to trust Jesus as ‘the Saviour of the world’ (42). The woman said that ‘salvation is of the Jews’ (22). It is also ‘to the Greek’ (Romans 1:16). The Gospel is for all.

Pray that the human word will be empowered by the divine Word (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13).

God So Loved The World.

John 3:1-36

We say, ‘I’ll turn over a new leaf’. Christ says, ‘You must be born again’ (3,7).

Our way of thinking begins with ‘I’. Christ’s way of salvation begins with ‘God’: ‘God so loved the world...’ (16).

Begin with ‘I’ and you have sin, guilt and condemnation (Romans 3:10-11). Begin with God and you have Good News for sinners: ‘God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8).

* Through faith in Christ, we are ‘born of the Spirit’ (6-8; 1:12).

* The Spirit of God is the Spirit of holiness, love and truth.

* Those who are ‘born of the Spirit’ are to live a life of holiness, love and truth (1 John 4:2-3, 6-7, 12-13; 5:2-3).

‘Come to the light’. ‘Do what is true’. ‘Obey the Son’. Let Christ increase. This is the work of the Spirit in us (20-21, 36, 29, 34).

Learning From Jesus

John 1:35-2:25

Andrew brought his brother, Simon Peter, to Jesus (40-42).

‘You are... You shall be...’ (42). Jesus looks beyond what we are now. He sees what we will become through the transforming power of His grace.

The ‘water’ became ‘wine’ (9). This was the Lord’s doing. In Christ, we have been ‘made alive’. This is the work of God. He is ‘rich in mercy’. He loves us with a ‘great love’ (Ephesians 2:4-5).

At a wedding, Jesus rejoices with those who rejoice (1-11). In the temple, He rebukes those who are proud (13-17).

There was ‘death’ in the temple. Those who were spiritually ‘dead’ acted in complete disregard for the true purpose of God’s House - ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer’ (Matthew 21:13).

‘Raised from the dead’, we receive ‘new life’ (22; Romans 6:4).

Be real with Jesus. He will bless you (23-25).

Keep Your Eyes On Jesus

John 1:1-34

Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He is the Beginning. He is also the End (1-3; Revelation 21:6). He is ‘the Word... made flesh’. ‘We have seen His glory’ (14). This is only the beginning. When He returns, we shall see His glory - ‘we shall see Him as He is’ (1 John 3:2). From Him, there is creation (1-3). From Him, there is salvation (12-13). In Him, we receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (29,32-34). He is the Word of God, the Lamb of God and the Son of God (1,29,34). When we look at Jesus Christ, we see God - ‘the ‘Word was God’ (1), ‘No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known’ (18). Do you want to know what God is like? - Look at Jesus (14:9). What do we see when we look at Him? - ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (29).

In The Hard Times - Keep On Believing That The Times Of Blessing Will Return.

Song of Solomon 4:9-5:16

There are times when the Lord comes very near to us.
We pray, “Let my Beloved come to His garden” (4:16).
He answers, “I come to My garden,…my Bride” (1).
There are times when the Lord seems to be far away from us: “I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had turned and gone” (6).
What are we to do when the Lord’s presence does not seem so real to us?
We must remember His promise: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
Sometimes, we don’t feel so good. We feel like the Lord has gone away and left us. These are the times when we need His Word of encouragement: “I am with you always.” In the difficult times, we must hold on to His promise. We must keep on believing that the times of blessing will return: “His speech is sweet; He is altogether lovely…my Beloved…my Friend” (5:16).

-----

These words are taken from

where you will find more words of encouragement.

-----

My notes can also be found at Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Blessing Of God

Without the blessing of God, our worship is empty.
We must look for God’s blessing in the place of worship.
What we must pray for is this: ‘the glory of the Lord filled the House of God’ (2 Chronicles 5:14).
* We must look for God’s blessing in the pulpit, praying that the preachers of God’s Word will be ‘clothed with salvation.’
* We must look for God’s blessing in the pews, praying that all of God’s people will ‘rejoice in His goodness’ (2 Chronicles 6:41).
Where does the blessing come from? - It comes from this: God is ‘good’ and ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’ (2 Chronicles5:13).
All of our praying for the Church can be summed up in this prayer: ‘O Lord God... Remember Your steadfast love...’ (2 Chronicles 6:42).
More than anything else, we must pray for this: ‘God’s love... poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit...’ (Romans 5:5).

The Greatness Of God's Love

The Lord is greater than we could ever imagine. There is no greatness like the greatness of the Lord. All human greatness cannot even begin to compare with the greatness of God. His greatness is not only the greatness of His power. It is also the greatness of His love.
When we sing, ‘How great Thou art’, we sing not only of His power - ‘Thy power throughout the universe displayed. We sing also of His love - ‘And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die - I scarce can take it in, that on the Cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin...’
God loves us. He loves us with a faithful love, ‘an everlasting love’, a love that will not let us go. His love ‘never comes to an end’. Nothing can separate us from His love (Jeremiah 31:3; Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 8:38-39).
What have we done to deserve such love? Absolutely nothing! We are ‘sinners’. We do not deserve to be loved by God. We have done nothing to earn His love.
Love begins with God. It comes from Him.
How do we know that He loves us? Have we proved ourselves worthy of His love?
No! - ‘God shows His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’(Romans 5:8).
To God be the glory!

Giving All The Glory To Our Saviour

Christ has given us life - abundant life, eternal life.

* Let us live this life for Him, giving all glory to Him and taking no glory for ourselves.

* Let us not speak so much of our repentance and baptism. Such things can never be anything more than our response to His love.

* Let us learn to look away from these things and rejoice in our Saviour, saying with the Apostle Paul,

"God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).

A Change Of Direction (Acts 2:42)

Christ brings a change of direction into our life.

This change of direction is described for us in Acts 2:42 -“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Christ is preached. We believe the Gospel. We receive salvation. Life is no longer centred upon ourselves. It is centred upon Christ.

"No Longer I But Christ"

We ask the question, “What are we to do?” (Acts 2:37), God gives the answer – “Repent and be baptized.” (Acts 2:38).

We lay our old life before the Lord. We invite Him to come and change us.

He comes in forgiving love. He comes in transforming power.

Once we have put our faith in Christ, everything changes.

“If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old things have passed away.

Everything has become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me”

(Galatians 2:20).

Three Great Gifts - Jesus, Forgiveness, And The Holy Spirit

Acts 2:38

In Jesus Christ, God’s answer comes to us with the promise of the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

* Through faith in Christ, we put the old life behind us.

- Our sins are forgiven. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

* Through faith in Christ, we receive the strength we need to live as men and women who love God.

* Through faith in Christ, we receive the strength we need to maintain our confession of faith – "Jesus Christ is Lord.”

God’s Answer Comes To Us In The Name Of Jesus Christ.

“What are we to do?” – Before we think of what we are to do, we must think about what Jesus Christ has done for us. This is the Good News. Jesus Christ has taken our sins upon Himself. He has died for us so that we might be forgiven by Him.

We must never begin with the call for repentance and baptism. We must always begin with Jesus Christ – “the Son of God loved us and gave Himself for us” (Galatians 2:20).

“What are we to do?” – The first thing we must do is this: we must look away from ourselves to Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

When we turn our eyes on Jesus and keep our eyes fixed on Him, we will never think of our repentance and baptism as ‘good works’ we have done, ‘good works’ by which we make ourselves acceptable to God.

The Name of Jesus Christ is the Name of our salvation. It is in Him that we are called to repentance and baptism. It is through the power of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, that we are able to put the old life behind us and begin the new life of the Spirit.

At the heart of God’s answer to our question, there is “the Name of Jesus Christ.”

In His answer to our question, God speaks to us of repentance and baptism. He speaks of the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Above all else, He speaks to us of His Son, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's Answer Is For Every One Of Us

Acts 2:38

God’s answer is for every one of us. He doesn’t say to some of us, “You need to repent” and then turn to others, saying, “You won’t need to repent. You’re good enough already.”

To every one of us, God says, “Repent and be baptized”. To every one of us, He says, “Leave your old life behind. Step out into the new life with Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord.”

Let God's Answer Change You.

Acts 2:38

The question is asked, “What are we to do?” God’s answer begins with a call for repentance and baptism – “Repent and be baptized.”

If we were to read no further than the words, “Repent and be baptized”, we would miss a great deal of what God is saying to us here.“Repent and be baptized” is only the beginning of God’s answer. We must go on from there. As we read the remainder of verse 38, we learn that

* God’s answer is addressed to every one of us.

* God’s answer comes to us in the Name of Jesus Christ.

* God’s answer comes to us with the promise of the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

God's Answer To Our Question

Acts 2:37-38

The question is our question. The answer must always be God’s answer. We ask the question. We cannot give the answer. In ourselves, there is no answer. We are “far off” (Acts 2:39).

We know about our sin, but we cannot give to ourselves the forgiveness of sin.

We know about the emptiness in our lives, but we cannot fill our own hearts with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We can only come to God in our sin and our emptiness.

We come in our sin, praying for God’s forgiveness. We come in our emptiness, praying that God will fill us with His Spirit.

When we come in our sin and emptiness, God speaks His answer.

Where Does Our Question Come From?

Acts 2:37

Where does our question come from? – It comes from God.

His Word is preached. His Spirit is at work.

Following on from the preaching of God’s Word in the power of God’s Spirit, we read this, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart”. This is where the question comes from. God has put it into our heart. Through His Word and His Spirit, he leads us to ask the question of salvation: “What must I do to be saved?”

Our Question And God's Answer

Acts 2:37-38

The question is our question:

“Brothers, what shall we do?”

* The answer is God’s answer:

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The Great Birthing

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Is Todd Bentley For Real

There is a lot of talk about Todd Bentley, and Fresh Fire Ministries. I've read many posts in blog land, viewed many video's, and taken in a lot of information. There's the great, the good, the not so good, and the down right slanderous statements out there. Yes there are those whom feel they are called to expose others, judge others, and so on. They claim scriptures to back up their sarcasms, slanderous remarks, and out and out verbal attacks. Yet within reading such, out of their mouths comes forth the abundance of their hearts, right on the computer screen in words.

Yet in such and doing such, they compromise the scriptures placing themselves unaccountable to the word and words of God. There is nothing holy in there words, nothing pure, nothing that builds up, nothing that edifies, or that in truth with fact backs up what they say. They simply inflict the very bitterness, and lack of faith that is within there hearts. They make a profession out of debates, debating others, attacking others, and using God's word as a sword against others.

Is Todd Bentley Expanding The Kingdom Of God

There is a lot of talk about Todd Bentley, and Fresh Fire Ministries. I've read many posts in blog land, viewed many video's, and taken in a lot of information. There's the great, the good, the not so good, and the down right slanderous statements out there. Yes there are those whom feel they are called to expose others, judge others, and so on. They claim scriptures to back up their sarcasms, slanderous remarks, and out and out verbal attacks. Yet within reading such, out of their mouths comes forth the abundance of their hearts, right on the computer screen in words.

Yet in such and doing such, they compromise the scriptures placing themselves unaccountable to the word and words of God. There is nothing holy in there words, nothing pure, nothing that builds up, nothing that edifies, or that in truth with fact backs up what they say. They simply inflict the very bitterness, and lack of faith that is within there hearts. They make a profession out of debates, debating others, attacking others, and using God's word as a sword against others.

One Crying In The Wilderness

Prepare the way...

The Emotionalism Of Revival

In the end, only the true fires of God will burn, spread and produce fruit.

Prayer Call

June 11, 2008
Currently, rivers in eastern Iowa have risen beyond the highest flood stages in our history. However, recent heavy rains are pushing water levels beyond these historic highs. Many areas are being evacuated. Incredibly, more rain is predicted for today with up to five inches in some places, plus predictions are for more rain over the next five days.

On behalf of the people in Iowa (and the Midwest in general), would you stand in faith with us? We believe it is not too late for the Spirit of God to work a miracle.

Much thanks, Francis Frangipane
http://frangipane.org/

Reality Check

Who do people say you are? This is who the word of God says a born again Christian is. Are you born again? If so, tell the world.

Romans 8:1–2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31–39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21–22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1–4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Prophetic Words

PROPHETIC VISION
Understandable - Dan. 7:15-19
Authenticated by Divine Glory - Ezek. 8:1-4
Personal / Phenomenal - Dan: 10:7-9 Dated
Localized - Ezek. 1:1-3 Prophetic - Dan. 9:21-24
"Absence of Tragic - Proverbs 29:18"
Performance of Sure - Ezek. 12:21-28
Proof of Messianic Times - Joel 2:28 / Acts 2:17 / Ezek. 33:9-12
Conformation (steadfast and sure) - Dan. 9:12-27
Faithfulness in Performance of Duty - Dan: 6:1-3, 28
The Lord's Day - Rev. 1:10
Dreams - Gen.20:3
Prophecy - Gen: 3:15
Holiness of Christ - Prophets - Is. 11:4-5

Blessings, in Christ
Prophetic Ministry Blogspot