Wednesday, December 1, 2010

PRINCESS

PRINCESS
WRITTEN BY
MIKOLE & LANETTA SPENCER

 Girly Girl  
Once there was a little girl name Princess.  Princess always got her way, when she wanted money she got it.  When she wanted toys she got it.  When she wanted a hamburger from Mc Donald’s she got it.  Princess was only four years old, and she received any thing she wanted.

 Kids would look at her and wonder why she could get  everything she wanted.  You could tell that Princess was rich and spoiled. Princess loved to show off to others and even talk about them because they didn’t have all the nice things that she did.

One day at Day Care, Princess was watching television with the other kids.  A commercial came on, about a cool doll house.  The doll house looked so nice and had lots of furniture in it.  All the girls wanted it.  Princess wanted it too.
“I want that doll house and I know my Mom and dad will buy it for me.”  Princess said.
Another commercial came on, about a real beautiful dress.  All the girls wanted it.  Princess wanted it too. “I want that doll house and I know my Mom and dad will buy it for me.”  Princess said.
Then another commercial came on later.  This commercial was a Barbie Jeep.  Princess wanted it too.
“I want that doll house and I know my Mom and dad will buy it for me.”  Princess said.

The next day Princess came to Day Care, she brought all the stuff she had seen on the commercial.  Her mom and dad had went out and bought it for her.  Princess wanted to show it off, so she brought it to Day Care.  All the girls thought she was so lucky.  They were even jealous of her. 
Princess just stood there smiling with her pretty dress on.
“I told you I would get all that stuff.  I get what ever I want. Because I am special and my parents are rich.”  Princess said.

 Shopping  
Princess was once really mean.  She laughed at the girls at Day Care because none of them dressed as beautiful as she did.  None of them had a beautiful doll like she did.  None of them had a beautiful ring on their finger.  None of them had a beautiful necklace made out of beautiful rubies.
“I am rich and you guys are not.  Your parents must be kinda poor. I am so popular, and I am the prettiest girl in the world.  You girls are not popular because you dress tacky.  I don’t even know if I want to be your friends or invite you to my birthday party.”  Princess said.
What Princess said made the other girls feel sad.  They were starting not to like Princess anymore.
Since Princess Parents were rich, they bought Princess a pretty bed to sleep on at the Day Care.  Princess told her dad, she did not want to sleep on a cot, she wanted a pretty bed.  So her dad bought her one, and paid the Day Care lady extra money to let Princess keep her bed there and to let Princess have her way.  So Princess got to sleep in a beautiful bed, while the other kids slept in cots.

One day Princess came to Day Care looking really beautiful.  Her hair was so curly and long.  She even had a little make-up on and her mother’s high heels on.  The girls stared at her.  Princess got mad and said.
“Don’t look at me; you guys are too ugly to even look at pretty me.  Just look at you, you will never look as pretty as me.  So don’t look at me, or else I might get ugly like you.” Princess said.
This made the girls really mad at her.  They wanted to hit her, but they couldn’t because she would tell the day care lady, and the day care lady would kick the other girls out of the day care for bothering Princess.  You see, Princess parents paid the day care lady the most money, so that she would do anything to keep Princess happy. 

                                       
That night Princess was in the kitchen watching her mom make brownies.  Princess had asked her to do that.  Princess daddy walked into the kitchen looking very sad.  He told his wife that he had lost his job and that he had a lot of bills to pay.  He said with out a job he could not afford to pay the bills.

Princess mom got angry and said.
“What you mean you got fired.  That means we won’t be rich anymore.  I’m sorry but I am leaving you.  I don’t want to be with you if you don’t have any money.  Good-bye.”
Princess mom walked right out the kitchen, and took her keys and left forever.  Princess looked shocked and sad.  She ran after her mom, but her mom was already gone out the front door.  Princess hollered real loud. Punk 

The next day Princess Daddy, told her that they were going to have to leave their house and all their nice things and stay at a shelter for a while.  Princess even had to leave her pretty dresses and put on an old dress.  Her new pretty dresses were going to be sold to help pay for all the bills her daddy owned.

Princess, Daddy still needed to look for a job and he needed Day Care, but he could not afford it.  So he asked the Day Care lady could Princess stay for free.  The day Care lady said yes, she could, but she would have to help out, and that she could no longer sleep in the pretty bed.  The pretty bed, would be sold to help pay for other bills.

When the other girls saw Princess in the old dress they laughed at her.  Princess felt so embarrassed and sad, she ran into the bathroom and cried.  She cried so much that she got sick and threw up in the toilet.  The day Care lady made her come out the bathroom, and told her to take a nap on the cot.

One of the girls that Princess had teased and said mean things to was named Arena.  Arena felt a little sorry for Princess.  Even though Princess had called her ugly and made fun of her, Arena still felt sorry for her.  See Arena was a Christian. Indian 

Arena stood up in front of everyone and said.
“Jesus loves us and he forgave us, so we should forgive others, even if they are mean to us.  Jesus wants us to treat others nice, and help them out if we can.  So I am going to be Princess Friend because I am a Christian and I want  Jesus to be happy with me.”

Princess looked up and walked over to Arena and said.
“Do you really want to be my friend after all the mean things I said?”

“Yes, I do.  I don’t want to see you sad. I will be your friend and invite you to my church.”  Arena said.

Soon all the girls went over to Princess and said they would be her friend.  Princess apologized to all of them for all the mean things she had said and done to them. Girly Girl 
              
On Sunday Princess and her daddy went to church with Arena and her family.  They prayed and both of them accepted Christ in their life.

Later that night while Princess and her Dad was at the shelter, guess who walked in.  Princess mother walked in.  Princess was happy to see her; she ran and gave her mother a hug.  Princess dad also walked to his wife to see what she had to say.

Princess mother said.
“I am sorry I walked out on you guys.  I feel really bad about it.  I have a place for us to stay at.  It’s not big and beautiful, but at least we will be together.  It is a one bedroom apartment.  Will you guys forgive me, and let us be a family again.”

“Yes, we will!” Said the Dad. Husband And Wife 

“Jesus forgave us and we should forgive others, even if they make us sad.”   “We are Christians and we love the Lord and you Mommy.” Princess said.

“Well I want to be a Christian too!”  Mommy said.

Later Princess mother became a Christian also. They all live in a two bedroom apartment and they are happy.  Princess, Dad even got a job working at McDonalds, so Princess always got hamburgers and fries, and shared them with the girls at the Day Care.  Princess family never got rich again, but they did join a church, have one more baby name Adam, Pregnant Smiley  and lived joyfully in Jesus.   


THE END


              

Don't give in to sin's crave to have you.

There is such a struggle to do right -however, when we choose to do wrong, we need not to   blame God for the evil that we do because the Lord does not tempt us to do evil
Yes, I want to follow the Lord/No, I want to follow my sinful desires     
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Don't give in to sin's crave to have you.
James 1:12-16 - Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteh he any man.  But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.  Do not err,my beloved brethren.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation.  To endure means to continue in the same state.  To undergo without giving in.  My personal interpretation of endure means to remain standing without bending over.  Satan loves to see God's people bend over.  To bend over is the same as to give in to temptation.  When we bend over, Satan stands back and kicks us in the rear end of our situations, cirsumstances and choices. 10_1_9.gif Many unbelivers, backsliders and evil inspired people today enjoy playing games with Satan.  It is as though they MOON the devil only to be kicked by his evil forces in the butt and made to be a complete fool in the end.
When we give in to fulfilling the sinful desires of our heart we must deal with the consequences of our wrong doings, which can be considered as the kick back of sin.
If we delight ourselves in Satan, he will give us the kick back of sin.  That  kick back  can represent broken homes, venereal diseases, black eyes, broken teeth, guilty consciences, shame, no peace of mind, drug abuse, pornography, homosexuality, knife wounds, flying bullets, prostitution, drug pusher, chronic liar, unnecessary fighting,  church despizers  or an early grave.
No wonder the Lord says, blessed is the man that endureth temptation.  The Greek word for temptation is pi-ras-mos and the correct interpretation of the word temptation is to experience evil solicitation.  Another view of solicitation is - Allurement.  One that is tempted to do evil is allured or enticed to sin.  Blessed is the one that endureth temptation for when he is tried or tested he shall receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  To love God means to obey God.  You can not love God unless you obey His Word.  I am sure that this message is bitter medicine to swallow.  Yet, the Word of God says, Let us not love in word or tongue but by deed!  The type of love that God is talking about is a love that is motivated by action.  When we say, Lord, I love you, we are suppose to mean, Lord, I shall obey your Word.  There are those that believe to love the Lord means you have to put up with someone's mess.  This is not true, we are to be peace makers, not door mats!  Didn't Jesus say, "If the salt has lost it's savor it shall be good for nothing other than to be trodden under foot of men."  He was speaking of the born again Christian that is sitting down on  power.  This person is of no value to God. They might as well be stepped on by the foot of worldly men.  To those children of God who love the Lord, Jesus does not want us to be door mats for the foolishness of the world.
Every time a child of God resists the evil solicitation to do evil, God will reward his faithful children in the end.  When he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life.  When his graces are found to be true and of the highest worth, he shall receive the Crown of Life.  We know that metals are tried as to their excellency by the fire, and when our integrity is manifested, and all is approved of the great Judge, we shall be praised by God.  To be approved of God is the great aim of a Christian, and it will be to his or her blessing.  When he shall receive the Crown of life.  The tried Christian shall be a crowned Christian, and the crown he shall wear will be a Crown of life.  It will be life and bliss to Him or Her, and will last for ever.  We only bear the cross for a while, but we all wear the crown to eternity.  When we endure temptations this is a sign of our devotion and love to the Lord.
The Crown of Life will not only be rewarded to those that endure the lust to do evil, and to those that endure trials through faith in Jesus, but this reward will also be given to all Christians that love God!  To all of those that have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts will receive the blessed Crown of life.  Yes...we are all known to say, rewards are fine, but let me just get my feet in to the kingdom of God.  I feel the same way, but the Lord desires for us to look forward to the AWARDS that he has prepared to give us.  Didn't the Holy Ghost say by the Apostle Paul, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.  The meaning temptation can depend on who is doing the tempting.  If it is God, it is for the purpose of proving someone and never for the purpose OF causing one to fall.  We also can tempt ourselves by flirting with sin or being in the places where our sinful weaknesses are dominant.  When one is tempted to do evil we must realize that G od never allures us to do evil.  If God were to tempt us to do evil this would be contrary to what he tells us to do through his Word.  God never tempts people to do wicked things.  God is not the author of man's sins. 
The rod of God may fall upon saved man to test one's character.  If man should sin because of his trial, his willful choice to do evil is not to be blamed on God.  The blame of one's misconduct must lie entirely upon themselves.  For there is nothing in the nature of God that one can lay the blame upon.  Let no man say when he is tempted to follow evil directions, or do any evil thing, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil.  In other words, man's wrong choices must not attempt to dishonor God who is holy.  I can hear the voice oF the Lord saying, "Be ye holy - for I am holy."  To be holy is one that is against all unholiness.  God is against all acts of unholiness.
Neither tempteth he any man - God cannot promote the very act of sin which is as a strong stench in his nostrils.  The carnal mind is willing to charge its own sins on God.  There is something hereditary in this.  Our first Adam tells God, "The woman thou gavest me tempteth me." Thereby in effect, he was throwing the blame upon God for giving him the tempter.  It is bad to sin, but it is much worst, when we have done wrong only to charge it upon God, and say, it was because of God that I did what I have done!  Just as there are those persons who will dare claim to be angry with God, there are those who blame their misconduct upon Him.
Man is tempted of his own Lust. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
We must be taught where the true cause of evil lies, and where the blame ought to be laid.  Man is tempted of his own lust.  In other scriptures the devil is called the tempter, and there are other things that may tempt us.  The three enemies of the children of God are:
1.  Self  2.  Satan   3.  The sinful world. 
Neither the devil nor any other person or thing is to be blamed so as to excuse ourselves, for the true origin of evil and temptation is in our own hearts.  Yes, the combustible matter is in us, though the flame may be blown up by some outward causes.  I want you to see the method of sin as it begins to proceed:  First it draws away, then entices.  As holiness consists of two parts - forsaking that which is evil and cleaving to that which is good, so these two things, reversed are the two parts of sin.  Forsaking that which is good and cleaving to that which is evil.  The heart is carried from that which is good, and enticed to cleave to that which is evil.  The person begins to lust after and greed some sensual or worldly thing.
Every person is tempted when he is drawn away - Being drawn away is the power and policy of sin.  Drawn away means being compelled, or being enticed by allurements and deceitful representations of things.  There is much violence done to the conscience and to the mind by the power of corruption: and there is a great deal of cunning and deceit and flattery in sin to gain us to its interests.  The force and power of sin could never succeed if it were not for its cunning and guile.  Sinners who perish are flattered to their own destruction, and this will justify our Lord forever in their damnation, that they destroyed themselves.  Their sin lies at their own door, and therefore their blood will lie upon their own heads.
When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin.  Our hearts become pregnant with the lust, and sin is the baby that proceedeth out of the womb of our actions.  Let me explain:  Sin being allowed to excite desires in us, it will soon ripen those desires into consent, and then it is said to have conceived.  The sin exists, though it be but an embryo.  And when it has grown to its full size in the mind, it is then brought forth in actual execution.  STOP the beginnings of sin therefore, or else all the evils it produces must be wholly charged upon us.  This is why God says that man is tempted of his own lust.
Sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.  After sin is brought forth in actual commissions, the finishing of it is its being.  Strengthened by frequent acts and settled into a habit.  And, when the iniquities of men are thus filled up, death is brought forth.  There is a death upon the soul, and death comes upon the body, and a spiritual death which separates man from God, while he is yet alive in his body; but his sensitivity to the spiritual things of God is dead!  Help Lord!   The wages of sin is eternal death.  Let sin therefore be repented of and forsaken, before it be finished.  Why will you die.  God has no pleasure in the death of man, as he has no hand in the sin of man, but sin and misery belong to man who chooses of his own desire and will whom he will obey.
Man is tempted of his own lusts.  Our own hearts desires and corruptions are our very own tempters.  Yes, Satan tempts us, but he can not make us do anything that our hearts don't consent to do.  We are our worst enemy! 
When by degrees these sinful desires have carried man away from God, and fulfilled the power and dominion of sin in man, we are the authors and owners of all sin and misery to ourselves, so we must take particular care not to err from the grace of God.  As the scriptures say, do not err, my beloved brethren.


What is backsliding?

Christianity: what is backsliding and how do I recover from it?

What is backsilding? Backsliding is a problem all Christians experience. How do we recognize and halt this backward progress?


Backsliding is a problem all Christians experience. We are on a path to perfection and sometimes we move backwards down that path. How do we recognize and halt this backward progress?

Backsliding is defined as turning away from God after conversion to Christianity. (1 Kings 11:9) Its not always a conscious action; in fact most often its a very subtle series of actions that lead us away from what God wants for us. Many times, when we are backsliding, its so subtle that we dont even see it for some time.

As we mature as Christians, God demands more and more from us. He asks us very little at first. He lets us grow up slowly, starting by surrendering small things to Him. Early on He just asks for a little bit of effort on our part. If we are faithful in giving that little bit, we begin to grow. We start to become more Christ-like in our behavior and thinking. With His help and our obedience, we gain control of the small sins in our lives, little things that arent difficult for us to give up or change.
Once we have a little experience with God under our belt, He begins to ask more of us. Weve learned by this time how to talk to Him and how to listen to Him. Weve learned that He is faithful in taking care us through our Christian babyhood. Now, He asks us to give Him things that are a little more difficult. He asks us to surrender things that we have less personal control over. Perhaps He wants you to quit smoking or forgive someone that you are very angry with. Maybe He wants you to be more patient. Whatever it is, its something that is more of a challenge for you.
This is the time when young Christians realize the energy that goes into transformation. Our goal is to let God perfect us and make us Christ-like. This takes effort and obedience on our part and its difficult. This is where many start to backslide. We try to do what is asked of us and find the difficulty in it. Sometimes we succeed and feel holy. Other times, we fail and feel like losers. For example, imagine God has asked you to give up smoking and you do. You feel very good about it and start to feel proud of your new holiness.

Then some stress comes into your life and you grab for a cigarette. You smoke one, or several. Then, you start to feel bad. You try to quit again and succeed for a bit. You go back and forth between quitting and starting, and go back and forth between feeling good and bad. Eventually, you come to a point where you surrender either to God or to smoking. Whichever choice is made, its not permanent until there is no life left. There could be a lifelong back and forth struggle.

With this example now, take a closer look at whats going on. Problem number one is the pride we feel when we succeed in doing something that God asks us to do. We are assuming that we have done this thing out of our own energy and that the doing of the thing makes us good in Gods eyes. This is pride. (Proverbs 16:18) We cant do anything that will make us righteous. Only Christ can do that for us. What we can do is realize that God is asking us to do something for our own good and that if we ask Him, He will give us the strength to do it.

That leads to problem two, most of us will try and do this thing we are asked to do on our own, thinking that is the best way to do it because we are proving to God how good we are by being obedient. The problem here is that God is not asking us to do this thing on our own. Hes asking us to do this thing with His help. When we shut Him out of the doing, even if we are successful, weve lost because we missed the point. The point was that we were to rely on God to do the doing and we were only to be willing. Our only job in the whole process was to continually ask God for His help in enduring and turning away from temptation.
Next, look at the battle of good and bad that emerges from trying to do this thing on our own. We succeed at what we think is being obedient and we feel good. Then we fail at what we think is being obedient and we feel bad. None of this had to happen because it wasnt our battle. God was willing all along to fight the battle; He only wanted our willingness to let Him do it. When the feelings of good and bad get mixed up in it, were set up for failure. Weve missed the mark. And that is what sin means, to miss the mark.

So, backsliding into sin is at first a matter of not understanding Gods role in our lives. Its a matter of spiritual blindness. (2 Peter 1:9) Once we come to figure that out and we are no longer blind, we still have the challenge of being willing or not to deal with. Lets say our smoker finally comes to understand that all he has to do is be willing to let God fight the battle for him. First he says, okay God, Im willing. And he quits smoking. Things go along fine until some stress comes along. Then comes the temptation. At this point our smoker has a new challenge. His new challenge is to either smoke or ask God for the help he needs to turn away from temptation. This is the next level where forward movement or backsliding can happen.

These kinds of challenges will come and go through our entire lives. They are the things that shape us and mold us into Gods image if we let Him work on us. There will be successes and failures but the success and failure are not about the thing being asked, they are about the willingness to let God do them. We'll move ahead sometimes and other times, well slide back. What remains constant is Gods willingness to forgive us and let us try again.

Dont be fooled, though, that because God is loving and willing to forgive that He is also going to let us slide without consequences. There are consequences for backsliding. God hates sin but loves us. He wants to help us drive sin out of our lives. To do so, He is sometimes very stern with us. We must realize that when we backslide into sin, we are making a choice. We are choosing the things of this world over what God wants for us. (2 Timothy 4:10) When this happens, He has to withdraw His rewards and protection from that area of our lives. ((Isaiah 59:2) Our unwillingness displeases Him. (Psalms 78:56)
To conquer backsliding, we must remember these things:
Whatever God is asking you to do, He doesnt ask you to do it on your own. He only wants your willingness to let Him do it for you.
When faced with temptation, we must choose to ask for Gods intervention.

We must repeat point two over and over again with each new temptation. When we fail, we ask forgiveness and surrender the problem again.

We must thank Him for the work He does for us.
Backsliding is part of our nature but God has a way for us to conquer it. We must be willing to do His bidding, we must ask for strength and we must ask forgiveness when we fail. Most of all, we must thank Him for His love and the effort He puts into us. He is trying to make us like Christ and thats something to be thankful for.



Predestined by God

Topic:  Predestined to be Called/Elected by God
Sub topic:  Predestined for the Session

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Session -a period of time during which people are involved
in doing something together

Define Predestination –Foreknowledge-Meaning that our lives have been predetermined by God before we were born.  God chose those whom He foreknew would accept Christ.  He knew beforehand.    God’s ability is well acquainted with the future- Acts 15:18-Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.  

God has fixed the destiny beforehand of those who are and who are not of His election.  Predestination is the bringing to Pass of God’s election.  Predestination has all to do with our destiny.


Define Election:  Through the Grace of God He chose Christ Jesus for salvation to those who He knew would accept Him..  Election refers to the intention, process and result of making a choice.  It refers to an act of  the divine will.  The Hebrew word Bawkheer means to select, choose, or the person chosen. Election means that God has chosen to save those He foreknew would accept His  Son.  Ephesians 1:4-5 – According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Predestined for the Session

Romans 9:11- For the children being not yet born,(Jacob/Esau) neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. (These babies lives were already mapped out by God before birth).  Predestined for the Session

Acts 9:15- But the Lord said unto him, (Ananias) Go thy way, for he (Paul) is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings, and the children of Israel.  The Lord did not want to answer to Ananias concerning Paul's past negative lifestyle.  God wanted Ananias to mind his own business and to know that He (God) had chosen Paul to be a great Apostle.  Therefore Ananias needed to go on with the work of the Lord and minister unto the needs of Brother Paul!

The Saints of God are predestined:

1.                 To be conformed to the image of Christ Ro 8:29-30
2.                  To become the children of God – Eph 1:5
3.                  To bring praise and glory to God – Eph 1:11-12



Monday, November 29, 2010

The Carnal mind is against God

Romans 8:7-8 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

           The Carnal mind is against God

The carnal mind represents the thinking capacity of those who have not received The Holy Spirit of God.  The Word of God teaches us that the carnal mind is hostile concerning God.  Enmity refers to a deepseeted hostility or even hatred directed towards someone.  It is sad that without the Holy Spirit of God in our lives we are  against God, and  we cannot obey The Spirit of Christ with wordly mindedness.   The carnal minded person is worldly minded and has no thriving zeal to glorify God.  

Without the Spirit we cannot please God, and we will continue seeking to glorify ourselves, rather than seeking to please God and  submit to his word, will and god inspired visions.  Without the Holy Spirit of God we will think that we are glorifying God when in reality we become puffed up and seek to bring glory to Self who is on the throne of our lives, and Christ on the outside, knocking at the door of your heart.

 You must allow the Word of God to break your spirit and LET CHRIST IN!  That carnal mind can be a member of a church, can sing in the choir,  can usher and even preach a sermon, but until the Spirit of Christ COMES IN – all that we do will be counted as DUNG in the end.

Sharon Therese Spencer

Quicken my Spiritual Passion, O Lord

Quicken my Spiritual Passion, O Lord

Definition of passion - intense emotion

11 Corinthians 6:11- O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. 

The Apostle was informing the Corinthian church that as ministers of Christ, their mouths were opened unto them to enlighten them with the gospel of Jesus Christ and their hearts were enlarged with love for the church.  Note:  Because they had a passion for God they also had a passion for the church of God.

While the leader’s mouth is opened and heart is enlarged for the people of God, many times the people hurl stones at them to chew on and shrink their  enlarged hearts through their damaging words which the leaders receive in exchange for love.  The people hurl stones of false accusations for the leaders to chew on, stones of lies for the leaders to chew on, stones of disrespect for the leaders to chew on and stones of offense for the leaders to chew on.

II Corinthians 6:12 – Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

Interpretation:  

The church members were limited in their love towards the minister, they were more in tune with themselves.  They were withholding their affection and  were cold and indifferent while their leader made the many overwhelming and burdensome sacrifices and continued to feed them words of life.

II Corinthians 6:13 – Be ye also enlarged.  Paul encouraged them to have a passion for the leader of the church.  Paul encouraged them to open up their hearts.  I personally believe if the members have a passion for God that they will also have a spiritual passion for the leader of the church which will motivate them to assist with the awesome responsibility of the care of the ministry of Christ.  They will not leave all of the burden for the spiritual leader.  They will not permit the leader to carry such a heavy cross without their assistance.

II Corinthians 7:2 – Receive us, we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have degraded no man.  Paul was dealing with the church for having a lack of passion or respect.  He had reached out to them but they refused to reach back.  They restrained themselves. 

The point that the Apostle was making:

  1. We have wronged no man – When you respect others, you make room for them in your heart.  Paul felt that he deserved a place in the Corinthians lives because he did not wrong them, corrupt them, or exploit them.  
People will come to you seeking your spiritual warmth and comfort but you burn them, and when that happens one should draw back from such disrespectful people.

  1. When you respect others, you don’t speak words that condemn them. The Corinthians had spoken evil about Paul, he did not reciprocate, which is to become like THEM-He remained the same. 11 Cor 7:3 – I speak not this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die, and live with you.
The Apostle Paul said that the church was in his enlarged heart and therefore through the love of God he would be an example before them by dying out to sinful living daily.  Yet, he would live with them by being available for them through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.  What a commitment!  What a spiritual passion, and what respect for the people of God!

  1. When you respect others you have confidence in them.  11 Cor 7:4 – Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you.
The Apostle Paul loved the church because he loved his God!  With all of their flaws and faults, the Corinthians were people of great potential and immense worth in Paul’s eyes.  He believed in them even when they failed.

Many times everyone will speak evil of the church members because of their weaknesses and faults, however if that spiritual leader loves you regardless, such a one will hold you up before God and will look beyond all of your faults, mistakes and being short of the Glory of God and believe that you will come through for God and for the church which he purchased with his blood.  The spiritual leader must have confidence in the members despite.  After all, the objective is to assist each member to make it with God on earth as well as IN heaven.

We must cry out, quicken or make alive my spiritual passion O Lord, because only when we have a flaming passion for God can we truly be motivated and zealous to the kingdom work.

My love is with you all.

Pastor Sharon T. Spencer

Have you Received the Holy Ghost


Have you
received
the
Holy Ghost?

Acts 2:38 - Repent and be Baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

My Testimony of How Christ
Saved Me!

When I heard the Word of God and Repented of my sins, I accepted and invited Jesus Christ into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour. At that moment I received the infilling of The Holy Ghost and became a child of God. Hallelujah. My life has changed and I have not been the same since the day that I prayed for Jesus to forgive me and come into my life. Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word of God. This is why it is important to become a member of The Household of Faith and to have a pastor who will feed you the Word of the Lord. It was ONLY through hearing the Word of the Lord from a Spirit filled Pastor did I have a mind to Repent and live for Christ. Now, I am saved from the wrath of God to come against those who reject the gospel. Thank you Lord! Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after The Spirit.
Pastor Sharon Therese Spencer

God gives the Holy Ghost to them that obey him! Acts 6:32
The Holy Ghost power which is the Spirit of Christ has come to dwell in the hearts and lives of everyone who believes and obeys the gospel. St. John 14:26-28. It is The Holy Ghost in our lives who helps us deny ungodliness/worldly lusts and live soberly, righteously and godly in this world, Titus 2:12.

The Lord desires for you to have a Pastor!
Jeremiah 3:15 - And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
It is so important to have a Holy Spirit Filled Pastor. St.. John 3:34 - For whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God. Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word of God. If one desires to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost it is mandatory to have faith in Jesus and His Word in order to receive The Spirit of Christ referred to as The Holy Ghost. Ephesians 5:26 - That He (Jesus) might cleanse it (the church) by the washing of water by The Word. God uses The Word of God as spiritual water to cleanse our minds from the pollution's of the flesh and the world.

The New Birth today is Essential for Salvation
St.. John 3:3 - Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. To be Born Again is to have your mind reborn or renewed (changed) or transformed by the hearing of The Word of God and to receive Christ into your life by an act of faith in the Word of God! 1 Cor 3:16. - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? When we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts we receive the baptism of The Holy Ghost who is Christ manifested in our lives. Hallelujah!

WHAT MUST I DO TO RECEIVE GOD'S HOLY GHOST?
ACTS 2:38 - REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED EVERYONE OF YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS AND YOU SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST!
The Apostle Peter told the people that the first thing they needed to do was Repent of their sins. Peter wanted them to understand that if they were truly willing to turn from their evil ways that God would forgive them of All their sins. Isaiah 1:16, 18.

Repentance Defined
To turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the will of God according to His Word, (the bible). Acts 17:30-And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to Repent

Repentance Symbolizes Death to Sin!
II Cor 5:17 - If any man be in Christ He is a new creature. Romans 12:2 - Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Water baptism is your testimony of faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ- Be baptized in his name.

When we repent from our sins we need to BE BAPTIZED in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Water baptism symbolizes Burial
Repent symbolizes death to sin, water baptism symbolizes burial, and to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost symbolizes resurrection to a Holy life through Jesus living IN our lives.
Water baptism is our open testimony before God and the church of our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Ro 6:3-6
No need for Baptism if one is unwilling to Repent - Nothing happens! St. Mark 1:4
We receive the remission of our sins when we Repent and turn to the Lord. There is no remission of sins when we choose not to change. St. Mark 1:4, St. Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30, Acts 26:20, Rev 2:5, Mk 1:15.

Why do I need the Holy ghost in my life?

Spiritual Truths worth examining!
1. Without the Spirit of God I am not a Child of God. Romans 8 verse 9
2. Without The Spirit of God
I can not enter the Kingdom
of God. St.. John 3 verse 5
3. Without the Spirit of God
I cannot please God in my flesh. Romans 8 verse 8
4. Without the Spirit of God I
am hostile against God.
Romans 8 verse 7, St.. Luke
19 verse 27.
5. Without The Spirit of God my
prayers are weak. Romans 8
verse 26.
6. Without The Spirit of God I
have no power. Acts 1:8
7. Without The Spirit of God  I
stand condemned before God
Romans 8 verse 1.