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1 Cor 1: 24, 30 .... Jesus Christ is our Wisdom, Power, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption

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Bible Nuggets & Prayer

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THE KENOSIS OR “EMPTINESS” OF CHRIST OF HIMSELF

Bible Nuggets 1108 [Phil 2: 5-11, KJV]

5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:   7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus emptied himself of his divine deity as The Word of God who had equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit to save you and me. He became flesh [John 1:1-5, 14], had to resist sin to the point where his sweat became blood so he can show us that the power of sin is eternally broken and that we can resist and overcome all types of sin. He humbled himself further by taking on the power of death and the grave in an open battle [Colossians 2:14-15] defeating the principalities and powers who held men captive with the intent of dragging them to hell to be eternally separated from God who created all souls for his pleasure. This was what the apostle was talking about, the kenosis or emptiness or servant hood of Christ, and that is why the Godhead crowned him LORD and KING of all creation. The secret was that Jesus being God in the form of man had that mind; a mind that thirsted and was filled with all the righteousness of God [Colossians 1:19]. His earthly mission could easily have been messed up with one sin. Let us hunger and thirst for all the righteousness of God so we can be filled [Matthew 6:33]. That is the secret to receive a future crown and glory from God.

 

Prayer of Faith 1108

Lord, fill me with the spirit of humility and all your righteousness. Let me be completely broken and remove every form of pride and self from my life. Let my life be pleasing to you and watch over my soul in times of distress and anguish. Give me spiritual insight of your plan for my life and let me hold that vision preciously to the end. Grant me determination to fulfill your call upon my life and let me be focused on the blessings and glories ahead as I pursue your vision and fulfill your plan for my life in Jesus Name. Amen.

Bible Study

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GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SERIES – HOLY SPIRIT, THE GOD PERSON (3)

 

[BIBLE STUDY 0904]

 

Premise Scriptures: Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 and Eph 4: 1-16

 

Pentecost The D-Day of Arrival of the Holy Ghost To Continue with God’s Redemptive Plan – “Fire Baptism”

 

Acts 2:1-4

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

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

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

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

 

Before the Holy Spirit can fill a person, the person has to be convicted of his sins and repent. The Holy Spirit came in the fullness of His Power on Peter and some 3000 people were saved in the first revival sermon of the church. Peter in his sermon preached that the Holy Spirit arrival is a fulfillment of prophecy which the Lord showed to King David of the death, resurrection, ascension and glorification of Jesus. The joy of Jesus became full in heaven because he had completed the earthly assignment he had from God The Father.

 

Acts 2, 25-28, 33

 25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

 27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

 

Seek for the Holy Spirit Until you Receive Him

The Holy Spirit is a precious person that you need to seek until you find him, not asking complacently. He will never come or will come in trickle power and presence if you do that. Do not relent until he comes into you in the fullness of his power. We read in Acts 2 that the disciples received him and where able to be used as vessels to perform all the wonders in the book of Acts [Acts of the Apostle]. Spiritual Ignorance can delay the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in your life. After salvation, you seek for water baptism which is a symbolic representation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

Water Baptism compared to Fire Baptism Experience

Water baptism is a one time experience. It is different from the Holy Spirit baptism which you need for lifetime experiences of living triumphantly and victoriously. Just like the glucose which a boxer needs to fight from round to round in a 15 round punishing battle with his opponent. A child of God needs the wine or tonic power of the Holy Ghost to overcome the opponent. The principal opponent is the devil and his demons and the ring is the world with spectators all around.   You need the invigorating power of the Holy Spirit to go through every round of life. The first gift which most people receive to signal his presence is the speaking of tongue which we will go into more specifics in future. Brethren, the Holy Spirit is very important in our individual walk with God as individuals and as a corporate body. The Holy Spirit is the one that does the signs and wonders that accompanies the preaching of the gospel.

 

Acts 19:1-7

1And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

 2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

 3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

 4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

 7And all the men were about twelve

 

Sin Grieves the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the seal of our redemption [Eph 4:30]. The Blood of Jesus is the “gum” and the Holy Spirit anointing and power is the seal on your forehead as a believer. Make Friendship & Intimacy with the Holy Spirit, not acquaintanceship.

 

For unbelievers, they should not attempt to trample upon the Holy acts or name of the Holy Spirit.  Because the Holy Spirit can also make the unbeliever’s life miserable on earth before the person is sent to hell at death. Jesus warned blasphemers particularly.

 

Matthew 12:31-32

31Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

 32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

 

So today if you hear his voice as the scripture says, do not harden your heart. Repent of your sins if you are an unbeliever, or if you are believer of any known sin. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and begin to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit Power in your life. He will come and fill you with his Power and your joy will become full like a river.

 

CONCLUSION

In these last 3 studies we have learnt that the Holy Spirit is a Real Person and there was a day He came to reside with us on earth to continue with the redemptive plan of God. Every believer needs him to function effectively and efficiently on a personal level and as part of the Body of Christ. You need Him and your level of expectation is very important to receive His full baptism of Fire like the disciples had on the day of Pentecost. You also need to keep your garments pure and unspotted.  Earnestly ask Him for His presence and power in your life today. In future study we will study the specific gift of the Holy Spirit, that is your specific gift or your part assigned to you by Him in ministering to the needs of the Body of Christ.

 

Please sing this song of Revival.

 

Song of Holy Ghost Revival “Come Holy Spirit” [(Peterson)  Key(s):  C/Db]

 

Verse 1
The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost
He came in mighty fullness then
His witness thru believers won the lost
And multitudes were born again
The early Christians scattered o’er the world
They preached the gospel fearlessly
Tho’ some were martyred and to lions hurled
They marched along in victory

 

Chorus
Come Holy Spirit dark is the hour
We need Your filling
Your love and Your mighty power
Move now among us stir us we pray
Come Holy Spirit revive the church today

 

Verse 2
Then in an age when darkness gripped the earth
The just shall live by faith was learned
The Holy Spirit gave the church new birth
As reformation fires burned
In later years the great revivals came
When saints would seek the Lord and pray
O once again we need that holy flame
To meet the challenge of today

Chorus
Come Holy Spirit dark is the hour
We need Your filling
Your love and Your mighty power
Move now among us stir us we pray
Come Holy Spirit revive the church today
 
Repeat Chorus
Revive the church today
Revive the church today

Revive the Church we pray.

 

 

Prayer Points

 

Prayer of Repentance:

Oh Lord forgive me of all my sins. Sins committed knowingly or unknowingly. Blot them out of my life with your precious blood, Lord Jesus. Become Lord and Master of my life in Jesus Name.

 

“Fire” Prayer

1.  Holy Spirit come into my life. Bring me into the joy of salvation in Jesus name.

2. Holy Spirit purify my heart. Thoroughly garnish my heart with your cleansing fire in Jesus name.

3. Oh Lord, let the joy of the Holy Spirit flow in my heart fully with the Rivers of Living water in Jesus name.

4. Lord as I tarry and wait on you, come in the fullness of your power into my heart in Jesus name.

 

 

 

Bible Study

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GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SERIES – HOLY SPIRIT, THE GOD PERSON (2)

 

[BIBLE STUDY 0903]

 

Premise Scriptures: Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 and Eph 4: 1-16

 

Desiring the Gift of the Holy Spirit

There are 3 levels of asking from God anything you desire from him. You can get it by asking, seeking or knocking on the door of heaven earnestly until you are given. One thing every child of God should desire with all their heart until they receive it is the Holy Spirit.

 

Asking for the Holy Spirit

 

Luke 11:11-13

 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

 

A child looking forward to a great meal will expect bread, fish and egg and not stone, serpent and scorpion. Bread, fish, and egg are life sustaining. Stone, serpent and egg will harm a child. A father who gives a stone or a scorpion to a child to eat should expect to be in jail for a long time. In another scene, fathers give good gifts to their children out of love. When the child receives a gift he or she ask for, that child’s face is lighted with joy. In the above story, Jesus said earthly fathers expectedly make good choices in giving the right food to their children. 

Translating the story to the spiritual, God is our heavenly Father. The best gift by our heavenly Father after salvation (similar to after a child is born in the above passage) is the gift of the Holy Spirit. God knows you need it for survival in the world because the other alternatives out there are evil spirits from the devil who does not want a Christian to survive in the faith. If you want to survive in the faith you definitely need the Holy Spirit. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit today.

 

The Holy Spirit is God’s Promise to a Born Again Child of God

 

John 7:37-39

37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

 

Before Jesus left back to heaven he said the disciples should wait until they receive the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit came fully on the day of Pentecost and see how beautiful and affectious the lives of these ordinary men and women became. 120 disciples who had been tarrying in the upper room waiting as Jesus had said before ascending to heaven became filled with that River of Power. The disciples obeyed Jesus and waited in prayers in an upper room. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit arrived and became resident in the hearts of these first fruit disciples. The Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind and they began to speak in tongues.

 

Knocking on the Door of Heaven for the Holy Spirit

 

Acts1; 4,8

4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

 8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

Jesus commanded the disciples to stay where they were, that is, Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. They were not to depart until they received the Holy Spirit. This was to be their primary assignment during the period. They were told to wait for their “staff of authority”, that is the power of the Holy Spirit. This type of waiting on the Lord involves intense prayers and study of the word of God, prayer and fasting, corporate prayer and revival, and the like. The individual must be focused one hundred percent on the Giver of the Power which is the God the Father.  Your prayers should be very persistent. This is the level of knocking on the door of heaven. God will be pleased that you know what you want and open the door of Heaven to give you the Holy Spirit. You pass from the level of asking and seeking to knocking and then you receive.

 

CONCLUSION

Your expectation is very important as you prepare yourself to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Prepare yourself and ask for the Holy Spirit. If it is in an assembly, the Minister will likely lay hands on you or pray the prayer of faith with you. Ask, seek and knock on the door of heaven until you receive the Holy Spirit so you can begin to enjoy the comfort of walking in his power.  [To be continued].

 

Prayer Points

1.                 Holy Spirit, come with your power into my life. Pour your fresh oil on me. Ignite my heart with your Living Fire. I give my heart to you as an altar of your Fire in Jesus Name.

 

2.      O Lord, I wait eager and expectantly for your Holy Spirit. Come with baptism of  Fire upon my life. Holy Ghost burn out all chaff from my life with your unquenchable fire. Let you fire burn in my bones, brew in my belly and revive my heart to your living power in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Bible Study

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GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SERIES – HOLY SPIRIT, THE GOD PERSON (1)

 

 

[BIBLE STUDY 0902]

 

Premise Scriptures: Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 and Eph 4: 1-16

 

The Giver and the Gifts

This study focuses on knowing who the Person of the Holy Spirit before we begin to look at specific gifts we can receive from the Holy Spirit.  During the series of teachings you will get to know who the Holy Spirit is, How you can receive him, his acts and gifts to a believer. Just plug in your power cord by opening your heart by faith so you can receive him. For those who have not been filled, you will be filled as you open your heart and pray for his indwelling power earnestly in Jesus Name. The teaching will be interjected with prayers so be ready to pray and receive him, his power and gifts as we go along.

 

Introduction

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity who wants to dwell in the heart of a child of God continually, rather than being hindered by sin or the sinful nature of man. The Holy Spirit is willing to manifest his full power through every believer who is saved, washed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus and is living a holy life. He is an absolute essential to have if you want to make a success of your Christian life. He is also very important if you must live the victorious Christian life over the kingdom of darkness that is opposed to everything that is God’s. Before Jesus began his public ministry he received the Holy Spirit Power because he needed the Power to carry out the great work of the Ministry before him. If Jesus being God made man needed the Holy Spirit to live triumphantly, we also need him if we are to make an impact in the world by the grace and power of God Almighty. The Lord will help us as we yield ourselves more to him for him to mold us, make us and use us in his vineyard in Jesus Name.

 

John 3: 13-17

 13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

 14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

 15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

 16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Knowing The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a real person possessing all the attributes of the Godhead. He is not an abstract thought or personality.  Like God the Father and God the Son, He is omnipotent, omnipresent, Alpha and Omega. One of the Acts of the Holy Spirit is creation, making old things new again or creating new things altogether. For example:

 

A. He formed or should I say re-formed the shapeless earth & is in the business of reforming shapeless men today.

 

Gen 1: 1-3

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

 

B. The Holy Spirit was present when the Godhead Council decided to make man as the brand new creation to rule and reign over all of God’s creation.

 

Gen 1:26

26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth

 

C. The Spirit was that part of God that dwelt in Adam before the fall. He is willing to come in his full power to a regenerated heart, just as he dwelt with Adam before the fall when Adam had all the power and authority over all of God’s creation. 

 

Gen 2:7

7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

 

CONCLUSION

Now that we have knowledge of who the Holy Spirit, let us fear Him, reverence Him and give Him all the praise He deserves. Make yourself available to Him and He will reveal more of Himself to you in Jesus Name.  [To be continued]

 

Prayer Points

1.                 Holy Spirit, I give my self to you. Shake out every dust in my life and breathe into me your fresh life and power in Jesus Name.

 

2.      Holy Spirit, descend upon me and reveal me to the people of the world around me  to your own glory in Jesus Name.

 

 

 

Living Bread Nuggets

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SALTED AND WELL FLAVOURED

 

 

[Living Bread Nugget 0703]

 

 

MATTHEW 5: 13 [KJV]

 13   Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt  have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

 

You are the salt that has been chosen to flavour the world around you. Do not lose your flavour or allow your flavour to be diluted, polluted, or become irrelevant for whatever reason by anybody or group of persons. Remain a potent salt in Jesus Name.  

 

Prayer Point

 

1.                Oh Lord let the salt in me continue to be a sweet savour, making a difference to the world around me in Jesus Name.

 

2.            Every power of darkness manipulating a person or group of persons against me receive disgrace in the Name of Jesus. Let the salt in me become like the salt on an earthworm to such persons in the mighty Name of Jesus

Bible Study

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BIBLE STUDY 0618: THE VOICE OF GOD [PART I]

 

“STILL, SOMETIMES SMALL BUT ALWAYS POWERFUL”

 

Text: Psalm 29

 

THE SIMILITUDE OF THE GODHEAD TO A REGENERATED PERSON

 

Introduction: The voice of God is one everyone will be awestruck when you are privileged to hear it. Adam heard it in the Garden of Eden and was convicted of his sin, Abraham heard it and moved by faith out of a heathen land to the land of Promise, and Moses heard it in the burning bush and moved closer to hear it. Samuel also heard it audibly as a young child and grew to hear from God all the time. The bible is full of stories of people who have heard the voice of God and their lives never remained the same again.  Psalm 29 describes vividly how powerful the voice of God can be. In this study, we will look at how we can place ourselves in a position to hear more of his voice – maybe audibly, maybe not. But one thing is certain; God always speaks and want to get our attention all the time.  I pray that your spiritual ears be always attuned and connected with the frequency of God’s voice after you go through this study in Jesus Name.

 

The image of God in Man

God made man in his own image and likeness. Gen 1:26, Gen 9:6, 1 Corinthians 11:7]

Man was created with different parts of the body, with a soul and a spirit.

 

The Godhead consists of the Father, Son on and the Holy Spirit.

•         God is a real person – He is a Spirit being, with a soul and a heavenly body [Job 13:8; Heb 1:3].

•         God goes from place to place in a body and spoke to men at different times. He is Omni-present but not Omni-body] – his presence can be felt everywhere at the same time [Gen 3:8, 11:5, Gen 35:9-13; Titus 2:13]

 

Parts of God’s Body Revealed to man:

 

Heart [Gen, 6:6; 8:21]

Gen 6:6 “And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart.”

 

Nostrils and Mouth [Psalm 18:8, Num 12:8]

Psalm 18: 8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

 

Lips and Tongue [Isaiah 30: 27]

 27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

 

 

Other parts of God’s body described in scriptures; Eyes, eyelids, sight [Psalm 11:4, Psalm 18:24] , Back parts, hence front part [Exodus 33:23];  Hands and Fingers [Exodus 31:18, Psalm 8: 3-6];  Breath [Gen 2:7], Ears [Psalm 18:6], Hair, head, face and arms [Dan7: 9-14, Rev 5:1, 6-7; Rev 22:4-6];  Loins [Ezekiel 1:26-28], and Bodily Presence [Gen 3:8; 18:1-22; Job1:6-12; 2:1-7; Ex 24:10-11]

 

Voice [Psalm 29; Rev 10:3-4] – The topic of the study

 

Matt 3: 16-17

 

16  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

 17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

 

Practice the Presence of God

Since God is a real person, begin to practice his presence in your life. He sees you and is interested in every detail of your life. He is interested in your success. Do nothing he would not do if he were bodily present. Learn to communicate with him effectively in prayer. Listen to his voice as he speaks to your heart through his Holy Spirit.

 

Encounter with the Almighty:

When you meet God or you hear the voice of God, the effects are alike. It is called an encounter with the Lord. You are caught between the ROCK Himself and a hard place. If you flee from the ROCK, you jam the devil or you stay with the ROCK, he melts and moulds you. Have you had an unforgettable encounter with the Lord? How do you think God looks like if you encountered him face to face? An encounter with God leaves a permanent memory. It will be so vivid that you can say I know when it happened to me and nothing can remove that meeting from my spirit. You can hear of somebody and it has no direct relevance to you or you can hear of someone and it has a dumbfounding impact on your life. When you meet God you meet the greatest mirror, because he is a spiritual mirror who tells you what you are. Job had an encounter with the Lord and was honest with himself.

 

[Job 42:5-6]

 

5   I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

6   Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

 

When you have met the Lord, your life will be completely reversed, you will undergo complete overhaul; a new thing will begin to happen.  When Peter encountered Jesus he exclaimed depart from me for I am a sinner. Isaiah saw the Lord and said “Woe is me”, Ezekiel saw God and fell on his face; Daniel saw the Lord and said I was like a dead man. Paul when he was Saul of Tarsus met the Lord and the effect wore on and revived the early church.

 

CONCLUSION

Now that you know that man was created in the image of God’s PERSON and LIKENESS and the desire of God is that we have an unbroken fellowship with him, it will benefit you to seek to hear his voice all the time. Ask God to open your inner ears so your ears will not be dull of hearing his voice in Jesus Name.