Love

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.    Romans 5:8

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlsting life.    John 3:16

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his onlly begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  No man hath seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.    I John 4:7-12

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.  We love him, because he first loved us.    I John 4:16, 19

As the Fther hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commndments, and abide in his love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is my commandment.  That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  these things I command you, that ye love one another.    John 15:9-13, 17

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height:  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullenss of God.    Ephesians 3:17-19

I love them that love me; and those that see me early shall find me.    Proverbs 8:17

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.    Jeremiah 31:3

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies.    Hosea 2:19

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is tht loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and i will love him, and will manifest myself to him.    John 14:21

Yet the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.    Psalm 42:8

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these if charity.    I Corinthians 13:13

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.    Romans 8:38,39

Everything

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.  Philippians 4:13

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.  John 16:23,24

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Matthew 21:22

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  Romans 8:37

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,. believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  Mark 11:24

Therefore let no man glory in men.  For all things are yours;  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;  And ye are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.  I Corinthians 3:21-23

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.  Ephesians 1:3

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  John 15:7

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.  I John 3:22

 

 

 

Lord:

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.    Philippians 2:9-11

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be sved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.    Romans 10:9,10

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?    Luke 6:46

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:  But yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.    For sin shall not hve dominion over you for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servnts ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?    Romans 6:14-16

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.    Romans 12:1,2

What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.    I Corinthians 6:19,20

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.    Acts 2:36

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.    Romans 14:8

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.  Selah.  Psalm 68:19

But it is good for me to draw near to God:  I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I mas declare all thy works.  Psalm 73:28

For thou, Lord, art good, and redy to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.    Psalm 86:5

For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded:  therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.    Isaiah 50:7

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strngth: this is the first commandment.   Mark 12:30

For David speaketh concerning him. I forsaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.    Acts 2:25

Because we proclaim to know Jesus Christ, we must be servants with a passion to serve Christ and His church!

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.    Ephesians 4:11

. . .for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.    Ephesians 4:12

A spiritual Gift is a supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at their conversion.  It is to be used to minister to others, and therefore, build up the Body of Christ.

10 Truths

Only believers have spiritual gifts.    I Corinthians 2:14

Every Christian has at least one gift.    I Corinthians 7:7

No one receives all the gifts.    I corinthians 12:27-30

No single gift is given to everyone.    I Corinthians 12:29-30, Romans 12:3-8

You can’t earn a spiritual gift.    Ephesians 4:7

The Holy Spirit decides what gift I get.    I Corinthians 12:11

The gifts I’m given are permanent.    Romans 11:29

I am to develop the gifts God gives me.    I Timothy 4:14

It’s a sin to waste the gifts God gave me.    I corinthians 4:1-2, Matthew 25:14-30

Using my gifts glorifies God and matures me.    John 15:8, 2 Peter 1

The purpose of spiritual gifts is not for my benefit, but for others.  They are to bless the body of christ and to produce maturity and stability in our church family.

Do not confuse gifts with:  Natural talents, Fruit of the Spirit (love, patience, kindness . . .), Christian roles (wife, husband, mother. . .)

HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR GIFT

Study the word.  See how others serve.

Trial and error.  Experiment with different areas of service.

Analyze.  Where is my passion?  How am I trained?  What stirs me?

Request a response.  Ask others what gifts they see in me.

Take ministry training.  Take advantage of ministyr training.

(It’s easier to discover your gift through ministry than to discover your ministry through your gift)

Understanding and identifying Spiritual Gifts

Even though there is not much said in Scripture about gifts, we can learn soem bsic principles.

There are two words translated “spiritual gift.”

Xarismata= grace gift (I Corinthians 12:4   and    Pneumatikos= spirit gift (I Corinthians 12:1)

* A spiritual gift is given to each believer to build up the body of Christ.

* We are never told to ask for a spiritual gift; the Holy Spirit decides that. (I Corinthians 12:11, 18)

* A spiritual gift is not the same as a natural talent or acquired ability.

* We are never commandedto identify our individual gift, but we are told to use the gift we are given.  We should not get overly concerned about “labeling” our gift.  Our concern should be in developing a passion to serve.

* The Holy Spirit will always direct us to have a “passion” to serve in the area of our giftedness.

* Since spiritual gifts are discovered and developed by activity, be active in serving the Lord.

List of Spiritual Gifts-for Today’s Church

THESE GIFTS WERE USED BY GOD TO ESTABLISH THE EARLY CHURCH

*Evangelist: (Ephesians 4:11) The supernatural ability to share the gospel to the unsaved.

*Pastor-Teacher: (Ephesians 4:11) The supernatural ability to shepherd, lead and protect God’s people.

*Teacher: (I Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:7) The supernatural ability to explain God’s Word to people.

*Helps: (I Corinthians 12:28) The supernatural ability to do various tasks to build up God’s people.

*Administration/Organization: (I Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:8) The supernatural ability to lead and organize ministries.

*Mercy: (Romans 12:8) The supernatural ability to minister to those who are sick or hurting.

*Giving: (Romans 12:8) The supernatural ability to financially support the local church and related ministries.

*Exhortation: (Romans 12:8) The supernatural ability to encourage others in various ways. (knowledge of the word of God and of others heart)

TEMPORARY GIFTS FOR THE EARLY CHURCH ONLY 

WORD OF KNOWLEDGE–I CORINTHIANS 12:28

WORD OF WISDOM–I CORINTHIANS 12:28

HEALING–I CORINTHIANS 12:9, 28, JAMES 5

MIRACLES–I CORINTHIANS 12:10,28

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS–I CORINTHIANS 12:10

TONGUES–I CORINTHIANS 12:10

INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES–I CORINTHIANS 12:10

FAITH–I CORINTHIANS 12:9

APOSTLE–EPHESIANS 4:11

PROPHET–EPHESIANS 4:11

Salvation in Jesus Christ automatically includes a call to ministry.  Every believer is created, saved, called, gifted, authorized nd commanded to minister.  Ministry is the heart of the Christian life. (matt. 20:28; eph. 2:10).  The evidence of the right match between my “shape” and my ministry is fruitfulness and fulfillment.  Membership and spiritual maturity are prerequisites to ministry. 

About the Body of Christ: God intends for ministry to be performed through the context of the local church.  In fact, the church is to operate on the bsis of spiritual gifts, rather than elected offices.  We do not elect people to ministries.  God calls, we train!

About the role of Pastors: The equipping of the members of ministry is the number one priority of the Pastors/Elders. 

Accountability: We become wht we re committed to.  Therefore, we encourage growth in commitment to Christ andHis church.  Everything rises or falls on leadership.  No ministry can exceed the commitment of those leading it.  One mark of a maturing church is that the standards for leadership are raised every year.  There must be periodic reviews of all ministries. 

Training: Every leader is a learner.  The moment you stop learning , you stop leading.  We emphasize on the job training more than pre-service training.  We learn best by doing.  We delegate to develop people.

Diversity of Ministry: We have unity without uniformity.  We believe diversity in ministries simply illustrates the unique giftedness of individuals.  Ministries have life cycles.  If a ministry isn’t meeting a need anymore we will give it a decent burial.  Your primary ministry commitment should be in the area where you are gifted.  Your secondary ministry includes serving in any other area of the body where you are needed.  You are not ready for ministry until you are willing to serve anywhere.

Performance: We expect excellence in ministry, not perfection.  Excellence is doing your best.  God deserves our best.  We encourage creativity and innovation in ministry, which assumes mistakes will be made.  No mistakes means you are not growing or trying anything new.

REMEMBER: IF EVERYTHING MUST BE NEW, THAT IMPLIES THAT NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER DONE HAS WORKED!  WALKING WITH GOD BRINGS CHANGE, BUT SO CAN THE RETLESSNESS OF THE FLESH.  WE LOOK FOR PRAYER SOAKED, RELEVNT PROJECTS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TIME IN THE WORD

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  (II Timothy 3:16 and 17)

“How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart.  they also do no unrighteousness; they walk in His ways.”

“How can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping it according to Your word.  With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments.  Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”

“I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways.  I shall delight in Your statues; I shall not forget Your word.”  Psalm 119: 2-3, 9-11, 15-16

WHAT SHOULD I DO ?

HEAR THE WORD:  Read it out loud, Listen to it out loud, Be under good teaching.  ( Colossians 3:16,         I Tim. 4:13)

READ THE WORD:  Daily and Systematically go through the Bible. (Psalm 1, Luke 24:13)

There are 845,000 words in the Bible.  An average person reads about 200 words per minute.  So, you can read through the bible in a year reading about 15 minutes a day.

STUDY THE WORD:  (important thought–study helps us avoid:)  Spiritual anorexia-no nurishment, and Spiritual bulimia-food that enters and leaves to quickly.  (Psalm 19:7-10)

**SCRIPTURE HAS ONE MEANING, ONE SENSE.**  We need to ask what God means by what He wrote.  Not what someone else’s opinion is about God’s word.  (2 Peter 1:20-21)

• Read entire context and Note important terms.  (Psalm 19:7-10
• Identify background and culture and List and look up cross-references. (I Corinthians 10:1-13, Exodus 32;1-6, Numbers 25, Psalm 30:5-6)

MEDITATE ON THE WORD: 

• Ask 6 basic questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?
• Construct a principle-What am I to do? How? When? What will be the result?  (will I be a tree firmly planted and bearing fruit)
• Memorize Scripture.  (Psalm 37:30-31)
• Consider and apply  the principles you have learned.
• Speak it.  (The more you speak it the better you’ll remember it.)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalm 19:14

“So that you may approve the things that are excellent.”  Phillppians 1:10

1. Will it be spiritually profitable? (1 Cor. 6:12a)

2. Will it bring me into bondage? (1 Cor. 6:12b)

3. Will it build me up? (1 Cor. 10:23)

4. Will it build others up? (Rom. 14:19)

5. Will it help me be more like Christ? (1Jn. 2:6)

6. Will it help other Christians by its example? (1Cor. 8:9)

7. Will it slow me down in the race? (Heb. 12:1)

8. Will it draw me away from God‘s people? (Heb. 10:24-25)

9. Will it hypocritically cover my sin? (1 Pet. 2:16)

10. Will it glorify God? (1Cor. 10:31)

(Adapted from: Making the Hard Decisions Easy)

1. We play games with God‘s opinion of sin as a lifestyle. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)

Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

2. We play games with God’s desire for our friendships. (1 Cor. 15:33)

Do not be deceived. “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

3. We pretend that consequences do not exist. (Gal. 6:7-9)

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

4. We miss the fact that God is behind every good thing. ((James 1:16-17)

Do not be deceived, by beloved brethren.  Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. . .