All posts tagged: Bible

You Inherited your freedom; now it is time to fight for it

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Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. Galatian 5:1-7 (The Message Translation) ___________________________ Photo Via _ Boxing WallPaper

Dancing in the Spirit

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Is it Biblical? Dancing in the Spirit must be clearly distinguished from social dancing and from choreographed or orchestrated dancing, even if the latter were to take place in the church sanctuary. Instances of dancing in the Spirit, as seen in the 20th century Pentecostal revival, have generally involved a single participant spontaneously “dancing” with eyes closed without bumping into nearby persons or objects, obviously under the power and guidance of the Spirit. But again, this manifestation by itself is not an indication of greater spirituality, or a pattern that all worshippers are to seek. If the experience happens, it is because the worshipper has become so enraptured with God’s presence that the Spirit takes control of physical motions as well as the spiritual and emotional being. The biblical account of David dancing before the Lord is not an example of dancing in the Spirit. Scripture says “David danced before the LORD with all his might (2 Sam. 6:14), thus describing the personal joy and thanksgiving that David consciously expressed to the Lord. Based on …

Bible Trivia on Steroids?

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Get ready for the American Bible Challenge. Okay, there is a new game show coming to the Game Show Network. It is a bible trivia kind of a deal and will be starting sometime in August of this year. Is there anyone out there that would like to be a part of it if you had an opportunity? For me, no! Not because it’s a bad idea to make lots of money to give away to charities, but because I don’t want to disgrace myself on mainstream television by missing question about the bible. Here is a little breakdown of what it’s about: The Show The American Bible Challenge is a spirited game show that will celebrate the Bible and its place in American culture. Bible enthusiasts from all across the country will compete in a variety of challenges that put their knowledge of the Good Book to the test. The Host Comedian Jeff Foxworthy is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy® Award nominee and the best-selling author of 11 books. …

Let the Bishop Speak: Longevity as a Christian and a minister

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My 12 year old daughter has been at youth camp for the past five (5) day at my spiritual Father’s church. Well, yesterday was the last day so I went to the church to pick her up. Before I did, I spend a few minutes with my spiritual father. I call him bishop, but his real name is Forrest. He told me a few awesome things that happened in my daughter’s life during the five days she spent there. How the Lord touched her the night before and watched streams of tears flow down her cheeks. He reminded me of the very same picture of me in 1992, a picture he kept in his mind and will never forget. A picture of me at an all night prayer meeting, just like my little girl, with streams of tears flowing down my cheeks. I thought about for a while and have not been able to shake the thought of the impact he has had on my life and now my daughter’s. Talk about affecting generations! What if …

Entitlement Issues

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Limited in mind, limited in body, ruler of our own domain.Claim false authority, like we’re the ones who rule and reign. The mentality of the majority is more than metaphorically morphing into a misinformed form of who we were born to be. Torn between, blind perception and divine reality. Torn at the seems, our dreams are built on a faulty foundation of fallacy. This will be our fatality, it’s simply a formality. See the casualties of war laid on the floor of the battle scene. We worship how we feel, we don’t worship who we should. Yeah we got it bad, and if God calls it bad we call it good. We covet what others have, grab whatever we can, whatever we want, we think it belongs in the palm of our hands, going along with a song and a dance. Worshipping idols to fulfill our entitlement issues. Addicted to the feeling we get when we get what we want so we pick and we choose. Even the air we breath is a gift we …

Baptism: The triple portion

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I heard the story about a bunch of guys who used to gather together to read their bible every day on their lunch break. They were all from different denominations, so they agreed that they will not make it the goal to change each other’s theological point of view, but will allow the Word of God to do the speaking. One day while reading, they stumbled across a very controversial subject and each man found himself drawn into a deep discussion. But there was one guy in the group who was not an active participant in the discussions. So, he was asked to share his opinion. He sat up , cleared his thought and said, “I really don’t care about what is written in there, I am going to stick with what I’ve been told.” Could it be, that what you have been told about the Holy Spirit does not measure up with what is written about Him in God’s book? In this study post, I encourage you open the book for yourself and explore. …

That which looks, sounds, smell, Spirit filled is not necessarily Spirit Filled

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As a pastor and spiritual head of both my church and my family, I usually get the following questions either by leaders in my congregation or most certainly by my wife: “Is the Holy Spirit leading you? Did you hear from God for the direction you are taking this church or family? Did you get a word from God about this project, plan or path you are taking us on?” I must confess that sometimes I am tempted to clothe my speech, my plan, and projects with an emphatic yes , “the Lord told me, the Spirit has spoken, the Lord is leading.” But anointing our plans as God’s will, or the Spirit’s leading doesn’t mean that they actually are Spirit led. In the the same way, claiming to be filled with the Spirit, sounding like we are Spirit filled or acting like we are spirit filled does not mean we actually are. It is crystal clear in the the Bible that we should be Spirit Filled. Ephesians 5:18 commands, And do not get drunk …

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow – Who promised you tomorrow?

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And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. Exodus 8:10 Have you ever had a “duh” moment reading the Bible? A moment when you perceived that the action or decision taken by someone you are reading about was foolish or stupid. Well, I had one the other day reading Exodus chapter 8. God had sent Moses to Egypt to tell Pharoah to let His People go. If Pharoah did not let the people go, He would pour his wrath upon the land. Chapter 8 of Exodus is where we find our second wrath. The first being the turning of the river Nile into a river of blood. Seven days after that, one would think Pharaoh will repent and let the people go. Instead, he hardens his heart and sits through another horrifying experience. This time it’s frogs. Frogs are everywhere. They came out of the land and covered it. Pharoah calls Moses and begs him to plead …

What is your name?

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My wife has several names that she answers to. One nick name, and two other names given to her by her parents – one by her father and the other by her mother. One she loves and the other she hates. That is because names are very significant where she comes from. In the bible God gives and often changes the names of people to reflect their character or something specific about them. Their name identifies them and stands them up for something specific. For example: Abram become Abraham; Sarai becomes Sarah and Jacob becomes Israel. In the same way, God’s names reflect His character. His names are far more than descriptions or designations of some super powerful being up there in the universe. His names are actually a revelation of his ways, his essence, his character, his person and his nature. If you want to know what God is like, his person, his care and concern, you will find it in the revelation of His names. So join me as we take a look …

Battle Hymn of the Republic

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Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord, He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored, He hath loosed his fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword, His truth is marching on Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps, They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps, I can read his righteous sentence in the dim and daring lamps, His day is marching on Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel, “As ye deal with My contemners so with you My grace shall deal,” Let the Hero born of woman crush the serpent with His heel, Since God is marching on Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on He has …