Rev. Michael

The sword of the Spirit is the Word and we can pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is for every believer. We pray intently and focus on Jesus. The Spirit enables us to pray in words and groanings. Spirit filled prayer is essential for all those who are in Christ. It strengthens and will give us confidence while building our faith.

Jesus is the vine, we are a branch and we can do nothing unless we remain in Him. If you take a branch from the vine off, it withers and dies and is not good for anything. We cannot bear fruit unless we are connected to Him. He is the one who gives life and all that we need, obedience is really important to this way of life. If we turn form Christ, we wither up and do not produce anything. I believe the nature of the fruits are fruits of the Spirit manifested in our lives. The fruits then enable us, along with being filled with the Holy Spirit, to reach our to the unchurched and others are able to see Christ in and through us.

As we spend more and more time in His presence, we are being transformed into the person He wants us to be. God is perfect in every way, most holy most high, reign for ever and ever. We take on Christ like character and it does change our thinking and attitude. This growth is a daily process the we choose to do and follow. I can look back and see a big change in the way was as compared to how I am now. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here."

We simply are obedient. God blesses obedience, we completely surrender to Him and allow Him to have His way in our lives. We are obedient because we love Him. We humble ourselves as a servant would before our Lord. Discipleship involves a lifetime of devotion and growing in the Lord

I think as we first get up in the morning is a great time to connect with Christ. Always setting aside time to read the Word and meditate on what it says. We can make it more meaningful by not allowing distractions to keep us from the Word. If the devil cannot get you to sin, he will keep you very busy with other things. Then we are losing precious time in our Lords presence

God always blesses obedience. As we live for Him and surrender to Him daily. the Spirits voice becomes clearer and clearer. Its a gentle nudging, the correct thought, a sudden wisdom about something, its all the Holy Spirit living and guiding us.

Jesus goes to pray constantly. What a wonderful example He set for us. While Christ is God incarnate, He leads by example. Since Jesus is God on earth and He prays to His Father in heaven, how much more do we need to pray? Praying in the morning because He has a lot going on and He has this private time to pray. Through His prayer with the Father, Jesus gets wisdom, guidance, and direction that He us to follow. None of us can do anything unless empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is empowered by the Holy Spirit.

If someone is "showboating" themselves saying and pointing out to others how God is using them...He is not. God doesn't operate that way. The person is bragging and doing as they please saying God is using them. As for as their self worth, they are promoting themselves, maturity they have a long way to go, they are not mature and going like this, they will not mature. God has gifted me and I use those gifts to glorify Him. Teaching, leading are among what I do regularly. Contact my church and they will tell you about my gifts.

Jesus healed all through His ministry on earth. He began His ministry after He was baptized and went to the desert and was tempted. After Jesus resurrection and ascension into heaven, Paul, Peter and Phillips ministry, they, healed diseases and made the lame to walk through the power of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit owns the gifts and gives them to people. We all have at least one gift that the Holy Spirit empowers us with to build up the church. We also use the gifts given us to glorify God. Others see the gifts at work within us and it blesses others. We can use our gifts together within the church. Since we don't have the same gifts, we can compliment each other as we use our gifts.

It is absolutely acceptable to use Jesus as an example in the use of gifts. Jesus led a perfect life and He is the example for us all to follow. He led by example in everything He did and we are to follow His example. I think we can find gift of knowledge in Old Testament and New Testament as well. In Kings and Samuel we find this example. In New Testament it is evident in the life of Paul.

The Holy Spirit gives gifts to all those who are believers in Jesus and ask for daily filling of the Spirit. One does not need to have a position within the church to have spiritual gifts. The gifts though will be recognized by those in the church as well as outside the church. Since the Holy Spirit illuminates the congregation and church board, the called pastor probably does have the gift of pastoring. The pastor may need to have others help him develop his gifts. God doesn't call the qualified...…….He qualifies the called

The gift of prophecy can be used by the Holy Spirit to strengthen and build up the church. I think sometimes people can misunderstand what prophecy is and is about. They either think its fake or its fortune telling, if genuine, is neither. It is done carefully and only through the Spirit and the prophecy will always be in alignment with the Word of God. If its not, then its not for real.

I do not believe there are modern day Apostles. People in out times do not have the requirements as Peter outlined in the book of Acts. However the sense of the word an apostle is someone who is sent to do a job or to bring about moral reform through presenting the Word of God. There are missionaries carrying on the work of apostles as well as some of the TV evangelists.

I'm a bit curious as to how the church has dissention within if the gifts are not used. I have not heard of that, its the reason I'm asking......Thanks