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

Spiritual gifts are to lift and build the body of Christ as well as empower and strengthen the church. Spiritual gifts also are to be used to reach out to the lost. The Holy Spirit gives the gifts according what God wants us to have. We all do not have exactly the same gifts. That way the body of Christ can be exalted through the use of the gifts. A person not using their gifts may lose them and also will be frustrated throughout their life as they are not experiencing the fullness and joy in life that God intended we have through a relationship with Him.

The Holy Spirit can produce fruit in us only as we submit and yield to His control. The fruit is the result of a life of obedience. The term would be sanctification which is a life long process. Initial sanctification, I have been saved, progressive sanctification I am being saved, glorification I will be saved. They are save but in a dormant state. Not active not allowing the Spirit to control them as their lives will not be full of joy. I think that the truth needs to be told and that everyone who claims to be saved must continue to grow not wither up.

Since the Holy Spirit lives in us we have power that only comes from the Spirit. We cannot live victoriously or overcome sin on our own. The Spirit doesn't restrain us, the life that is Spirit filled gladly yields to the Spirits control, We become stronger daily n our walk as we are obedient to the Word of God and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

A mind set on things of the flesh can only satisfy ones self as that person is living for themselves and for all they can get out of everything. If we set our minds on things of the Spirit, we allow the Spirit to influence us, guide us, teach us, counsel us, nurture us as we focus on Him, not on our selfish selves. Keeping our minds on Jesus certainly will produce Godly character as He becomes everything to us. On Christs example and love, we begin to emulate our Saviors in all we do. It does require some will-power and a strong commitment to what we believe by faith. Its a conscious decision we make each and everyday to follow Jesus. It does become a habit but more than a habit, rather a way of life.

As I reflect this question, we are initially filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of our conversion. We also need to yield and become sanctified. Sanctification is not an automatic event in the life of every believer. We realize that we are unable to live the Christian life on our own and cry out to God, He sends the Holy Spirit. We can be filled and refilled with the Spirit as often as needed. Keep in mind, the Apostles witnessed Jesus and His acts of compassion and all the other events. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were filled, yet they did not need the refilling as they lived through these awesome times. We need filled regularly because we allow many distractions to take our focus and we are willing but weak.

Some may speak in tongues. There is a denomination that believes that if you speak in tongues, that is the sign you are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, God the Father may use any method and not just one type of event to baptize and fill with the Holy Spirit. I think ones sincerity and obedient prayerful life will manifest the Holy Spirit in that person.

Speaking in tongues as evidence that the Holy Spirit had come upon them. They are baptized, and filled as the promise of a helper was poured out on them. Peter accurately interpreted Scripture of the promise to pour out His Spirit upon His people.

Through the Holy Spirit and only through the Holy Spirit we overcome the world, sin, doubtfulness, insecurity and a bunch of other things. We do not live as the world does as we have the Spirit in our lives convincing and guiding us. We have assurance of Gods promises through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit fills us all the same yet the Spirit does give different gifts in order to glorify God. We cannot have the same gifts but we all have the Holy Spirit. I think that we have power in and through the Holy Spirit. Our only sense of limiting our power would be sin and not yielding to the Spirit.

The person who has not accepted Christ as their personal Savior does not have Jesus or the Holy Spirit living in them, rather they have evil dwelling in them. The Holy Spirit is the one who fills us and lives within us. That way Jesus lives in and through us. We must surrender daily to the Spirit of God. As we do that, they are at home within us. The Spirit living in me allows me to be used for Gods purpose to bring glory to Him, as the Spirit lives in me as a dwelling place. My spiritual power is the demonstration fruit of the Spirit in my life

The wind goes where it wants, we can feel it and see its effects yet we don't smell it, see it and we have no control over it yet we know its there doing what its intended to do.