Entry #36: Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost

When we repent of sin, we identify with Christ in his death (a kind of death to self, death to our own will, wants, and desires).

When we are baptized in Jesus name, we identify with Christ in his burial. We are buried with him in baptism.

When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we identify with Christ in His resurrection. We rise to walk in newness of life.

 

10 Keys—to receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues:

  1. Know—it is the will of God for you to receive the Spirit according to the Scriptures!  I John 7:38-39

  2. Repent —by determining to turn from sin to God. Then be baptized in the name of Jesus! Acts 2:36–39

  3. Obey —the Word of God with a willing heart as it is revealed to you day by day! Acts 5:32

  4. Ask —for the Holy Spirit, trusting God will give something good, not something evil! Luke 11:9–13

  5. Pray—earnestly, believing you will receive this glorious gift you desire from God! Mark 11:24

  6. Allow —others to pray with you, exercising the practice of “laying on of hands!’ Acts 19:1–6

  7. Praise—the Lord with all your heart for the promise of His presence in your life! Luke 24:49–53

  8. Believe —you will receive the promise. You cannot earn it by doing good works! Galatians 3:2,11,14

  9. Expect —the Spirit to fall any time, especially when the Word of God is preached! Acts 10:44–48

10. Speak —boldly whatever language the Spirit miraculously imparts! Acts 2:4

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:4

The baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues is a thrilling Bible experience!

 

Entry #35: Baptism In Jesus’ Name

Christian water baptism is an ordinance instituted by Jesus Christ.    If it is not important in the plan of God, why did Jesus command it in Matthew 28:19?  And why did Peter later follow up by saying, “Be baptized every one of you,” and also commanded the Gentiles to be baptized (Acts 2:38; 10:48)?  We must remember two points about the importance of water baptism.  First, whatever Christ definitely established and ordained cannot be unimportant.  Secondly, Christ and the apostles emphasized the importance of this ordinance by also observing it. Jesus walked many miles to be baptized, though He was without sin, saying,  “For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness” (See Matthew 3:13-16.)

Consider these verses regarding baptism:

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of WATER and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. – John 3:5

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: – Matthew 28:19

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. – Mark 16:16

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ . . . – Acts 2:38

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. – Acts 8:12

Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. – Acts 10:47-48

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. – Acts 19:5

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death . . . – Rom 6:4

Buried with him in baptism . . . – Col 2:12

These are but a few verses stressing the importance of baptism. It’s a great feeling to have sin remitted in the waters of baptism in Jesus’ name. Won’t you submit in obedience, if you haven’t dear reader, to the words of our Lord who loves you? Down the road, you’ll be glad you did!

Entry #34: Repentance

It’s been a while for me since last blogging. I finally decided to do another entry (after being prodded by my sister Carol). It was the extra push I needed. It wasn’t that I wasn’t inspired. I wanted to leave the Acts 2:38 message posted for a while before going on to my next entry. My cousin Cindy had told me that she “had her eye on my blog,” and so since I (and family) have been praying for her, I felt that verse and thought needed to stay for a while. Also, there was a link to a church locator (which I also hoped my cousin would see). I hoped too that my cousin Bob might see the message. I had sent him a link to my blog. With all this still in mind, I want to continue along the theme of the Acts 2:38 saving gospel message. I’d like to do some thoughts and Bible verses on repentance.

 

First I’d like to say that repentance is a GOOD THING. What is repentance? It is a turning from sin and a turning toward God.

-         For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation . . . (II Cr 7:10) 
-         Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the GOODNESS of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Rom 2:4) 
-         The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)
- Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (Acts 11:18)   

God is longsuffering (or patient) toward us. Every good thing we have (our life, health, being, blessings, roof over our head, family, friends) is given to us to remind us that God is good to all and wants us to come to Him in sorrow for sin. Who is a sinner?

-         For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  (Rom 3:23) 
-         All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isa 53:6) 
-         As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.  (Rom 3:10) 

When we come to understand that we too, like the rest of the world, have sinned, we can tell the Lord we are sorry for our sins and ask for His forgiveness. That is the first step. Then comes baptism in Jesus’ name. I’ll end here for now. Find a loving church that teaches this, that cares about your soul, and be on your way to prepare for the coming of the Lord. That could be soon.

Entry #33: What Will You Do With Acts 2:38?

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?   Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  - Mark 8:37

Jesus asked these words and today asks mankind these questions.  In response, I humbly ask you, dear reader—What is most important to you?

Is it body—how you look, what you’ll put on, what you’ll eat/drink?  Important, but most important?  Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  Jesus indicates the most important thing is the soul.  How can a soul be saved from sin?  Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom.  In Acts 2:38, Peter preached:  Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

In repentance we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins.
In baptism, we are immersed in water as the name of Jesus is called out over us.
In receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, God fills us with His Spirit, and we speak in another tongue as His spirit gives us utterance.

Once we have completed these steps, we have entered into His kingdom, go on to live for Him and have a hope that when He comes again, we will be ready to meet Him in the air . . . and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

It’s been said that for every mention of Jesus’ first coming, there are 2 mentions of His 2nd coming.  It could be soon.  Don’t put off too long what could be done today.   Do you attend a church that teaches this truth?  There may be a church near YOU.  Click on Church Locator and enter your zip code.  God Bless you!  www.upci.org

Entry #32: 4-Letter Word

GOD IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD

God Is PURE
God Is HOLY
God Is VAST
God Is DEEP
God Is SURE
God Is ABLE
God Is CALM
God Is REST
God Is JUST
God Is FAIR
God Is KIND
God Is KING
God Is GOOD
God Is WISE
God Is COOL
God Is WARM
God Is LIFE
God Is MINE
God Is HELP
God Is REAL
God Is HERE
God Is NEAR
God Is DEAR
God Is LOVE  

Entry #31: Children of The King

CHILDREN OF THE KING

We are all unique, but not totally so.
There’s a God we all share that only some of us know.
Fearfully and wonderfully made are we.
With ears for to hear and eyes meant to see.
Marvelous works of the Potter, formed from dust.
Each called to obedience, love, truth and trust.
Born innocent of woman, conceived in Adam’s sin.
We are more than conquerors; predestinated to win.
Humble and meek, yet confident and bold.
Gospel-armored warriors wearing crowns of gold.
Edifying the body and harvesting souls.
United together to reach heavenly goals.
Heads held high without a trace of pride
Well-ordered steps with a sure, steady stride.
Souls without darkness, allowing our lights to shine.
Blessed by a foretaste of glory divine.
The precious blood of Jesus washes us clean.
We walk by faith, believing things unseen.
Rejoicing evermore with thanks for every thing.
Sharing the joy of being children of the King. 

Entry #30: The Bible in 50 Words

Too busy to read the entire Bible?  Now you’ve got no excuse.  Here is an extremely brief synopsis of the Word of God.  See how many times you can read your Bible through with this:

THE BIBLE IN 50 WORDS 

        God made
        Adam bit
        Noah arked
        Abraham split
        Joseph ruled
        Jacob fooled
        Bush talked
        Moses balked
        Pharaoh plagued
        People walked
        Sea divided
        Tablets guided
        Promise landed
        Saul freaked
        David peeked
        Prophets warn
        Jesus born
        God walked
        Love talked
        Anger crucified
        Hope dead
        Love rose
        Spirit flamed
        Word spread
        God remained.

– Author Unknown

In all honesty, there’s NO SUBSTITUTION for reading the entire Word of God.  This is just a “fun entry.”  May this “pique” your interest and “provoke” you to read your entire Bible.

Entry #29: A Lesson From the World of Nature

 When I was a child, I didn’t mind “stepping on ants,” swatting flies.  Nowadays, I’m a little more circumspect in the ant department.  It doesn’t mean that all ants are good, but I think of this verse: 

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer,
and gathereth her food in the harvest. 
- Proverbs 6:6-8

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Beelzebub (commonly known as ‘”Lord of the Flies”) is a term known to be used for the devil himself (as is “that old serpent”).  I don’t mind so much now swatting a fly or two (though I don’t spend all day doing it). 

I wanted to focus on the ant and a spiritual application:

 The encouragement to “go to the ant” points man toward one of the purest examples of initiative.  (See Proverbs 6:6-11.)  Without a guide, an overseer, or a ruler, the ant provides her meat in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.

In other words, the ant has no one to command her to do what needs to be done (ruler), she has no one to force her to do the commands of a ruler (overseer), and she has no one to show her what should be done (guide).  Yet without these external assists, the ant does what needs to be done.  She anticipates future needs and prepares for them well in advance.  Here, in one of the smallest of God’s creation, is a trace of that attribute demonstrated by God in making the heavens and the earth.

Initiative is a by-product of wisdom, a lofty quality which is nevertheless achieved by the lowly ant.  “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:  the ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer” (Proverbs 30:24-25).

Entry #28: My Comforter

Did not Jesus say He would be our Comforter and He would be our Guide?  This is one of the benefits of His indwelling Spirit.  I don’t know where I’d be without that.

Jhn 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Jhn 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Jhn 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Jhn 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Psa 94:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul

I just wanted to share a few verses with you.  God Bless!

Entry #27: Could HIS Coming Be Near?

1Th 4:15		For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16		For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17		Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18		Wherefore comfort one another with these words.