Author: Joe

The Action Gifts of the Spirit

~ Joe ~ 2 Comments

This is part 4 of a 4 part study on the gifts of the Spirit.

The other sections are…

The three action gifts are grouped together because by them the Holy Spirit produces something through the recipient.

Faith

Greek: pistis (pÄ“’-stÄ“s) – a conviction of the truth of anything especially when relating to God, Christ, and the divine; belief.

Defined: The gift of faith is a supernatural gift by the Spirit of God enabling a recipient to supernaturally, and against all odds, believe and trust in God for anything.

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The Spoken Gifts of the Spirit

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This is part 3 of a 4 part study on the gifts of the Spirit.

The other sections are…

The three speaking gifts are grouped together because by them the Holy Spirit delivers a divine message through the recipient.

Unlike the revealing gifts which deliver a divine message to a passive recipient, the recipient of a spoken gift must be willing to speak the message in order for it to be delivered.

Prophecy

Greek: prophÄ“teia (pro-fā-tā’-ä) – a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events.

Defined: The gift of prophecy is a supernatural utterance in a known language given by the Spirit of God which provides strengthening, encouragement, and comfort to believers and/or foretells future events pertaining especially to the kingdom of God.

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The Revealing Gifts of the Spirit

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This is part 2 of a 4 part study on the gifts of the Spirit.

The other sections are…

The three revealing gifts are grouped together because they make known to the recipient of the gift something they had previously not known, a divine revelation.

Unlike the spoken gifts, the revelation that comes through the revealing gifts is usually not given through the recipient’s own mouth. Revealing gifts also do not require the participation of the recipient as do the spoken gifts; the Holy Spirit simply gives the revelation to the recipient whenever He sees fit.

Unlike the action gifts, the revelation that comes through the revealing gifts does not do anything on its own. The recipient must act on the revelation in order to apply it.

Message of Wisdom

Greek: sophia – wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters

Defined: The message of wisdom is a supernatural revelation given by the Spirit of God which provides insight into the mind of God, His purposes, direction, and will.

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Who are the 144,000 in the book of Revelation?

~ Joe ~ 6 Comments

In the book of Revelation there is a group of people simply referred to as the “144,000.” They are mentioned only twice in the entire Bible yet they have sparked many questions and debates through history. Some religious organizations, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, have even formed their doctrine around this group. But who are they really? What does the Bible actually say about them? The following is a short study I did to answer these questions.

The first place the 144,000 are mentioned is in Revelation chapter 7 so let’s start there.

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Concerning Spiritual Gifts

~ Joe ~ 2 Comments

Paul starts his twelfth chapter in 1 Corinthians by saying he doesn’t want us to be ignorant about spiritual gifts. This can mean two different things: 1) we may simply not know anything about these gifts of the Spirit and are therefore ignorant about them. Or 2) as in the case of the Corinthian church, we may have the gifts of the Spirit operating abundantly in our lives and think we know all there is to know about them, but in reality, we know very little about their true purpose, value, and use.

So let’s not be ignorant but instead let’s take a closer look at these nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

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Walk Through Philippians 3

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Once in a while I like to take a “walk” through a chapter of the Bible. The goal is twofold: 1) it helps me keep individual verses within their proper context and 2) it allows the Word of God to speak into my life in a deeper way. I pray that as you walk through Philippians chapter 3 that God will reveal new insights to you regarding His Word, that He will ask you questions that delve deep into your core, and that He will cause a holy change to occur in your life and mine.

(When reading a “walk through” please note that my comments, thoughts, and questions are indented and the Bible text is not.)

Philippians 3 (NIV)
No Confidence in the Flesh
1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:7 to stay from vain repetition but here Paul is repeating to the Philippian’s a teaching he already gave them. Paul says it is a safeguard to them; so we can see that one thing worth repeating is the Word of God in the form of teaching and instruction. We can never get too much teaching from the God’s Word!

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Pits, Peaks, and Plateaus

~ Joe ~ 1 Comment

Yesterday, FOXNews.com had an article that covered a forum where the three leading Democratic presidential candidates talked about faith and values. One of the presidential candidates was Hillary Clinton who gets an “A” for effort regarding her talk on faith.

She had a few admirable statements, such as:

  • She probably could not have gotten through her marital troubles without relying on her faith in God.
  • “I am very grateful that I had a grounding in faith that gave me the courage and the strength to do what I thought was right, regardless of what the world thought.”
  • “I’m not sure I would have gotten through it without my faith.”
  • She was sustained by the prayers of others.

One of her last comments was, “At those moments in time when you are tested, it is absolutely essential that you be grounded in your faith,” and I think this statement is typical of most Americans. In fact, I think it exemplifies the status of American faith in God.

Although Clinton’s statement is definitely true, I think it’s almost more important to be grounded in your faith during the non-testing times.

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Other Ways the Holy Spirit Leads Us

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John 16:13 says…
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

“Other Ways the Holy Spirit Leads Us” is the fourth of four thoughts on how we can better prepare our hearts to hear from our Lord.

So far we’ve learned about three of the main ways the Holy Spirit communicates to us: through the inner witness, the inner voice, and the authoritative voice of the Lord. But there are several other ways also.

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Learn to be Led by the Holy Spirit

~ Joe ~ 9 Comments

Romans 8:14 says, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Every believer in Jesus can learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit instead of by their physical senses and circumstances.

“Learn to be Led by the Holy Spirit” is the third of four thoughts on how we can better prepare our hearts to hear from our Lord. Portions of the following were adapted from Kenneth E. Hagin’s book Following God’s Plan for Your Life.

Notice that I said learn how to be led by the Spirit. Knowing how to be led by the Holy Spirit does not come naturally right after a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. Just as sheep have to learn to recognize the voice of their shepherd, so we have to learn to recognize the voice of our Lord.

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