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Who or what is the Holy Spirit to you? A silly question? Perhaps, until you notice all the different ways mankind has portrayed, God to “really” be at least how they see Him anyway. Deists- In early America during the 1770's the ones that signed our Declaration of Independence were for the most part…

Surgeon Paul Brand tells a story that provides a gripping picture of the work of the paraclete. He was a junior doctor in a London hospital when one day he came into the room of an eighty-one-year-old cancer patient named Mrs. Twigg. Her cancer was in her throat and, as he describes it, this “spry, courageous…

I must confess that God is still growing me in this area and I have a long long way to go. I have, however, met other pastors who seemed to really “be in step.” When I was a little kid living in Jacksonville, N.C., my dad pastored the “First Church” in that town. We would often go out in the country,…

Though it has not been scientifically proven, feats of what psychologists call “hysterical” strength do occur. In 2006 in Tucson, Ariz., Tim Boyle watched as a Chevrolet Camaro hit 18-year-old Kyle Holtrust. The car pinned Holtrust, still alive, underneath. Boyle ran to the scene of the accident and…

In ancient times, the sentries of a city would bring news of approaching invaders. The city walls would quickly be fortified, and everyone would seek safety inside. What do you think the greatest fear would be in such a situation? It wasn’t catapults or rocks or flaming spears. The people most feared…

He was the youngest of 15 children. Standing six-foot three-inches tall, his piercing eyes and leadership ability gave him such recognition that he soon was apprenticed to become a lawyer, even though he had never been to college. But then something happened. He had an Isaiah experience. He found himself…

Chuch Swindoll: A sophomore in college who was in need of a car, and one night he had a series of dreams, and everything in his dreams was in yellow. So, feeling let by the Spirit he began to hit the used car lots the next day going from one to another, and finally he found what he KNEW was God's will:…

Francis Chan speaks of this in his own family. He said that his inability to control came home to him with his own teenage daughter. He said he realized that she was not in love with Jesus. He said that he spent nights, crying, bawling, and praying for the Lord. I don’t know if you know who Francis Chan…

1 - Ephesus (2181 - Ephesos = “permitted”) Revelation 2:1-7 Passover - (Ex 12:11) - Yahweh Yira (יֵרָאֶה יְהוָה) – ‘The LORD provides’ - (Gn. 22: 8) - Spirit of the Lord - (Is 11:2) - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - (Mt5:3) - “Father, forgive them; for they do not…

And identity matters. John Orgberg writes that many years ago He was walking in Newport Beach, a beach in Southern California, with two friends. The two of them were on staff together at a church, and one was an elder at the same church. They walked past a bar where a fight had been going on inside.…

Illustration by Colin Smith – 5/09/09 on study of 1 John: When a child is in the womb the life of the child is surrounded by water. As soon as the child is born and he takes the first few breaths his nature changes and he can no longer live in the water. He now can only live in the air. We can go in…

You see, that was my question as I prepared this message. How could I present these verses to you in such a way that you would really get it. Not just mentally assent to the need for living in the fear of God, but truly experience His glory and His love till your heart changes. I’m certainly not the…

Extrinsically Motivated – The Law used outside restraints to keep people under control Intrinsically Motivated – Jesus/Holy Spirit uses internal measures to restrain Illustration: Empty Glass (Full of Air- Air=Sin) Remove air by vacuum pump…when vacuum is removed air comes back Extrinsically Motivated…

Christ declared to the apostles that the Holy Spirit “shall wide you into all truth”! Then, there is no divine truth today not revealed in the New Testament. f the Holy Spirit guided the apostles into ALL truth, then the claims of divine revelations by men and women today are the claims o f fakes and…

Billy Graham, in his newspaper column, answered a question about why the Bible “seems obscure and irrelevant” It was an old English clergyman who suggested an apt comparison between the Bible and a sundial. He said that a person could well read the figures on a dial, but would know nothing of the exact…

In the last century some ministers were planning a united crusade. They met to select an evangelist. The majority wanted Dwight L. Moody, the great preacher who was filled with the Spirit and anointed with God’s mighty power, to preach His word. One minister on the committee, however, was holding out…

D.L. Moody */“You could hear God weeping over the Prodigal, as he told the story of Betsy’s tears when run-away Isaiah came home again to Northfield. You own soul trembled as he tolled the year-count of the church-bell for funeral services. You were melted like wax under his war stories; your heart cried…

2233 Filling Is Answer Paul tells us to live victoriously and to avoid excesses of the flesh. Moody once illustrated this truth as follows: “Tell me,” he said to his audience, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man said, “Suck it out with a pump.” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum…

All of us have had guests in our homes. We double up the kids in one room and make a place for the newcomers. We clear a space in the closet for their clothes. “Here’s your room,” we tell them. “Here’s the bath. Here are the extra towels. Here’s the refrigerator and a key to the house. Make yourself…

Holy Spirit comforts like Mom with a cut finger When you cut your finger or scrape you knee, what do you do? Run to mom or dad. Sometimes they kiss it and make it feel better. Other times they just hold you until the pain goes away. It helps to have someone hold you and comfort you when you hurt inside,…

A student named Steve Winger from Lubbock, TX was taking a challenging class in Logic. The course and teacher were known for exacting and demanding exams. The final exam was looming, and the professor mercifully told the class that each student would be permitted to bring in a single 8 x 11 ½ inch sheet…

I brought two coke cans with me this morning. Do you think you could crush this coke can? No? What about this one? It is easy because there is nothing in it. Why couldn’t you crush this first one. Because it is filled with coke. The cans are the same, they are made out of weak aluminum, but it is what…

How can you tell the Holy Spirit is present? It is just like batteries in a flashlight. You can't tell the flashlight has batteries in it until you try to turn it on. When it is turned on you know if there are batteries or not. With the Christian life, if the Holy Spirit is present the Christian shines…

When I was a boy, for the magnificent sum of one English penny, one could purchase a platform ticket and go onto the platform of the local railway station. Those were the days of steam engines, and because our town was on the main line from the city of London to the country of Wales, it was a very busy…

When was the last time you became passionate about who God is? Are there times that you are amazed by the fact that God is within you? . I remember studying about the Holy Spirit when I was about fifteen or sixteen years old. I came home that evening and I was troubled. Since I had been a little girl…