18.. JUDGING Yes or No?

There is an apparent paradox in Scripture (primarily in the New Testament) about whether or not we are to Judge. There are a number of passages which tell us when we are to judge and just about as many telling us when we are not to judge. I have done a considerable amount of study in this area over the years under David Pawson, Derek Prince, Jack Hayford and 1 or 2 other good teachers of standing, so I’ve pulled out my notes and can feel relatively safe and authentic with what I have to say. First we will have a look at some scriptures which tell us NOT to judge... (Matt 7. 1-5) Jesus is saying here quite emphatically “Do not judge” and if we do, the judgement we use will come back on us, and I believe it will do so from two different sources, Human and Divine. People will judge us as we judge them. In addition God will judge us the way we judge others. In (Rom 2.1-3 Paul is addressing Religious people. Then, as now, Religious people seem to think because of who they are, they have all the answers and on that premise all others are wrong. In fact this is not always the case. A person who is regularly judging others is very often wrong themselves. A little further in the same chapter (Rom 2.16) and again in (1Cor 4.1-5) This is a remarkable statement from Paul, He’s saying, “I’m not aware of anything I’ve done wrong,” but that did not justify him, or prove him righteous. God alone is his and indeed every ones judge. He alone will do the justifying and condemning .One last Scripture against judging, taken from the Epistle of James (4. 11-12). Here James is especially speaking about believers who speak evil against other believers, as Christians we are warned against doing this, yet many of us do just that and regularly, with words like, “I just think you ought to know” or “ I’m not judging them but do you think so and so are doing the right thing.” There is a Scriptural principal to deal with such matters, talk to your Pastor, not members of the congregation, that’s just Gossip. We need to remember, doing this is contrary to Scripture and The Lord will deal servilely with anyone who persists in doing this. Now for some Scriptures advocating judgement. (John 7.24) In this case Jesus was telling them how to judge. Then in (Cor 5.1-5) Notice, Paul says he had already judged and required the Corinthian church to endorse his judgement. Furthermore it was an extremely severe judgement to deliver a man over to Satan. In the same chapter ie (Cor 5.11- 13) Paul distinguishes between the believers and the unbelievers, in this instance we are not responsible to judge the unbelievers, but we are required to judge the believers. Again in the same Epistle (Corr 6.1-4) Paul is establishing two points the first is negative. It is wrong for a Christian to take another Christian to face the law in a non Christian court. On the positive side however, Christians are required to judge internal disputes between fellow Christians. Finally, look at what Jesus says in (Matt 18.15-17) If Christians can’t settle disputes among themselves, ultimately it has to go before the church. That is not an option. It’s a commandment. We are not free to leave disputes unresolved. In fact we are obligated to take them before the church. If a person refuses to accept the decision of the church, he looses his right to be treated as a believer. This is a solemn statement from Paul which few Christians take heed of these days, they would rather throw all their toys out of the cot and go to join another group, but in the time of Paul and the Apostles there were no “other groups,” or Christian churches like Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian etc. However the basic principal is still valid today as it was then, unresolved disputes lead to disunity in the body of Christ and need to be dealt with quickly and honestly by a good healthy Bible believing Christian Church We can now see the resolution to the paradox. The confusion arose when the Jews wanted a King. Prior to that, the king was the judger there was no supreme court or court of appeal the Kings word was the final judgement. So we see that God’s design originally for Israel was “King and Judge” In fact the sacred word for God was applied to Judges. “Elohim” Why? Because they took God’s place to judge His people, they had the authority of God, this was born out by the fact that they were permitted to use the name of God Himself “Elohim” it was a measure of the tremendous sanctity and authority which God attaches to the position of Judge when they judge with righteousness. There are a couple of scriptures I’ve chosen to clarify this. (Gen 18.25) Right in the beginning of the Bible God is establishing a principal that I believe holds throughout scripture., It is contrary to scripture to treat the righteous as the wicked. Our contemporary culture resents authority and law enforcement, we assume the primary function of judging is to punish the wicked, whereas it is and always should be to protect the innocent and righteous, which seldom if ever happens today. One only needs to look at the court pages to see how criminals are treated in comparison to victims this is a typical instance of our perverted thinking in modern culture. We must always bare in mind that the primary function of justice is to protect the righteous. It is never in line with God’s will to deal with the wicked as with the righteous. In this connection a word about divorce, I believe it is contrary to scripture to treat the innocent party the same as the guilty. That is a denial of the basic principal of scripture, in the words of Abraham “Far be it from You to do such a thing...That the righteous should be as the wicked Far be it from You! Shall the judge of all the earth do right.” (Gen 18. 25) God responded by implication, “Yes that’s right Abraham I will never depart from that principal.” So we see then that God the Ruler is also the judge of all the earth. The principal of Ruling and Judging should help us understand when to judge and when not to. In Psalm 82, God reproves the judges for judging unjustly, Verse 1. says “God stands in the congregation of the mighty, He judges among the God’s” That’s a remarkable statement. Who are the Gods? And why is He judging them? The Judges are the gods (remember Elohim they are taking God’s place) and God is judging them because they had been unjust judges using God’s name and their position as God’s visible representatives to judge unrighteously and that’s the reason we are not to judge others, first of all we have not been given that mantle or gift from God and therefore we cannot take Gods place. I’d venture to say, this goes for all God’s gifts. Use the gift God’s given you, support others in theirs but never ever try to take on another persons gifting it will end in disaster. The New Testament gives us more details of judgement.(1Peter 1.17) is saying The ultimate Judge is the Father, However, as Jesus Himself explains in (John 5.22 God has delegated the job to His Son, And in (Matt 25.31-32) Jesus tells us The Son of Man will come on the last day in all His Glory and the first thing He’ll do is judge every man according to his works, in verse 27 Jesus describes Himself as “The Son of Man), because Jesus as a human being understands our human frailties and infirmities He experienced them Himself and we will not be able to say, “You don’t understand.’ The delegation of authority goes further, just as the Father delegated it to The Son, and He delegated His authority to His Word, in (John 12.48) Jesus says we will be judged by His word, and we will have no excuse because we are so privileged not only to have our own Bibles but also have so many good teachers available to us. The Word of God should be our most treasured possession. There are some people in the world who so desire to possess a Bible of their own they are willing to pay the little money they have for food just to possess a copy, ultimately they know and so should we The Word of God is going to be our final judge. Scary thought isn’t it!! Especially when one sees today Christian Teachers, Priests, Pastors and Leaders watering down God’s Word, Yes He loves us, Yes He has Mercy on us and Yes He is the ultimate perfect Judge who has provided us with the ultimate perfect source of help in His Holy Spirit. So we should take full advantage of all the help that is available to us, because one day we all have to answer to“The Word.” My final say on this subject is judging without authority, I will give you three instances from Scripture They are worth looking up for yourselves. The first is in (Gen.19.9) Lot did not have any authority as a new comer in the land to deal with the men who came to his door to rape his visitors, fortunately the Angels dealt with the intruders. My second Scripture is taken from (Exid 2.13-14.) After killing an Egyptian on the first day that Moses set out to deliver Israel he tried to intervene in a Hebrew fight, and was smartly put in his place “Who made you our Judge.” My third Scripture is from the New Testament Luke 12.13-14.) by Jesus Himself. You will remember the man who claimed his brother was cheating him out of his inheritance, Jesus’ words to him were ”Who gave me the authority to judge this case?” So we see that authority and judgement go together you cannot have one without the other, if you give your eldest daughter the job of baby-sitting the younger children you also give her the authority to judge what TV programmes they watch, what time they go to bed etc. Otherwise her job becomes impossible. We can now establish a simple basic principal. Where we have a responsibility to rule, we also have the responsibility to judge, and conversely where we do not have the authority to rule, we do not have the authority to judge. Thank you for reading my thoughts on judgement, and thanks also to Derek Prince from whom I borrowed much of my material many years ago. I hope it’ s as great a help to you as it has been to me. God bless us all. Phaline.

17. LOVE IS. 1Corenthians 13 v 4-7.

When The Lord first asked me to write on this theme today, I was not too impressed, I even doubted Him, because we have had so many good teachings on that subject recently. So either we have been hearing but not listening, or listening and not doing. Either way it was going to be difficult to find a new angle. However, God doesn’t often change His mind, and He did give me a few words which I hope will be helpful to all of us. Before I start in earnest I must explain that the word LOVE. in English, as you probably know is banded around everything from food to sex and shoes to scenery, we love it all. But in Latin there are at least four words for love, First, there is Storge which is Parental love that is parents towards children or children towards parents. Secondly, there is Phileo, which is brotherly, sibling or family love. Thirdly Eros, which is marital love, where two people give themselves entirely to each other. Then there is Agape love which is the life giving love that God has for us. It actually is a life giving love, remember when Christ said “There is no greater love than this, that a mm lay down His life for a friend.” It is when one is prepared to give up his own life for another, and of course that’s exactly what Jesus did for us to demonstrate His AGAPE love for us. The first three are to do with our emotional, Human life, although being deprived of any or all of the first three can have quite an adverse effect on our spiritual life they are mainly to do with our humanity. But the forth is to do primarily with our Spirits and God’s relationship with us and OUR need to have the same relationship with Him. Because we can’t see God (The object of our Love) normally, the only contact and understanding we can have with Him is through Prayer and the knowledge we gain through the Holy Spirit, Scripture and good teaching which develops our Faith and as we learn about Him. we can foster and allow this to grow into AGAPE love for God. This love is not emotional as the other three are, because it involves a decision of the mind and will. The other three are a spontaneous emotion. No mind or will required. However, Agape love, I believe is a special gift from God, which He gives to people who really want to know, love and get close to Him, This I believe can be achieved as our relationship with God grows. Some people like Mother Teresa, and her team who Love and are drawn to help people who are physically or mentally Handicapped, or in great poverty or addicts to alcohol or drugs seem to have this wonderful gift I think God is very close to such people.. How can we know and feel the love of God? And if we are responding to it correctly? John Ch14.v20-23. (NIV) says “On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you, Whoever has my Commands and Keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him, and show myself to them”. Then after a question from one of His Apostles Jesus replied v23. “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make our home with them.” That should be quite clear, if we obey God’s Commands and keep the teachings of Jesus we can be certain not only of God’s love for us but secure in the knowledge that we are doing all in our power to show our love for Him. While this may not always be easy, let me tell you, knowing you are in God’s will is the most rewarding blessing one can have. Understanding this along with regular prayer and self examination on whether or not we are keeping Christ’s teachings will keep us on track. Now, I believe we need to understand the full implication of the word “is” So here goes. The word “is” is a continuum verb, which means it has no beginning and no end, but is continually working. That is why God is spoken of as Love.”God Is Love” because He cannot and will not stop loving us, no matter what we may do,.think or say. That is also why He will answer our every prayer, albeit not always as we think He should. As a loving parent answers His child, so He answers us, giving us exactly what we need in any given situation; not necessarily what we want, but always what would be the very best for us at that particular time. When we say “Love is” we are using that continuum, which means everyday all the time, because if we are striving to be like Christ, that word “is” has to become part of our nature, we can’t have “off or bad hair days” Our love must not depend on the other person”s attitude towards us, but on what God”s attitude towards them is., which is love. “But,” we reply, “We are only human.” Yes we are, however, We who are Baptised in the Spirit are much more than “only human,”, we even refer to ourselves as Spirit Filled human beings. So what is different about us, How do we look, talk, listen, touch peoples lives differently from people who are not Spirit Filled Human Beings. We should stand out like the Sun on a rainy day, and why don’t we? I suggest because we are not seen to be loving enough. In the early church that was the characteristic which distinguished the Christians not only from the Jews, but from the Gentiles as well, Christians lived on a whole different plane, Their whole mental, physical emotional and spiritual attitude was completely different from what ours is today.. They embodied the entire teachings of Jesus, Not picking and choosing and doing what pleased or suited them and leaving the hard or dirty stuff for someone else to do, Christianity is very practical. Loving God and loving our neighbour has to be our Motto. When the Churches and people of God do that I believe then, and only then we will see the hand of God move in our country and this world. So what is love? Love is Patient and Kind, doesn’t boast nor is it Proud, it doesn’t dishonour others , it is not self seeking or easily angered, it doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, Love always tells the Truth it Protects Trusts, Hopes and Perseveres Are we ‘PATIENT’;-- What does it mean to be patient? It means to allow someone else to illustrate in whatever way they choose to get their point across, without any interruption or interference. This can be very difficult, especially if the person is handicapped or has difficulty expressing themselves, but with patients, tolerance and understanding this can be achieved. And thus the Spirit Filled life is working. Are we ‘KIND’ ;-- What is kindness? Kindness is an attitude of holding everyone else in higher esteem than yourself. There are so many examples of this in Scripture. “The First Shall be Last.” is one of them. When Jesus felt sorry for the five thousand, it was an act of Kindness to feed them, the miracle was incidental to the sympathy He felt for the people, and who did he ask to clean up the mess? Not the people who made it, there was a lesson to be learned by the Disciples here on how to be a servant. Again when Jesus put a towel around his waist and washed the Disciples feet, this was another example, If we don’t do this, we can have no place with Him. That’s what He told Peter. So kindness is a very important part of the Spirit Filled life, Kindness is one of the ways we can show our love and people will see we are different and maybe one day we will hear those words “See how those Christians Love one another.” “Love is not JEALOUS, BOASTFUL, PROUD or RUDE:-- As soon as those characteristics appear in a Christian”s life their credibility as somebody different disappears, you see, those who are observing us are not Christians, and are looking for and can always spot a fake a mile off, that’s why I am talking about LOVE IS a full time 24/7 job which must become our full life. This is not easy or even possible by ourselves, but “In Christ all things are possible.” It’s not just our credibility, but the credibility of Christ Himself and His Father that’s at stake here. So He will help you when you ask Him. We have been especially chosen, Why? Because in His great wisdom God knew we were capable of changing people’s hearts, minds and attitudes. Therefore we can’t afford to demand our own way, or get irritable, or keep a record of wrongs, or remain quiet while injustice and prejudice remain, we must stand up for the truth, hold to our Faith and Hope to the very end. We must always remember love never fails and to be a true Christian LOVE IS all the time everywhere,.everyday. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts of what Love is, may they help us all to remember to Love God and to love our neighbours as ourselves. He paid the ultimate price for us. He gave His only Son. Is He asking too much of us? May God Bless and help us to show what true LOVE IS.. Phaline.

16. THE MOUTH. PSALM 34. 11.13. and others

We are all familiar with what James has to say about the tongue, however it is interesting to notice a few aspects of the head. For example there are seven openings in the head, (Biblically the number of perfection) two eyes, two ears, and two nostrils, but only one mouth. I don’t know anyone who would like to have two mouths, we seem to have enough trouble controlling the one we have. If we’re honest, we’ve all had that horrible experience of self recrimination, “Why did I say that?” We can’t retract it and an apology is not only difficult, but also sounds and often is hopelessly inadequate. So, I’ve put together a few words hoping to show us how and why to shut the door before the horse has bolted. I was amazed, when consulting my Concordance just how many references there are to this one opening in our face:- mouth, tongue, lips, speech, words etc. And with good reason. There is no other area in our personality more directly related to our total well-being than our mouths and tongues. The first Scripture I’ll use is (Psm 34. v11-13 which says,”Come My children listen to me; I will teach you The Fear of The Lord. Whoever of you who loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.(NIV) At this junction, I’d also like to point out there is nothing in all Scripture to which is attached greater blessing than “Fear of The Lord”.so when we are being offered a teaching on that subject it is often something of infinite value and well worth taking up. Also in Scripture fullness of life and fear of the Lord are always associated; and well worth taking heed of because, the measure in which we have the fear of the Lord is the same measure in which we enjoy true life both spiritual and physical. So what is, and how do we achieve the “Fear of The Lord” The Fear of The Lord is ;--Knowing who Almighty God is, What He has done for us. And How we should approach Him. This is very important for us to know, and there are several books available on the subject, “Knowing God”, by J.I. packer is one of the best I’ve read on this subject. However the psalmist, in the quote given tells us in simple, practical terms, “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.” that’s a good start. The first area “The Fear of The Lord” manifests its self in our lives, will be through our speech, this is also a good way to evaluate very quickly, people who come into our lives, I maintain, “Play with dirt, you will get dirty.” So we see how it’s all tied together, out of The Fear of The Lord comes life, good days and proper use and control of our tongues and lips .I would venture to say, we can’t possibly have good physical or spiritual lives if we can’t control our mouths. In my experience, unfortunately, this is a problem with both Christians and Non-Christians alike. In proverbs 13. 3 we read; “He who guards his lips guards his soul, He who speaks rashly comes to ruin.” It’s black and white:-- because my soul is the real Me, and it’s there my personality is first manifest. that’s where the enemy will first gain access. The alternatives are clear, if we guard our lips we guard our souls, if we speak rashly we are heading for calamity and putting our souls in great danger. Calamity is a strong word and I believe the Bible uses it deliberately. I urge you to read the book of Proverbs, it’s full of such principles eg (Prov 15. 4) and Prov (18-21) These are two very good examples. Once again the alternatives are quite clear. It’s either life or death, they are both tied up in the power of the tongue. We need to remember whichever way we use our tongue we can be sure we’ll eat its fruit. Good or bad, God has ordained life that way. Derek Prince relates a story of when he was a Medic in the British Army during W.W.2. He says the first thing the Senior Doctor would ask the patient was “Show me your tongue.” Derek says the doctor could tell more about the soldier’s health and or illness by looking at his tongue than by talking to him directly. He said metaphorically speaking, God would know more about us by looking at our tongues than we’d possibly like to admit. The state of our tongues is a sure-fire guide to our spiritual condition. Many Scriptural passages show the connection between our heart and mouth, In (Mat 12. 33-37) Also in (Mat 7. 17-18) We read the nature of the tree determines the kind of fruit it will produce, so when we see the fruit we know what kind of tree we have, I believe the tree represents the heart and the fruit the mouth. So when the heart is good, what comes out of the mouth will also be good and vec-vercer., there is an absolute connection between heart and mouth which is the indicator. If the mouth indicates unrighteousness in any form, our own or anyone else’s alarm bells should ring. If what comes out of the mouth is corrupt, then the heart is also corrupt, there is no other conclusion. In (Mat 12.34) Jesus speaking-; “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” In Jam (1. 26-27) We see there is a kind of religion which God does not accept. We may go to church, prayer group, give away money and know all the songs etc. But if we don’t keep our tongues under control all that is worthless and unacceptable to God. On the other hand James points out the kind of religion that is acceptable to God. Again it is different from the average church goer today. In fact the first positive requirement of religion is not church going or even Bible reading. So let me suggest that if we want to have a religion that is acceptable to God it must be demonstrated first and foremost by caring for those in need, I am not talking money here, although financial help is sometimes needed there are several other needs just as important and often less visible eg your time, your expertise, food, clothing or heating and sometimes just a shoulder to cry on. It’s often too easy to put our hands in our pockets, thus relieving us of all responsibility. Often the poorest of people can fulfil the greatest need. James uses a number of illustrations from the natural world, from which he brings out the unique significance and influence of the tongue for the entire course of our lives. If we consider the examples James uses; The bit in the horses mouth, The Rudder in the ship, The spark that starts a forest fire and a poison that is injected into a life-stream, the underlying principle is the same. The tongue is a small part of the body but can cause tremendous damage which may never be undone. In James (3.9-12) He once again points out the inconsistencies of Religious people, James is saying the exact same thing that Jesus said, What is in your heart will come out of your mouth, fresh and dirty water cannot come out of the same spring, an interesting point to consider here is, fresh water will never make dirty water fresh but it only takes a little dirty water to pollute fresh water. So we always have to be aware of the pollution of the world in our speech. Because we know that which comes out of our mouth indicates the true condition of our hearts. We need to really understand how Death and Life are tied up in the power of the tongue and how our words determine our destiny and why we need to keep our hearts visibly pure. Interesting isn’t it? How we settle our own destiny by what we say, Take a look at Joshua and Caleb going ahead to inspect the Promised Land. Those that said “We are not able.” were not able to go there and those that said “We are able” were able to get to the Promised Land. If we speak our assent with faith and courage on a particular promise of God and focus on the promise and not the problem which may or may not arise, then as Joshua said “We will be well able to receive God’s promises” Returning to Derek Prince, he maintains there are six diseases of the tongue, if kept unchecked could prove fatal, I will list them. 1. Excessive talking. Proverbs 10:19. Beware of the chatter 2. Idle/careless words Matthew 12;36 Think before speaking. 3. Gossip. Leviticus 19;16 Closely connected to jealousy 4. Lying. Proverbs. 6:16 Be careful not to slander. 5. Flattery. Psalm 12:1-3. Weigh up the compliments 6. Hasty speech Proverbs 29: 20 Peter had this problem. There are three practical steps I believe we can take to deal with the problem of our tongues. 1. We must acknowledge that we have a problem and call it by its correct name “SIN” As long as we use some fancy psychological terminology to cover, condone, excuse, or even pretend that our problem doesn’t exist, nothing will happen. We must come to the moment of honesty with ourselves and with God. When we do that, only then can God move. I have done quite a bit of counselling over the years and have found with myself and with many others, the only currency God deals in is TRUTH . As long as we try to cover up or misrepresent our problem, God does nothing. Then we say “God why don’t you help me in this area?” His answer is “I’m waiting for you to be honest.” 2. We must confess our sin and receive God’s forgiveness and . Cleansing. Read John (1;7-9.) again and see the importance of being honest, God’s blood does not cleans in the dark.”If we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us,” so we are operating in the dark where God’s provision doesn’t work. Two words are used in this Scripture “Faithful and Righteous” God is Faithful because He has promised and He will keep His promise. God is Righteous or just because Jesus has already paid the penalty for our sins, therefore he can forgive us without compromising His justice. Now, because He is more interested in the state of our hearts towards Him than anything else in the Universe, after forgiving us He scrubs up our hearts (Cleanses us) But if experientially we keep committing the same sin, I would like to question the forgiveness, because the same God who forgives also cleanses. The same Scripture that promises God”s forgiveness also promises God”s cleansing. God never stops halfway, if we meet the conditions we get the whole package. If we don’t meet the conditions we don”t get half, we get nothing. “If we confess our sins God is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleans us from ALL unrighteousness.” Once our hearts are cleansed the problem wont be there. The condition of the heart determines what comes out of the mouth. A clean heart cannot produce unclean speech. So it follows Unclean speech indicates an unclean heart. 3. We must say NO to sin and YES to God -; In Romans (6:12-14 ) Paul says: When next we get challenged by sin, we have to say “I will not submit to you that part of my body which I cannot control, but I will submit it to You Holy Spirit of God at this time to control it for me, help me now in my greatest need.” or a similar prayer. For my final word on this matter, I would recommend you read(James 3: 7-8. To sum up, I’ll go briefly through the three steps again. 1. Call the problem by its name “SIN” 2. Confess the sin and receive God’s Forgiveness and Cleansing. 3. Refuse to Yield to sin, and by Faith determine to yield to God the Holy Spirit . That is the climax of the process of deliverance and healing of that member of our bodies which according to James WE cannot control. Thank you for reading my thoughts on this subject May Almighty God direct our speech to His Glory. Phaline. -------------------------

15 THE FUTURE CHURCH. Dut. 6. 6-7.

Our Children. “These Commandments teach them to your children.” When things seem to be falling apart in our churches and, traditions and morals which we’ve held on to all our lives are not given any credence, we pray, “give us men and women of God to guide us”--- God gives us children. He gives us the material and says “Here are the building blocks, you do it” We are expected with God’s Grace, to help them develop into men and women of God. God told the Jews “These Commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” If we don’t practice Biblical principles, Our children wont either. If we don’t live what we preach, our children wont either and our words will fall on deaf ears which create rebellious hearts. We don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to be genuine. Secondly, God told them, “impress them on your children,” How?-- We must emphasize, prompt, stress, Drum it in and make it clear. Now there’s nothing passive about that, it is to be deliberate, a thorough, active process until they know what God expectS of them. Thirdly, We have to talk about the Principals,Values, and Ethics we hold because children wont pick up the truth by osmosis, we have to talk not in “Religious” sounding terms which they don’t even understand, but in natural language, in natural ways in natural times. Talk about them when we are sitting in the comfortable surroundings of home, or when we are walking or driving to school in an easy give and take environment, watching for opportunities, because teachable moments come and go unannounced. A parent who seizes the day God will equip to mould their children into men and women of God. We have to let them know that standing up for what is right is very pleasing to God and consequently to us as their parents. Even though they naturally gravitate to whatever pleases the important people in their lives whether it’s right or wrong. Their need to be accepted by their peers is a very powerful influence on them. Use Scripture. Solomon is a good example Ch1.vs10-15 When counselling his son he said “If sinners entice you, do not go with them etc.” We have to explain to our children, they will become like the company they keep. Ask them if they really would like to be like the person or child in question, carefully pointing out their bad as well as their good points. To this end our children need instruction in several areas if they are to stand up for God against destructive influences. We need to tell them that true friends will want the best for them and anyone who wants to lead them into danger or sin is not a friend, tell them that the thrill of the moment only lasts a moment, but the consequence could last a lifetime. A man only reaps what he sows, if one sows to please his sinful nature, he will reap destruction. That is as natural a law as gravity. Galat. 6.7-8 says The one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life. One of the hardest things we (my husband John and myself) had to do was not to give our children a way out of reaping the consequences of their sin. Yes we went with them and stood beside them but face the music they did, In that way they learned our love for them hadn’t diminished. And that the Saviour too would always be there for them to pick them up and take them back. Our children need the right kind of heroes, instead of Rock Stars and Sport celebrities of questionable character, we should try to introduce them to Biblical heroes who modelled Godliness, Righteousness and Courage under pressure. Children need to know how to respond to God’s direction and correction, to know the difference and not to think of correction as rejection. Prov 3.11-12 tells us not to reject God’s disciplines and that God disciplines those He loves, interesting to note here, Solomon was talking to his Son in this passage. FIRST;--One of the first things children learn from a very young age is how to respond to the discipline of the home and parents. The rules we don’t enforce now will be enforced by others later, at a higher cost. Our discipline needs to be fair, consistent and not excessive. I am convinced that children are born with a real sense of fairness, it is very confusing for them when they can’t relate to your fairness, it is the first sign of letting them know that you cannot always be trusted to do what is just and fair. We cannot permit today what we punished yesterday, “How many time have I told you...” or “If you do that again your grounded...” All that means to a child is you are not serious and they will get several warnings before you act. Enforce it. Don’t threaten unless you mean to follow through. SECONDLY, children need to know how to respond correctly to Authority figures. Romans 13.1 says That All Authority comes from God and we must submit to it. We should never belittle Police, Teachers Pastors the elderly etc. If we do, it will come back to bite us and our children. THIRDLY. We ought to share our own experiences of personal growth through correction, this lets them know that we are not perfect ands gives them hope and helps them to relate to our humanity as parents. Well chosen times of personal sharing are much more effective than nagging and sermonising! We have to teach our children about temptation, what it is, to expect it and also how often they have to face up to it but not to be overwhelmed by it. James 1-14 says “Every man is tempted and enticed when he’s drawn away by his own lust. ” Children need to know how to handle two powerful sources of temptation, First the temptation of sexual sin, TV and the internet make everything from normal to perverse as available as oxygen, enticing them to experiment with behaviours that destroy health, relationships and life., they need more than an embarrassed “birds and bees” talk. They need early, regular and clear instruction Go back to Solomon and read God’s take on it. Prov5.1-11 “The lips of an adulteress drip honey, but in the end she is as bitter as gall ... Her steps lead straight to the grave...Keep far from her, at the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.” Solomon spelled it out loud and clear for his children, we should do likewise. The second big temptation for our children is Addiction. Again Solomon is right on the ball Prov.23.29-30. “Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine” The addicts life is not fun, in the end it bites like a snake. In Prov32vs 33 we read “Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind will imagine confusing things.” Don’t let the enemy deceive your children, pray faithfully ,speak Our Lord’s life-changing word into their hearts, believe God and watch Him work. Children need to be taught to handle money responsibly, make your home a classroom for money management, By putting God first they will see how He honours them. Prov. 3.9 says “Honour The Lord with your first fruits... Then your barns (bank account) will be filled. To avoid the Prodigal syndrome in Luke 15.11-32. The Prodigal Sons attitude towards money and his misuse of it cost him dearly. Give children Biblical financial wisdom in four areas Earning, Giving, Spending and Saving, and you will position them for God’s blessings. Teach them what God says about borrowing, lending and Credit. In a culture driven by slick advertising and easily obtained high interest credit cards, youngsters need to understand the consequences of their financial decisions. In Proverbs 22-6 Train up a child in the way it should go etc. is not an isolated one, the next verse is worth taking note of-- “The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is subject to the lender” What looks like the fast lane to plenty can become the sure road to poverty. Working and waiting for what one wants is much more rewarding, satisfying and long lasting than immediate gratification. To this end we should not guarantee loans. The Bible says ”You could very easily loose your bed.” and that would tough when you are getting old. As many of you know, My husband John was a Bricklayer. From a very young age he took the children to work with him. (I realise this wouldn’t work these days) but they loved taking their own little lunch box and bottle of drink with them. He would give them a hammer, some pieces of wood and a few nails and let them play in the sand, they were going to work with Dad, and that was very important. As they grew older they learned the names of the tools and were given little jobs like shifting barrows, blocks and buckets for which they were paid, they felt they were a real part of the family’s growing business, one of them has even taken up his dads trade and has contributed to the Christchurch rebuild after the devastating earthquakes in that city. I understand in New Zealand one eighth of our working population are jobless. I believe at least part of the reason for this problem is, There are a number of parents today who don’t give their children a work ethic, I am so pleased we did, and as a result The Lord has provided all seven of our children with good employment. Parents who think that allowing their children to avoid hard work is doing them a favour, are deluded. Such children become irresponsible, dependent, underdeveloped and end up resenting your overindulgence. Prov.10.4-5 says Lazy hands make a man poor...He who gathers crops in the Summer is a wise Son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a disgraceful Son. Don’t cripple your child’s creativity or development, by doing for them what they should be doing for themselves. Honest work is God’s provision for Personal, Social and Spiritual growth and consequently human happiness. One day your child will thank you for requiring them to participate in family life and do their fair share, and so will their future husband or wife. Quite often it’s us Mums that think their youngsters are too young and we make excuses for them saying things like “But they’ve got homework” there’s no point in them knowing the three Rs and failing to become mature and responsible citizens. Lam 3.27 says “It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth” What they learn in their youth they will enjoy the rest of their lives as they become balanced men and women of God with the ability to lead the future church for God. Thank you for reading what I believe the future church will need, to face the coming onslaught that we seem to be heading for in the not too distant future. I believe we will need Christian Men and Women who will stand up for Our God and His Word, who are prepared to follow Him and His Bible based truths to the very end. Please God send us such people. May Almighty God Protect, Preserve and Provide for His future church. Phaline. ---------------------

Fourteen WATER WALKING FAITH. Matt 14:25 - 33

At about three o’Clock one morning, the disciples were crossing the lake when a huge storm struck. That was bad enough but when they saw, what they thought, was a ghost coming towards them on the water, they were beside themselves. Matt 14; 27-29 puts it this way.”Immediately Jesus spoke “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid.” Peter answered “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you.” So Jesus said “come” and when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to Jesus.” The first thing this story teaches us is... If The Lord isn’t calling us to do something “Don’t”!! There is a story of a man awaiting entry into Heaven, on being asked to name one great deed he had done while on earth, the applicant replied, “A gang of Bikies were threatening a woman, so I smacked one, kicked over their bikes and tore out their nose rings”. Impressed, the gate keeper asked “When did this happen”. The man replied “about thirty seconds ago”!!....To walk on water, you must first learn to discern between God’s voice and your own natural impulses. The second thing here is, Miracles require Faith and to experience them, we have to get out of our comfort zone. Now change places with Peter, a seasoned fisherman, the storm is raging but you know your boat is built to handle these conditions. So being secure and reasonably comfortable, wouldn’t you want to remain in the security of where you are? But you can’t! God has designed you to do more than simply avoid failure. He’s calling you to step out in faith and accomplish His Will. So where or what is your boat? It is anything you put your faith in when life gets stormy, e.g. your job, a relationship, your bank account. Your boat is anything that stops you from getting out of your comfort zone. Leaving it is the scariest but most rewarding step you will ever take. When Peter was sure it was Jesus who was calling him and that’s why he asked the question “If it is You Lord?” only then, did Peter leave the security of the boat, and entrust himself to the power of God. So far so good but when his senses encountered the wind, the rain and the huge waves, he was terrified and began to sink “Lord save me “ he shouted. Matt 14.30. Notice here, Peter hadn’t lost his faith in the identity of Jesus, he had seen him handle this sort of situation before, in fact, just a couple of minutes earlier Jesus had identified Himself, so what was Peter’s problem? Humanity! When we ask for a miracle, we cannot always expect the answer to make sense. In fact it seldom does. Miracles require not only faith but complete submission to God’s will. The miracle will happen, perhaps not the way we expect it to but always the way God wants it to. The miracle occurs in our submission to God’s Will, not in His submission to us. We all know what it’s like to see the approaching storms. We begin a new venture, new job, new relationship or area of spiritual growth, then come the setbacks and we encounter the storms. In John 16.33 Jesus said “Here on earth you will have many trials.” So you have to expect it, it’s part of the journey of Faith. Like Peter, we must feel the fear and act regardless. Growth requires taking on new challenges. Each time you do, you will experience fear, because growth and fear go together. But each time you risk leaving the boat it means you are more likely to do it again and each time you step out on the water without drowning, you realise that fear no longer has power over you. On the other hand, each time you resist God’s voice and choose to stay in the boat, His voice becomes a little softer, until eventually you don’t hear it at all. Wouldn’t it be worth any risk to avoid that. Furthermore staying in the boat doesn’t guarantee your safety, it only guarantees you will continue to live in a world of doubt and fear. In my experience, the answer to fear is to get out of the boat. A little more each day until fear looses its hold over you. In our walk with God we, like Peter, discover on the occasions we do sink, doesn’t mean we are sunk. There are two reasons for this. Failing doesn’t make you a failure, quitting does. In fact it’s just part of learning. Sir Edmund Hillary made several attempts to climb Mt Everest before succeeding. After one such attempt he shook his fist at a photo of the mountain and in front of an audience said “You will not beat me again, you have grown all you are going to, but I am still growing.” He would be the first one to tell you he had learned something from every unsuccessful attempt until he succeeded. Winston Churchill said, “I have never failed at anything in my life, I was simply given another opportunity to get it right.” That’s a winning spirit. Thirdly, The real failures were the ones who stayed in the boat, they failed quietly and privately, unnoticed. They also never experienced the euphoria of walking on water, Peter alone knew how it was to be empowered by God, to do what he could not have done by himself. Once you’ve walked on water you’re never the same. Peter would take this moment to his grave. In that moment he experienced the joy of being lifted up by Jesus, when his faith was at its lowest ebb. In that moment Peter knew in a way the other’s couldn’t have, that if he sank Jesus would be there to save him. He shared a moment, a connection, a trust the others didn’t, how could they when they didn’t get out of the boat? Failure doesn’t come from sinking, it comes from letting your fears stop you. There are many good reasons for stepping out of the boat and trying something new or something which you have been unsuccessful at before, it’s the alternative to being average, it’s the only way to develop your faith and its the way to discover your true calling There are even more important reasons. Jesus isn’t in the boat, He’s on the water. If you want deep water faith, you have to get out of the boat. You only develop that kind of faith when you are willing to give up that kind of security and predictability of where you are at and step out with your eyes on Him. Perhaps you have worked for years creating a manageable and orderly life, now God is shaking everything up and asking you to step out in faith, allowing you to face waves that are over your head. The reason God does this is to increase your dependency on Him. Even though there may have been times in your life, when you risked sharing your faith, even though it meant rejection or personal sacrifice and you felt totally inadequate, sometimes you sank and sometimes you walked but lived on the edge by faith. Now look at you in your comfortable boat, you don’t even get seasick. In fact you don’t even feel the storm when it comes. Any time you leave the security of the boat, two things will happen. First when you fall (and you will) you wont be alone, Jesus wont be more than an arms length away from you. Second, every now and then when you do walk on water, it will strengthen you and enable you to do greater things, just as Jesus said you would. Then don’t forget to worship Him, and acknowledge the Son of God, just as the disciples did I’d like to close with this encouraging Scripture from the book of Joshua Ch1 Vs9. God speaking “I command you be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. Thank you for taking the time to read about Water walking Faith. God bless us all Phaline.

Thirteen: SATAN EXPOSED. Mark 5.

In the previous chapter, (Mark 4) we read that Jesus had been teaching the crowds beside the lake of Galilee, He was obviously tired, and said to His disciples “Let’s go over to the other side”. He got into the boat and went to sleep. Then we read about the storm, how the Disciples woke Him. He calmed the wind and waves and rebuked His Disciples for their lack of Faith. (I think it’s important to get teachings in context, it helps us to understand situations and circumstances better.) Arriving on the other side at a town called Gerasenes, Jesus got out of the boat and was met by a man with an impure Spirit in him. He had run from where he lived among the the tombs to meet with Jesus and He fell at His feet. This tells us, he not only had heard of Jesus, but knew and believed what He could do for him. Verse 3 says this man lived in the cemetery and “No one could bind Him any more, not even with chains, for He had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. (Verse 5) “Night and day he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” Satan is often called “The Strong Man” in Scripture. Make no mistake, he is very strong spiritually as well as physically also very devious and cunning. He has a fascination with death, tombs, cemeteries and the dark side of life. It often amazes me the number of people, (even Christians) who have a sinister fascination with the dark side of life and like to watch such films, delve into books and things of that sort. Parents and grandparents beware! These things are not good for you or the children, we can never grow out of the wiles of the Devil who is “like a roaring lion wandering around seeking whom he may devour.” (That means he’s hungry for us, our children and grandchildren. Also pay attention when people or youngsters start cutting themselves, they will tell you it relieves pain, “It doesn’t,” I know, I’ve had an eighteen year old tell me they have been convinced to believe that it doesn’t hurt, but that’s not true or real it does hurt. He’s the father of lies. (If people you know are cutting themselves, get help immediately from your Paster, a trusted Christian or even civil authorities. V 6,7. “When He saw Jesus he ran and fell at His feet. Shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me.” Now, the evil spirit in the man recognised The Son of God, and addressed Him as such as he spoke through the man. But Jesus’ ignored the demons request because His first response was to alleviate the suffering man. He said “Come out of him.” Notice Jesus’ first consideration was to free the man from the demon. Only then did He ask the name of the evil spirit, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” This may or may not be true because we know he is a liar. But just to let you know “Legion” is originally a Latin word meaning 6000 that’s the number of men in a legion of Roman solders. So this poor man could have accommodated and been harassed for a long time by thousands of demons. V10 “and he (the evil Spirit) repeatedly begged Jesus not to send them out of the area, but to send them into a large herd of pigs which were grazing on the hillside”, Why? I would think the demons had built a very comfortable home for themselves in that area. Also demons or evil spirits, need a body to live in to stay on earth, so as long as the people there were being controlled by Satan’s demons why would they leave? However, when Jesus gave them permission to go into the pigs v13 (even demons need God’s permission to act see Job 1.12.) they rushed down the bank into the lake and were drowned. Please don’t feel sorry for the pigs, Jesus was and still is in the business of saving the souls of people. He was there, not only for the Demon possessed man, but also for all the other people of the town who eventually rejected Him, He was there to make a way for them to confess their sin and come back to God. He is the God of second chances, we should recognise this and take the chances God gives us to return to Him, if we don’t one day it will be too late. After the herdsman went into the town and told the inhabitants what had happened the people came to see Jesus, and saw the previously possessed man sitting there, dressed and in his right mind. Jesus had cured him completely. V15 tells us the people were afraid and pleaded with Jesus to leave their town, Why? Scripture doesn’t tell us but these were probably Syrians, according to Josephus , and as such would have no knowledge of The God of Israel and people fear what they don’t understand. Additionally, 2000 pigs lost (that potentially were to be supplied to the Roman garrisons?), would have been a significant economic hit to the local economy. V18 Jesus will not stay where He is not wanted, so He was getting back into the boat when the Man who had been possessed came and begged to go with Him. But Jesus wouldn’t let this happen instead, He made him the very first missionary. He told him “Go home to your own people and tell them how much The Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.” so the man went home and told all the people of the Decapolis (Ten Cities) how much Jesus had done for him. Perhaps we should sit down and think of all that Jesus has done for us, and tell someone in our own town about it. I want to give You seven ways we can know, see and recognise Satan when He’s at work in people we encounter. There are probably many more, but these will be very obvious. I would say, before looking for Him under every bush and around every corner, check your own standing before and with God, praying for the protection of the Holy Spirit. Here are the seven ways 1. These People have an unhealthy attitude towards the dark side of life. 2. They have unusual strength, and very often don’t look you in the eye when speaking with you. 3. They often cut and disfigure themselves. 4.They want to control you, or be the boss, the head person, or leader of the group or situation. 5. They are keen on destruction, “He comes to steal, kill and destroy.” 6. They quite often display insanity and or nudity. 7. Their power is limited, because they must get permission from God before they can act. Thank you for reading this very interesting chapter from Marks Gospel. May God protect and bless all of us. Phaline.

Twelve: THE HOLY SPIRIT. JOHN 3. 1-15.

The Holy Spirit of God is the third person of the Holy Trinity, equal with the Father and The Son The completeness of God is made up of these three persons, although they have been given different characteristics they do not act independently of each other, but in complete unison, because they are ONE. One God in three persons, often referred to these days as the Triune God. This is perhaps the greatest mystery of our Faith. However, today I am going to concentrate on the personality and characteristics of the Holy Spirit, and why Jesus, when talking with Nicodemus emphasized the importance of being “Born Again” of The Holy Spirit. Over the centuries The Holy Spirit, though acknowledged, doesn’t seem to have been given much space in (Traditional) church affairs, certainly not at a Congregational level. I don’t know if that was due to ignorance or misunderstanding but in the last one hundred years or so, The Holy Spirit and His particular attributes have come to the fore. When I started reading the Bible regularly, attending Bible studies and learning Scripture, He became to me: “In my life” an identity and personality in His own right. As the Father is attributed with Creation and His Son Jesus with Redemption, so The Holy Spirit is attributed with Sanctification. He is the Spirit of God who points the way to Holiness and how to achieve it through Jesus Christ. Many of us believe we have to be really holy to get close to Christ but in fact the reverse is true, we need to go to Jesus who said “learn from me” He will teach us, like He did Nicodemus. When we have a keen willingness and want to know Jesus and His Father better, The Holy Spirit will take us and slowly minister to us, changing us into what we need to be and what God wants us to be. In the book of Deuteronomy we read in Ch4 v29 “But if from there you seek the Lord your God you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” So if we really want to know God we must Look, Seek and find Him, and the best way to find Him is to follow Jesus Christ His Son who, when one of His Disciples, (Philip) asked Him “Show us the Father” Jesus replied ”If you have seen Me, you have seen The Father.” What was Jesus actually saying? I believe He was saying exactly what He said in other Scriptures,-- I only do what The Father tells Me”--” The Father is in me, as I am in Him.”-- “The Father and I are one.* (there are many other such Scriptures that acknowledge the Tri-unity of God )” He is saying “Like Father, Like Son”. Yes, there is a mystery tied up here, which we won’t fully understand until we get to Heaven, then all will be revealed. There are some things which God expects us to accept by faith alone, just because He said so. However I don’t think He could have been much clearer than when He said to Philip “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen The Father.” Think of it this way; We may forget someone’s name or face but we’ll never forget what they did, climb Mount Everest, invent the electric light or the telephone, or discovered Penicillin. Remember when Jesus told the Pharisees, “Even if you don’t believe in me for who I say I am, at least believe in what you see. (All the miracles and signs I do.) John 3.1 tells us about Nicodemus a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council who visited Jesus at night. I think he went at night, because he needed to find out for himself who Jesus really was, without the influence of the other religious leaders. He was obviously interested in what Jesus had to say, and also witnessed many of His miracles. He called Jesus Rabbi and said “We know you are a Teacher sent by God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with Him.” (v2). Then Jesus said “No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again” (v3). So what was Jesus talking about here? Jesus was saying, to see and understand what I am talking about, you need your spiritual eyes and ears to be opened and enlighten your understanding. For this to happen, your spirit needs to be “Born Again” and that can only be done by the Holy Spirit. Why? Because Jesus said (v6) “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit”. When this New Birth takes place, you will see, hear and understand the scripture more clearly, you will find your relationship with God will improve dramatically and you will recognise more readily the hand of God moving in your daily life. You will also learn to know and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. This may not happen immediately but it will happen as you spend more time in prayer and the Scriptures. The Spirit also gives you an eagerness to want to know more about God and His Son Jesus Christ. To be Born Again or “Baptised in the Spirit” is a wonderful refreshing experience also, I believe, a rewarding necessity for any Christian who wants a closer relationship with God and in the light of our eternity why wouldn’t we want that” We need to know that we are made-up of Body, Soul and Spirit. The body is the flesh or the tent which accommodates the soul and the spirit, and although this is the visible part of us it is not the most important part. Because, at some stage, in our lifetime it will die and return to dust from which it was made The soul and spirit will at that time leave the body. The spirit is from God, it contains our conscience and mind, the ability to learn, understand, discerning right from wrong and the implications of your choices. The spirit will also leave the body when it dies, because the Spirit with no body to direct will be redundant. So we are left with our soul, Our soul is the most important part of our being, because that is the real YOU or ME. The soul is what Jesus died for, it will live forever through all eternity. The Soul is our “Decision Maker”. After listening to our conscience and hopefully getting all the facts, we are in a position to make a rational decision, then the Soul can choose which way to go (Free Will). But our Soul is basic, very selfish and Pproud and only wants to gratify the demands of the body. It is self indulgent and will often override the conscience in spite of all our learning and integrity. This is why we need The Holy Spirit’s input in our lives, to teach us selflessness, generosity, kindness, etc. These qualities don’t come naturally, we are not born with them, (Go to any Preschool or Kindergarten and you will see what I mean). When we are “Born Again” the Holy Spirit not only teaches and helps us to achieve these qualities but also shows us why we need them to see, hear and understand the Kingdom of God. Our souls are going to live for all eternity. The state of our soul is what will determine our eternal destiny because that soul has made every decision in our lives, Good, Bad and or Ugly. So we need all the help we can get to bring it in to submission to a well informed conscience and the Will of God via the Cross of Jesus Christ and His gracious forgiveness. I believe The Holy Spirit is the Power, The Light and the Strength of God, when we pray He anoints our desires, achieves and facilitates our activities as we follow God’s Will. I believe He should be a permanent resident in the life of every believer. Nicodemus understood this, he also knew he would have some serious decisions to make, “Was this Jesus the long awaited Messiah? Was he a Prophet? Or just some guy with a few magic tricks up his sleeve? Jesus told Nicodemus, “Don’t be surprised when I say you must be born again”. Why? Because The Spirit is God. He will do the will of God when and wherever He chooses (v8). With or without our consent. That’s why we should live our lives after the Spirit, always following Him, He will lead the way. As soon as we go ahead of Him ,we get into trouble. This is a tough lesson to learn. Moses and some of the prophets learned it the hard way and it cost them dearly. Jesus then asked Nicodemus, why he, a teacher of the Jews didn’t believe His testimony or understand and teach the truth about God , the Holy Spirit, (v 10) and about what was going to happen to (The Son of Man) “I have spoken the truth to you in earthly terms (about being born again) and you don’t understand, so how can you understand heavenly things (v13) Jesus is identifying Himself as the Messiah. “No one has gone to Heaven, except the one who has come from Heaven (Jesus). Then He explained more graphically in verse 14. He used an Old Testament happening which Nicodemus would understand clearly. Like Moses lifted up the snake on a pole in the wilderness and whoever looked at it was saved from their illness and death, so it will be with Me; when I am lifted up on a cross all who come to me and believe, I will free from their spiritual bondage (Sickness and death “Sin”) and they will have eternal life in them. (Paraphrased). Towards the end of His ministry Jesus told the disciples, “I will send The Holy Spirit, and He will teach you all things.” He has been well named The Counsellor, The Comforter and helper. If we let Him, He will lead us right to the throne of God. He is as gentle as a dove, pure as the snow and deals in the only currency used in Heaven “Truth” If you want to make a friend of The Holy Spirit, get “Born Again” and enjoy a Spirit filled life. This can be done by attending a Bible believing and Teaching Church. Thank you for reading my thoughts on the Holy Spirit of God, I pray they bring us all blessings of love peace and Joy Phaline.