There is a deep resource for all of us who have received Christ as Saviour and been baptized and that resource can be drawn on across the pathway of all of our life.   The overflowing river of life of the Holy Spirit coming upon the person for the purpose of ministry and mission. Every one of us have a ministry to live out—whatever it is in your particular vocation, to have the Holy Spirit enabling you by the power of Christ to serve what you were made to be. Every one of us also have a mission in life—a specific target that our life is about. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit for that to occur, and the Lord wants to open up that resource to us.   Baptism is a meaningless exercise if a person doesn’t believe in Jesus the Saviour. Many people are sincerely wrong that by having at some time or another been baptized, that covers the issue of salvation with God. However sincere their motivation or the motivation of their parents, baptism is only a human work that can earn nothing

Isaiah 11:1-4;   Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed here; 1. The Spirit of the LORD, 2. Wisdom, 3. Understanding, 4. Counsel, 5. Fortitude, 6. Knowledge, 7. Fear of the Lord.   While some Christians accept these as a definitive list of specific attributes, others understand them as examples of the Holy Spirit's work through the faithful. So in other words God will at times bring other gifts to mind as He gifts us in these Spiritual gifts.   1.       The spiritual empowerment of the Messiah shall rest upon Him, 2.       The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 3.       The Spirit of counsel and might, 4.       The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.   A.       The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him: The Branch that comes from the apparently dead stump isn’t just barely alive. It is full of life, and full of the Spirit of the LORD. We see here that the Messiah has seven – the number of fullness and completion – aspects of the Spirit of the LOR

  1 Corinthians 12:1-11   Working of miracles: This describes when the Holy Spirit chooses to override the laws of nature, and works in or through an available person or with no person. The Gifts of healing and working of miracles often operate in conjunction with the gift of faith, as in Acts 3:1-8. These things are not done on the whim of the individual, as if the power to heal or work miracles was at their permanent disposal. Instead, they operate as an individual is prompted by God and given the faith to perform such a work ( another example of this is in Acts14:8-10; Read ).   By the way Paul was rewarded with a stoning for this miracle. The result is in verse 19-21 and preaching the gospel to that city, and having made many disciples, they returned to Lystra – people got saved through this miracle. This miracle was the result of the pagan gods in the area and the miracle showed the superior power of the one true God.  Read Acts 9:38-42. Dorcas raised to life and more w

     When two teams go out to face each other the test is the final result; - this is the most important result; who will win, not who wins the most battles on the way. The team that wins will be the team that follows its own plan of attack, respect its own leadership, each member will fulfil their own role and not try to do others roles, the team will know why they are playing, and most importantly they will not respond to or be discouraged by their opponents. The team that wins will plan but will not in their mind play the game before they are on the field. They want to be in the game, live it, experience it and win it. As we look at Nehemiah we see this in him.      Spiritual growth is about much more than just studying the Bible. It's about growing deeper in each of God's purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. Genuine spiritual maturity includes having a heart that worships and praises God, building and enjoying loving relationships, using

  1 Corinthians 3:1-4:21 - There is jealousy and strife among you. There is Carnality among you and when this is so disciples do not grow up to the fullness of Christ. 3:1-4   1  And I, brothers, could not speak to you as to spiritual ones, but as to fleshly, as to babes in Christ.   2 I have fed you with milk and not with solid food, for you were not yet able to bear it; nor are you able even now.  3 For you are yet carnal. For in that there is among you envying’s and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to men?  4 For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal?  ·          Are you not carnal? Worldliness seen in pride, selfishness, lust and disobedience.   Phil 2:3-4, Gal 5:19-21 ·          The simplest truths of the gospel, as to man's sinfulness and God's mercy, repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, stated in the plainest language are better than deeper mysteries. We may ha