The Echo Of Eternity

In His Presence

The Echo Of Eternity

Coming into the presence of God means different things to many people, but for me it is a sanctuary in time, an eternal creation which has no season, time, space nor echo of man's creation.

It is a presence with God beyond human civilization.  It is the splendor of the Eternal One.  The Sabbath means oneness with the Lord.  It is time in space that eternity utters a day.  The presence of a holiness that we can capture in time, where we can experience the essence of our Lord.

Sunday was one of those experiences at Westmoreland PHC in Wilson.  Never had I seen so many of us subdued by the Holy Spirit.  It began with a performance by Three For Thee, a sign language dance group.  In the play they acted out our worldly behavior using a laptop to connect to the world, yet still unfulfilled.  Then the cell phone, where they were talking and talking with still no fulfillment in our life. Then the pill bottles to ease the day's activities that leave us unable to sleep or find peace. 


Then we see the Holy Bible on the table beside our worldly toys and pick it up and life springs forth from the gospel of Jesus Christ, the new way!  All things are made new and suddenly all those earthly treasures become as trash to us, for we have found the lover of our souls. A presence that leaves us with unspeakable joy. The message was, return unto me and I will return unto you, with scripture from Zechariah 1-4.

The congregation began to worship during this production of songs that ushered  the Holy Spirit into our midst.  The Holy Spirit descended upon us, an unknown tongue was uttered with a message that our Bridegroom is coming for his bride, return unto him, do not delay.  We were captured in time as His voice pierced our souls.  In the end, many fell at the altar in humble reverence to our King and Savior.  

We didn't want to move from that moment in time, that holy presence that left us speechless and weeping, and yet sent a peace of unspeakable joy through our souls. There were no speeches, no altar call. There was no need, the altar call came from the Holy Spirit.  I had never seen Pastor Nelson so silent and just sitting in a bowed position, subdued in the Lord's presence. This was truly a remarkable Sabbath day.

The Sabbath is when we gather to acknowledge the sovereignty of God Almighty and our Savior that makes it possible to experience his presence united in one spirit.  Us in Him, and Him in us.  Where we can sense and see him manifest before us in a very real, tangible way.  

This presence is ushered in from entering into the House of the Lord with a heart of thanksgiving and tongues of praise.  We praise Him because we have received a Kingdom that can not be shaken.  We worship him with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

I will thank Him forever because He has done wonders in His creation and has called my name and brought me from darkness into His marvelous light, and changed me forever, and still on my journey transforming from Glory to Glory.

I praise him because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Look at yourself today in the mirror and see his wonderful work in you.  We are His glory and we know this full well.  Each of us were made by His hands and through His righteousness we are justified. and complete in Him.

Great is His name, and greatly to be praised!  He is to be revered because His name is the Name Above All Names. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

We are to take our everyday, ordinary life, our sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life, and place it before Him on His altar and live in His rest, that reflects His aroma on us and His image in us. He has blessed us in the heavenly realms and we are priests before Him.  For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be Holy and blameless in His sight.

That magnificent tent tabernacle was a glimpse into the eternal holiness of the Father that now resides in us through Christ Jesus.  We can see the outer court that is the place of washing, the place of prayer and kneeling and asking for our needs to be met, for him to make us whole.  It is the place of sacrificing our lives to Him, renewing and letting go of sin and the old ways of the flesh.  Here we approach Him with a humble and repentant heart.

In the Holy of Holies you come before Him with thanksgiving.  We thank Him for his atoning blood, we thank Him for the tests and trials he's put us through to make us Holy before Him.  We thank Him for His mercies, grace and guidance. It is incense to His nostrils.

The Holiest of Holies is that peaceful rest you enter into, and now you're really praising Him and the physical world around you becomes invisible as you experience that unspeakable joy and Holy Spirit flowing from you back onto Him as you glorify Him.  You're not asking for anything, you're just plain praising.  It may be in the form of a quiet subdued silence like we saw Sunday.  It may be dancing before Him, bowing to him in the altar, or lifting your arms and exalting him in His majesty with your tongue.

Oh Holy, Holy, Holy. Worthy is the Lamb of God.  Sometimes, I don't want to leave this presence, that experience of oneness with Him on His Holy day.  It is the closest to heaven you will get while here on earth and peace and anticipation comes over me as it gets closer to that appointed time each week.


To contact this dance group: three4thee@yahoo.com or to write Renee Moore at: Reflect.Jehovah.RJMinistries@yahoo.com  
Renee also has a blog at: www.reneesheart.blogspot.com


Westmoreland invites you to come and worship with them.  The Pastor is Rev. Jerry Nelson and the church is located at: 2425 Nash Street, Wilson, NC. 27896.  Worship service is Sunday at 10:30 a.m. 


This article was published in the Raleigh Examiner in the Wilson Christian Edition

Runaway Bride

The New blood Covenant: Christ's Church 

Runaway Bride

Excerpts from my theses:   

by Donna Braman, Minister of Education

CHRISTIAN REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY


     From the beginning of the early church with the apostles, right up into the 1960’s in America the church of Jesus Christ has been a powerful force that has influenced social change, government structures as well as restoring family values, and converting lost souls. The church builds community, state and nation with morals based on the word of God.  We will see in this study that a nation which removes God and biblical principles loses its character.  The only way to rebuild a nation is to come back into covenant with God and that takes a Spiritual Awakening and a restorationism and reform in the church.  


     We are going to look at the history of the church and how in certain periods when the church became legalistic and institutionalized societies went down hill.  Those have been the times that Christians rose up and rejected the schisms or cracks that affected the church, and reformation of the church took place returning to the early church doctrine. These were powerful movements by the Holy Spirit that occurred in different time periods that give a clear historical view of the legalistic church and shows the true church of Christ.


The Church of the Apostolic Age And The Division By Emperer Constantine


     Lets take a look at the make-up of the church in the 1st century, from 33 AD to 70 AD.
It is credited to the Apostle Paul and Peter that salvation was given to the Gentiles.  There were disagreements about circumcism, the Jewish covenant God had created with Abraham, and animal sacrifice in the Mosaic covenant.  Paul made it plain that the new blood covenant made moot prior blood covenants.


     The dispute resulted in the convening of the Council of Jerusalem which was headed by Peter.  In that council it was determined and agreed upon that the non-Jews would not have to be converted to certain portions of the Mosiac Law which also included circumcision.  Paul wanted to make sure that Salvation was not given with the intention of works but that it is by Grace that we become righteous, and good works is a by-product of  righteousness, not the other way around.  So basically the council decided that the Gentiles would follow the 7 Noahide Laws.  Circumcision, animal sacrifice, dietary laws and cleansing laws were omitted in their freedom in the Christian faith.


     The church makeup was Messianic Jews, Gentiles and Greeks.  All of the church leaders and apostles were born Jews.  Cornelius was the first Gentile apostle.  The Gentiles did not become leaders of the church until 70 more apostles had been added after Paul began building the church in Jerusalem and carrying the gospel to other regions.  The scripture which was taught and used for the early church was the Torah and the books of the prophets. The new testament was not produced until around 95 AD.


     The Sabbath and the Holy Feasts were observed by the early church.  Prayer shawls were worn during prayer by the non-Jews as well.  It is very clear that the Christian faith has strong roots to the Jewish way of life.  It was called the Judeo-Christian Church.  There was, for the most part, harmony in the leadership of the Apostolic church with the combination of the Messianic Jews and the Gentiles.  They had a common goal, preaching the gospel, in spite of the persecution by Nero, the Roman  Emperor. 


     In 70 AD Nero banished the  Messianic Jews and Christians from Jerusalem and they went into hiding for a time. In spite of the death of Stephen, James, Peter and Paul the church survived.  There is actually a remnant that descended from these Judeo-Christians in Jerusalem today. They make up1% of Jerusalem’s population today. That number is increasing again with the 12 lost tribes being returned to Israel and being indoctrinated with the Messianic-Christian faith.


     The church was officially established on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:5-11.  Present that day were devout men from every nation under the heavens…Parthians, Medes, Elamites, regions from parts of Iran, Mesopatomia, Judea, Cappodocia, Pontus, Greece and Turkey as well as Arabians.  The church spread initially in the East, ultimately becoming the state religion of Armenia between 301 AD  and 314 AD, in Ethiopia in 305 AD, of Georgia in 317AD, and then the state religion of the Roman Empire in 325 AD.


     By the 15th to 17th centuries Christianity had expanded throughout the world becoming the world’s largest religion.  It had survived two schisms, theological disputes and resulted in many Christian denominations sprouting up with the largest branch being the Roman Catholic and later Protestant Churches.


     In spite of doctrinal differences and worship styles, all Christian Churches believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, that he began his ministry at age 30, that he was a healer, miracle worker and the son of God.  All believe he was executed by the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate and that after his crucifixion he was buried and in 3 days was resurrected and appeared to many people and descended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father.


    The resurrection is the basis and historical evidence of the Christian faith.  All Christian faiths believe he will return for his church, the body of Christ, as he promised. That he will raise the dead, sit in the Great White Throne Judgment seat, and will establish his Kingdom on earth.  All Christian faiths believe in the Trinity with the exception of the Johovah Witnesses, Unitarians, and the 7th Day Adventist.


     The Christian faith is based on the 4 gospels and to a lesser extent the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s epistles, along with other writings of the disciples, and that Jesus became the atonement sacrifice for the redemption of all mankind; that through the shedding of his blood we are reconciled back to the Creator of the Universe.


     After the ascension of Constantine the Great, the Emperor of Rome in 313 AD to the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, the Christian Church became the official church of  Rome.  Now we have two distinct phases of the church, the Apostolic period and the post Apostolic period.  The first was organized by the council of Jerusalem by the Apostles, the second became the first Episcopal structure and priests and bishops governed the church.


     After Constantine legalized Christianity as Rome's official religion all Jews were expelled from the church, making Judiasm separate from Christianity.  Constantine retained some Jewish doctrine while rejecting others.  He held the Torah as the sacred scripture, however translations were altered and new decrees made to cause even more division between Jews and Christians.  Constantine also changed God’s calendar (God's order) which made it impossible to determine God’s seasons, feasts and cycles, therefore interrupting unity with Christians in their relationship with the Creator.


    Baptism, liturgical worship, incense, an altar, scripture readings from Synagogue practice, sacred music and an exclusive male priesthood and fasting was maintained during his reign as Emperor.  Times and dates were altered for the Sabbath as well as the three appointed feasts that God commands us to come before him.  These appointed times were rejected at the first council of Nicea.


     High Holy Holidays were excluded and pagan holidays were established like Easter, Christmas, New Years and Pagan idols used to celebrate these new Christian holidays.  Before that,  the Judeo Christians adhered to all Jewish practices, except ritual atonement and circumcision, since in the new blood covenant circumcision was made in the heart and Jesus had become the final blood sacrifice for atonement. He became our new and only High Priest.


     The Messianic period ended with Constantine, never to surfice again until this last generation we are presently in.  We have had a re-emergence of the Judeo Christians (Messianics)  in the last twenty years or so.  This has brought about a Christian/Jewish revival in the world, which was prophesied to happen in the books of Revelation, Daniel and Exekiel.


     The church fell into a schism of false teaching during the Constantine period that has had profound and lasting affects on the Christian church.  The early church had survived only to become a legal institution; the very thing Jesus had rebuked the Pharisees for doing. Constantine was very delusional about who Jesus really was. He didn't care about the gospel, he cared about power and control over the masses that were Christians and having a legalistic control over the people.


     Constantine had a picture of  Jesus painted making him look more Roman than a Hebrew. He did not want to protect the church Jesus had come define.  He had the same motives that the Pharisees had; he wanted to be worshipped and rule over the church.  The very thing that Jesus had come to set us free from had been reinstituted laying a heavy burden and yoke upon the people, stripping us of the freedom from bondage Christ’s scourging and blood had given us.  We were right back at works (the law) instead of mercy and grace.


     There are no documentation of just when Constantine took to the idea of Jesus but he was influenced by his mother Helen who was a converted Christian. It may have occurred over a period of time in his life.  Constantine tells of an event right before going into battle in Milian Bridge that won him victory and the title of Emporor.  He describes that right before the battle he saw a cross silhouetted behind the sun.


     Constantine was a pagan that was indoctrinated with the worship of the Sun Goddess.  He loved archutecture and built Cathedrals in Constantiople, the capital he decreed over Rome, which is today Turkey.  In the tundra of these Cathedral’s were the paintings of the Sun Goddess.  You can see this same idol in some of the oldest Catholic Cathedral’s in Turkey and England.   In the Nicene creed Constantine declares the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. He was just another mere man trying to be bigger than God.  Helenization era had begun.  Idolatry became the norm in Christianity because the worship of idols set up by Constantine and idolizing the Sun Goddess was built into his pagan holidays.




The Structure of the Orthodox Church


     The initial duty of the Bishops in the early Catholic church was to return order to the Christian church.  The Roman Catholic church is rooted in the Constantine doctrine, although they deny that.  Apologist Bishops such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr and Polycarp, and the Nicolaitans became the first group of false prophets. Jesus referred to such false teachers that would come in Mark 13:21-23 and Mat. 13:25-30, also in Mat. 13:36-43.  Jesus clearly tells us how distorted they are about his church and we are to reject these heresays and false doctrine.


      Justin Martyr was a most interesting so-called bible scholar of the pagans.  He believed Daniel’s times, and times and a half, meant 150 years.  He believed the angels were god’s, such as those who appeared to Abraham, Moses and Jacob. He had no discernment or foreshadowing of Christ in the old testament as we have today.  He believed Jesus was suborninate to God and a separate divinity; that he was not God come in the flesh.  He had no knowledge of the book of John, Hebrews or Revelation since they did’nt become a part of the cannon until around 140 AD.  So you can see how his knowledge would have been greatly diminished in determining what diety Jesus was or his knowledge of the AntiChrist.




THE COUNCIL OF NICEA


Further distortions occurred at the council of Nicea.  The council was called to convene by Constantine when he saw different doctrines being taught that contradicted each other.  The main doctrine which was disputed was who Jesus was. A total of 250 pagan Bishops which Constantine had appointed showed up.  All Bishops who did not adopt the thinking of the Niccean Creed were exiled.  Three of them disagreed and were exiled. The Arian group was one of them. So, it's quite clear that this meeting of Nicea was staged and manipulated.


      Some present in the meeting believed Jesus was human and divine, but separate from the Father.  The creed that was finally adopted into law concerning the divineness of Jesus reflected the  Apostles' description of him; that he was human and an eternal deity of the God head. They never mentioned the Holy Spirit in the council of Nicea, but God the father and the son, and the Holy Spirit are eternal and equal with God in deity and divinity that make up the trinity.


     The issue of the Jewish calendar came up concerning the Passover in the council of Nicea. They argued that they no longer wanted to go by the Jewish Lunar Calendar because the Jews had it all wrong.  Furthermore, Constantine stated that he would no longer seek out advise from the Jewish/Christians. That decision forever separated the Jews from Christianity and robbed us of the Jewishness of our Savior.   This was the greatest schism ever done to the Apostolic church because Jesus made it clear the Jew came first and that our salvation comes from the Jews.


     God gave his eternal word, his seasons and cycles, his appointed times, to the Jews.  For instance, a day with God according to Genesis begins at sunset and ends the following sunset.  God operates on the Lunar moon which is the timing, seasons and life cycles Jews operate on.  So to change that and begin operating by the sun was a slap in the face to God and distorted the order of his creation. It took us further away from understanding God and his order.


     After the Nicean Creed, Constantine also rejected all Jewish Holidays and feasts even changing the Sabbath beginning time from Friday at sunset to Sunday at sunrise. The order of prayer service was radically changed. They rejected the prayer shawl (Talit) being worn during prayer and refused to kneel during prayer liturgy. A practice that Jesus faithfully observed and honored.


    During the council of Nicea the cannons of the new testament had been completed but was not referred to throughout the whole session to determine what the bible says about the church and the body of Christ. The new testament was completed by 95AD, however, the books were not compiled into a cannon until 160 AD.  The books of John, 111 John, 11 Peter, James, Hebrews and Revelation were heavily debated and was not made a part of the cannon until 200 AD. They were not widely accepted until the middle of the 2nd century.  A full articulation of the Gospel Cannons were not made for circulation and print until 1546 in the council of Trent. For the Roman Catholic Church in England.


     The diocese was structured at that time to organize boundaries and governmental territories and became the legalized religion of England.  The church was ruled by the Diosese from the Pope in Rome.  The Roman Catholic Church is an institution that we all have to reckon with in order to sort out misguided Christianity and to see again the real roots and truth of our faith and who the real Jewish Jesus was and his disciples.  The Catholic decree asserts that the Catholic church is the only church of Christ passed on to them by the Apostle Peter and that they are the only body of Christ. The Catholic church felt it had a God given right in the universal jurisdiction of the church during this Gregorian reform. The Catholic church so stated this position in the Vatican council of 1870.


     Even more cracks and fractures of the first church occurred in a chain of events through political and theological events after power of the church went back to Rome after Constanople was ditched. It really came down to a fight between the Latins and the Greeks of who would have control of the Church. The Eastern Orthodoxy disagreed with this saying, St. Peter’s church could never be the exclusive right to any one Pope. It eventually gave primacy to the Roman Church but not supremacy.


     The Eastern Oththodox Church refused to accept fully the Nicean creed of the Trinity.  So in short, the balance between the three persons of the Trinity was altered and the three God heads of the Trinity confused.


     The Catholic church had spread to Ireland by St. Patrick, a diocese Bishop and then to the America’s by Columbus.  This begins the Anglo – Saxon period.  They were ruled by Rome, and St Augustine who was a pagan that had converted to Christianity in 1453.


     England had full authority over it diosese with only an honorary respect for the Vatican.  The church had become a part of the Government and enforced by it.  The Catholic church taught that the essence of God could not be known in this life.  So the church had become a bunch of rituals that could’nt save a cat and was nothing but a social and moral dictatorship that not even they could live, and still can't to this present day.


     After the discovery of the New World in 1492 a Protestant Reformation occurred in 1515.  It was called the Great Spiritual Reformation.  I can see now why the settlers of the new world felt oppressed because the church had become everything that Christ had come to free us from.




THE AGE OF DISCOVERY 1492-1769


     Martin Luther was the first to reform the church in America.  He considered the root of corruption to be doctrinal rather than moral weakness.  He set out to put Christ’s doctrines back into the church so the people could receive the “true gospel”.  The word Protestant means in Latin, declaration of the gospel.  But to us Christians in America it means good news and freedom through the blood of Christ and not papable to the law or government.  In the early America’s the word Protestant was not used, the term used was evangilical.  In Greek it means emphasizing the “return to the true gospel.”


     Angelican traditions still remained at that time and rejected this reform.  Calvinism rejected the tenants of the council of Jerusalem and who Jesus was. They believed Jesus was human and a single diety separate from God.  Calvinism persisted in the new world and John Calvin’s belief in Predestination.  It was called the doctrine of the “Elect”.  The most important theological position that Calvin took was his formulation of the predestination doctrine.


      Since God knew the future did that mean that salvation was predestined?  That is, do human beings have choice in the matter?  Or did God make the Salvation decision for each of us before the beginning of time?  The Protestant churches reformed by Luther believed that God had not predestined salvation for individuals.  Salvation was in part the product of human choice.  Calvin on the other hand, built his reformed church on the concept that Salvation was not a choice but was predecided by God.  This concept would become the basis of civil society and later political society of Europe. It somewhat trickled into the Americas.


     The first protestant churches in America were the Lutherans, named after Martin Luther and the Presbyterians.  Luther’s belief was that justification came through Christ only and not of good works, rather that good works was a by product of righteousness through the blood of Christ.  He believed that is the only way we are made right with God.  The Catholics believed righteousness came through a progression of faith and good works.  Luther had it right because the Catholics were really saying you could become righteous on your own through sacraments, faith and works.  But Christ says we are made right and justified through his blood and belief in Him.  In other words, Christ gives merit to those who otherwise are without merit.  So that kind of shoots the predestination theory out of the water.


     At the same time Luther was reforming the church the Catholic church of England was reforming and denying any part of the Roman church and thus started the Puritan era in the council of Trent. This was the Catholic sector of Puritans that came to America.  It was during this period in 1545-1563 that the council of Trent began.   The Catholics established the Catechism and rejected the Protestant reformation.  The church began to fight to regain Europe which had significantly turned Prostestant.  They enacted celibacy and the 7 sacraments, the bread and wine sacrament and they sanctified the virgin Mary.  They reinstated the belief that both faith and good works were necessary for salvation.


     The Roman Catholic church established a number of missions in the America’s to spread Christianity to the new world and to convert the indigenous peoples.  The Puritans however did little to evangelize the native peoples and although they came to America to get away from religious suppression they became frustrated that the colony governments would not enforce their religious beliefs.  It was sort like taking the people out of Egypt but were'nt able to take Egypt out of the people.


CHURCH OF ENLIGHTENMENT
THE GREAT AWAKENING
1720 – 1769




     In this period the Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist were developed along with the Lutheran movement. John Wesley and other Spiritualist preachers were popping up in America especially during 1730-1740.  They emphasized Godly living, sin and redemption by Christ. The gospel was being preached again.  Revivals broke out.  It caused a restoration of the church that resembled more of the Apostolic church and it began the holiness movement.  This great awakening traveled through out the world.  Pentecostals became prominent after the 1906 Azusa Street Pentecost which was the second great awakening. The Pentecostal is a branch from the Methodist and Wesleyan church.


     The church of the great awakening reconstructed to align back up with the Book of Acts.  They did not call themselves reformist because they differed from the existing Catholic church and reconstructed the early church from the time of Jesus.  This was the restoration of the church that they believed was lost from the Constantine era. Repentance was preached again and Holy Spirit moved upon the church. If you get a chance read the sermon from John Edwards, An Angry God, do so for it is a chilling sermon and during this sermon the Holy Spirit fell on the place and one woman actually grabbed hold of a pole in the sanctuary because she thought the Holy Spirit was going to bodily lift her.  Edwards made hell real and the Holy Spirit fell upon the church again and people began to swoon and fall when listening to his sermons.  It wouldn't hurt a few of our churches to be reawakened to the Holy Spirit and have a new fear of hell and the second coming of Christ which is at our door. I believe we will see the apostolic church re-emerge and we will see healings and miracles in our midst.


See additional facts on First Great Awakening – Johnathan Edwards and George Whitfield
Second Great Awakening
Third Great Awakening
Fourth Great Awakening

Great Joy Filled The City

And Power Came Upon Them
Donna Braman

Great Joy Filled The City

Wouldn't you love to see great joy fill Wilson, North Carolina?  We're going to take a look at what it takes to fill a city with great miracles, and wonders that follow for those that are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

We see in Acts 8:4, where Jesus had poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit and the church had been born.  The church was filled with the wind and the fire and power from the person of the Holy Spirit.  The third person of the trinity.

The church was being persecuted because they were preaching Jesus everywhere they went.  Signs and wonders followed them where ever they preached.  That's the way it should be in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what period of history we're living in.

I thank God for my Pentecostal roots and the power of Pentecost that fell upon the first church.  I thank God that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever more.  What he did back then when he walked on the sandy shores of Galilee, he will do today what he did then.  He needs to find people that seek him and will separate themselves from the world of darkness and love him with all their heart, worship him and praise him with all their hearts.

In Acts 8:4, we see Phillip going down to Samaria and preaching Christ unto them.  There was great joy that filled the city.  That's what you get with the manifest spirit of God.  I never had great joy like I was given by the Holy Spirit by anything in this world.

In verse 7 it says, unclean spirits came out of many of them with crying voices.  And those that were lame were healed.  They had signs and wonders.  Healings were taking place.  Verse 8 again says, and there was great joy in that city.  What would happen if we had such a great joy fill our city and our churches?  Well, that's what you get when you see the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  

I've never received such joy since I received the person of the Holy Spirit.  In verse 14 it says, now when the apostles were at Jerusalem they heard that Samaria had received the gospel of Christ and were being saved. They were being baptized in water but not by the Holy Spirit.  So they sent Peter and John to baptize them in the Holy Spirit.  This shows that there is another work in salvation after being saved. 

In verse 17 it says, John and Peter laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.  Simon the Sorcerer was supposed to be saved but he was still walking in the natural.  Look at Acts 8:18, now when Simon saw that laying on of hands through the apostles brought the Holy Ghost upon them he offered them money saying, give me also this power.

Peter said unto him, "may thy money perish with thee, because you thought you could purchase this gift.  You're not in this, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God."  You've got to have a transfusion that takes place in your heart.  There's a transformation that has to take place in the heart.  

You see, with the heart, man believes unto righteousness.  With the mouth confession is made unto it.  I don't want to just believe in salvation, I want to be unto it.  I don't want to just believe in great miracles, healings and the Holy Ghost, I want to get unto it.  I don't want to just believe in sanctification, I want to be unto it wholly.  We have leaks and we need to be refilled.  How many of you already know that you need to be refilled?

Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy the gifts of God.  You can not purchase God's gifts.  You're not even saved by works.  By grace are you saved through faith and not of yourself.  It is not of works, least any man should boast.  Jesus paid it all, sin left a crimson stain and he washed it white as snow.  What we can't do he does it for us.

It's a transaction that takes place by faith in the death, burial and resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ, as Lord and High Priest of the new covenant.  If you believe this in your heart and you confess him in your heart, there's not enough devils in hell to keep you in darkness.  You can be saved and you can know you're saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit.  

You'll know that you're filled, and you'll know you've been divinely healed.  No doctor will have to tell you anything.  He will manifest himself to you and praise God you will know that he has completed the work in you. And great joy filled the city.  I thank God for our Pentecostal heritage from the early church.  Don't let anyone limit your God, for he can do anything in your life, not some things, but all things for those who believe.

Jacob had an encounter with God and he changed his name, and he changed his nature.  He fought with God over his destiny and for the rest of his life he walked with a limp leaning on a staff.  That's what happens to us, God changes our name, writes his new name in him on us and then puts his divine nature in us.  

He changes us from nature to grace.  We are made partakers of God's divine nature.  We're in this world but not of it.  We have been touched by a divine hand from another world by the hand of the Master.  We've been purchased with a price and we belong to him.  We are to be about the father's business.

There's power in Calvary's blood.  We have a living faith, and this living faith is the word.  It's called logos, the word become flesh.  The word is life.  The word is living because Christ is living.  I thank God for the new birth and the new covenant. 

The Holy Ghost wants every child to see the unveiling of Jesus in our lives.  He wants us to be partakers of what Christ has for us.  The church has lost a lot of treasures. We need to pray for joy again.  I didn't get saved to just drag through life. Christ didn't put his promises in his word just to tease us.  He has gifts for us.  Jesus said, if you being evil have good gifts for your children think how much more the gifts are from the heavenly father.

If you'll ask God on the line of living faith and approach him in humbleness and according to his word, God will give you the good things of his treasures.  The reason you need the Holy Ghost is so he can unveil to you the fullness that is in Christ Jesus. When we become filled with him great joy will flood us.


Phillip shows us in the new testament how the church is supposed to look.  Phillip was filled with the Holy Ghost.  He went down to Samaria and he was filled with such power and glory that God lifted him up into the office of evangelist.  


The bible says he began to preach Christ unto them.  That's what Holy Ghost filled people do; they talk about Jesus and his power in our life everywhere they go.  I know I have worn out a lot of people in my life just talking about Jesus and his awesome love.


Some people's favorite subject is their sport's team, or their grandchildren, but mine is the Lord. You get filled with the Holy Spirit or get healed or have a miracle happen to you and that's all you'll talking about too. You won't be thinking about football anymore.


This is what happened to Phillip and he went down to Samaria to tell people about Jesus.  Many gave heed to Phillip seeing and hearing of the miracles that were happening in his ministry.  There ought to be something supernatural to every spirit filled Christian.  It's supernatural to give your testimony and to tell what Christ has done for you.  It's supernatural to lift your hands and praise the Lord with our tongues.  


If you don't believe it get around a group of folks that don't praise him and start praising him in their midst and you'll see what supernatural power comes.  You'll stir up a hat full of devils.  People that aren't used to praising God and sending up some glory's.  A lot of people in churches say amen.  But shout "Glory," or Hallejuhah, or Jesus.  You won't even get that far, everybody will look and say, what's going on with them?  They have been divinely touched by the hand of Almighty God.  They've got such joy they can not contain it.  


I refuse to let the devil take our praise through some legalistic tactics.  I got a King David dance and praise and no one can take that away from me; praising the way my heart leads me to praise. That Holy Spirit power was sent to the church by Jesus himself and that power belongs to spirit filled Christians.


It's supernatural to lay hands on the sick.  It's supernatural to speak in tongues.  Supernatural things happen when you're filled with the Holy Spirit.  We need that supernatural element in us at all times.  What a word! If you'll go to that little church called Westmoreland, people are getting healed over there.  How do I know?  I've seen it with my own eyes.  I went there and the Spirit got a hold of me and healed me.


Religious folks can't stand it.  I'm not talking about churches who love Christ but the general church age we're living in; luke-warm.  Start operating in the Holy Spirit gifts and the religious establishment will despise you. I'd rather please God and walk in the supernatural than to be silenced by man that just wants to be somebody in the religious establishment.  The world loves its own and religion loves its way.  They don't want the Holy Spirit power because it wouldn't be all about them anymore.


Notice in Acts 8:7 what the miracles were.  Unclean spirits crying aloud.  Many were taken with palsy and the lame were healed.  We need to demonstrate a Holy Spirit power so profoundly that unclean spirits come out of people.  We need to desire to help people and see them free from bondages.  It will cost you to walk with Jesus.  He tells us to pick up our cross and follow him, not to live in the world acting like worldly people.


It cost Jesus everything , so if you want to be like Jesus it will cost you something.  We need to preach Jesus with such power that unclean spirits come out of people.  The justified shall live righteous and holy lives.  They are the ones that see the manifest presence of God.  Some people think this is hard teaching. But God says to be ye holy as he is holy.  


I know what sin does to churches.  I already know what happens to sipping saints and Christians filled with pride and jealousy.  I know what happens to sexually immoral Christians.  Those sins master you, so if you don't ever step into them then they can't become an idol. Jesus warns us not to allow anything of this world to master us, because that's idolatry. 


If you dip your spoon into the devil's plate he will knaw you all the way to your elbows.  Give no place to the things of the devil.  God expects a change in our lives when we get saved, not just more of the world in us.  He died to free us from the law of sin and death.


When Jesus preached with the anointing what happened? Unclean spirits came out.  The same thing happened  when Phillip preached.  When an anointed preacher gets up to preach unclean spirits have to flee.  They have no choice for they must obey the anointed word of God.


If you're full of Jesus, the devil knows it.  There's power in the blood, and there's power in the name of Jesus. Every preacher can't speak to or come into the presence of spirits and cast them down.  You better have the Holy Spirit or they will turn on you like they did the apostles before Pentecost.


When the church starts operating like the apostolic church did we won't be worried about this nation's economic problems, social problems and the political scene.  What this nation has is a sin problem.  We're a nation that has cast the name of Jesus aside and stepped out of covenant with the God. God blessed this nation when it had character but when character goes in a nation then goes morals.


People need to stop playing church and give all their hearts, minds and souls to Christ, and joy will fill the city again.  The devil is real and he has released spirits upon this earth for these end times like we've never seen. He rules over the world system.  He has no power over you if you're clothed in the blood of Christ and walk in covenant and righteousness.  If you've allowed him in your domain you will have to battle to get him out.  You use spiritual weapons to do that.


Jesus made a show of the devil and was triumphant over sin for us.  We need to walk in that victory that he died to give us, and joy will fill us.  If all the churches in Wilson would pray for our Mayor to be blessed, pray for our Sheriff, pray for our city council, pray for the drug communities, help the poor, open our doors to the lowly, joy would fill the city. Start today speaking words over our city.  Word are power, they create and changes come.


What signs and wonders follow your church today?  When God heals you and your land you will be filled by him.  You'll tell it the rest of your life.  Whose got a testimony of him today?  I don't know about other folks but I'm not going to get saved and just drag through life. 


This article was a teaching from Westmoreland Phc by Rev. Jerry Nelson. To see complete sermons go to: www.westmorelandphc.org or email me at: djbraman@gmail.com


Further articles at: djbraman.blogspot.com

The Law Of Meditation

Donna Braman


LAW OF MEDITATION


There are spiritual laws that we must adhere to in order to make our way prosperous.  What we think on tells a lot about where our heart is and what will come out of our mouth.  Let's go to Joshua 1:8 where it states, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Do not be afraid, be courageous. Then you will be prosperous and successful and the Lord your God will go with you wherever you go.


I pray that you can receive this truth today with meekness. Know that your faith will never rise above what you meditate on and speak from your mouth.  For out the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  So, the next time you are just about to pop to tell someone off or say something negative, meditate on Romans 8:2 before you say what you feel inside. Take a few minutes to meditate on why you are thinking on those negative things to begin with.  Verse 2 says, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  


You see the law is weakened by the sinful nature, but if we have the thoughts of Christ we have the law of life working in us.  So you can see there are two laws at work here; When you hold the word and your profession you come under the spiritual laws.  So it is important that we speak life, and we do that by meditating on life producing thoughts.


Psalm 77:12 says, I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Read the rest of this Psalm to get in your spirit what a mighty God we serve.  So, if we are focused on what he has done for us, we won't be meditating on how Lula Mae upset us last by getting on her phone ministry and saying negative things about you.  It is amazing how we can allow such a small thing completely take over our thoughts until there is no room to meditate on the goodness of our hearts. That is how the devil slips in and steals our joy and our blessings.


Look at Psalm 1:1-2 and you'll know what I mean, those two verses tell us, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  Verse 3 goes on to tell us that such a man is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.


This truth is something we should meditate on in itself.  How many of us lose our blesings and harvests from our seed in the wait period just by speaking negative over our lives and speaking negative thoughts about others. It will make you want to be more silent when you get together at the next family dinner or church breakfast, especially if you don't have enough word in you to know if you're violating a spiritual principle.


What we have to do is meditate until that word becomes a part of us!  What do you find yourself musing about everyday?  Is it negative or positive?  Make a conscious effort to listen to your thoughts everyday.  Decide that your meditations are going to be focused on His goodness, His mercy, His works in our behalf.  Proverbs is clear, that as a man thinketh so is he.


If you will allow the word to get your thinking straight, you will become a new man with the mind of Christ.  If you feed your faith with the word, you'll see change in your home, in your marriage, in your job and with your health.


Joshua 1:8 is a powerful scripture on this subject because it tells us if you'll do what's in my word, I'll make your way prosperous, and YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL!  How do you think we abide in Jesus?  It is meditating on his word and making every effort to do what it tells us to do. John 15:7 tells us that, if we abide in him and in His word, that we can ask whatever we will and we shall have it.  We can't expect to step out of abiding in Him and then think we're going to get our prayers answered or see success.  


We have to meditate on His word daily for it to become a part of us.  The word is a lamp unto our feet, and it directs us and it is our instruction book on how to succeed in our marriage, at our church and in our relationships.  The word also tells us that if we walk in the spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.


What Jesus is telling us here is that if we follow His precepts that he will make us successful and into something beautiful. Then we won't have to walk around with a mask on to cover up our negative thoughts and bitter hearts, but we will be free to be transparent because we have been renewed in the mind and in the heart and we won't be a stumbling block to others, nor will we feel negative about others weaknesses and failures. Instead, our thoughts will be on things that are lovely and of good report.


Again as Psalm 1:1 says, "but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His Law he will meditate day and night."  So we can't expect to have an upright heart and speak positive thoughts with our tongue when we only remember to pick up the bible once a week as the preacher delivers a message, or stay out of church, and have no desire for bible studies.


There is no place I'd rather be than fellowshipping with other like-minded Christians and sitting up under a Pastor who is anointed in the word. I leave different every time than when I go.  More of His word and His spirit is enfolded into the recesses of my mind each time I study and hear the word.  Would you like to be a tree planted by the rivers of water and never wither.  then get a hunger and a thirst for more of His word and you'll be exactly that, a life giving Christian that is able to give life off the tongue to others.


Once you get your mind right, then speak your desires and the word over your life and circumstances.  Praisers have a life force in their tongue because they thirst for His presence and have a desire to please the Lord.  Psalm 37:4 says, "delight yourself in Him and He will give you good things.  You see, when the word gets in your spirit, your desires will become His.  You will no longer kick and rebel against God's will because His will will become your own desires.  He changes our hearts so we get a mind like Christ, so our desires will become pleasing to him.  Jesus can't work for you without complete submission.


This is what happens when a man's ways please the Lord; your heart becomes renewed. Jesus will even make your enemies favor you, and the other enemies, well, he'll make them your footstool.  So don't give the devil any authority. Don't give him your time! Where your time is spent and what your thoughts are focused on reflects your heart's desires.  Matthew 6:21 says, Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.  Where do you spend your time? Your money? Your thoughts? Psalm 19:14 also tells us that your mouth speaks the meditation of your heart.  Do you remember when God's word broke your spirit down? That's when revelation comes to you and gives you discernment of your wrong thinking and sin. You know the word has changed you then. 


 If your thinking can't get right you can't embrace the things of Christ, can't get deliverance or answered prayer.  We're supposed to come out of sin and enter sanctification, but something goes wrong with that process for many of us.  Sometimes it takes us back to Calvary a second time.  We think that little hard spot in our heart will be okay, or that little sin we hold on to won't hurt us in our spiritual walk.  But it will strip you of your blessings and reaping your harvest, and a 100% harvest will be impossible. Read the parable of the sower if you want the truth from Jesus' mouth. That parable gives understanding and discernment to all truth and all parables.


You must become a living sacrifice, and that is our reasonable duty as a Christian. Our thoughts have to come in line with the word.  Philippians 4:8 tells us, "to think on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."  Those are the thoughts that bring peace to our lives.


The following are the eight areas to think on; the formula for thinking God's way:


1.  We are commanded to think positive!


2.  We are Kingdom people, and we have to think and meditate on Kingdom things. Psalms 50:23
says, "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may
show him the salvation of God."  Psalm 19:14 says also, "May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight."


3.  Faith never denies truth, he will never allow us to turn our backs on truth!


4.  Faith demands a change that lifts up the Word of God.


Now this is where most Christians lose the battle; Your faith will never rise above your
confession.


5.  Don't meditate on confusion; God is not the author of confusion.


6.  The devil will try to tell you this scripture or that truth doesn't apply to you, don't
believe that lie.


7.  Be a living sacrifice!  Romans 12:1-2 which tells us that is our reasonable service! We are
made up of spirit, soul and body which is referred to as the truine man.  All three parts
that we are made up of must come in line with the word and operating in the spiritual realm
to see Kingdom manifestation in our lives.


8.  If you have not consecrated all parts of your being unto God, and still nursing sin and a
rotten heart then you need to get yourself back down to the altar and allow Jesus to operate
on you one more time and give all of your heart to him so he can fully regenerate you into a
new man in his likeness. Salvation is instant at the cross but it takes years to be renewed,
develop and mature as a Christian.  You know a mature Christian by his deeds, what words his
heart speaks and his fruit.  He is a seed planter with his mouth and his hands and his
harvest will be visible to all.


References and credits on this article:
This lesson is based on my notes from Wednesday night's bible study at Westmoreland PHC and taught by the Rev. Jerry Nelson, as well as my own commentary.  If you would like to order a copy of the complete 5 part series on CD please contact me at Believers Ministry at: djbraman@gmail.com
Or contact the church: www.westmorelandphc.org

The Law Of Strength

Donna Braman

THE LAW OF STRENGTH


You are who God says you are.  The difference between a weak Christian and one with strength is his belief in what the word says he is.  If we could ever get these spiritual laws into our hearts and minds the churches would not be filled with Christians of lack. People who live God's principles do not go lacking and today I'm going to give you some scriptures that I hope will change your self image and begin to live in the principles that make you soar with strength like the eagles.


When Jesus came and gave us the new blood covenant those physical laws changed into spiritual laws.  You see, when the High Priest in the Tabernacle in the Old Testament sacrificed an animal blood offering once a year at Atonement, their sins were just covered. That's why the shedding of the blood of the red heifer had to be done once a year.  But in the new covenant Jesus' blood did away with the sin nature once and for all in us by His spirit. So in that reference Jesus fulfilled the natural law.  Now that's the difference in trying to change man's nature through the physical law and the spiritual law.


I'll show you what I mean, let's look at what it says about this in Romans 8:2-4, "because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.


We have the power to be free from natural laws.  We have the power to be free from a negative mind.  God says, I created the spirit of the lips. And with that spirit you can create things into being.  The words we speak can be our worst enemy. They can work for us or they can work against us. God himself created that spiritual law. Read Joshua 1:8 again which confirms this biblical truth.


The law of the spoken word and thoughts are closely related. The words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts should reflect God's thoughts about us. God is a positive God and if you want change in your life you'll have to learn to put this spiritual law into practice. We gain insight and strength when we have in our mind and heart's what God's word says.  In Psalm 27:1, David said, "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?"


The next time the devil tries to scare you just open your mouth and say, "Yeah, He will strengthen me in the face of the doctor's report! Yeah, He will prosper me in the face of debt! Yeah, He will bless my children, my home, my marriage, my church! Because Christ in me is my STRENGTH.


On the other hand, sin will produce weakness in your life.  Did you know negative thinking can even make you physically sick?  With sin, you're operating in the law of death.  You can not have the law of life working for you if you keep dabbling in sin.  It will steal your life, destroy you and eventually kill you. You will soon find yourself without any confidence in God. 1 John 3:21 tells us what happens when we say to ourselves, oh this little sin won't hurt my walk with Christ. Paul says, "I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth."


Negative thinking like this where you are trying to fool yourself kills your confidence. If you get involved in carnality and sin, your heart will condemn you and you will lose your strength.  That's what happened to Sampson. He thought his little sexual sin would not hurt his strength or confidence. That devil laughed all the way to Delilah's house!


1 John 1:7 tells us "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin."  The more you gain knowledge of what God's word tells you of the truth, the more knowledge and success you will have in walking in your spiritual life.  You will always go around the mountain over and over until you begin to walk in these spiritual principles.


When we let the sin nature go we begin to walk in biblical truth and go from glory to glory. Then Jesus begins to sanctify you.  We have real fellowship then, and without it we have no real fellowship with one another but a self righteous cleaned up people on the outside still with same stinking thinking.
Oh, but with God's strength we are more than conquers. Christ in us is the hope of Glory! He is our divine union, and nobody can stop that life flow he gives us.


Let's look at the biblical precepts of the concept of spiritual strength.


1. Where Does Our Strength Come From?


God gives strength to his people.  Look at Psalms 27:1, Psalms 27:14. Isaiah 40:31 says,"but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like the eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."


Are you walking as a Christian or are you running?  I want to be like the song says, "I feel like running my last mile home." Now that thought and meditation will turn a lukewarm pew into fire where the smoke of God's presence swirls around your head, and a shout comes off your tongue, "I'm coming Lord to meet you in the air!" When His word moves you and comes alive in you then you know you've have revelation and you're grown in your spiritual life and full of strength.


Reading and meditating on God's word makes us mature.  Babies have to have nourishment to grow as it is with our spiritual growth. 1Peter 2:2, Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."  Show me a stagnate Christian and you will show me a person who does not crave the word, but is content to suck on the pacifier of carnality.


The word will do what it says it will do. I know because it healed the gapping wounds in my own heart after I fell on my knees weeping at the misguided thinking that had dictated a sinful life and robbed me of my spirit until I was lifeless without any capacity for real love or inner strength. It gave me a contrite heart and showed me how broken I was.


Pastor Nelson said, "if I can get the word into you, it will transform you, and you WILL grow and be a strong Christian." The word is powerful and cuts through bone and marrow. We have to have a real love of the word to be renewed into His likeness. Without a thirst to know him through his word is to be unappreciative of his life force and strength he has given to us as a precious gift. Jeremiah 15:6 says it like this, "You have rejected me, declares the Lord. You keep on backsliding. So I will lay hands on you and destroy you; no longer show you compassion."


So you see the Lord has the power to give you life or to destroy you. One who fears God's power to let you breathe or let you die is the beginning of wisdom from the word. He also has great joy to give to those who love Him.  That joy of the Lord is your strength. Delight in Him and He will give strength to your soul.
John 15:16 tells us, "You are called by God Almighty." That knowledge alone should strengthen you just to know that Jesus called you out. 1Corinthians 3:2


Never boast of your strength because of your spiritual gifts, but real strength is revealed by your fruit. You can be gifted by the Holy Spirit and not produce fruit.  A Holy Spirit gift can and does get abused.  You need to stay anointed and that comes from producing fruit.  You can't put water in your gas tank and expect it to keep running. Neither will sin work in your Christian walk.  The fruit of the spirit is produced by following the spiritual laws together with using your gifts.  


David was gifted and anointed at age 16, yet we see him in the Psalms praying for anointing again. You have to keep fresh oil in you and keep dipping yourself into the oil of the Holy Spirit. If you think you need only one refreshing then the devil is going to really love you, for you are really full of yourself and carnality. There's gifts in a lot of Christians and they don't even know it because they never ask for more anointing or a refreshing by the Holy Spirit. They never learned how to live in covenant and they are deceived by Satan and his false teachers. 


Daniel 11:32 says, "with flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him." Learn the law of obedience and the law of disobedience in Duet.
People who are obedient do exploits unto God. The stronger they are in the Lord the more they will do great things for God.


2.  Spiritual Laws Have One Source of Strength - The Word Of God.
Pastor Nelson said his most frequent prayer is that of more revelation of the word. "God gave me revelation of the treasures that the church has lost.  I took a long look in the word of the first church and the disciples teachings about prayer, fasting and righteousness and how we are empowered by Christ's teachings, and realized the church has lost that truth."  We have to get back to the basic principles of the bible for there is where the power of the church is and we have to focus on the law of Strength as it says in Philippians 4:13.


I'll give you a scripture now that will make you want to get up and shout. In Isaiah 41:10-15, it says, "Do not be afraid for I am with you, do not be dismayed by anything, for I AM Your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous hand.  All who come against you will be put to shame and disgraced. Those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. I will take hold of your right hand so do not fear. Do not be afraid O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I MYSELF will help you declares the Lord, your redeemer, the HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL. I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp with many teeth.  You will thresh the mountains and CRUSH THEM." David had that truth in his spirit and that truth gave him confidence and strength as he faced Goliath.


Have you really gotten it into your spirit that Christ is seated at the right hand of God? Now don't tell me again how strong the devil is.  The next time you hear him knocking behind your door, take your foot and kick it in.  He won't come in, he will flea and scatter into the air where he is the prince only! John 6:63-64 reminds us that, "The Spirit gives us life, the flesh counts for nothing.  The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet, there are some of you who do not believe." We have to get away from having a form of Godliness but not believing in its power.


You don't have to be a bible scholar to have God's word in you, or memorize a zillion scriptures.  The Holy Spirit will bring remembrance to you concerning the word if you have it planted in your heart and spirit.
The word is powerful! John 1:1 said, the word was in the beginning and Jesus was the word become flesh. Never forget the Holy Ghost is your best friend. He puts things in your spirit everyday that is truth and we must desire to follow that divine guidance from the comforter. The law of the spirit manifests amazing things in your life like transformation, healing and miracles and a desire to please the Lord that destroys desire for sin. Romans 8:11.


I see so many people who have lost that life force, without hope, whose spirit's are buried deep in a miry pit of darkness and pain.  We are the light that shines into their soul and I want to show them what Jesus gave me that day at Calvary when I began my new life in him.  I want them to know the resurrection power of the blood of Jesus and that precious mercy and grace and forgiveness that lifts us up into the light of truth and sows a seed of newness in us that  strengthens us and draws us into HIS SPIRIT. Well, Glory!


How do we get these spiritual laws in our spirit? By getting back to the basics, prayer, fasting, reading the word, meditating on it's truth, walking in its truth and getting carnality out of our homes and churches. Bring back the foot washings so we can get in our spirits what true love for another and fellowship really means.  You have to feed your faith and let the flesh die. Psalm 118:14.


This bible teaching was taught by Rev. Jerry Nelson at Westmoreland PHC in Wilson, N.C. at Wednesday night's bible study along with my commentary.  If you would like to have a CD of this teaching you can send an email to djbraman@gmail.com and request it or go the church web site at www.westmorelandphc.org