Lutherans Endorse Homosexuality & God pours out His wrath!

On August 19 the Lutheran Church in America voted to allow same sex marriage and clergy. This video shows a tornado that hit Minneapolis on August 19 around 2 pm at the time they voted. It
sheered the cross off the Lutheran church next to the conference centre where they were meeting. Take a look at the video on YouTube by clicking here and form your own opinion!

The vote was won by just one vote, and that vote represents the chasm that the Lutherans have created between themselves and God's leading through Holy Scripture.

Joanne Lowe's Meditations : 'God's School of Love'

GOD’S SCHOOL OF LOVE

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2: 15 (King James Version)

Imagine what would happen if every Christian would enroll in God’s school of love. I believe that we would have a revival that the world has never known. When we attend Bible School, we are to study the Bible but if we never put into practice what we learn, we are breaking God’s heart. What is the good of learning what the Bible instructs us to do if we never do it?

O’ we may receive an “A” and graduate because we passed all the tests but we haven’t pleased God. It is only when we do what He tells us to do that He approves of us. We need a school that only has one course. The course should be unconditional love which teaches us how to love one another as Jesus has commanded us to love each other.

I think that sometimes we forget that loving one another is not an option; it is a commandment. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for his friends” (John 15: 12, 13). Can we honestly say that we love each other as He loves us?

Are we loving our families and our friends unconditionally or is our love based on certain conditions? Jesus set the example for us when He died for us on the cross. Our precious Saviour loves us unconditionally. If you have never enrolled in God’s school of love, please enroll today. It is time that we start loving each other unconditionally as Jesus has commanded us to love. Then and only then will God approve of us.

Joanne Lowe

August 22, 2009

A vist to West Wales (Part 1)

Me and Sam at Llys-Y-Frân

I took lots of pictures at St David's Cathedral where we spent the whole afternoon. There's so much to see, and the weather was great as well when we were there. As you can see from the pics, I took both the outside and the inside. The following two pics shoe a section of the floor in one of the chapels and pic of the wonderful painted ceiling in another section of the cathedral.

The next two interior pics will feature, along with several others, in a future edition of The Voice Christian News & Views magazine.

The Cathedral is a magnificent building.

As well as pics of the Cathedral I took lots of shots which show some of the beautiful countryside in the area where we were visiting.

One afternoon we went to Newgale which is a favourite section of the coast for surfers.

On our visit to Llys-Y-Frân Country Park and Resevoir, we found this memorial to William Penfro Rowlands, the composer of the well-known hymn tune Blaenwern, perhaps best known for its use with the hymn Love divine, all love's excelling.

William Penfro Rowlands (1860 - 1937) a Welsh composer and schoolteacher was at Llys Brân, Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire in Wales. He died in Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales.

As a teacher, Rowlands moved to Morriston near Swansea in 1881, becoming Precentor at Bethania Chapel. He served at the Morriston Tabernacle Congregational Church (1892 - 1927), and conducted the Morriston United Choral Society for many years.

Blaenwern was published in Henry H. Jones's Cân a Moliant (1915). The tune's name refers to a farm in Pembrokeshire where Rowlands convalesced in his youth.

Back From the Holidays . . .

We returned from Wales late yesterday afternoon, but I have yet to download and sort the many photos that I took over the past week. We visited lots of places, some that we'd been to before and some new, and we walked miles! We took our little dog, Sam, with us, and I wouldn't be too surprised if his short legs have got a little bit shorter with the distance that he walked. He had a great time, as we did, and the good news was that we never got wet once, even though we were out somewhere for most of every day. That was a change from last year when we went to Anglesey in North Wales. There was hardly a day that it didn't rain, and we got wet many times, although the rain, I have to add, was warm, it being the Summer Season!

Over the next week I'll post pictures of places that we visited, such as St David's Cathedral, Little Haven, Milford Haven, and Llys-y-Fran. That way we'll be able to share our holiday a little bit with you, dear reader.

A little bit Country, a little bit Folk . . .

I've just finished writing a new batch of songs with Greg Scheer, my Songwriting partner from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and these fall into the Country/Folk and Country/Christian genres. Why not take a visit to Greg's site where you can find both MP3 (rough demos) and PDF formats for all four songs, and have a look and listen for yourselves.

Since Greg and I linked up as a song-writing partnership back in October 2006, I've lost count of the number of songs that we've collaborated on together. From my point of view as a lyricist, it's great to be able to work alongside someone who interprets what I write as well as Greg does, despite the fact that we've yet to meet up in real terms, for so far, although we have often spoken on the 'phone, our work has all been done in the realms of the 'virtual world' created via the Internet. I hope that that will change next year, as I hope that we'll be able to finally meet up towards the latter part of 2010.

Anyway, visit Greg's site, have a look and a listen, and then post a comment either on his site or on this Blog.

Off to Wonderful Wales again tomorrow!

In the latter part of the evening we'll be relaxing in this lounge.

In the morning we can look out upon the river from the cottage windows as we eat our breakfast or munch our brunch. Below is a pic of one of the many wildlife visitors that we can expect to meet up with.

It really is a beautiful spot --- easy to relax when the scenery is like this!

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving on a week's vacation to West Wales, chilling out far from the madding crowd, with no computer and generally poor mobile reception. It will be great! I thought that I'd leave you with a few pics of the place where we'll be staying, and then when I get back in a week's time I'll post a few pics of where we've been. In between I'm afraid this Blog will be going on holiday as well.

New Meditation from Joanne Lowe

A SPECIAL KIND OF JOY

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.”

Matthew 9: 37 (King James Version)

Pastor Oswald Smith wrote a song that I believe came from the depths of his heart “Joy In Serving Jesus”. There are many beautiful words in this song. They describe how I feel about serving my precious Saviour. “There is joy in serving Jesus, Joy; that triumphs over pain, Fills my heart with heaven’s music, Till I join the glad refrain.”

There is a special kind of joy that fills our hearts when we serve Jesus. When I wake up and don’t feel good, I just want to stay in bed until I feel better. However, as soon as I get up and sit down at my computer desk to start typing what He lays on my heart, the joy that floods my heart temporarily makes me forget that I don’t feel good.

I am so glad to know that Jesus loves me so much that He died for me. I am humbled that the Saviour of the world came to me when I couldn’t go to Him. It keeps me going in the midst of crises and difficult situations. What a privilege it is to serve my precious Saviour. It fills my heart with a special kind of joy.

Jesus does so much for us. After all that He has done for us and continues to do for us every day of our lives, we should want to make Him happy and dedicate our lives to serve Him. Do you have this special kind of joy in your heart? Are you content to just sit there watching television and let Jesus serve you? I urge you to turn off the television and dedicate your life to serve Him.

Joanne Lowe

August 13, 2009

joannelowe8@cox.net

www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

Repent!

More! More! More!

So much of our world today is about SELF, and about how much we can get for ourselves. We look after the flesh, cossetting it to the nth degree, supplying not only its needs but as many of its desires as we possibly can. Now, I don't think that we should necessarily deny ourselves every comfort that helps to improve our standard of living, but the problem is that whilst the flesh is being supplied the spirit is being left out, and that puts us on the pathway to ultimate destruction.

We are living in a corrupt society. It has been corrupted by greed, and the result is that more and more people are victims in one way or another. Victims of stress, victims of fear, victims of self-will and self delusion. The role models for the young of our society are more air-heads than hero's; a mixture of 'celebrities' who are famous for being famous, overpaid footballers and self-abusers who revel in the notoriety of being drunk night after night. Those who should set an example are often better examples of corruption than they are of true moral and ethical leadership --- witness the behaviour of politicians and many of those connected to the Finance Markets.

As a nation, the people have been led down the paths of delusion to the extent that they have turned their backs on God, preferring instead to trust to the transient and dubious pleasures of the world. The cumulative result of this is the daily reporting of knife and gun crimes, often resulting in the killing of the young by the young, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and a rapid journey towards an early death.

There are increasing demands for the legal right to end life. Not satisfied with the wholesale murder of millions of babies in the womb, the demands now move to the legalising of the killing of the infirm and the elderly, as the lobby for euthanasia promotes the need to recognise assisted suicide as being part of a compassionate society's way of life. How sad that a way of death is promoted as a way of life!

Where is the voice of the leaders of the church in all of this? Sadly, it is all too often silent, apart from those whose voices are kept to a whisper by the refusal of society to acknowledge them.

If a society turns its back persistently on God then it will ultimately be brought to its knees by God. It is time to repent and turn to God. To seek His forgiveness for the wrongs in our society and to ask for His help to right those wrongs, seeking to live according to His laws.

We must ask for forgiveness:

• for the lack of moral instruction that has led to a society increasingly devoid of morals.
• for the killing of the unborn that destroys life rather than protecting it.
• for the manner in which our politicians have been allowed to enact laws which promote dependence on the State rather than dependence upon God.
• for creating wars and glorifying the deaths of the young men whose lives are sacrificed so aimlessly by a government who fails to equip them as they should do for financial reasons.
• for a judicial system which is seen as a Criminal's Charter rather than the defence of our society.
• for protecting those who seek to destroy our freedom by allowing them to hide behind the Human Rights legislation that has made so many lawyers rich beyond their wildest dreams.
• for glorifying sexual freedom by the constant promotion of so-called 'alternative lifestyles'.
• for the corruption of the young by introducing PC-led instruction of a variety of sex-education programmes which satisfy the adults and organisations involved rather than leading the young in the right way; teaching that every lifestyle is okay except the one which teaches people to say 'NO'.
• for promoting diversity as a means of fostering a 'Divide and Rule' system.
• for fostering the notion that self-gain, self-promotion, and self-interest is more important than concerns for the well-being of others.
• for shutting Jesus out of children's lives by banning Him from being spoken of in the classrooms, so say for fear of offending those who believe differently.
• above all, for turning our collective back upon God Himself.

We need to prostrate ourselves before God in repentance, saying sorry for the world that has been so corrupted by our society, by our government of it, and by ambitions motivated by greed, before it's too late. I'm not speaking of casually saying 'Sorry' like a child who seeks a present after doing wrong, but of really repenting with heart, mind and soul, and of seeking the very face of God as we do so.

As a Nation, we need to turn back to God before it's too late!

The ultimate result of rejecting God now will be His rejection of each unrepentant individual throughout eternity. Then the true meaning of Hell will be found.

We must pray for:

• Forgiveness for our Nation
• For our leaders at both national and local levels.
• For true leadership from the Church.
• For a move to living according to God's precepts.
• For the redemption and salvation of our people.
• For the visitation of the Holy Spirit to bring about Revival

A Moving Experience

The other day in an idle moment, --- yes, I do get them occasionally! ---, I was thinking about the number of times that I have moved home over the years, which is sufficient to make me somewhat of an expert in handling furniture and getting it in and out of awkward spaces!

Here's a brief summary of the moves that I remember:

1964 : Left home to move to Bath, Avon.

1966 : Moved to Boscombe, Hants.

1967 : I was taken ill and had to move to Corsham for a while.

1968 : Moved to Swindon with my job, lived at three different places in the two and a half years that I was there.

1970 : Got married and moved to a flat in Bristol.

1972 : Bought our first house at Deerswood, Bristol.

1972 : Moved to Rhodesia.

1972 to 1984 : Moved over the period many times, living in 4 flats, and 4 houses.

1984 : Returned to the UK and Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire.

1985 : Moved to Newton Abbott, Devon.

1987 : Moved to Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales. I lived in two different homes during the time that I was there.

1995 : Moved to Merthyr Cynog, Wales. Also lived through the college term-time at Aberystwyth.

1998 : Moved to Runcorn, living in the church manse.

2005 : Moved to my current address.

Where to next? Who knows!!!

A Gospel of Convenience : The time has come for Repentance!

I am saddened at how often I hear folk say to me that they rarely hear the Gospel being preached in churches today. When I say 'The Gospel', I mean the Gospel of Jesus Christ as opposed to the watered down versions of Scripture that are so often preached today. How easy it is to try to make people feel comfortable by saying the things that they feel content to hear. Sometimes I'm challenged by people because the message that I preach is a message calling for repentance from sin, and the particular individual challenging me feels that the word 'sin' is too harsh a word for today's world, preferring that I use the word 'wrongdoing' instead. However you try to dress wrong actions up, and whatever word you use to describe them by, the long and the short of it is that when you do something wrong then you are sinning. It follows then, in Gospel terms, that if you have sinned then you need to repent of that sin and have it cleansed from your life, for it's when we go to Jesus Christ in repentance, confessing our sins and seeking forgiveness for them, then He is able to present us to God as redeemed beings.

Only recently someone who has heard the Gospel message of Salvation over and over, said to me that they thought that there were many ways to heaven, and that all religions had their own way of getting there to be with God. This is completely contrary to Scripture of course, for Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). This makes it absolutely clear that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father who is in heaven. When I pointed this out I was met with the alarming comment that,'Yes, I understand that, but don't you think that the different gods worshipped by other religions are just Jesus by another name.' How sad that this person has attended church for many decades, has heard the Gospel preached from the front time and again, and yet still is so misguided in their belief.

Christians pray for Revival, yet revival starts with the revival and renewing of just one person, and that's the person who is praying for Revival! The Welsh Revivalist, Evan Roberts, prayed to God, 'Bend me, Lord. Bend me!' This is the prayer that we all need to pray, that we might be renewed and revived. There is a great need for repentance to be preached with sufficient zeal that people realise the urgency for the need of repentance in their own lives, for renewal follows repentance.

This nation, and indeed our world, is in such a dire need for Revival now that it is absolutely imperative that we go before the Lord with repentant hearts and seek forgiveness for the many ways in which we have done wrong in God's eyes. We can then seek to be renewed in Christ and commit ourselves to fulfilling the Mission that we have been entrusted with as Christians.

When we work then our efforts are often insufficient, but when we pray then God works and the results are amazing. This being said, let's get praying, starting with repentance, moving to renewal and helping to bring about revival!

Latest Meditation from Joanne Lowe

GOD’S BREAD

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

John 6: 35 (King James Version)

We read in the Bible “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34: 8). Have you tasted the bread of life? If you’re hungry for unconditional love and acceptance, open your heart to the Christ of Calvary. He will fill your heart with joy, peace, excitement and happiness. What a privilege is ours to be able to fellowship with the Saviour of the world!

He will be the dearest friend you have ever known. When you’re weary and heartbroken, He will pick you up and hold you close to His tender heart as He whispers to you in a soft gentle voice “I love you just as you are. I died for you while you were still in your sins. Nothing that you have done or ever will do will make Me stop loving you. I will love you for all eternity.”

What a promise! What a healing balm that comes straight from His compassionate and tender heart! Not only does He give us this promise; He also comforts us and encourages us as He dries the tears in our hearts and eyes with His tender kisses of understanding and compassion. What a Saviour, this Jesus of Nazareth!

There is no one like Jesus. No one loves you like our Heavenly Father and Jesus love you. If you have never tasted God’s bread, open the door of your heart. Invite the Christ of Calvary into your heart to be your personal Saviour. Please don’t wait! Don’t put it off because you may not have another opportunity to say yes to Jesus!

Joanne Lowe

August 9, 2009

joannelowe8@cox.net

www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

The Power & Weakness of Money

Decades ago the Beatles tumbled into the Hit Parade singing 'Can't buy me love', and one of the great lessons that we hopefully learn in life before it's too late is that money can buy many things which create an outward show, but cannot buy happiness. Here's a few things that money can buy together with things it can't.

Money can buy you:

• BOOKS but not WISDOM
• BLOOD but not LIFE
• SEX but not LOVE
• A HOUSE but not a HOME
• A BED but not SLEEP
• POSITION but not RESPECT
• A ROLEX but not TIME
• A visit to a DOCTOR but not GOOD HEALTH

Knowledge like this, when applied fully in your life, is priceless!

Womb to Heaven in Two Steps!

There is somewhere even better than this . . .

Just imagine a baby in the womb, safe and secure in it’s dark, comfortable world, everything it could possibly need being supplied to it. One day it hears a voice which says that there’s an even better place to be. The voice goes on to describe all the wonderful things of our world; birds, flowers, trees, butterflies, warmth and cold, sunlight and moonlight, and so on, emphasising that one day the baby will discover this for itself. The baby gives a little shrug and says in reply, “Don’t be silly! How could anything be better than the life I have now? I can’t believe what you’re saying because I don’t think it exists.”

Yet after nine months the baby is born into the very world that it was promised, and as it grows so it discovers for itself all the wonderful things that it had been told about. Throughout its life, from childhood into adulthood, there will be a voice that keeps persisting through the years with tales of an even better place. This place, the voice says, will be a wonderful place to be. There will be no need of artificial light or even light from the sun or the moon, for this world will be lit by the glory of God. It will be a world with no sadness, no illness and no dying. It will be a wonderful place to be!

And when the voice speaks to the child and to the teenager, and to the adult, so often the response will be a shrug and the comment, “Don’t be silly! How could anything be better than the life I have now? I can’t believe what you’re saying because I don’t think it exists.”

Then one day the opportunity comes to pass through the doorway and discover it all for yourself.

From Griffith Jones, Llanddowror to a Home-Schooling Mom!

The September/October edition of The Voice Christian News & Views features articles on ministering to the needs of children, and there are articles by many prominent Christians on the subject included.

If you are not already subscribed to receive this great FREE magazine then why not register today to be added to the mailing list. It is published every two months, and because of the generosity of some folk it is sent out all over the world entirely FREE OF CHARGE.

You can register by following this link, completing the online registration form and leaving the rest to Voice Publications.

Johhny, Mike & The Shades : News at last!

In October last year, I posted on this blog about Johnny, Mike & The Shades, a group that I was connected with when Johnny Cannon and Mike Wayne (aka Johnny Symonds & Mike Long) sang with The Ray Stevens Combo in Bath during the early 1960's. As well as wandering down Memory Lane, I was appealing for any news about the group to fill in the missing years, and a few days ago I had an email from Derek Bray, who knew the group and whose old friend, Mike Price, played with the original Ray Stevens Combo. Derek contacted me to advise that he had a tape of the boys which he found when going through some old tapes belonging to his mother, and he is going to send me a copy burned to a CD. The recording was from the Saturday Club in 1965, and includes the song Poison Ivy.

I've posted a new picture that I received from Noel Lawrence, who was the bass guitarist with the group until he left in 1964 to get married. Following my original post, Noel contacted me and shared what information he had about his time with the group. The photo was published originally on June 12th 1964 in a music scene paper called Western Scene.

I'm looking forward to receiving the Cd and once I have listened to it I'll blog about it once more to let you know what I think! In the meantime, I'm still looking for any news about the group, especially about Johnny or Mike, so if you have any you can email with it by going via this link.

The Beatitudes

A Worthwhile Mission in Cornwall

As I posted on this blog last week, I have spent the whole week in Cornwall on Mission, working with Andrew Chapple from Redruth Baptist Church, which is a lively Free Baptist Church in the centre of Redruth, and I shared the Gospel with them on Wednesday evening. On Tuesday morning I met with a Bible Study group in Camborne and in the evening went to a meeting in St Ives with Andrew. Throughout the week I met some great people and had many opportunities to share the Lord Jesus with them. I look forward to going down and meeting up with them again in the not too distant future.

On Friday we all headed for Dartmoor and a tiny village called Wotter, where we met up with some really pleasant Christian folk who have purchased the Methodist Chapel which had been closed down. They are renovating the building in readiness to serve the Lord through it afresh. The picture above shows the interior of the chapel which is in excellent condition. These are folk who are passionate about the need for the Gospel to be shared in the area, and are concerned about the lack of witness at present. I hope that I'll be able to go down there again to share the Gospel message of Hope that offers salvation and redemption. Andrew Chapple and I plan to prepare for Mission there and also in the district around Camborne and Redruth at a later date, according to the Lord's leading.

Joanne Lowe's Meditations

Here is a new meditation from my friend Joanne Lowe. If you would like to receive her daily meditations direct to your e-address then all you have to do is to send her an email with your contact details and that's that. Today's offering took me right back to Sunday School days at one point!

WHO DO YOU SEE

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5: 14 - 16 (King James Version)

When you look in your mirror, what do you see? Do you see a person who is smiling and has the light of Jesus? If we constantly see frowns and a look of sadness on our faces when we look in the mirror, something is wrong. If we are saved, born again through the cleansing atoning blood of Jesus, we have the joy of Jesus in our hearts.

There will be times when we will have a look of sadness due to the loss of somebody we loved. However, we need to realize that what we see when we look in the mirror is what other people see when they look at us. There are many times instead of letting Jesus shine through us we hide His light under a bushel.

I used to sing this song in Sunday school when I was younger, “This Little Light of Mine”. Harry Dixon Loes wrote this gospel children’s song around 1920. I love these words “This little light o’ mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel, NO!” Are you letting the light of Jesus shine through you or are you hiding His light under a bushel?

Does your family know that you are saved? Have you told them that you invited Jesus into your heart to be your personal Saviour? If you are the only Christian in your home, it is very important that your family sees the difference that Jesus has made in your heart and life. Take the bushel off of the light of Jesus and let His light shine through you.

Joanne Lowe

August 1, 2009

joannelowe8@cox.net

www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

Understanding the Holy Spirit

UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRIT

Reading: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11

But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)

Of all aspects of the Trinity I think that the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood by people. Many people doubt that the Spirit is real, perhaps even going so far as to suggest that it’s nothing more than emotionalism, and there are probably many more plagued by uncertainty, and all because of a lack of understanding of the Spirit. It’s easier to grasp the concept of God because we can see the evidence of His hands all around us. We look at the wonder of Creation and it’s quite simple to understand that it has been designed purposefully by something or someone. We’re raised from childhood to come to terms with God in some way or other. When something good happens, such as a life being saved, especially if the worst had been feared, then we hear people say “Thank God!” Whenever there’s some sort of natural disaster such as an earthquake or tornado then the insurance companies will claim that it’s an act of God. People are taught from an early age to pray to God and expect answer to their prayers. In times of direst trouble people naturally and instinctively cry out to God in prayer. Many people experience that overwhelming sense of peace on occasions that fills their minds with the thought of the peace of God.

The evangelist David Watson has said, ‘If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of our midst today, about 95% of Churches would go on, and we would not know the difference.’

Some people feel that the Holy Spirit only exists in the charismatic Pentecostal churches. Even worse, there are some people within the Charismatic churches that feel that they are the only ones who experience the blessings of the Holy Spirit! This is completely un-scriptural for Jesus, talking to the disciples, said that God would send the Spirit to those who confessed and accepted Him in order that the Spirit might remind them of all that they’d been taught, referring to the Spirit as the Counsellor. Elsewhere in Scripture the Spirit is referred to the as our Guide, our Comforter and our Helper.

R.A.Torrey writes, ‘To the extent that we understand and claim for ourselves the Holy Spirit's work, to that extent do we obtain for ourselves the fullness of power in Christian life and service that God has provided for us in Christ. A very large proportion of the Church know and claim for themselves a very small part of what God has made possible for them in Christ, because they know so little of what the Holy Spirit can do for us, and longs to do for us.’

The Spirit shows us our need, convicting us of sin, righteousness and judgement. In John 16:8 Jesus said, . . . of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no more; of judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The Holy Spirit brings us new life, (John 3:6,7) ... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born anew. Once we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, firstly by repenting of sin and secondly by accepting that He died in order that our sins may be forgiven through Him, then we are given the gift of the Spirit immediately so that we’ll never be left without a guide to help us maintain our walk with Christ.

The Holy Spirit assures us of our salvation, (Romans 8:16) . . . it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs. The indwelling Spirit will increasingly give us the security of the knowledge of our salvation as we turn our lives more and more over to God.

The Spirit helps us to become Holy. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Throughout our Christian lives, as we grow in Christian maturity, we change to become more like Christ in our attitudes and behaviour, and the more that we follow His teachings so the more Holy we become.

As Christians we are given the gifts of the Spirit to play our part in the growth of the Church. 1 Corinthians 12:4 refers to the varieties of gifts that God bestows upon us, but all are bestowed through the same Spirit. And 12:7 says, To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, and again in 12:13, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit. God reveals Himself through the gifts. When we see the results of a praying church in the blessings that they receive then we’re all uplifted. When we know of God's healing power being revealed then we’re refreshed in our attitude and worship of Him. When we see the faith that is demonstrated so forcibly by some Christians then we’re inspired by what we see.

The Holy Spirit gives us power as witnesses for God through Christ. Acts 1:8 says.... But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in a11 Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. We’re not left alone to share the Message of the Gospel in our own strength, for God gives us His power through the Spirit. This way, by presenting our bodies to Him as living sacrifices, He supports us constantly in the ministry that He sends us out on.

The work of the Holy Spirit gives glory to Jesus, for we read in the Scriptures that Jesus spoke of the Spirit, He will glorify Me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you (John 16:14,15). As we grow in Christ, we’ll see the manifestation of that growth in the measure that Jesus is glorified. And, because God, Jesus and the Spirit are One in the Trinity, when either the Spirit or Jesus are glorified then God is glorified also. Surely the purpose for which we have been created in the beginning is to glorify God. In ourselves, and for ourselves, we have no real purpose. It’s like being an electric toy without batteries! It’s in Christ and through Christ, through the power of the Spirit, that we are best able to serve and glorify God the Father.

Billy Graham said, ‘The world today is again in desperate need of a spiritual awakening. It is only the hope for the survival of the human race . . .’ If the greatest need of our world is to feel the effects of a spiritual awakening, then surely the greatest need within the Christian Church throughout the world today is to experience the touch of the Holy Spirit, bringing true revival and renewal to the lives of countless Christians.

We recognise the need for renewal and revival in our churches today, and yet without a true sense of Mission within the church there is unlikely to be true revival, for revival starts within the individual being revived and renewed. It’s that renewing that’s so important, for in renewal we see also the renewal of commitment to our mission. Our Mission is quite clear. The direct command from Jesus is that we should go out into all the world and take the Good News with us. If we’re to be successful then we need to use all that our Lord equips us with. The gifts of the Spirit are the tools that we have. Wisdom, Knowledge, Healing and so on. - Some folk argue regarding the purpose of the gifts, saying that they were given in the times of the apostles, as signs to authenticate the apostles during the early preaching of the Gospel. Let us consider why some Bible believing Christians do not believe in the gifts today:

· They’ve not seen them demonstrated for themselves.

· When they study the history of the Church they are unable to find evidence of New Testament miracles after the times of the New Testament itself.

· They find the misuse of gifts in some contemporary churches and healing movements offensive.

· They are concerned by the confusion and disorder brought about by the supernatural manifestation of God's Spirit.

· They quote 1 Corinthians 13:10, . . . but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

(This is despite the fact that 1 Corinthians 14:1 teaches us that we should ... earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.)

In order that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit today we need to turn to Scripture. Ephesians 5:17-18 teaches Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit ... Even more sure is the advice given in Luke 11:9,10 which says, And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Again in John 7: 37-39 we read, Jesus . . . proclaimed, If any one thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. Now this He said about the Spirit, which those who believed in Him were to receive.

In order to diligently fulfil the Mission which we are tasked with, we need to believe both upon Jesus as Saviour and in the promises that He made. We must consider the gifts of the Spirit carefully, asking that we might be blessed in accordance with God's Divine plan for our lives, and then to seek the gifts that we have been given in order that we might use them to serve and glorify God through our witness and the building up of His Church.

Amen