The End of 70 Days of Power

The End of 70 Days of Power

We have come to the end of our 70 Days of Power. The first 30 days we spent learning what love is and is not. The last 40 days we spent learning about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and praying for the baptism of the Spirit.  I invite you now to review  your favorite version of 1 Corinthians 13 along with each day of the 40 days of Prayer and to meditate upon those things and keep those things in your hearts. If you missed any days, you may access the entire 70 days at FaceBook Group “Experience God’s Power, Presence and Favor”. You may also access days 20-40 of the 40 days of Prayer at http://topsdachurch.blogspot.com. I invite you to write out your own understanding of 1 Corinthians 13 or share how you have been blessed by the last 70 days of Power at either the FaceBook group or the blog.  We will begin a new series in a few days. Until then, please share what you have learned or how you have been blessed.

40 Days of Prayer-Day 40

40 Days of Prayer-Day 40  

Fellowship with other believers plays an important role in the spiritual, emotional and even physical restoration that God wants each of us to experience. Growth is the goal of small fellowship groups. Thus, every group should include non believers as well.  It is in this redemptive environment that  God's Spirit can work in a powerful way for the non believer and the non believer is encouraged to grow spiritually.  Even our own personal spiritual growth is assured when we are invloved in winning others to Christ. If we work as Christ desires and win souls for Him, we will feel the need of a deeper experience and greater knowledge of divine things. We will hunger and thirst after righteousness and we will plead with God for these things. Our faith will thereby be strengthened. We will drink of the water of life freely from the well of salvation. We will grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ and develop the rich experience with God that He desires us to have. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit and bring truth and revival into our lives and churches. Help me to be used by you in bringing others to Christ. Give us an earnest desire for your Holy Spirit, both the early rain and the latter rain outpouring. Manifest the gifts of your Spirit through us and use us to glorify your name. Reveal your power in our midst that many may come to know You.

40 Days of Prayer-Day 39

40 Days of Prayer-Day 39

The gifts of the spirit, are manifested as believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit.  This is the second essential element of a successful fellowship group. These gifts are given to each one differently and include prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, ruling, showing mercy,  wisdom, knowledge, healing, miracles, discerning of spirits, multi-lingualists, interpreters of languages, pastors, evangelists,  and apostles. Rom 12:4-8, 1 Cor. 12:7-12. However, the gift of grace is given to everyone. Eph 4:7-11. These gifts are important to the spiritual growth of each individual and the church. These gifts prove a great blessing to each member of the body of Christ.  The application of the gift of teaching, for example,  to the fellowship group may involve applying the scriptures to the individual issues and needs of the group. The application of the gift of exhortation to the fellowship group may involve words of encouragement, hope, and comfort and brings practical uplifting biblical counsel to the group. It is through the use of these gifts that the Spirit is able to minister to the group. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit, and bring truth and revival into our lives and churches. Manifest the gifts of the Spirit in my life that you desire for me to have and give us a strong desire to gather together to seek you earnestly in prayer. Have mercy on us and revive us that we may flourish and prosper.

40 Days of Power-Day 38

40 Days of Power-Day 38

We have daily been praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,  and temperance (against which there is no law). Gal 5:22-23. You should now be seeing these fruits beginning to be manifested in your lives. This is one of the essential elements of an effective fellowship group. The first fruit of the Spirit is love. Here, the highest form of love is referred to—Agape love. It is the kind of love that works no evil or harm to others. It is not filled with envy, jealousy, covetousness, hatred, selfishness nor evil planning and does not rejoice in the face of evil. It is longsuffering, kind, faithful, enduring, rejoicing in truth.  1 Cor. 13:4-7. This love allows us, as members of Spirit filled fellowship groups to manifest understanding and sensitivity to others in the group, and allow us to have a calming, soothing effect on others. It also allows us to have a sympathetic, non judgmental, prayerful attitude when someone in the group reveals their struggles. They know we won’t take their issue to the phone but to the Lord. Our words and actions will be compassionate, redemptive and healing. The other essential element of effective fellowship groups is the gifts of the Spirit. The Spirit gives different gifts, i.e. apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, pastors, (Eph 4: 11-16) but all are intended to benefit the group by perfecting us and growing us into the fullness of Christ thereby edifying the body of Christ. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit and bring truth and revival into our lives and our churches. Manifest the fruit of your Spirit in my life and the lives of others around me. Restore us to the fullness of joy and peace in you. Remove the spiritual hindrances, thorns and briars in our lives. Impart great joy and rejoicing in you in our churches.

40 Days of Prayer-Day 36

40 Days of Prayer-Day 36

The word church in the New Testament is ekklesia. It means “called out ones”. As we respond to the call of the Holy Spirit to accept Christ as our Savior, we become part of the “called out ones”. The “called out  ones” are called to believe live and teach the truths of God’s word. 1 Tim. 3:15. A second aspect of the “called out ones: is to have fellowship with one another. The New Testament concept of fellowship or koinonia is broader than just seeing other church members once a week during worship services or occasionally getting together for a social. It means ministering to the needs of one another. We can hardly minister to anyone’s needs if we haven’t taken the time to find out what their needs are.  Christ expects us as spirit filled believers to get out of our comfort zones and  “get involved” in other peoples problems in order to minister to them.  We are not actually experiencing God’s definition of church to the fullest extent when we don’t. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit and bring truth and revival into our hearts and churches. Bless my efforts to minister to the needs of those closest to me and in my church. Give me the desire to get involved.  Lead us to fear and reverence you with all our hearts and deliver us from the things that keep us from having what we need spiritually.

40 Days of Prayer-Day 35

40 Days of Prayer-Day 35

Happy Thanksgiving!

Being a part of a small Christian fellowship group is important to our growth into the fullness of Christ. The 12 disciples were in a close personal fellowship group with Christ and each other for 3 ½ years. However, this alone was not enough to bring about the changes necessary for them to grow into the fullness of Christ. There was dissention and strife among them. Luke 22:24. Later, however, the disciples experienced a dramatic change. What happened? They received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Thereafter, they continued in doctrine and fellowship, eating and praying  and praising God together from house to house. Acts 2:42, 46-47.  It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit  among members of the fellowship groups that is essential for the group to grow as God intends.  It is the Spirit that gives to every man to profit therefrom. To one the Spirit gives wisdom, to another knowledge, to another faith, to another the gift of healing, to another working miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse languages, to another the interpretation of diverse languages. But all are given to work together, just as the different parts of one body work together. 1 Cor. 12:7-12. We grow as we stay in close intimate relationship with other spirit –filled believers and we are able to experience the gifts given to others for our benefit. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit and bring truth and revival into our lives and our churches. Bless our efforts to become part of a small fellowship group and use us for the benefit of others in our group. I have been weakened by my sinful condition. Turn me from sin and strengthen me with might by your Holy Spirit in the inner man.

40 Days of Prayer-Day 34

40 Days of Prayer-Day 34

As we pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is essential that we daily worship God in our homes. That is having a time period set aside each day for spending time with God alone but also as a family. This would include morning, noon and evening devotional, praise and worship.  Our hearts and homes should be a place where God is invited daily and regularly, and as we partake of physical food,  so also as often we should partake of spiritual food. Most souls will not be lost because of grievous and shocking sins, but through the simple neglect of failing to invite God into their lives on a daily, regular and continuing basis. God inhabits the praises of (Ps. 22:3) , and inclines His ears to the prayers of (Ps. 65:2) His people,  and requires we worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). As we become spirit filled Christians, our homes should reflect this higher calling. Then God is calling us into a closer fellowship with those around us.  A look at the early New Testament church reveals that many souls were won to the church through home based teaching, worship and fellowship. Acts 2:46,  Acts 20:20, Rom. 16:5, 1 Cor 16:9, Col 4:15. It was through this avenue of home based fellowship, teaching and worship that souls were gained for Christ and added to the larger church body. Acts 2:47. It is in this setting especially that fellow believers receive strength from each other. This home based worship style (church) will be the model of the end times and strength of souls when persecution and affliction come upon those who steadfastly hold onto the truths contained in God’s word. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit and bring truth and revival into our lives and our churches. Lead me to start or become part of a home based fellowship group. Lead us to pray without ceasing and make us a praise to your name in our communities.