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.

40 Days of Prayer-Day 33

40 Days of Prayer-Day 33

The word tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Heb 10:25) in Christian fellowship and worship. As a spirit-filled believer, the relationship between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and genuine Christian fellowship is essential. We will not grow spiritually as God intends without consistent, meaningful, dependant fellowship with other spirit filled believers.  Iron sharpens iron. Prov. 27:17. So spirit filled Christians sharpen each other. To become spirit filled but remain isolated, independent, separate and apart from other spirit filled Christians is not God’s will for us. In fact it will hinder our growth and even lead to a loss of the fullness of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. After Pentecost, the believers continued steadfastly in the faith, with communion and fellowship with other believers, even to eating and praying together. Acts 2:42. It is therefore essential that we as spirit filled believers experience and engage in genuine Christian fellowship with other spirit filled believers. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit and bring truth and revival into our lives and churches. Open my understanding as to the importance of Christian fellowship in my faith walk. Don’t abandon us to our sins, have compassion on us and deliver us from our sins. Restore us to a place of spiritual oneness with you.

40 Days of Prayer-Day 32

40 Days of Prayer-Day 32

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Heb 4:9-11.  When we enter into God’s rest, we cease our own efforts. In the creation story, God worked 6 days then He rested on the 7^th day,  blessed, set apart and made holy the 7^th day Sabbath. Gen 2:1-3, Exod. 20:11 . Adam did just the opposite. On his first full day of life, he rested on the 7^th day Sabbath, (Exod 20:8-11) then he worked on the 1^st  day through the 6^th days of the week (Exod. 20:9) This is the same sequence concerning man’s redemption. In Christ, God completed the work of redemption through His sinless life, death and resurrection.  Man begins experiencing this redemptive work by resting first in what God has already done for him. Man rests in the facts that (1) Jesus died for our sins and has given us eternal life as a free gift, (2) that Christ’s righteousness covers us, (3) that at the cross the power of our sinful nature was broken and we are now free to serve God, and (4) that Christ will live His life of perfect righteousness in us if we choose to let Him. We are therefore to rest in Christ’s completed work. Once we rest in these truths, we are able to faithfully serve and obey God in our lives and ministry. PRAYER: Father baptize us with your Holy Spirit and bring truth and revival into our lives and churches. Lead me to enter into the true meaning of Sabbath rest and cause us to seek you and forsake our wicked ways and turn to you with our whole hearts. Have mercy on us and pardon us.