Understanding and Truth revealed

Hope deferred is hopelessness.

2011-07-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hope brings all things together. No hope, no faith it is impossible to please God.

Hope deferred is hopelessness. My mission and vision for the future is to promote the knowledge and understanding of HOPE.

1 Corth. 13 Is the love chapter of the word of God. Faith, Hope and Love, the greatest is Love.

As you can see Hope stands right in the middle of Faith and Love. There is a president in the Bible that the first shall be last and the last first, so in rank of importance love is first, Hope is middle and Faith is last in terms of importance.

Hope is the least talked about ….anywhere. Google the 3 and Faith referrers to Hope and Love referrers to hope but what does hope referrer to.

Hope

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article's tone or style may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (March 2009)

Spes or "Hope"; engraving by Sebald Beham, German c1540

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. ^[1] Hopefulness is somewhat different from optimism in that hope is an emotional state, whereas optimism is a conclusion reached through a deliberate thought pattern that leads to a positive attitude.

When used in a religious context, hope carries a connotation of being aware of what Christians see as spiritual "truth"; see Hope (virtue). In Christian theology, hope is one of the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity), which are spiritual gifts of God. In contrast to the above, it is not a physical emotion but a spiritual grace. Hope is distinct from positive thinking, which refers to a therapeutic or systematic process used in psychology for reversing pessimism. The term false hope refers to a hope based entirely around a fantasy or an extremely unlikely outcome.

In some religious contexts hope changes from being a verb to a noun. For instance, when Christians say they have hope in God they are not saying they hope God will give them good things and make their lives happier but that God is in fact, their hope.

Hope

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Hope, in its widest acceptation, is described as the desire of something together with the expectation of obtaining it. The Scholastics say that it is a movement of the appetite towards a future good, which though hard to attain is possible of attainment. Consideration of this state of soul is limited in this article to its aspect as a factor in the supernatural order. Looked at in this way it is defined to be a Divine virtue by which we confidently expect, with God's help, to reach eternal felicity as well as to have at our disposal the means of securing it. It is said to be Divine not merely because its immediate object is God, but also because of the special manner of its origin. Hope, such as we are here contemplating, is an infused virtue; ie., it is not, like good habits in general, the outcome of repeated acts or the product of our own industry. Like supernatural faith and charity it is directly implanted in the soul by Almighty God. Both in itself and in the scope of its operation it outstrips the limits of the created order, and is to be had if at all only through the direct largess of the Creator. The capacity which it confers is not only the strengthening of an existing power, but rather the elevation, the transforming of a faculty for the performance of functions essentially outside its natural sphere of activity. All of this is intelligible only on the basis, which we take for granted, that there is such a thing as the supernatural order, and that the only realizable ultimate destiny of man in the present providence of God lies in that order.

Hope is termed a theological virtue because its immediate object is God, as is true of the other two essentially infused virtues, faith and charity. St. Thomas acutely says that the theological virtues are so called "because they have God for their object, both in so far as by them we are properly directed to Him, and because they are infused into our souls by God alone, as also, finally, because we come to know of them only by Divine revelation in the Sacred Scriptures". Theologians enlarge upon this idea by saying that Almighty God is both the material and the formal object of hope. He is the material object because He is that which is chiefly, though not solely, aimed at when we elicit acts of this virtue- ie., whatever else is looked for is only desired in so far as it bears a relation to Him. Hence according to the generally followed teaching, not only supernatural helps, particularly such as are necessary for our salvation, but also things in the temporal order, inasmuch as they can be means to reach the supreme end of human life, may be the material objects of supernatural hope. It is worthwhile noting here that in a strict construction of the term we cannot properly hope for eternal life for someone other than ourselves. The reason is that it is of the nature of hope to desire and expect something apprehended precisely as the good or happiness of the one who hopes (bonum proprium). In a qualified sense, however, that is so far as love may have united us with others, we may hope for others as well as for ourselves.

By the formal object of hope we understand the motive or motives which lead us to entertain a confident expectation of a happy issue to our efforts in the matter of eternal salvation notwithstanding the difficulties which beset our path. Theologians are not of one mind in determining what is to be assigned as the sufficient reason of supernatural hope. Mazzella (De Virtutibus Infusis, disp. v, art. 2), whose judgment has the merit of simplicity as well as that of adequate analysis, finds the foundation of our hope in two things. It is based, according to him, on our apprehension of God as our supreme supernatural good Whose communication in the beatific vision is to make us happy for all eternity, and also on those Divine attributes such as omnipotence, mercy and fidelity, which unite to exhibit God as our unfailing helper. These considerations, he thinks, motive our wills or furnish the answer to the question why we hope. Of course it is taken for granted that the yearning for God, not simply because of His own infinite perfections but explicitly because He is to be our reward, is a righteous temper of soul, otherwise the spiritual attitude of hope in which such a longing is included would not be a virtue at all. Luther and Calvin were at one in insisting that only the product of the perfect love of God, ie. the love of God for His own sake, was to be regarded as morally good. Consequently they rejected as sinful whatever was done only through consideration of eternal reward or, in other words, through that love of God which the Scholastics call "amor concupiscentiae". The Council of Trent (Sess. vi, can. 31) stigmatized these errors as heresy: "If anyone says that a justified person sins when such a one does what is right through hope of eternal reward, let him be anathema". In spite of this unequivocal pronouncement of the council, Baius, the celebrated Louvain theologian, substantially reiterated the false doctrine of the Reformers on this point. His teaching on the matter was formulated in the thirty-eighth proposition extracted from his works, and was condemned by St. Pius V. According to him there is no true act of virtue except what is elicited by charity, and as all love is either of God or His creatures, all love which is not the love of God for His own sake, ie. for His own infinite perfections, is depraved cupidity and a sin. Of course in such a theory there could not properly speaking be any place for the virtue of hope as we understand it. It is easy also to see how it fits in with the initial Protestant position of identifying faith and confidence and thus making hope rather an act of the intellect than of the will. For if we may not hope, in the Catholic sense, for blessedness, the only substitute available seems to be belief in the Divine mercy and promises.

It is a truth constantly acted upon in Catholic life and no less explicitly taught, that hope is necessary to salvation. It is necessary first of all as an indispensible means (necessitate medii) of attaining salvation, so that no one can enter upon eternal bliss without it. Hence even infants, though they cannot have elicited the act, must have had the habit of hope infused in Baptism. Faith is said to be "the substance of things hoped for" (Hebrews 2:1), and without it "it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). Obviously, therefore, hope is required for salvation with the same absolute necessity as faith. Moreover, hope is necessary because it is prescribed by law, the natural law which, in the hypothesis that we are destined for a supernatural end, obliges us to use the means suited to that end. Further, it is prescribed by the positive Divine law, as, for instance, in the first Epistle of St. Peter, i, 13: "Trust perfectly in the grace which is offered you in the revelation of Jesus Christ".

There is both a negative and a positive precept of hope. The negative precept is in force ever and always. Hence there can never be a contingency in which one may lawfully despair or presume. The positive precept enjoining the exercise of the virtue of hope demands fulfilment sometimes, because one has to discharge certain Christian duties which involve an act of this supernatural confidence, such as prayer, penance, and the like. Its obligation is then said, in the language of the schools, to be per accidens. On the other hand, there are times when it is binding without any such spur, because of its own intrinsic importance, or per se. How often this is so in the lifetime of a Christian, is not susceptible of exact determination, but that it is so is quite clear from the tenor of a proposition condemned by Alexander VII: "Man is at no time during his life bound to elicit an act of faith, hope and charity as a consequence of Divine precepts appertaining to these virtues". It is, however, perhaps not superfluous to note that the explicit act of hope is not exacted. The average good Christian, who is solicitous about living up to his beliefs, implicitly satisfies the duty imposed by the precept of hope.

The doctrine herein set forth as to the necessity of Christian hope was impugned in the seventeenth century by the curious mixture of fanatical mysticism and false spirituality called Quietism. This singular array of errors was given to the world by a Spanish priest named Miguel Molinos. He taught that to arrive at the state of perfection it was essential to lay aside all self-love to such an extent that one became indifferent as to one's own progress, salvation, or damnation. The condition of soul to be aimed at was one of absolute quiet brought about by the absence of every sort of desire or anything that could be construed as such. Hence, to quote the words of the seventh of the condemned propositions taken from Molinos's Spiritual Guide, "the soul must not occupy itself with any thought whether of reward or punishment, heaven or hell, death or eternity". As a result one ought not to entertain any hope as to one's salvation; for that, as a manifestation of selfwill, implies imperfection. For the same reason petitions to Almighty God about anything whatever are quite out of place. No resistance, except of a purely negative sort, should be offered to temptations, and an entirely passive attitude should be fostered in every respect. In the year 1687 Innocent XII condemned sixty-eight propositions embodying this extraordinary doctrine as heretical, blasphemous, scandalous, etc. He likewise consigned the author to perpetual confinement in a monastery, where, having previously abjured his errors, he died in the year 1696. About the same time a species of pseudomysticism, largely identical with that of Molinos, but omitting the objectionable conclusions, was defended by Madame Guyon. It even found an advocate in Fénelon who engaged in a controversy with Bossuet on the subject. Ultimately twenty-three propositions drawn from Fénelon's Explanation of the maxims of the Saints on the interior life were proscribed by Innocent XII. The gist of the teaching, so far as we are concerned, was that there is in this life a state of perfection with which it is impossible to reconcile any love of God except that which is absolutely disinterested, which therefore does not contemplate possession of God as our reward. It would follow that the act of hope is incompatible with such a state, since it postulates precisely a desire for God, not only because He is good in Himself, but also and formally because He is our adequate and final good. Hope is less perfect than charity, but that admission does not involve a moral deformity of any kind, still less is it true that we can or ought to pass our lives in a quasi uninterrupted act of pure love of God. As a matter of fact, there is no such state anywhere identifiable, and if there were it would not be inconsistent with Christian hope.

The question as to the necessity of hope is followed with some natural sequence by the inquiry as to its certitude. Manifestly, if hope be absolutely required as a means to salvation, there is an antecedent presumption that its use must in some sense be accompanied by certainty. It is clear that, as certitude is properly speaking a predicate of the intellect, it is only in a derived sense, or as St. Thomas says participative, that we can speak of hope, which is largely a matter of the will, as being certain. In other words, hope, whose office is to elevate and strengthen our wills, is said to share the certitude of faith, whose abiding place is our intellects. For our purpose it is of importance to recall what it is that, being apprehended by our intellect, is said to do service as the foundation of Christian hope. This has already been determined to be the concept of God as our helper gathered from reflecting on His goodness, mercy, omnipotence, and fidelity to His promises. In a subordinate sense our hope is built upon our own merits, as the eternal reward is not forthcoming except to those who shall have employed their free will to co-operate with the aids afforded by God's bounty. Now there is a threefold certitude discernible.

A thing is said to be certain conditionally when, another thing being given, the first infallibly follows. Supernatural hope is evidently certain in this way, because, granted that a man does all that is required to save his soul, he is sure to attain to eternal life. This is guaranteed by the infinite power and goodness and fidelity of God
There is a certainty proper to virtues in general in so far as they are principles of action. Thus for instance a really temperate man may be counted on to be uniformly sober. Hope being a virtue may claim this moral certainty inasmuch as it constantly and after an established method encourages us to look for eternal blessedness to be had by the Divine munificence and as the crown of our own merits accumulated through grace.
Finally, a thing is certain absolutely, ie., not conditionally upon the verification of some other thing, but quite independently of any such event. In this case no room for doubt is left. Is hope certain in this meaning of the word? So far as the secondary material object of hope is concerned, ie. those graces which are at least remotely adequate for salvation, we can be entirely confident that these are most certainly provided. As to the primary material object of hope namely, the face-to-face vision of God, the Catholic doctrine, as set forth in the sixth session of the Council of Trent, is that our hope is unqualifiedly certain if we consider only the Divine attributes, which are its support, and which cannot fail. If, however, we limit our attention to the sum total of salutary operation which we contribute and upon which we also lean as upon the reason of our expectation, then, prescinding from the case of an individual revelation, hope is to be pronounced uncertain. This is plainly for the reason that we cannot in advance insure ourselves against the weakness or the malice of our free wills.

This doctrine is in direct antagonism to the initial Protestant contention that we can and must be altogether certain of our salvation. The only thing required for this end, according to the teaching of the Reformers, was the special faith or confidence in the promises which alone, without good works, justified a man. Hence, even though there were no good works distinguishable in a person's earthly career, such a one might and ought, notwithstanding, cherish a firm hope, provided only that he did not cease to believe.

Assuming that the seat of hope is our will, we may ask whether, having been once infused, it can ever be lost. The answer is that it can be destroyed, both by the perpetration of the sin of despair, which is its formal opposite, and by the subtraction of the habit of faith, which assigns the motives for it. It is not so clear that the sin of presumption expels the supernatural virtue of hope, although of course it cannot coexist with the act. We need not be detained with the inquiry whether a man could continue to hope if his eternal damnation had been revealed to him. Theologians are agreed in regarding such a revelation as practically, if not absolutely, impossible. If, by an all but clearly absurd hypothesis, we suppose Almighty God to have revealed to anyone in advance that he was surely to be lost, such a person obviously could no longer hope. Do the souls in Purgatory hope? It is the commonly held opinion that, as they have not yet been admitted to the intuitive vision of God, and as there is nothing otherwise in their condition which is at variance with the concept of this virtue, they have the habit and elicit the act of hope. As to the damned, the concordant judgment is that, as they have been deprived of every other supernatural gift, so also knowing well the perpetuity of their reprobation, they can no longer hope. With reference to the blessed in heaven, St. Thomas holds that, possessing what they have striven for, they can no longer be said to have the theological virtue of hope. The words of St. Paul (Romans 8:24) are to the point: "For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen, is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he hope for?" They can still desire the glory which is to be proper to their risen bodies and also by reason of the bonds of charity, they can wish for the salvation of others, but this is not, properly speaking, hope. The human Soul of Christ furnishes an example. Because of the hypostatic union It was already enjoying the beatific vision. At the same time, because of the passible nature with which He had clothed Himself, He was in the state of pilgrimage (in statu viatoris), and hence He could look forward with longing to His assumption of the qualities of the glorified body. This however was not hope, because hope has as its main object union with God in heaven.

hope

Entries 1 to 10 of 11.

1. ¹hope (verb)

2. ²hope (noun)

3. HOPE

4. Hope

5. Hope

6. Hope

7. forlorn hope

8. hope chest

9. white hope

10. Cape of Good Hope

Main Entry:

¹hope

Pronunciation:

\ˈhōp\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

hoped; hop·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English hopian; akin to Middle High German hoffen to hope

Date:

before 12th century

intransitive verb1: to cherish a desire with anticipation <hopes for a promotion>2archaic : trusttransitive verb1: to desire with expectation of obtainment2: to expect with confidence : trust

synonyms see expect

— hop·er noun

— hope against hope

: to hope without any basis for expecting fulfillment

Physician-reviewed articles on hope on Healthline.
1. Group therapy : Instillation of hope (1 image)
All patients come into therapy hoping to decrease their s...

Learn more about "hope" and related topics at Britannica.com

See a map of "hope" in the Visual Thesaurus

We define hope as an orientation to a positive future that engages our heads, hearts and hands.

Hope resides in the golden mean, the way of reasonableness and wisdom between extremes.

Each of hope's five principles-possibility, agency, worth, openness, and connection-is most powerful when in a position between excess and deficiency. Hope aims at moderation in thought, feeling and action.

We apply the principles of hope to understand where and to what degree hope resides-and to arrive at solutions for real issues faced by leaders and the organizations they serve.

Possibility

Hope is a passion for the possible.
Soren Kirkegaard

Hope is born in possibility.
The principle of possibility speaks to reach.
To be hopeful, my goals must both stretch me and be feasible. Possibility promises growth and development and progress, while honoring our need to feel capable and powerful in the present.

Agency

Hope can flourish only when you believe that what you do can make a difference, that your actions can bring a future different from the present.
Jerome Groopman

Hope is energized by agency.
The principle of agency speaks to resources, both within and without.
To be hopeful, I must have a way to make a difference. Agency is the difference between passive bystanders and those who are active agents for progress. Agency is the principle of personal responsibility and ownership.

Worth

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
Theodore Roosevelt

Hope is inspired by worth.
The principle of worth speaks to relevance.
To be hopeful, I must know that what I do matters. We save our hopes for those endeavors that are meaningful. They are worthwhile to me as an individual, to my organization, and to my customers. At the far end of the spectrum, the principle of worth takes us out to do something of lasting value for our communities and the world.

Openness

Hoping does not mean to have a number of hopes at one's disposal. It means, rather, hoping to be open.
Jurgen Moltmann

Hope is informed by openness.
The principle of openness speaks to receptivity.
To be hopeful, I must feel free to learn, to take risks, to explore the unknown, and to challenge sacred cows. Openness thrives in an environment of truth and transparency. Linguistically, the word open is the ancestor of up, as in raising a lid or a cover. It means not being closed to diverse perspectives, and not letting our ingrained assumptions blind us from discovery.

Connection

Hope is born while facing the unknown and discovering that one is not alone.
Andre Lacocque and Pierre-Emmanuel Lacocque

Hope is realized in connection.
The principle of connection speaks to relationship.
To be hopeful I must be connected in meaningful and authentic ways to both my community and to reality. The principle of connection harmonizes hope's principles. In hopeful connection people are grounded in who they are, they know where they've come from, and they're striving to get where they've chosen to go together.

Five Questions That Corporate Directors Should Ask

2011-03-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

Five Questions That Corporate Directors Should Ask

by Larry Colero, Crossroads Programs Inc.

One of the most lethal threats to any organization is misconduct within its own walls. We need only consider the sudden demise of Enron Corporation or Barings Bank – both fatally wounded by their own officers. Lack of attention to ethics can be a corporation’s Achilles’ heel, with the potential for a single employee to topple even large well-established companies. Adding to the threat, advanced technology gives individuals more power, raises the stakes and speeds up the action.

This is why there’s no reassurance in stating that recent scandals like Enron, Xerox or WorldCom are aberrations rather than reflections of a systemic problem. Whether or not the majority of companies actually have these problems, they are all highly vulnerable under the wrong circumstances.

This paper presents five questions any board member can ask to begin a dialogue that will mitigate the risks presented by principle-agent relationships in larger organizations. But before we get to the actual questions, let’s consider why they need to be asked.

Why does this concern the board?

Directors are essentially ‘guardians’ of a firm, charged with overseeing management to ensure that a firm’s business is conducted with a sound strategy and prudence. More than just maximizing return on investment, good governance demands that directors do everything in their power to protect shareholders’ assets.

Assuring the management of ethics is an important function of the board for the following reasons:

	The board is ultimately accountable for corruption or impropriety in a company. Chairs have been asked to resign as a result of staff indiscretions. Some have been fined or imprisoned for their complicity in approving policies that encouraged misconduct.
	Research indicates that corporate systems (e.g., incentive systems, hierarchies, and so on) often breed misconduct. Messages implied by the board’s decisions on resource allocation, performance targets or promotions will always trump official statements of ethical values.
	Generally, staff know more than auditors about what is really going on. Yet most corporate whistle-blowers are given little or no protection if they choose to challenge dishonest management. For this and other good reasons, it’s unlikely that a staff member would ever approach the board directly with an ethical concern about senior management, compromising the board’s ability to ‘supervise’ management.
	Many CEOs complain that they are prevented from managing ethics because of other business pressures. The board is in a key position to influence these ‘pressures.’

As a steward of the company’s interests, the board should insist upon the establishment of systems and structures designed to reduce ‘agency risks’ and nip problems in the bud.

Why isn't ethics management part of a typical board agenda?

Ethical risks can be difficult to discuss, since they tend to be nebulous and somewhat theoretical (…until someone’s hand is caught in the till). A well-intentioned discussion of ethics can quickly be reduced to platitudes and moralizing by those who are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the subject. This is an effective way to shut down dialogue and avoid taking action.

For example, a CEO assures the board that the firm’s business is conducted “with the highest standard of integrity.” Sounds good, but what exactly does that mean? And how can a director question the meaning of such a lofty statement without insulting the CEO?

No matter how trustworthy, ethical or well-intentioned your CEO may be, it is naive and bordering on negligent to accept their word at face value when they tell you that the company’s ethics are in good shape. Directors have a responsibility to pursue corporate ethics ‘below the surface.’ A reasonable CEO should understand this.

Yet even the best will misconstrue enquiries as a personal affront. Take for example a highly moral and trustworthy executive. They may well respond to the question defensively, instinctively declaring it a non-issue and giving full assurance that they and their management team are above reproach. In this case, that’s true. The problem is that a lying, cheating, thieving executive would respond exactly the same way! After all, con artists are experts at generating confidence.

Clearly there’s a need to pursue ethics beyond verbal assurances. But how can a board do this in a meaningful way without looking suspicious, or meddling in the day-to-day affairs of the business? There are various mechanisms such as internal or external auditors, risk management committees, and so on. Each has its benefits and inadequacies.

For the individual board member, it’s a question of diplomatic assertiveness. As with other topics at the board table, directors should start by asking a few open-ended questions and continue asking until they are satisfied with the answers.

With regard to ethics management, try the following questions as starters:

Question #1:
What is our company’s strategy to manage ethics?

Can someone describe the company’s approach to ethics other than in broad philosophical terms? Where does ethics fit into the overall strategy? What are the moral implications of other strategic initiatives? (For example, incentive programs frequently provide motives for misconduct, and may need to be revised or balanced.) Was ethics management discussed at the last board retreat or strategic planning session?

What systems are currently in place to foster and monitor ethical behaviour? How effective are they? Is there any documentation to back up implementation? What are the company’s objectives for the coming year(s) with regard to ethics management?

Question #2:
Who is responsible for ethics in our company?

The answer “everyone,” while literally true, is not satisfactory. Unless your company is one of the few with a designated ethics officer, the accountability for managing ethics can bounce back and forth across disciplines and up and down the hierarchy of most companies like a hot potato, never landing anywhere.

In many companies the responsibility for ethics management is delegated to board committees, Human Resource or Compliance functions. Larger, more sophisticated firms appoint Ethics Officers. It helps to have a central focus for ethics that is clearly accountable and well known in the organization.

Question #3:
Are people in our firm equipped to recognize and resolve moral dilemmas?

Can the employees recognize ethical issues as they arise? An ethical problem can’t be resolved unless it’s first acknowledged as a dilemma. Ethical issues can build slowly like the ‘thin edge of a wedge’ or pass by so quickly that they are only seen in hindsight. What guidance does your company provide for employees who face ethical dilemmas?

As well, employees come from diverse cultural backgrounds, each with their own moral standards. (For a multicultural ‘dilemma detector’ see the paper A Framework for Universal Principles of Ethics.) Do your people need help understanding the company’s moral expectations? Is there a code? Training? Ethics advisory service?

Question #4:
Are people in our organization provided with a safe opportunity to discuss ethical issues of concern?

A 1992 survey of over 4,000 U.S. workers found nearly one third felt pressured by their companies to violate official policies in order to achieve business success. Another third said that they had witnessed violations of ethics policies (such as stealing, lying to supervisors and falsifying records) but only half of these were willing to ‘blow the whistle.’ Conspiracies of silence place a company at significant risk, yet they are surprisingly commonplace and reasonably predictable.

Boards need to be satisfied that an effective reporting mechanism is in place to hold management and staff accountable, and bring wrongdoing to light before too much damage is done. What policies and systems are in place to protect ‘whistle blowers’? Does your company have an Ombudsman, an Ethics Officer, or a Hot Line? (Human Resource departments don’t count, and neither do so-called ‘open door’ policies or ‘progressive managers.’ It has to be safer than that, and less subject to hierarchical influence.)

Question #5:
Do we reward or punish ethical integrity and moral courage if it has a negative impact on the bottom line?

A 1990 study by Columbia University found that nearly half of 1,000 business executives surveyed admitted being rewarded for taking action on the job that they considered unethical. One in three reported that refusing to take unethical action resulted in penalties.

An overemphasis on immediate gains can cascade down the organization, sending a strongly implied message to staff that cutting corners and generating cash flow supercedes all other objectives, including personal integrity. Conveyed through subtle means, this message will always carry more weight than official proclamations of values, codes of ethics, and so on.

Consider what happens to someone in your firm when they stand up for ethical principles against the pressure of other business objectives. Are they punished or praised? If they're praised, is there also some tangible reward? (Ask your CEO for some examples.) How do the rewards compare to the possible incentives for unethical action? Compare a situation where someone cut ethical corners to make money, to another situation where an ethical principle was upheld at a significant bottom-line cost. How did each play out?

Conclusion

It is comforting but dangerous to assume that there are adequate internal mechanisms to prevent, detect and report unethical conduct, or that moral assertions from the executive team need not be challenged.

To be proactive, corporate directors need to minimize a company’s ethical liabilities and maximize its ethical assets by:

	recognizing the company’s need to manage corporate ethics, and the dangers of taking it for granted
	supporting management to prevent or protect against unethical activities
	developing strategies to raise the ethical standard in the organization and build trust as a competitive advantage.

This document may be printed/downloaded for your own use, but specific permission is required before distributing it to others. For more information about Crossroads Programs Inc., or to provide feedback on this article, contact the author by clicking on Crossroads' logo below.

Four voices within you

2010-08-15T03:03:00.000-07:00

Four voices within you

by Ron Beyer

There is within all of us the voice’s we hear and most have many ideas of what they are, where they come from and how to understand where they come from.

The inner voices are: your 1. Flesh (soul) your mind, will and emotions. 2. Your spirit. 3. The Holy Spirit. 4. Satan

1. Your Brain (soul) is your flesh.. It is not going to live forever.. It will die with your body. Your soul is the central control center for your body. Your soul or brain reacts to what your five senses tell it. Your soul is what you sound like when you speak. It is your brain telling your vocal cords what to do. And it is your brain that processes what you hear..

Your spirit, The Holy Spirit and satin all are processed by your brain.

2. Your Spirit. This is the real you. This is “the you” that is born again. This is the new creation within you. When you hear your conscience, you are hearing the voice of your spirit. Your spirit seeks after truth. And your spirit responds to everything that is good and hates everything that is evil. You can know who you listen to with the choices you make. Your Spirit will always let you know what the choices are. Your brain will only react to what is good for the flesh.

When your spirit, or inner man talks to your brain, guess who your spirit sounds like… yes…you, because it is processed through your brain. Your spirit man will not use fear, guilt or intimidation to get what it wants.. It responds and delivers in love. Fear, guilt and intimidation is a fruit of the flesh.. Faith, hope and love are a result of the Spirit.

3. The Holy Spirit of God. John 14:26 says that Jesus sent him in his place to bring peace and to teach and bring remembrance as to all things He has said and taught.

The Holy Spirit talks directly to your spirit.. When God and the Holy Spirit want to really get your attention, He, the Holy Spirit within directly get your brain out of the picture by short circuiting the connection between your spirit and your brain.. This is what is referred to as being “slain in the Spirit”.

When the Holy Spirits speaks to your spirit.. again this is processed by your brain and guess who the Holy Spirit sounds like.. right.. Yourself…and most of the time it is in the language that we know--the Holy Spirit and your spirit becomes one and with His teaching you learn the truth and the truth will set you free.

Jesus said that he had come (John 10:10) to bring life and more abundantly, while the thief comes but to kill, steal and destroy.

The Holy Spirit can only respond and say what the Word of God is and says. Therefore it is very important to read the Word of God so that you know when the Holy Spirit is talking to you and this is in a still small voice. The Holy Spirit does not use fear, guilt or intimidation. He is love and is full of mercy and grace and only judges by the word of God.

The voice of the Holy Spirit is the most easy to recognize and is confirmed by the Word of God.

Then the last voice.. Satan. Satan is the thief; he is a liar and cannot tell the truth. He will misquote scripture and twist it. He will use fear, guilt and intimidation to confuse you from knowing the truth.

He will emotionally abuse you. He only speaks through your brain and your flesh.. He cannot read your thoughts… he guesses…but he can read your signs… Satan is revealed by your knowing the word. Knowing that he uses fear, guilt and intimidation to accomplish what he wants.

Satan’s voice will sound just like you, because everything is processed by your brain. Satan has access to you through your five senses. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting

So the 4 voices are YOU, YOUR SPIRIT, THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SATAN.

If you are to live a wonderful, victorious, fear, guilt and intimidation free life, you must learn how to recognize these 4 voices otherwise you will be in a state of confusion, which is where one is that doesn’t know which “Truth” to believe. Confusion is the place between deception and the truth.

When you know the truth the truth will set you free.

Ron Beyer

Rjbeyer7@live.com

The Kingdom Suffers Violence!

2010-08-15T02:57:00.000-07:00

Mora Moments

More in the Word ... A perspective of our gracious God!

HomeAboutSubscribe to feed.The Kingdom Suffers Violence!

January 23, 2007

The Kingdom suffers….

Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.

Job 2:6 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.

The Lord told satan, you may go only so far and no further.

Say: This far and no more!

Job 2:6 9 don’t touch his life.

The NIV You must spare his life.

The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence!

Violence refers to intensity.

Violence refers to Spiritual Warfare.

Intensity requires to persevere in following God.

In trusting God.

In obeying God.

In depending on God, and his word.

We need to understand and see that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, with in you!

Joh 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

Joh 3:2 the same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!

We are born again and Gods Spirit is with in us.

Power is in us!

1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world

Greater is he that is in you!

The Son of God.

The Kingdom of God.

Gods Spirit.

Again the Kingdom of God is with in you.

We have all of God.

So if the Kingdom of God is with in you, then the power or the Kingdom of darness, satan is on the outside of you, trying to get in.

Whats happening on the outside, trying to get in?

War

Violence

Suffering

Body

Soul

Spirit

Why is there a great war going on?

The distraction.

Distractions of Pain that would hinder the Christian believer from.

Praise and Worship.

Peace.

Joy.

Freedom.

The presence of God and his Glory, all this is taking place on the inside the Body soul inward moving of the power of God.

Let me ask you a question?

Is there a power of violence that is going on, in your life?

Violence that can take the kingdom of heaven in you by force?

You say?

We are saved.

We are the children of God.

Yes and Yes!

A person could be suffering in their body, or in the leg, or in the head, or in the shoulder, etc.

Here we see that the kingdom of God is suffering Violence, because they have pain, difficulty in their body.

What happens then is that the pain takes captive in the Mind.

The Mind is a Highest place (enthroned position) that does to the heart.

Enthroned position:

We need to treat the situation, the pain, as an enemy, as the power of satan coming against the kingdom of God.

we must say by the power of God!

I command you ( ? ) in Jesus name, come out , let loose be healed etc.

Right now put your hand upon were it hurts, your body or the person who is going through something.

You can do that!!

Remember greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

or greater is he than any power of satan that tries to come against you or around you.

Gods power is greater than the power that is binding you or your loved one.

I’m here to say its time to take a new step!

Mat 8:17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.

Psa 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction; For thy word hath quickened me.

Remember we are in Christ and the Gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Mat 16:18 And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Mat 16:19 I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Are you suffering?

Take it by force in Jesus name Amen!

Mora Moments

More in the Word … A perspective of our gracious God!

Need Prayer Email: InHisPowerOnly@aol.com

Christianity Rediscovered: KP#0 Kingdom Laws & Principles

2010-08-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Christianity Rediscovered: KP#0 Kingdom Laws & Principles

The confermation of these 12 Steps are in the post ( When Heaven invades earth)

2010-08-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

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TWELVE TIPS:

HOW TO INCREASE THE ODDS

OF HAVING A "PERFECT" LIFE

By Ron Beyer

The future is uncertain, of that I'm certain! But what if there was a way to increase the odds that "it's all happening perfectly." The good news is that I do believe that there is a way to increase those odds...and that is to learn how to use the infinite wisdom of the Holy Spirit and our spirit mind. There is no doubt in my mind that your spirit is an incredibly powerful and under-utilized part of ourselves that is able to "see" things that our eyes cannot see and to "know" things that our thinking mind cannot know.

Many believe that the spirit mind contains information that simply has been collected, consciously or unconsciously, and stored subliminally by the individual to be brought into consciousness at an appropriate time. But others, including myself, believe it is something more spiritual than that. My own life is and was amazingly transformed when I listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

As I experience it, The Holy Spirit seems to be an inner wisdom that has an inside "scoop" on what is happening in the outer world. He (the Holy Spirit) acts like a scout who has gone ahead, has seen the future, and can come back and tell us where to go. As a result, Holy Spirit can lead us to where we need to go for a richer, fuller, more meaningful and exciting life. Whether you believe in The Holy Spirit or not, I suggest you be a bit adventurous and give Him a try. You never know where He will lead you...which is the magic of the spirit mind. Here are twelve tips to get you started in what I call "tuning into heaven and the world":

1) Focus on Your Highest Good: Notice that your spirit, though the Holy Spirit, doesn't lead you necessarily where your conscious mind thinks it SHOULD go; it leads you to what is for your Highest Good...to what will serve you best in your journey through life. Keep reminding yourself, "It's all happening perfectly!"

2) Create "Intention": I liken the Holy Spirit and our spirit to "radio waves." The Holy Spirit sets energy in motion, sends it out into the Universe, and makes incredible connections. The Holy Spirit and our spirit are powerful tools in creating a meaningful and beautiful life.

3) Ask "Wide" Questions: What is a "wide" question? Ask The Holy Spirit/spiritual mind, "Where would you have me go?" "What would you have me do?" "What would you have me say, and to whom?" Turn these questions over to your subconscious mind. Once you turn the questions over to your subconscious mind, you can relax and stop thinking about the situation and simply "allow" the answers to appear.

4) Get Out of Your Own Way: When I know I will be faced with having to make any decision, instead of lamenting, "What should I do?", I ask myself a much more peaceful question, "I wonder what The Holy Spirit is going to do?" And I relax and trust that I will be led by the wisdom within me.(Jn 14:26) I then put the issue out of my mind. Later, I watch myself "living into", or “walking into” the answer.

5) Listen to the Whispers: Catch the thoughts that the Holy Spirit whispers in your brain. So many amazing connections have been made when I listened to the whispers in my brain…even if logically they made no sense.

Also, it is important to listen to cues you are given by The Holy spirit.

6) Take Action on these Holy Spirit Thoughts: Sometimes you may just get the "urge" to call a friend or a business contact, or buy a book that falls off the shelf, or whatever. That urge is you’re your spirit speaking. Take action.

7) Learn the Value of Procrastination: When you don't really know what to do, it may be wise to do nothing for a while. Wait for your spirit to hear from the Holy spirit to make the decision for you.

8) Don't Try Too Hard to Find the Answers: If we try too hard to do anything, we get in our own way. "Trying too hard" and "flow" simply don't go together. Instead, turn your trust over to your subconscious or spirit mind with the "knowing" that the answer will come by the Holy Spirit.

9) Don't Analyze: It is important not to analyze the messages we get. Act purely on an inner trust. If you are a bit skeptical as to whether The Holy Spirit actually exists, then act simply out of curiosity...out of wonder. "I wonder where this thought is leading me." While our rational mind may not have accurate information, there seems to be a part of us that does. That's the part that is in touch with higher and wider(power)aspects of the world…much higher and wider than the analytical mind can go. Eph 3:20

10) Expand Your Energy: Our task is to keep expanding our energy so that we can tune into all that we need to know. One way I love to do this is to close my eyes and imagine myself breathing in the Light (GOD) from the Universe until I am totally filled with light (God). I perceive this as my connection with a Higher source (God through Jesus). I then practice transmitting this loving Light to the world around me so that I can, in some way, be a healing force in the world.

11) Be Flexible and Fluid: Getting rid of your rigidity helps you see wider and higher (Eph 3:20). If you are obsessed that things have to be a certain way, you don't see the doors opening up all around you.

12) Practice. Practice. Practice: Experiment with little things. It requires some patience in the beginning. Also, you have to get beyond your habitual way of thinking in order to enter the world of The Holy Spirit. And habits are hard to change. So practice, practice, practice and have fun with that wonderful spirit mind of yours and listening and being lead by the Holy Spirit. Jn 14:26

I've just scratched the surface.. I realize that you may still be one of those who believe that "If you can't see it, it doesn't exist." I suggest that even if you are skeptical, it would serve you well to experiment with it. As you explore, you will discover that, yes, the rational mind is important, but in the end, the spirit or "gut" has to have the final say. To be sure, The Holy Spirit and our spirit has a much greater, more intelligent, and certainly more enlightened view of the world...and beyond (Heaven). We just have to psychically plug ourselves into the infinite amount of energy that exists within and around us. I have discovered it is so staggeringly large that it sometimes takes my breath away!

Respectfully,

Ron Beyer Billings, Mt

When Heaven Invades Earth ( a book of understanding and truth)

2010-08-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

The following is an E-mail I sent a friend yesterday about the Book "When Heave Invades Earth"

Hey, Yesterday, I was just given this book by my Aunt and Uncle as they were headed back to California from a trip to Wisconsin. More of them later. It was because they were lead by the Spirit of God to come by and give this to me. Amazingly I just finished up on the “how to increase the odds”… just 2 days ago.

I am half way through it, it is very hard to put down.. So far it confirms everything I have been experiencing and taught. It is a confirmation of what the Holy Spirit has been trying to accomplish in me for a long time.

You have heard bits and pieces from me but after reading this book I have a new found confidence.

Just one example: Sickness is to the body….like sin is to the soul…. Now let that sink into you spirit. We get rid of sickness just like we get rid of sin… by faith…

There is no way that you are not going to be healed.

Ron

When Heaven Invades Earth - Miracles Galore After I Read This

By JT Thomas

Article Word Count: 473 [View Summary] Comments (0)

I would like to endorse Bill Johnson's book called "When Heaven Invades Earth". It is a timely message for our generation. It reveals the ways of the Kingdom of God and the availability of God's power in the 'now'. "When Heaven Invades Earth" is not just another book full of information. It literally carries the anointing and breath of Christ to transform you. While reading this book, I saw an instant increase in my life with reference to the miraculous and manifestations of the Spirit of God. During my few days of reading this book, I actually began to see the kingdom in a totally different light.

This book shines light on the reality of the Kingdom that is HERE with us now, not just some distant, future destination, but a living and real PRESENT kingdom. One day a young man knocked on my door, and he was trying to sell magazines. He had a broken hand. I asked him if I could pray for his hand. He said yes, but didn't really know what I was doing. I literally felt the bones start to move under my hand as I prayed and declared that the kingdom of God is here through Jesus. He said his hand was tingling and he felt different. He unwrapped his cast, and started moving his hand in a way that he previously could not. He was amazed. He also repented and came back to Jesus, and got filled with the Holy Spirit. He said he felt that his body was burning all over.

Jesus is awesome! I told him that was the fire of God! Through, "When Heaven Invades Earth", I got a greater understanding of my identity in Jesus. This book teaches that we do not have to strive for the miraculous, but that the kingdom of God is already in us. We just have to repent and open our eyes to it's culture. It is one of love, peace, and joy. God desires what is in heaven to be upon the earth. We are the agents that God uses to release and deliver his Kingdom and revelation of the King to hurting humanity.

One of the most awesome things I learned in this book is about the life of God's Word. Any teaching or revelation of the Bible must lead us to a personal encounter with Jesus. If it does not, it only serves to make us more religious and better educated to debate with others. Jesus must be the goal. Jesus must be the priority. Jesus must be encountered. We can declare God's Word until He becomes what we encounter. We can begin to teach God's Word and teach people into an encounter with Jesus. Let God's kingdom come in your life! This is my testimony of how "When Heaven Invades Earth helped me!

Ron Beyer

cell: 406-670-0186

fax: 406-534-1096

rjbeyer7@ live.com

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

2010-08-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

The Baptism of The Holy Spirit

WHAT IT IS * WHAT IT DOES FOR YOU * HOW TO RECEIVE IT

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16, 17).

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant" (1 Corinthians 12:1).

"Even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you - so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:6,7).

Baptism Unto Life
Baptism Into The Body Of Christ Baptism Unto Power
Baptism In The Holy Spirit
Baptizer -- Holy Spirit Baptizer -- Jesus
Element -- Body of Christ Element -- Holy Spirit
Purpose -- Newness of Eternal Life Purpose -- Power to Witness
Evidence -- Fruits of the Spirit
"For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink in one spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:26,27). Evidence -- Gifts of the Holy Spirit
John answered, saying, to all "I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16).
And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon him. I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:32-34)!

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY CONCERNING BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:

"For it is with stammering lips and another tongue he will speak to this people, to whom he said, "This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest," and "This is the refreshing"; yet they would not hear" (Isaiah 28:11-12).

NEW TESTAMENT FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY:

"In the law it is written: "With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and yet, for all that, they will not hear me" (1 Corinthians 14:21).

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY CONCERNING BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:

"And is shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days" (Joel 2:28-29).

NEW TESTAMENT FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY:

"But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:16-18).

NEW TESTAMENT PROPHESY:

"John answered them, saying "I baptize with water, but there stands one among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" This is He of whom I say 'After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:26-34).

Verse 29, John refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world for salvation.

Verse 33, John refers to Jesus as the one that would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but /he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).

"And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:7,8).

"John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16).

Jesus emphasized the importance of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which, He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:4,5).

Jesus gave us the purpose for being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for the purpose of cleansing from sin, but for the purpose of empowering for service.

The 120 met in the upper room for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, men and women. "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethern." (Acts 1:14)

"Then the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).

Receiving the Holy Spirit upon conversion and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are two separate and distinct experiences. The disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Christ's resurrection for the New Testament experience of salvation. At this moment the disciples passed from Old Testament salvation to New Testament Salvation.

"So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21,22)

Fifty days later they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the upper room. Jews then came to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, heard the 120 speaking, declaring the wonders of God in their own national languages. Others could not understand them and said they were drunk.

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:14-18).

"Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38,39).

So after repenting and receiving Christ as Savior, you are eligible to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Peter denied Christ three times before receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but on the day of Pentecost he had power and boldness to preach to the multitudes and 3000 were born again. Philip, one of the early deacons, went down to Samaria and had a city-wide revival. People were healed and demons were cast out. People received Christ as Savior and were baptized in water.

"But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God" (Acts 8:12-21).

So here again, we see that receiving the Holy Spirit upon conversion and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are two separate and distinct experiences. The Speaking in tongues is inferred because Simon saw something and offered money.

We have Paul receiving Jesus on the road to Damascus. He often referred to the Damascus Road experience as his conversion experience. However, he did not receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit until three days later when Ananias laid hands on him.

"And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17).

Nothing is mentioned about Paul speaking in tongues here, but in 1 Corinthians 14:18 Paul says "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all."

Ten years after Pentecost, we find Cornelius, a Gentile military man, had an angelic visitation and was told to send servants to Peter so that he could come and share with him the plan of salvation. Jews were forbidden to associate with Gentiles; so God had to deal with Peter with visions from heaven. After this, the servant came to his door. The Holy Spirit told Peter to go with them, because they had been sent by the Holy Spirit. Cornelius invited his relatives and friends to hear Peter preach on the plan of salvation.

"The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ He is Lord of all that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days." (Acts 10:36-48).

The household of Cornelius received Christ as Savior and the baptism in the Holy Spirit immediately after being born again. We find in verse 46 that they spoke in tongues and magnified God. This got Peter in trouble. He was admonished by the Jews in Jerusalem, and Peter had to explain why he went.

"Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, 'who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life" (Acts 11:12-18).

About 20 Years after Pentecost, Paul went to Ephesus.

"And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."
Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all" (Acts 19:1-7).

It would have been pointless for Paul to ask, "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?", if believers automatically receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit when they believe on Jesus as Savior. When Paul laid hands on them, they spoke in tongues and prophesied. We see from scripture that every time someone was baptized in the Holy Spirit, they received their prayer language to praise God. It is entirely different from the gift of tongues in a church service that is to be interpreted.

What does the baptism in the Holy Spirit do for you?

You speak to God.

"For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries" (1 Corinthians 14:2).

You are edified or charged up spiritually.

"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church" (1 Corinthians 14:4).

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit," (Jude 1:20).

You are to pray --- sing in your prayer language.

"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:14,15).

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16)

"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord," (Ephesians 5:19).

When you put on the armor of God, you are instructed to pray in your prayer language.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:10-18).

When you don't know how to pray properly about a situation, you can pray in the Spirit.

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26,27).

You may be used in the gifts of the Spirit.

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: you know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills" (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the rest and refreshing promised in Old Testament prophesy, promised by Isaiah hundreds of years before Pentecost.

Your prayer language is a permanent gift, but the gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernaturally given to individuals as the Spirit wills; so we cannot claim any permanent gifts of the Holy Spirit.

You may be used in a church in a ministry gift.

"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:28-31).

The 13th chapter of Corinthians shares with us that the more excellent way to use the gifts is with love.

Your prayer language may be a language of men or of angels. When you have a group of people singing in the Spirit, it sounds like an angelic choir.

Many people use verses 8-10 of this chapter to say that the gifts passed away when the New Testament was completed. "That which is perfect has come" refers to the return of Jesus when the gifts will not be needed anymore.

Many people are ignorant of the history of the church down through the ages.

Historical Background of the church:

Many writings of the early church fathers are available to us today, sharing about the gifts of the Spirit in their ministries and in the churches. Tertullian, Hilary, Cyril, Basil, Gregory, Nazianzus, John of Apamea, Joseph Hazzaya and others down through the centuries. St. Augustine , the great Catholic bishop from 396-430 A.D., near the end of his life, wrote in his famous work The City of God, "We shall do what the apostles did when they laid hands on the Samaritians and called down the Holy Spirit on them by the laying on of hands. It is expected that new converts speak with new tongues."
The eleventh edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 27, pages 9,10 states that speaking in tongues recurs in Christian revivals of every age. It names many groups from the different ages.

In 1906 we had the Azusa Street, California revival that spread worldwide. From this revival, many Pentecostal denominations were formed. Then in the 1970's and the 1980's the Charismatic renewal broke out in all major denominational churches.
David Barrett's World Christian Encyclopedia gives an estimate of 523,700,000 as the Pentecostal / Charismatic Christian World population (Second Edition, Oxford, 2000).

How to receive the infilling or baptism in the Holy Spirit:

You must be born again Christian.

"Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38,39).

It is administered by Jesus.

"John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16).

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift received by faith.

"that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14).

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

We receive by asking.

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14,15).

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:9-13).

God the Father gave (poured out) the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost once and for all. Therefore it is not a matter of God giving you the Holy Spirit, but rather you receiving what God has already given. Now pray to receive the Gift that God has already given to the believer.

Pray the prayer of faith:

Dear Lord Jesus: I thank you that you shed your blood on Calvary's cross for my sins. I ask for forgiveness for my sins and I do acknowledge you as my Lord and Savior. I ask you to baptize me in the Holy Spirit. I claim by faith the baptism in the Holy Spirit right now. Thank you Jesus, Amen.

Now, begin to praise Jesus, but not in your language. You will be using your vocal chords and lips and you will be speaking as on the day of Pentecost, but the Holy Spirit will be giving you a new language to praise God. You will have another hot line to heaven with which to pray and praise the Lord.

Start reading the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians, chapters 12, 13, and 14. The Word and Jesus will become more real in the coming weeks. When the enemy comes with thoughts in your mind, resist him with the Word of God and pray in the Spirit.

Ephesians Chatper 4 & 5 Walk in the New Life

2010-07-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Ephesians Chatper 4 & 5 Walk in the New Life Part 2 Discussion

Eph 4:17 – Eph 5:20 Christian Living – Self & Community

Pam classified the verses into two groups - one set is for self and one set for living in the community.

We are reminded first in Eph 4:1 to live worthy of our calling. Here are additional points in our discussion.

To live in the fullness and reality of what Jesus had purchased for us.

Difference between grieving vs filling by the Holy Spirit. Persisting in sins is grieving and following God's will is in filling of the Holy Spirit.

7 deadly sins is used as a check list. It missed out the sins of omissions - things that we should do but did not. We also know sins such as lying are secondary manifestation of primary sin. People lies to protect or to get something. We need to find out the true reason behind so that we can fix the root of the problem.

Another checklist is 3G –Glory, Gold, Girls, 1John2:15-16 not love the world, or things of the world: lust of the flesh(Girls), lust of the eyes(Gold - Seeing and Wanting. Envy), pride of life(Glory). (we will discuss these in details in our future study in 1John).

Best is living in intimacy with Christ - to know Jesus more - who is the truth. Jesus will lead us and let us know His will so that we can redeem our times, living life with a purpose to fulfill our calling.

Sometimes to put off the sins and evils in our reflections, but mostly to put on. It is easier to put on - know the will of God, focus on the right and we will not be detracted and tempted by the evils.

We are to expose the evil works. When handling people, follow Eph 4:15 speaking the truth in love.

Bible Study on Galatians 4 Son vs Slave Discussion

2010-07-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

Q1 What is the difference between Heir and Slave?

1. Heir: inherit estate, give orders, and take initiative

Stages: children = slave = follow orders, son - matured - right time

2. Slave: work for salary (a living), follow orders, reactive

Q2 How do I apply this to my life now?

• Which stage of Son-ship am I? Child or a mature Son?

• Do I need a Mentor to guide me?

• Am I in any kind of bondage? Am I free to act rather than forced to act?

• I have ability and creativity

• Am I taking initiative rather than reactive?

o Am I complaining instead of doing something about it?

o Am I working and learning for growth?

Q3 What are the responsibilities of being a true friend?

• Telling the truth and doing it in the Right Way

• The Right way:

1. establish your identity, position & authority to speak, the credentials, such as the Bible

2. show evidences

3. show endorsements from relevant authorities

4. use illustrations to communicate better e.g. Nathan on David's adultery & murder.

5. packaged in love Eph 4:15. You need to earn the right to be listened to. Start with love, gain trust then earn the right to speak to be listened to.

6. The Way of Love (in Truth) is a more powerful way than just Confrontation which leads to mutual destruction. e.g. Gandhi for India, M Luther King Jr for the Blacks, N Mandela of S Africa.

Q4 What action do I need to take from this learning about true friendship?

Is there anyone I should I extend my love to? Are there improvements to be made in the way we correct someone?

Q5 What is the difference between the two covenants?

1. Law: Slave:

1. Performance for acceptance

2. Stressed to Perform

3. Become either proud when we think we do well and condemned when we fail.

4. Who set the standards?

 Other People – We become Men-Pleasers.

 Self Perception of God – A Judgmental God, all ready to punish.

 Satan instigation

2. Grace: Son ship:

1. Performance from Acceptance

2. Joy to Perform

3. Standards according to God – God glorifying work.

4. Productive and fruitful work see Ps 127:2

Q6 How does this change my behavior?

1. Not have to do but I want to do.

2. Not minimum standard, but God glorifying standards

3. Not by my power, but according to God's direction and empowerment to accomplish innovative, impactful things obtaining favors & good relationships with people.

Bible Study 1 John Chapter 2 The Stages of Spiritual Growth

Stages of Growth

John tells clearly that there are three main stages of spiritual growth - little children, young man and fathers. The implications of the stages of growth are:

1. Different levels of maturity - Not all believers are at the same level. Don't treat everyone the same way.

2. All start from beginning stage. There is no short-cut or step jumping.

3. We can be stuck at a stage, or even regress to lower stage.

4. Growth is a process that takes time and practices, to move from one stage to higher stages.

Stage 1 Little Children

1. Forgiven & righteous & holy. If we sin, we don't hide it but come boldly to God because we have Jesus who paid for our sin and is our advocate. We are forgiven not because we are great but because God is love. We don't earn or could even work for our salvation. Rebirth is by grace of God only. (1John 2:1-2, 12)

2. Abide in Him - Know Him through Obedience. A key part of this stage is to know Christ through listening to Him and obeying Him - keeping His words. Obedience is the way to growth - the process of perfecting us to be like Christ. His Words for us are simple - love and hate not (2:9-11), stay and walk in righteousness (2:6, 2:29) and truth (2:4).

3. Know the Father (2:13). We know the Father through Jesus. The Father sent His Son Jesus for us. Knowing and experiencing the Father's love and presence is the ultimate aim of life. Jesus came to bring us back to the Father. Let the love of our Father so comfort us that we forgive and let go of all bitterness and simply cling on and enjoys His love. The Father's love bring deliverance, peace and joy and overflowing love to others. Children must grow up in the environment of love that they can be secured and become strong young man. Focus on the Father alone and not on any other (1 John 5:21).

Stage 2 Young Men

1. Overcomer - Overcame the evil one. We are overcomer through abiding in the Word of God (2:14) and not through our physical or mental strength. The Word of God is internalized in us through our obedience in stage 1.

2. Love the Father and NOT the World (2:15-17)

o The world has 3 temptations for us to distract us from loving our Father.

1. Desires of the Flesh - There is nothing wrong in having pleasures of life. Our Father want to give us that. But we are tempted to have pleasures outside the boundaries of God and go on to the extremes and be held in bondage rather than the promised satisfaction. e.g. sexual, drug, gambling addictions etc. The senses of our flesh are the doors opened to temptations from the world and devils.

2. Desires of the Eyes - We see and we want them no matter what. We put our faith on things that are seen (and temporary 2:17) instead of unseen things that are spiritual and of eternal value.

3. Pride in possessions and of Life - We put our value and esteem on what we get and possess. We seek glory and power. We are distracted from putting trust in God and want to our own God. Of course we can never be God. It is only devil's lie to us since the time of Eve.

3. Do the Will of God - Abide in God (2:17,24)

4. Have Knowledge & Discernment

o Know the enemy - the anti-Christ (2:18-23) and deceivers(2:26). There are many anti-christs, not just one, throughout history and into the future. Know their lies - denying Christ had come in the flesh.

o Know the Truth and our Identity (2:20-25)

 Anointed of God - Holy Spirit within us 2:20,25-27

 Eternal Life (Zoe's, God's kind of Life) 2:25

 Listen to the Holy Spirit within us.

Stage 3 Fathers

1. Know the Heart of the Creator Father (2:13, 14). We have growth up to be a father, spiritual or earthly, and know the responsibilities and heart of being a father.

2. Love True: The Father's love for us is true-love. Love without conditions, proactive, sacrificing and many others that we shall study in Chapter 4.

Questions for Reflections:

1. What are the Stages of Growth?

2. What are the characteristics of each stage?

Questions for Applications:

1. Which stage are you presently in?

2. What actions will you taking to grow up into the next stage?

What are the obstacles? What help do you need?

Bible Study 1 John Chapter 1 Walk in Fellowship with Jesus

Who is Jesus?

John began his letter with a clear statement on who Jesus is. He is with the Father (i.e. God), the Word of Eternal Life and He came in the flesh that he could touch, see and hear. Jesus came in the form of a real human being. God visited His creation.

The Gospel and Its Purpose

The good news, proclaimed by John, is that we can have fellowship Jesus, the Father and us (human beings) forever. We all can enjoy the goodness of God through Jesus.

Fellowship with Jesus is the Key for Victorious Living and staying sin free

A key attribute of God is Light (1:5). There is no darkness or sin with God. The key point is for us to come the light. The light will expose our sins. We can then confess our sin. without fear, to God because God is love and through Jesus' completed work on the cross Jesus has already saved us from our sins. There is no fear in love. We can be honest with God and with ourselves. Admitting our sins allows us to face it boldly and with Christ's grace be changed and be freed for victorious living. See Heb 4:16. Facing our sins allows us to be freed from them through applying the power from God. The secret for breaking away from sins is to walk in the light, have close relationship with Jesus.

Focus on fellowship and walking with Jesus keep us freed from the influence of sin.

Don't focus on the sin but focus on Jesus. Our preoccupation with Jesus will free us from the temptation of sin. Nevertheless, if we do sin, we can face it immediately and be freed from it. We cannot continue in our sin if we want to have fellowship with Jesus.

While Jesus has paid for and forgive our sins, the society that we live in does not. While spiritually there is no punishment for our sins, we still have to pay the penalties that our society levies on us for our sins. A thief can be forgiven in Christ but he may still need to face the punishment of imprisonment or fines.

v1:9 has been used by some to say that unless we confess our sins, our sins will not be forgiven. But v9 follows from v7 which says that as we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. My personal view on confession of sin is that we must admit and face it to change and it was not for forgiveness as Christ had redeemed us from all sin. There are sins that we are not aware (unless someone or the Holy Spirit tell us), and hence we are not able to confess them. Does that mean if we die we could not go to heaven because of unconfessed sins? Certainly not. But unconfessed sins hold us in bondage and defeat. As we grow up into maturity in the likeness of Christ, we shall be aware of our other inadequacies as we conquer over them, one step at a time.

Questions for Reflections

1. Who is Jesus?

2. How do we have fellowship with Jesus?

3. What is the secret of victorious sin-free living?

Questions for Applications

1. What can I do to have closer fellowship with Jesus?

2. Write down an action plan to develop the relationship with Jesus. Be outcome(fruit of the Spirit) focus rather than just effort focused.

Bible Study 1 John God is Light & Love

1 John is a first hand experience report of Jesus, God in the flesh, that visited the earth. A creator of the universe, larger than the universe He created, came into this little earth, as a man to communicate and save us. This is almost unimaginable. But John declared to us that the One, whom he touched with his own hands is the Word of Eternal Life that was with the Heavenly Father.

Christianity differs from other religions in one key aspect - Jesus Christ. If you remove Jesus Christ, Christianity is void. All other religions can still stand without their founders.

The main themes of 1 John are about Jesus Christ the Eternal Life, the Light and the Love. We who has fellowship with Jesus must walk in the light and in love. By walking in the light, we stay away from sin. Sin is revealed by the Light. Sin breaks fellowship. Sin and its effects, however, are removed by our confession. It is also about exposing the evil and staying away from the lusts of the world. Fellowship with Christ is also about love in action. Love is proactive - it acts first. Love is about obedience. Love is without fear. Our loving deeds assure us that we are of God who is Love.

I find John writing to be a bit repetitive. He tends to say the same thing in different ways. It shows that our language are too restrictive to explain the greatness of Jesus and His love.

The main title for the 5 chapters are :

1. Jesus, True God Came

2. The Growth Stages

3. Believers Love like Their Father & Sin not

4. Discernment & True Love

5. Our Identity & Authority

It is exciting to discover the Love that Jesus had for us. It is also revealed slowly in our own life as we grow up from a child, young man and to fatherhood that we come to understand the Love of God.

Bible Study Galatians 3 Discussion

Additional learning from our discussion on Galatians Chapter 3 are shown in the mind map below:

There is nothing to add to the completed work of Christ but to receive in faith and showing the faith through our behavior. The Spirit ruling over our mind and body.

A main question is Q4 Do we still need to follow the Law after we are saved by Christ?

We don't have to follow the Law for our justification or salvation for we have been justified and saved by Christ. Following and living out the Christ in us actually surpassed the requirements of the Law. Nevertheless, the Law serves as a mirror for our behavior - a minimum standard. We follow the spirit of the Law. We also exceeds the Law as we love and forgive others.

Galatians 3 Faith in Christ Alone - Not works of Law

Back to the Beginning 3:1-5

When we have lost our ways or are confused, we should go back to beginning or the starting point. We need to recall our original mission and purpose. In the business of daily activities, a life without constant reflection, we will be slowly led away from our original mission. Here Paul reminded the Galatians to reflect on their initial experience. How have they receive the Spirit and the Miracles? It was simply by faith and not of work to earn them. As typical error of Christians is to trying to live the life of sanctification by our own effort and then complaining that it is too difficult. It is pointed out in Gal 3:3. Grace is for our salvation and our sanctification. If we could have sanctification by our own effort, i.e. righteousness by work of the laws, we would not have needed Jesus Christ.

Example of Abraham-Man of Faith 3:6-9

Abraham is used as the example, since they all claimed to be children of Abraham, of righteousness through faith alone. All by faith, not of works, are true spiritual children of Abraham and receive his blessings.

The Just Shall Live by Faith in Christ 3:10-14

The key verse is Gal 3:10 "The righteous shall live by faith" in Jesus Christ who redeemed us from the curse of the law 3:13.

Promise before Law 3:15-21

The promise of faith that came before the Law is not nullified by the Law. The Offspring that will bring the blessing is Jesus Christ. What is the promise? It is the promised Spirit v14, leading to new life v21 and righteousness v21.

Purpose of Law - As Guardian 3:22-25

The Law is given as guardian and has an expiry period - it expired when Christ came. With our new birth by the Spirit in Christ, we don't follow the law but follow the Spirit that is within us.

Faith Come Already - All Under Christ 3:26-29

We are always tempted, as believers, to add additional touches to the master painting completed by Christ, to make it more beautiful. Such additional touches by us do not add beauty, for it is already perfected by Christ, but create distortion and ugliness. It amazed me that believers go through great length to argue about the right bread and wine for the Holy Communion. We try to get physical to show off. But God want us to be of the heart. Do we need to follow the law anymore? No and Yes. No because Christ has fulfilled the requirements of the Law for us and make us righteous. Yes, in the spirit of the Law, because that is perfectly naturally for our rebirth spirit. Our rebirth spirit is a righteous spirit and will lead us to things naturally that surpass the requirements of the Law. The Law becomes a minimum checklist for us. The love of Christ that is in us will exceeds the requirement of the laws. To love or simply to forgive is not even stated in the Law. But if we bear bitterness in our heart, then we know we have not allow the love of Christ to fill us completely yet. Seek Christ for the power to forgive.

Questions for Reflections

1. When we have lost our ways, what is a good advice to follow?

2. Which comes first, promise or law?

3. What is the promise?

4. What is the purpose of the Law? Do we still need to follow the Law?

Will following Jewish practices make you a better Christian? DIscuss.

The Baptism of The Holy Spirit

2010-07-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16, 17).

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant" (1 Corinthians 12:1).

"Even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you - so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:6,7).

Baptism Unto Life
Baptism Into The Body Of Christ Baptism Unto Power
Baptism In The Holy Spirit
Baptizer -- Holy Spirit Baptizer -- Jesus
Element -- Body of Christ Element -- Holy Spirit
Purpose -- Newness of Eternal Life Purpose -- Power to Witness
Evidence -- Fruits of the Spirit
"For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink in one spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:26,27). Evidence -- Gifts of the Holy Spirit
John answered, saying, to all "I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16).
And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon him. I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:32-34)!

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY CONCERNING BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:

"For it is with stammering lips and another tongue he will speak to this people, to whom he said, "This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest," and "This is the refreshing"; yet they would not hear" (Isaiah 28:11-12).

NEW TESTAMENT FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY:

"In the law it is written: "With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and yet, for all that, they will not hear me" (1 Corinthians 14:21).

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY CONCERNING BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:

"And is shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days" (Joel 2:28-29).

NEW TESTAMENT FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY:

"But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:16-18).

NEW TESTAMENT PROPHESY:

"John answered them, saying "I baptize with water, but there stands one among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" This is He of whom I say 'After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:26-34).

Verse 29, John refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world for salvation.

Verse 33, John refers to Jesus as the one that would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but /he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).

"And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:7,8).

"John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16).

Jesus emphasized the importance of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which, He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:4,5).

Jesus gave us the purpose for being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for the purpose of cleansing from sin, but for the purpose of empowering for service.

The 120 met in the upper room for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, men and women. "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethern." (Acts 1:14)

"Then the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).

Receiving the Holy Spirit upon conversion and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are two separate and distinct experiences. The disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Christ's resurrection for the New Testament experience of salvation. At this moment the disciples passed from Old Testament salvation to New Testament Salvation.

"So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21,22)

Fifty days later they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the upper room. Jews then came to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, heard the 120 speaking, declaring the wonders of God in their own national languages. Others could not understand them and said they were drunk.

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:14-18).

"Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38,39).

So after repenting and receiving Christ as Savior, you are eligible to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Peter denied Christ three times before receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but on the day of Pentecost he had power and boldness to preach to the multitudes and 3000 were born again. Philip, one of the early deacons, went down to Samaria and had a city-wide revival. People were healed and demons were cast out. People received Christ as Savior and were baptized in water.

"But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God" (Acts 8:12-21).

So here again, we see that receiving the Holy Spirit upon conversion and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are two separate and distinct experiences. The Speaking in tongues is inferred because Simon saw something and offered money.

We have Paul receiving Jesus on the road to Damascus. He often referred to the Damascus Road experience as his conversion experience. However, he did not receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit until three days later when Ananias laid hands on him.

"And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17).

Nothing is mentioned about Paul speaking in tongues here, but in 1 Corinthians 14:18 Paul says "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all."

Ten years after Pentecost, we find Cornelius, a Gentile military man, had an angelic visitation and was told to send servants to Peter so that he could come and share with him the plan of salvation. Jews were forbidden to associate with Gentiles; so God had to deal with Peter with visions from heaven. After this, the servant came to his door. The Holy Spirit told Peter to go with them, because they had been sent by the Holy Spirit. Cornelius invited his relatives and friends to hear Peter preach on the plan of salvation.

"The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ He is Lord of all that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days." (Acts 10:36-48).

The household of Cornelius received Christ as Savior and the baptism in the Holy Spirit immediately after being born again. We find in verse 46 that they spoke in tongues and magnified God. This got Peter in trouble. He was admonished by the Jews in Jerusalem, and Peter had to explain why he went.

"Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, 'who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life" (Acts 11:12-18).

About 20 Years after Pentecost, Paul went to Ephesus.

"And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."
Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all" (Acts 19:1-7).

It would have been pointless for Paul to ask, "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?", if believers automatically receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit when they believe on Jesus as Savior. When Paul laid hands on them, they spoke in tongues and prophesied. We see from scripture that every time someone was baptized in the Holy Spirit, they received their prayer language to praise God. It is entirely different from the gift of tongues in a church service that is to be interpreted.

What does the baptism in the Holy Spirit do for you?

You speak to God.

"For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries" (1 Corinthians 14:2).

You are edified or charged up spiritually.

"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church" (1 Corinthians 14:4).

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit," (Jude 1:20).

You are to pray --- sing in your prayer language.

"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:14,15).

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16)

"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord," (Ephesians 5:19).

When you put on the armor of God, you are instructed to pray in your prayer language.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:10-18).

When you don't know how to pray properly about a situation, you can pray in the Spirit.

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26,27).

You may be used in the gifts of the Spirit.

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: you know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills" (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the rest and refreshing promised in Old Testament prophesy, promised by Isaiah hundreds of years before Pentecost.

Your prayer language is a permanent gift, but the gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernaturally given to individuals as the Spirit wills; so we cannot claim any permanent gifts of the Holy Spirit.

You may be used in a church in a ministry gift.

"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:28-31).

The 13th chapter of Corinthians shares with us that the more excellent way to use the gifts is with love.

Your prayer language may be a language of men or of angels. When you have a group of people singing in the Spirit, it sounds like an angelic choir.

Many people use verses 8-10 of this chapter to say that the gifts passed away when the New Testament was completed. "That which is perfect has come" refers to the return of Jesus when the gifts will not be needed anymore.

Many people are ignorant of the history of the church down through the ages.

Historical Background of the church:

Many writings of the early church fathers are available to us today, sharing about the gifts of the Spirit in their ministries and in the churches. Tertullian, Hilary, Cyril, Basil, Gregory, Nazianzus, John of Apamea, Joseph Hazzaya and others down through the centuries. St. Augustine , the great Catholic bishop from 396-430 A.D., near the end of his life, wrote in his famous work The City of God, "We shall do what the apostles did when they laid hands on the Samaritians and called down the Holy Spirit on them by the laying on of hands. It is expected that new converts speak with new tongues."
The eleventh edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 27, pages 9,10 states that speaking in tongues recurs in Christian revivals of every age. It names many groups from the different ages.

In 1906 we had the Azusa Street, California revival that spread worldwide. From this revival, many Pentecostal denominations were formed. Then in the 1970's and the 1980's the Charismatic renewal broke out in all major denominational churches.
David Barrett's World Christian Encyclopedia gives an estimate of 523,700,000 as the Pentecostal / Charismatic Christian World population (Second Edition, Oxford, 2000).

How to receive the infilling or baptism in the Holy Spirit:

You must be born again Christian.

"Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38,39).

It is administered by Jesus.

"John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16).

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift received by faith.

"that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14).

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

We receive by asking.

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14,15).

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:9-13).

God the Father gave (poured out) the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost once and for all. Therefore it is not a matter of God giving you the Holy Spirit, but rather you receiving what God has already given. Now pray to receive the Gift that God has already given to the believer.

Pray the prayer of faith:

Dear Lord Jesus: I thank you that you shed your blood on Calvary's cross for my sins. I ask for forgiveness for my sins and I do acknowledge you as my Lord and Savior. I ask you to baptize me in the Holy Spirit. I claim by faith the baptism in the Holy Spirit right now. Thank you Jesus, Amen.

Now, begin to praise Jesus, but not in your language. You will be using your vocal chords and lips and you will be speaking as on the day of Pentecost, but the Holy Spirit will be giving you a new language to praise God. You will have another hot line to heaven with which to pray and praise the Lord.

Start reading the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians, chapters 12, 13, and 14. The Word and Jesus will become more real in the coming weeks. When the enemy comes with thoughts in your mind, resist him with the Word of God and pray in the Spirit.

Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit

2010-07-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

The Holy Spirit is a part of the Holy Trinity with the Father and Son. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word (ruwach, pronounced roo'-akh) was used when talking about the Spirit. This word literally means WIND, even the wind associated with a BREATHE! In the New Testament the Greek word (pneuma, pronounced pnyoo'-mah) was used which means the BREATHE or a BREEZE! We can literally think of the Holy Spirit as the "Breathe of God!"

Most Christians today understand Jesus the Son, and God the Father as two very distinct Persons within the Godhead; however, there has been much confusion over the identity of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some of this dates back to the King James translation of the Bible where the word "Spirit" or "Ghost" was used instead of "Breathe" or "Wind" of God. In any case, many people throughout the ages have thought of the Holy Spirit more as a thing than a Person. Nothing could be further from the truth, and in fact as we begin to know the Person of the Holy Spirit we will want to have a closer relationship with Him just as we would the Father or Son.

Although the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, we know God is three in one. There are three very distinct Person’s that make up the Godhead. They are all equal in every way.

They (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are all:

Omnipotent – All powerful. Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.

Omnipresent – At all places at once. Psalms 139:7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence?

Omniscient – All knowing. 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Eternal - Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Equal - Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not your own? and after it was sold, was it not in your own power? why have you conceived this thing in your heart? you have not lied unto men, but unto God.

The Holy Spirit was part of all things, from the very beginning of scripture to the very end of scripture

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (elohiym (pronounced el-o-heem') created the heaven and the earth.

Elohiym is the plural form of God. Therefore, as scripture was inspired and man began to write the Word, it was evident to the writers that God was made of more than 1 Person but at the same time there was one Godhead.

There are many scriptural references that show the coexistence of the the entities within the Trinity

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Here we see the evidence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all mentioned within one verse. We also see the same reference elsewhere in the Gospels.

Matthew 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 1:10-13 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Deuteronomy demonstrates the God Israel served was one Godhead made of a plurity of entities within that Godhead.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD (Y@hovah (pronounced yeh-ho-vaw') our God (elohiym) is one LORD (Y@hovah)

It is important to understand the Holy Spirit is truly God because of the fact that if we are born again He lives in us.

What we allow ourselves to be part of we are inviting God to be part of..

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Four important principles to remember

1) The Holy Spirit is God, but He is a Person, not a force

2) We cannot focus on the Holy Spirit too much. Why? What is the Holy Spirit’s mission? To reveal Jesus. What is Jesus mission…to reveal the Father. What about the Father…to send Jesus and the Holy Spirit so we can come to Him. Perfect Harmony. They never had a crisis management meeting in Heaven. They never tried to sit down and work things out. They never had a power struggle amongst themselves.

3) The Holy Spirit gives gifts for use in ministry and empowers effective ministry

4) The Holy Spirit is a distinct Person within the Godhead, not a force, a thing, or an "it"

Qualities that a person has…(a force or thing does not)

1) The Holy Spirit has intellect. 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

2) The Holy Spirit has knowledge. 1 Corinthians 2:11 even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

3) The Holy Spirit has emotions. Ephesians 4:30 And grieve (lupeo (pronounced loo-peh'-o)); to make sad or sorrowful, heavy of heart) not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

4) The Holy Spirit has his own will and he makes decisions. Acts 16:6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia (pronounced froog-ee'-ah) and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

5) The Holy Spirit Loves. Romans 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

Things only a person would do (a force or thing does not)

1) He teaches you things about God and yourself. John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

2) He tells the truth. John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

3) He guides. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

4) He convinces. John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

5) He prays for you. Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

6) He commands. Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

The Holy Spirit was on the scene long before the day of Pentecost

He moved upon the face of the waters and was the active agent in creation. Jesus was the Word, the Holy Spirit moved.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (elohiym el-o-heem') created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:27 So God (elohiym again) created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

The Holy Spirit gave us the Word of God. 2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit regenerates our spirit when we accept Jesus Christ into our life. John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

In fact, the Holy Spirit has always worked hand-in-hand with Jesus Christ

His Birth - Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

The life and ministry of Jesus - Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness AND… Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

His death and offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice- Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The resurrection of Jesus – Actually all 3 members of the Godhead had a part in the resurrection!

Father - Ephesians 1:19-20 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Son (He had the power to take His own life up again) - John 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Holy Ghost - Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

In fact, the main purpose of the Holy Spirit is to tell us about Jesus and Glorify Him. John 16:13-14 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

What All Happened on the Day of Pentecost?

Jesus said it was imperative that He go or the Spirit would not be sent

Jesus felt it important enough for them to wait until the Spirit came to empower them

Jesus own mother needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be an effective witness.

On the day of Pentecost, the believers who were assembled in the Upper Room experience a new Baptism, the one which John referred to. For an in depth study on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, click here to go to that section of study.

Twenty Steps to Successful Time Management

2009-12-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

Twenty Steps to Successful Time Management
1. Clarify your objectives. Put them in writing. Then set your priorities. Make
sure you’re getting what you really want out of life.
2. Focus on objectives, not on activities. Your most important activities are those
that help you accomplish your objectives.
3. Set at least one major objective each day and achieve it.
4. Record a time log periodically to analyze how you use your time, and keep bad
time habits out of your life.
5. Analyze everything you do in terms of your objectives. Find out what you do,
when you do it, why you do it. Ask yourself what would happen if you didn’t do it.
If the answer is nothing, then stop doing it.
6. Eliminate at least one time-waster from your life each week.
7. Plan your time. Write out a plan for each week. Ask yourself what you hope to
accomplish by the end of the week and what you will need to do to achieve those
results.
8. Make a to-do list every day. Be sure it includes your daily objectives, priorities,
and time estimates, not just random activities.
9. Schedule your time every day to make sure you accomplish the most important
things first. Be sure to leave room for the unexpected and for interruptions. But
remember that things that are scheduled have a better chance of working out than
things that are unscheduled.
10. Make sure that the first hour of your workday is productive.
11. Set time limits for every task you undertake.
12. Take the time to do it right the first time. You won’t have to waste time doing
it over.
13. Eliminate recurring crises from your life. Find out why things keep going
wrong. Learn to proact instead of react.
14. Institute a quiet hour in your day – a block of uninterrupted time for your most
important tasks.
15. Develop the habit of finishing what you start. Don’t jump from one thing to
another, leaving a string of unfinished tasks behind you.
16. Conquer procrastination. Learn to do it now.
17. Make better time management a daily habit. Set your objectives, clarify your
priorities, plan and schedule your time. Do first things first. Resist your impulses
to do unscheduled tasks. Review your activities.
18. Never spend time on less important things when you could be spending it on
more important things.
19. Take time for yourself—time to dream, time to relax, time to live.
20. Develop a personal philosophy of time – what time means to you and how time
relates to your life.

The Worst Leaders

2009-12-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

HBR.org > June 2009 > Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders
The Worst Leaders:
Lack energy and enthusiasm. They see new initiatives as a burden, rarely volunteer, and fear being overwhelmed. One such leader was described as having the ability to “suck all the energy out of any room.”
Accept their own mediocre performance. They overstate the difficulty of reaching targets so that they look good when they achieve them. They live by the mantra “Underpromise and overdeliver.”
Lack clear vision and direction. They believe their only job is to execute. Like a hiker who sticks close to the trail, they’re fine until they come to a fork.
Have poor judgment. They make decisions that colleagues and subordinates consider to be not in the organization’s best interests.
Don’t collaborate. They avoid peers, act independently, and view other leaders as competitors. As a result, they are set adrift by the very people whose insights and support they need.
Don’t walk the talk. They set standards of behavior or expectations of performance and then violate them. They’re perceived as lacking integrity.
Resist new ideas. They reject suggestions from subordinates and peers. Good ideas aren’t implemented, and the organization gets stuck.
Don’t learn from mistakes. They may make no more mistakes than their peers, but they fail to use setbacks as opportunities for improvement, hiding their errors and brooding about them instead.
New Measures of Success for Health Care Leaders
By Stephen Blattner MD MBA (exagoMD,LLC) on June 22, 2009 2:00 AM | 0 Comments
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I was reading two issues of the Harvard Business Review simultaneously (a hazard of being overly busy), so I rapidly became aware of complementary articles that appeared in successive months addressing the related issues of candor (What's Needed Next: A Culture of Candor by James O'Toole and Warren Bennis a full article in the June HBR) and transparency (Heed the Calls for Transparency by Sam Wilkin in the Forethought section of the July-August issue). The latter was just received by subscribers so the online link is not yet available so if you don't subscribe watch the HBR web site in the coming week for it. Both are essential business reading for health care leaders.

Surprise: New Leadership Measures

O'Toole (a Professor at the Daniels College of Business in Denver) and Bennis (also a Professor, at USC) begin by suggesting that in the future, corporate leaders will be evaluated not solely on their ability to produce business results but by:
"...[a]new metric of corporate leadership...the extent to which executives create organizations that are economically, ethically, and socially sustainable...whatever their strategies and tactics, we believe prudent leaders will see that increased transparency is a fundamental first step."
The case is made on the basis of a new definition of "increasing shareholder value" which encompasses newly important shareholder non-financial values including organizational behavior in the ecologic, employee relations, and social consciousness domains. So while it will be necessary to deliver "business results," strategies that achieve a great bottom line will not be sufficient to earn corporate leaders the recognition they seek from (Boards or shareholders) if this is accomplished through tactics that don't also demonstrate taking the high road in corporate culture and behavior.

Candor, Performance, and Public Expectations

So Medical Directors and CEOs of hospital, managed care organization, medical group, and health related businesses should pay close attention! Those corporate leaders are probably ourselves as well.

O'Toole and Bennis make the case for the inextricable relationship between internal candor and public positioning:
"...no organization can be honest with the public if it's not honest with itself, we define transparency broadly, as the degree to which information flows freely within an organization, among managers and employees, and outward to stakeholders."
This is particularly important for us to appreciate in this time of increasing public scrutiny of everything from finances to clinical outcomes to the safety or care, devices, and pharmaceuticals. O'Toole and Bennis further make the case that without internal candor and transparency, effective and durable innovation is impossible due to internal communication feedback barriers that make it impossible to frankly share information about new product, technique, and process performance.

In the past, perhaps, it was routine to launch new products, services, or care programs letting let the marketplace later reveal safety and efficacy flaws - but no more. And we've observed more than once that organizational leaders are increasingly held accountable for those failures - first by the public and the courts and next by Boards and shareholders.
And Wilkin, in his short piece on the repairing international financial crisis, makes the strong case that the need for candor is global and that it won't go away:
"Rather than hoping that public pressure will go away, banks and asset management firms should embrace transparency. Doing so will help them rebuild their reputations more quickly."

Pilots, Cockpit Crews, and Health Care Teams

So how are organizational leaders to behave? Well for starters, here's how NOT to behave - learned from studies of errors made in cockpits:

"The stereotypical take-charge "flyboy" pilots, who acted immediately on their gut instincts, made the wrong decisions far more often than the more open, inclusive pilots who said to their crews, in effect, "We've got a problem. How do you read it?" before choosing a course of action.
This has everything to do with the culture of transparency (or not) in the work setting:
Leaders are far likelier to make mistakes when they act on too little information than when they wait to learn more...pilots who'd made the right choices routinely had open exchanges with their crew members....crew members who had regularly worked with the "decisive" pilots were unwilling to intervene--even when they had information that might save the plane.... "

Health care leaders, and "persons in charge" in general, are frequently welcomed as problem solvers. However, resisting the temptation to default to being an action oriented, "decisive" leader long enough to get the right information from a range of informants can actually be a significant part of many solutions.

8 Steps to a Culture of Transparency

O'Toole and Bennis provide the leadership recipe for candor and transparency in sufficient detail to help you think about your personal leadership style as well as how to retool a health care organization to make your leadership role consistent with how you are likely to be measured in the future. The headlines from their HBR article are below. I thought about commenting on each one based on what I see in health care organizations but the commentary would stretch another page or more.
I'll just say that steps 2,3,4,5, and 7 are the ones most needed in the health care organizations I consult to.

While most of the steps below are intuitive from their titles it's well worth reading the full article for details and nuance:
1. Tell the truth 2. Encourage people to speak truth to power 3. Reward contrarians 4. Practice having unpleasant conversations 5. Diversify your sources of information 6. Admit your mistakes 7. Build an organizational architecture that supports candor 8. Set information free

Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis

2009-12-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis .ArticleComments (3)more in
. Text .By BILL GEORGE
Virtually every American institution is facing major crises these days, from declining businesses to evaporating financial portfolios. To get out of these crises, authentic leaders must step forward and lead their organizations through them.

About the Author
Bill George, author of "True North," is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also the former CEO of Medtronic and serves on the boards of directors of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and Novartis.
.The current crisis was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or failed economic policies. The root cause is failed leadership. New laws, regulations, and economic bailouts won't heal wounds created by leadership failures. They can only be solved by new leaders with the wisdom and skill to put their organizations on the right long-term course.

Here are seven lessons for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:

Lesson #1: "Leaders must face reality." Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament.

In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. As J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at a panel I chaired at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January, "It's not sufficient to have one person on your team who is a truth teller. Everyone on the team must be candid in sharing the entire truth, no matter how painful it is." How can we solve problems if we don't acknowledge their existence?

Getty Images.Lesson #2: "No matter how bad things are, they will get worse." Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren't so bad, and swift action can make problems go away.

This causes leaders to undershoot the mark in terms of corrective actions. As a consequence, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.

Lesson #3: "Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill." In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about EPS and all those stock market measures. The question is, "Does your organization have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?"

Goldman Sachs, where I serve on the board of directors, anticipated the difficult times and built up its cash reserves. When the markets got really bad, Goldman had adequate cash reserves to weather the storm.

Lesson #4: "Get the world off your shoulders." In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all their people to devise solutions and to implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.

Lesson #5: "Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself." If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Crises are the real tests of leaders' True North. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?

Lesson #6: "Never waste a good crisis." This piece of advice comes from Benjamin Netanyahu, the next prime minister of Israel, at the panel I chaired in Davos.

When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their implementation.

Lesson #7: "Be aggressive in the marketplace." This may sound counter-intuitive, but a crisis offers the best opportunity to change the game in your favor, with new products or services to gain market share. Many people look at a crisis as something to get through, until they can go back to business as usual. But "business as usual" never returns because markets are irrevocably changed. Why not create the changes that move the market in your favor, instead of waiting and reacting to the changes as they take place?

The Bottom Line: In a crisis we learn who the real leaders are, and whether they have the wherewithal to stay on course of their True North.

Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis

2009-12-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

MARCH 5, 2009.Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis .ArticleComments (3)more in Management ».EmailPrinter
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. Text .By BILL GEORGE
Virtually every American institution is facing major crises these days, from declining businesses to evaporating financial portfolios. To get out of these crises, authentic leaders must step forward and lead their organizations through them.

About the Author
Bill George, author of "True North," is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also the former CEO of Medtronic and serves on the boards of directors of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and Novartis.
.The current crisis was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or failed economic policies. The root cause is failed leadership. New laws, regulations, and economic bailouts won't heal wounds created by leadership failures. They can only be solved by new leaders with the wisdom and skill to put their organizations on the right long-term course.

Here are seven lessons for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:

Lesson #1: "Leaders must face reality." Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament.

In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. As J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at a panel I chaired at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January, "It's not sufficient to have one person on your team who is a truth teller. Everyone on the team must be candid in sharing the entire truth, no matter how painful it is." How can we solve problems if we don't acknowledge their existence?

Getty Images.Lesson #2: "No matter how bad things are, they will get worse." Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren't so bad, and swift action can make problems go away.

This causes leaders to undershoot the mark in terms of corrective actions. As a consequence, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.

Lesson #3: "Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill." In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about EPS and all those stock market measures. The question is, "Does your organization have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?"

Goldman Sachs, where I serve on the board of directors, anticipated the difficult times and built up its cash reserves. When the markets got really bad, Goldman had adequate cash reserves to weather the storm.

Lesson #4: "Get the world off your shoulders." In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all their people to devise solutions and to implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.

Lesson #5: "Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself." If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Crises are the real tests of leaders' True North. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?

Lesson #6: "Never waste a good crisis." This piece of advice comes from Benjamin Netanyahu, the next prime minister of Israel, at the panel I chaired in Davos.

When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their implementation.

Lesson #7: "Be aggressive in the marketplace." This may sound counter-intuitive, but a crisis offers the best opportunity to change the game in your favor, with new products or services to gain market share. Many people look at a crisis as something to get through, until they can go back to business as usual. But "business as usual" never returns because markets are irrevocably changed. Why not create the changes that move the market in your favor, instead of waiting and reacting to the changes as they take place?

The Bottom Line: In a crisis we learn who the real leaders are, and whether they have the wherewithal to stay on course of their True North.

“What, Me Worry?” Ten Practices for Eliminating Fear and Worry

2009-12-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

•

Articles / Nature of Reality & Consciousness
“What, Me Worry?” Ten Practices for Eliminating Fear and Worry
October 2008
________________________________________
Long-time followers of my teaching, as well as readers of this website, know that our thoughts and emotions are vibrations of energy, and as such have a direct impact on our lives. What we think and how we feel are the two most important parts of who we are. The third is our actions. Incredibly, we have the ability to monitor and direct what we think, act and feel by the thoughts we choose.
When our thoughts and emotions are directed in a positive way, they not only make us feel better, they also attract to us the conditions we are focusing on. This is sometimes referred to as the Law of Attraction. However, the exact same law is in play when we have negative thoughts or feelings about our life’s circumstances or ourselves. We must be diligent in monitoring how we think, so that negative thoughts and emotions do not find a resting place in our consciousness, then make themselves at home. Fear and worry are the two most destructive of the negative emotions, and it is these I will speak of this month.
Fear is the intense focusing of your thoughts on something you do not want to happen. By focusing on this ‘yet to happen’ event with strong emotion and intensity, you give power to these images and help to attract them. These images, charged with emotion, are powerful forces, and so imprint on the invisible matrix web of the universe, which then works to create the exact thing we fear. This is precisely what we don’t want to happen.
This is the tragedy of fear and worry, and yet often we feel we have no power over these thoughts. Here is where Mind Power comes to our assistance. Mind Power not only gives us the tools to create and manifest any situation we desire; it also gives us the tools to eliminate fear and worry with equal effectiveness. Mind Power is simply the most powerful set of tools we will ever have in our lives.
Eliminating Fear and Worry:
Rule number one: If you know what it is that you don’t want to happen to you, then don’t think those fearful thoughts. If you can remember this rule and say it to yourself as a mantra, so that it imprints into your subconscious, you will be halfway towards eliminating fear and worry from your life forever. The other half will come from following these ten techniques:
1. Next time you find yourself fearful, take a few good long breaths, relax and realize that the only thing making you fearful this very moment is the thoughts you are thinking. It is not your present circumstances, nor something that may or may not happen to you in the future; it is the thoughts you are thinking now. You are the cause of your fear. Resolve to change this.
One of the ways you can do this is by spending several minutes focusing on the exact opposite of what you have been fearing. Whatever the fear has you focusing on, change the focus to the exact opposite. You don’t need to fight fear. Observe it carefully to see what it is suggesting to you, then simply focus on the opposite. For example, if you are fearing losing your job, focus on being competent, doing a good job and being respected and rewarded accordingly. If you are fearing losing your money, focus on being successful financially, making smart decisions and living an abundant life. Fear is fed by your thoughts, and taking your thoughts away from fear eliminates it. Fear does not usually appear overnight. It often has its root in regular worrying, which then progresses to the point where it becomes fear. So to eliminate this happening we eliminate worrying. Easier said then done? Not at all, once you understand and practice the principles.

2. Practice the five techniques for eliminating negatives (see the Mind Power practices section of this website.)
3. Recognize that the essential component of worry is always “future orientation.” In other words, when you worry, you invariably focus on something that might happen but hasn’t happened yet. You might argue that you worry about the things that are happening right now, not in the future. A closer look, however, will reveal the truth that worry is like a ghost tormenting you with a terrifying view of the future. It is always about the future. Knowing this takes away the power of this view.
4. Track your worries by keeping a journal of them. You can’t change worrying until you know what you’re worrying about. What are the common themes of your worrying? Health? Finances? Relationships? Family? Know where you are most vulnerable. Knowing this will help you recognize worrying when it slips into your mind.
5. Learn the difference between concern and worry. Concern about the different aspects of our life and what may or may not happen is valid and beneficial. It allows us to view our life and to be proactive in making positive choices. This is a very constructive process. Worry, on the other hand, is simply focusing on what could go wrong. It has no positive aspect to it. Not only are we focusing on this negative outcome but also we are giving it energy. Why would you do that?
6. Recognize the cost of worrying. Yes, there is a cost. Firstly, it causes stress, which in turn affects our health and our decision-making process. You don’t make good decisions when you’re worried. Secondly it actually attracts to us the circumstances we are worrying about, especially if we start to fear it. Understanding this, we choose to not worry. It is not worth the time or effort, and it is always counterproductive.
7. Challenge catastrophic thinking: Most of us exaggerate our situations during fearful times, projecting ourselves into the most dire circumstances. We let worry carry us away. Resolve to not let this happen. There are solutions to every problem, and undoubtedly it will not become as bad as the fear is projecting. Don’t let worst-case scenarios dominate your thinking. There is every possibility that the situation won’t be a bad as you think, and it could be a whole lot better. There may well be hidden benefits and blessings that you haven’t even thought of.

8. Trust that the Universe will unfold as it should. Have faith that what is meant to happen will happen and that it will be for the best. If you have a spiritual belief, then let this nourish and guide you. Let go of the worry and realize neither God nor the universe wants you to worry. Worry is showing lack of trust. It means you have no faith. Trust and act in a proactive way. What you can change, change. What you cannot, leave it alone. There are always forces at work beyond what we can understand. Trust in them and assist them by expecting the best.
9. Practice Mind Power. The daily practice of Mind Power will keep worry from overpowering you. Fear and worry will find no fertile place to take root in a mind that is aware and conscious of itself. Mind Power is your best friend and most powerful tool. Use it.

10. Have some fun. Fun is one of the most honest and reassuring feelings. It always acts as healing balm, restoring our sense of balance. Our situations always seem different and less stressful after a time of fun. And you don’t have to spend money to have fun. Fun is possible in almost any situation. Play with your kids and do something outrageous. Go to the park and roll around on the grass. Spend an afternoon reading in the sun. The ways of having fun are endless, limited only by your imagination and willingness to do it. Reward yourself with some fun every day.
John Kehoe

Divorce...Gods Will????

2009-11-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

FINALLY FREE

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You NO LONGER have to stay single because you have been through a divorce. God wants the guilt to be FULLY cleared from your heart and for you to know what the Scriptures truly have to say about you being married again.

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You NO LONGER have to forfeit your ministry and the calling of God upon your life. God wants you back in His Army and to fully carry-out and fulfill His will for your life.

We DO NOT consider divorce as an option but only when necessary. Most marriage failures are a direct result of selfishness or ignorance on the part of one or both spouses. Nevertheless, we share these truths about divorce and being married again because they are the TRUTH.

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Bullying

2009-11-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

Bullying

The origin of Bullying comes from a school yard bully that uses verbal threats, physical intimidation and aggressiveness on a weaker person. More recently its definition has become broader and has taken more psychological attributes (non physical) of harassment. People still tend to associate Bullying more to the physical and physical violence, perhaps because of their school yard memories, but are becoming much more aware of its psychological attributes.

The term bully or Bullying was then applied in the workplace to describe a supervisor that was verbally aggressive and threatening towards employees or would use his position of authority or power to abuse employees.

The term Bullying then expanded to encompass groups in the sense that a group could unite to bully an individual like or similar to the mobbing definition.

The definitions of Bullying usually always include threats, intimidation, aggressive behavior, and verbal abuse but may not always have all of the same psychological or mental attributes. Although their intention is similar they don’t always have the same definitions or scope. The definition or scope of some words used is also changing or the same word can have a different definition or scope in different laws or policies. Some words used are not as clear or obvious and can also be deceptive in a way. The definition below may not apply to you and you should find out what your workplace harassment policy or law includes.

Workplace Bullying

Workplace Bullying continues to expand its definition and includes more psychological attributes that people might usually associate to terms such as psychological abuse, psychological harassment, psychological manipulation, or psychological warfare as more information is collected or published.

Bullying is defined as direct or indirect verbal comments, actions, behavior, or tactics such as verbal abuse or psychological manipulations that are used to harm an individual or an attempt to harm an individual. The Bullying acts do not need to be repetitive since a single act or event can have a serious or lasting effect. The use of threats or fear is common. The verbal abuse usually consists of threats or personal attacks. For example the victim’s means of subsistence or career can be threatened or the individual’s personal beliefs such as religion can be ridiculed. Examples of psychological manipulation are to have an individual do a task that is below their capabilities for the simple intention of humiliating them in front of their peers or to give an individual a highly repetitive task that is deprived of purpose. Another example is wearing the individual out tactics that mainly consists of trying to induce as much stress on the person as possible. It’s also sometimes the intent to make the Bullying victim seem emotionally or psychologically unstable and to try to confuse or make them paranoid and aggressive.

Here are more examples:

Constant threats of dismissal or intimidation.

Attempts to destroy or harm the person’s self-esteem or confidence.

Constant negative remarks or repeated criticism or sarcasm.

Consistent over time, unrealistic work demands, or work overloading.

Isolating or systematically isolating the person.

Spreading false information or rumors.

Tasks that are ambiguous, contradictory, or that are deprived of purpose.

False insinuations, attacks to the individual's dignity, integrity, or self-image.

Attempts to humiliate or public humiliation.

Classical Conditioning can also be used (see Psychological Manipulation ) Negative Conditioning or A Constant State of Interrogation.

School Bullying

School Bullying is more associated to physical violence and physical threats then Workplace Bullying. School Bullying usually involves children trying to dominate each other through physical strength and threats of more physical violence. The actions are usually fighting, punching or hitting followed by threats of more the same treatment or abuse. Verbal abuse is also common such as name calling. The psychological attributes usually include fear and the loss of self-esteem.

Workplace Bullying and School Bullying Are Not The Same

Children and School Bullying will sometimes use Bullying to dominate or establish themselves in a hierarchy or simply because they have experienced or learned this behavior from other children or from an adult. Although their actions can be seen as an attempt to harm other children, they are not fully aware of the consequences of their actions and neither are some adults.

Workplace Bullying falls into a different category. There are many different reasons why Workplace Bullying is sometimes used such as the person wanting to dominate others, because they feel threatened, because they wish to get rid of the other person, and in some cases even darker motives. Unlike School Bullying, Workplace Bullying can include knowledge and tactics that are highly intentional and used to harm a person psychologically and physically (see Effects of Stress). For example the person doing the Bullying can try to induce as much stress as possible and use Psychological Manipulations that are aimed at destroying a person’s self-esteem, self-worth, and self-image. The effects can induce a depression that has a downward spiral which can lead to suicide or the victim can be pushed to or influenced to commit suicide and this falls into the category of murder. The perpetrators of this crime would probably assume that they are invulnerable due to the invisibility of the crime, the lack of information and knowledge, common medical professional practices, and the required proof.

You will find different tactics and psychological manipulations on the Psychological Manipulation page.

Cyber-Bullying

Cyber-Bullying is similar to Workplace Bullying and School Bullying but it is more visible due to the fact that it can leave an electronic trace or evidence. Cyber Bullying is done through communication technologies or the internet. The Bullying occurs in Chat rooms, Bulletin Boards, E-Mails, Websites, Instant Messages, and other available programs or communication systems. Similar to other categories of Bullying the victim can be harassed, humiliated, or threatened. Cyber Bullying has been more in the news lately due to the fact that an adult deceived and psychologically manipulated a 13 year old girl that resulted in the young girl’s suicide.

The Oslo choir

2009-11-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLbuTr8H0WM&feature=fvw

Christian Divorce And Remarriage, The Lost Truth

2009-11-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Christian Divorce And Remarriage, The Lost Truth.
Divorce and remarriage for the Christian has always been a provision by God in the Bible. The truth of divorce and remarriage has been lost over time and erroneous teaching has taken it's place.

Remarriage Truth
In 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 it says, "Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned."
What we have been taught is that you can ONLY get remarried if your spouse is dead ? period! Therefore, let's apply this teaching to this scripture. "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek be loosed (to kill her or to put a contract out on her). Are you loosed from a wife (did you kill her or have her murdered)? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry another woman (after you had your wife killed) you have not sinned." Can you see the utter silliness of that rationale? This is the proper understanding: "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed (divorced). Are you loosed (divorced) from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry (after you have been divorced), you have not sinned."
Next, direct your attention to 1 Corinthians 7:8, 9 which says, "I say unto the UNMARRIED and the WIDOWS, 'it is good for them if they abide even as I (meaning to stay single). But if THEY cannot contain (having self-control to stay single) LET THEM MARRY: FOR IT IS BETTER TO MARRY than to burn (with passion for a mate)."
Religion has taught us that the "unmarried" in this Scripture does not refer to anyone who was divorced, only to those who where NEVER MARRIED. If "unmarried" means "NEVER MARRIED," then why did Paul the Apostle who wrote this letter continue only sixteen verses later say, "NOW concerning VIRGINS..."? Virgins (those who where NEVER MARRIED were NOT of those mentioned who where UNMARRIED. "NOW" he is talking about them?--the virgins?. Before he wasn't! Then Paul goes on to say that the virgins and those who are UNMARRIED ? "loosed from a wife" (divorced) are in the same category if they marry ? "THEY HAVE NOT SINNED."
Therefore, 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 properly reads: "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed (divorced). Are you loosed (divorced) from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry (after you have been divorced), you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned."

Pauls revelation in Ephs 3

2009-11-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

Subj: Paul's revelation

To my friends.

No one has ever told this to me like this before. I am not sure that I am explaining it well, but now, I have been able to do things that were never possible because of this revelation. We have all been taught and know what the scriptures say about salvation, but we have never allowed the sin conscience die because our clergy always keep it alive in our minds.

The revelation of Paul is the why we get saved, going to heaven is only one of the great benefit. The biggest is having fellowship with God and a son ship just like Adam had before the fall.

This is what I have been working on the last few weeks. This is the why and the how to the power which is in us as a result of God's plan to reconcile man to him through Jesus. The message that we are to preach is reconciliation. In which lays the "power" within us so when the scripture says "we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us" we can take this as fact...

PAULS REVELATION (VS 3)

Dear Reader:

The most basic truth concerning Gods plan to restore fellowship between God and Man has been under Vale for ages. I believe that you how have spiritual insight and understanding will catch onto these facts by the instruction of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26.

Righteousness is the sum total of Gods nature. This is what Adam and Eve lost because of disobedience in the garden. But God had a redemptive plan to restore this fellowship. Jesus, The Word was the sacrifice.

This should be the most basic teaching of the church and for clergy it is the equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

So why are so many people so unaware of this great “power that is within”?

We have been led to believe that we are unworthy…why? Because of what is call a “sin-consciousness”

Did we really have our old self die as a result of a “new creation”?

Do we really have a power within to deal with anything the world can throw at us?

What happened when we accepted the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and He did die on the cross and this was in deed the plan of God, then the conclusion can only be that this is an all or nothing deal.

God has placed “righteousness” which was lost, back into every believer. Now we have to rights back that were lost in the fall of man.

I now have the full nature of God in me. I am growing in knowledge and understanding of this fact in the Holy Spirit.

This is a fact. We are the Righteousness of God in a through Christ Jesus. Our old man is dead and so is sin conscience.

We can know forgive and forget………Just like God.
We can love …………just like God.
We can heal ………just like God.
We can do all things through Christ who strengths us.

It is now easy to know when we are or are not walking in this righteousness. Our knower, knows………and so do our actions. When we do sin we have an advocate with the father that intercess for us and we are forgiven and thus back in righteousness. Such a deal.

This takes a renewing of the mind to understand. This is the key for which God looks at the church without spot or wrinkle.

This is what is going to bring the church into full fellowship with God and with man.

Understanding righteousness the key to the power that dwells within us to make Paul's revelation ours as in Eph 3: 20

Paul, on his way to his destination, was confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ. Knocked to the ground and blinded, he was told to go to the city and meet a man who would give him instructions.
Paul followed these instructions. In those three days the mystery was made known to Paul, which is the righteousness of God (His nature) that was placed into Paul as a result of acknowledging that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that his dying on the cross completed God's plan in restoring what was lost by man in the garden. Paul was not ignorant of the law and the covenants.
NIV Ephesians 3:1-21

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my in sight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.
8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unreachable riches of Christ,
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
11 according to his eternal purpose, which he accomplished in ChristJesus our Lord.
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 May have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Packed with this, there is a new sense of worth and urgency to tell others.

This is only a part of what the Holy Sprit has give me. You guys have probably already experienced this, but I didn't know how to explain it until now.

I need you input and any insight you have on this....nobody in the church is talking about this other than creflo dollar (SP) and even his congregation has not grasped the concept yet.

Talk soon.

Ron

Four Agreement statements of truth

2009-11-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

fThe Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book

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The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book
by Ruiz, Don
Amber-Allen Publishing

The work of Don Miguel Ruiz is based on a knowledge held by the ancient Toltec of Mexico. His work is the result of years of study and self-inquiry, which altered his life. Ruiz describes it as a way of life that is spiritual, yet not necessarily a religion. This pathway is distinguished by the commitment to reach an accessible happiness and love. It moves the person beyond the world that is leaned to a deeper sense of what is self. Ruiz defines this move with the commitment of the person to four agreements. In order to attain this path to freedom defined by true happiness and love, the person practices these four agreements: "Be impeccable with your word", "Don't take anything personally", "Don't make assumptions", and "Always do your best".

The first of the four agreements, "Be impeccable with your word", means to speak with integrity. Ruiz describes the power of the word and how we must use that power to say what we mean and use it in a direction of truth and love. Because of the power the word has, Ruiz warns of its misuse, such as in the case of gossip. It is only through integrity of the word, that a person can transcend to heaven.

The second of the four agreements, "Don't take anything personally", speaks of the word of others. Ruiz discusses being immune to the opinions and actions of others, which act against us. These opinions and actions against us are the result of a fear or insecurity with the person dealing the opinions and actions. Therefore, according to Ruiz, we should not take anything personally. We will avoid needless suffering if we are in accordance with this agreement.

The third agreement, "Don't make assumptions", deals with misunderstanding. Ruiz declares that, in order to avoid the sadness and worry that accompany misunderstandings, we should communicate with clarity. The clarity can only come when a person is willing to be courageous and ask questions for clarity.

The fourth agreement, "Always do your best", works to avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. Ruiz defines your best as relative to how a person is feeling at that time. Therefore, you best will change from time to time, whether you are feeling healthy or sick. Yet, if you do your best under any circumstance, a person will avoid the negative side effects of not doing your best.

Ruiz describes that make the four agreements with yourself, and constantly working on them, can lead a person to the path of personal freedom. These agreements, all of which are present in Zander and Zander's The Art of Possibility, and Cashman's Leadership From the Inside Out, are useful for us as leaders. The agreements help keep us in integrity with our word. They can help us to stop and reflect and verify that our word is in line with our declared truths about leadership. The four agreements can assist us to maintain a focus on our core values, which guide us as leaders. The four agreements remind us that as leaders we will always need to reflect and renew ourselves as we develop and grow with new experiences.