The Visitor

The Visitor

One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.

Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

The visitor replied, "I took your place."

The Fence

The Fence

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.

It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

But your best friend of all should be Jesus. Show your friends how much you care. Be like Jesus.

The Silversmith

The Silversmith

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (Malachi 3:3)"

One lady proposed to visit a silversmith, and report to them on what he said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling the object of her errand, begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says, "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. "Oh, yes madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eyes steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."

Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?"

"Why, that is quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."

How to Recognize God's Voice

How can we recognize the voice of God? Can we hear from God? This question has been asked by countless people throughout the ages.

Samuel heard the voice of God, but did not recognize it until he was instructed by Eli. (1 Samuel 3:1-10) Gideon had a physical revelation from God, and he still doubted what he had heard to the point of asking for a sign, not once, but three times. (Judges 6:17-22, 36-40)

When we are listening for God's voice, how can we know that He is the one speaking?

First of all, read. We have something that Gideon and Samuel did not. We have the complete Bible, the inspired Word of God, to read, study, and meditate on. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

When we have a question about a certain topic or decision in our lives, we should see what the Bible has to say about it.

God will never lead us or direct us contrary to what He has taught or promised in His Word. (Titus 1:2)

Second, recognize. To hear God's voice we must recognize it. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)

Those who hear God's voice are those who belong to Him, those who have been saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. These are the sheep who hear and recognize His voice, because they know Him as their Shepherd and they know His voice. If we are to recognize God's voice, we must belong to Him, and we must follow Him.

Third, relate. We hear His voice when we spend time in prayer, Bible study, and quiet contemplation of His Word. The more time we spend intimately with God and His Word, the easier it is to recognize His voice and His leading in our lives.

Employees at a bank are trained to recognize counterfeits by studying genuine money so closely that it is easy to spot a fake. We should be so familiar with God's Word that when God does speak to us or lead us, it is clear that it is God.

God speaks to us so that we may understand truth. While God can speak audibly to people, He speaks primarily through His Word, and sometimes through the Holy Spirit to our consciences, through circumstances, and through other people.

By applying what we hear to the truth of Scripture we can learn to recognize His voice!

by Pastor Timothy Satryan

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 11.03. Live for God, on purpose, listening to His voice for His direction each and every day.

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Holy Spirit Power

Holy Spirit Power

January 17, 2011

By Ken Horn

I received a letter from a young man who desperately wanted to see his
sister saved. So he witnessed to her forcefully and often until his sister
became hostile and wanted nothing more to do with him. Despite his righteous
motive, he had just made matters worse.

Shortly after their falling-out, he found himself visiting an Assemblies of
God church his first experience with Pentecostalism. Here, he told me, he
was "baptized in the Holy Ghost." The results? "I started praying instead of
preaching to my sister ... and God saved her. Now she is filled with the
Holy Ghost and goes to the same church as I do."

There is no limit to what the Holy Spirit can do. My dad is another great
example.

Like his brothers, Dad had picked up the smoking habit at a young age.
Letters from my mother to him during their courtship included her requests
that he give up the habit. But it didn't happen. Even after Dad became a
committed Christian, he continued to smoke. He tried to stop many times, but
always reverted. Tobacco had a grip on him that he couldn�t break.

Then, when I was studying for the ministry at Bethany University in Scotts
Valley, Calif., I got a call from my dad.

"Son," he told me, "I was baptized in the Holy Spirit last night."

Two of the things that happened because of this: (1) My dad became a board
member for most of the rest of his life, and (2) he was completely delivered
of his bondage to tobacco. What pious efforts from a good Christian couldn't
do, the fullness that came from God's Holy Spirit accomplished.

The fullness of the Holy Spirit does not make Christian "A" better than
Christian "B." But it does make Christian "A" stronger than he or she was
before ... enabled by the Holy Spirit's power to do things not remotely
possible in human strength. What challenges have you stifled? Perhaps your
answer will be found in seeking the fullness of God's wonderful Holy Spirit.

Ken Horn is editor of the Pentecostal Evangel and blogs at Snapshots
(khorn.agblogger.org).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Check out the magazine's latest issue, audio files and blog entries at
http://www.pe.ag.org.

Copyright � 2011 Gospel Publishing House

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by the Pentecostal Evangel.

Pastor's Message in Church 1-16-11

"One Month to Live
and Living the Dash"

The Principles and Verses..are from Pastor's message..I added the comments.

If you go to the cemetery, graveyard, memorial garden, or whatever name you give
to the place where we bury our loved ones. You will find that the gravestones mark
the date they were born then a dash followed by the date they died.
The dash represents the time they lived on earth.

Our text this morning was John 10:10

^10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Choosing How to Live the Dash

Principle 1: Jesus lived passionately
(and we should too he is our example..he made his time on earth to count for something!)

1 John 5:11-12 (King James Version)

^11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

^12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Principle 2: Jesus Loved(s) Completely

John 13:1 (KJV)

^1Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out
of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Jesus knew his time of death was near
"He loved his own".. means his family ,
and those close to him. He loved them to the end.

Principle 3: Jesus learned Humbly

Philippians 2:5-8 (King James Version)

^5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

^6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

^7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

^8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

We need to be reading and studying the Bible (The Word)..that is putting His mind in us..
Jesus made of himself no reputation..he became a servant although He was the King of kings..he humbled himself
so should we.

Principle 4: Jesus Left Boldly

Luke 9:51 (King James Version)

^51And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem

It was not easy knowing he was giving his life for the salvation of all those who would believe in his sacrificial death.
He sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane while praying to the Father..not my will but yours be done.
But He boldly..faced His death on the cross.
Instead of trying to please everyone..we should set our mind on pleasing God our Father...even to the very end.

Pastor Michael Dubbles-Message

River Of Life /Assembly of God-Church

Comments by Me

Be Very Careful When Entering Business Relationships

by Bishop Keith A. Butler

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3

The Word says that we are not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Why would people go into business with people who don't share their value system, with people who are not born-again? But many Christians do, and they reap the results.

When you go into business with a Christian, you still must operate by God's business principles. You must draw up a contract and get legal representation. You must protect yourself, even with your tongue-talking prayer partner. It is not unusual for me to see a person go into business with somebody else in the church, and when one of them does the other one wrong, they will come running to the church to fix it. Scripture contains principles for conflict resolution, but most of the time both parties won't agree to that.

Now the following recommendation is just my opinion; I can't support it from Scripture. However, after 35 years in ministry, I would not recommend that you go into business with your best friend if you want to stay friends. I also would not recommend that you go into business with your relatives if you want to stay in love with them. Money has a way of bringing out the worst in people. I don't know how many times I've seen best friends go into business, saying that they're sure they can trust each other, and before long, they're ready to kill each other, and the friendship is destroyed-all those years of interactions between their families are gone.

When a business relationship with a family member falls apart, the result will be a family feud with extended family members taking sides and people refusing to talk to someone for years. When one of the family members dies, people will be at the funeral wanting to find resolution when it's too late.

Prayer for Today

Father,
I want to live as a blessed person in all things. I look to your Word and to your faithful messengers for direction, not to those who do not know you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Selah: Think on These Things

• Amos 3:3
• Psalm 84:12