C #2 – CONTRITION Contrition is a five dollar word with a practical nickel explanation. Webster defines it as “the state of feeling remorseful and penitent.” A synonym for it is the Christian word “repentance”. The key of repentance is to understand that it is a two-part expression and commitment. It is feeling remorse for…

Matthew 16:13-20 New Living Translation (NLT) Peter’s Declaration about Jesus 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” 15 Then…

Acts 4:8 New King James Version (NKJV) 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: Only a few weeks ago we welcomed in Pentecost and the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can guide, comfort and encourage us in our every…

It only took a few days for Peter and John to find the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that God provided on Pentecost. The text in Acts 3 finds them in a normal day of observing the practice of prayer at the 3:00 o’clock hour of the afternoon. God moves here through Peter to empower…

We often keep the death of Jesus in our rearview mirror. Our faith tells us that it is historically both a literal and spiritual truth yet we are not forced to be on one side or the other of his actual death. It creates a unique paradox for Christians because Peter’s words are as applicable…

God provided the Holy Spirit thru Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost. The result recorded by Luke in Acts 2 was the first sermon in this present Church age by Peter. Those that heard the message that day with an open heart were convicted of their sin and eternal lost nature which left them…

Romans 6:4-11  (NLT) Sin’s Power Is Broken 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised…

In following on from the last two posts on being filled with the Holy Spirit and having a “Pentecost” day of our own we have looked at the presence of the Holy Spirit and the room we need to allow the Holy Spirit into our lives. If we are being filled with the Holy Spirit…

Once we are open to God’s Spirit and His leading in our lives we will almost always find the challenge of Safety, Risk & Reward. We know God has provided an opportunity for us and we really want to pursue it but we don’t want to let go of our safety net in the familiar…

From the previous post the results of being filled with the Holy spirit bring positive results to our lives as well as those that we come into contact with. Or to put it another way, if the Holy Spirit fills us it will overflow our clay pot and be out for others to see by…