The Heidelberg Catechism - The Foundations Of Our Faith

Being Filled With the Spirit   Enns "The filling of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the other ministries of the Spirit inasmuch as it is conditional. Whereas ministries such as the indwelling, baptism, regenerating, and sealing are nonexperiential and occur but once at the moment of conversion, the filling of the Spirit is experiential and also repeated. The basis for the filling of the Spirit is Ephesians 5:18, "Be filled with the Spirit." The command to be filled with the Spirit is given in contrast to the warning "do not get drunk with wine." Drunkenness exhibits the inability of the person to control himself. The nature of the Christian's life is to be in contrast to the nature of the uncontrolled drunkard. The meaning of filled (Gk. plerousthe) is "control.""The indwelling Spirit of God is the One who should continually control and dominate the life of the believer."   Slide 2  Eph. 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as un...

I Believe In A Healthy Church Eph. 4:1-16,  Rom. 12:1-12    Marked by Unity, Maturity and Diversity "It was He who gave some to be..... pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service , so that the body of Christ may be built up." Eph 4:11-12   Nine Reasons for Developing Your Personal Ministry   1. We have been ______________________ for ministry: "God in His grace, chose me even before I was born , and called me to serve Him ." Galatians 1:15 (LB)   2. We have been ______________________ for ministry: "It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work, not because we deserve it but because that was His plan long before the world began ." 2Timothy 1:9 (LB)   3. We have been ______________________ into ministry: "But you are a chosen people , a royal priesthood , a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." 1Peter 2:9 (NIV)   ...

The Analyst WE are all born analysts, and we quickly get to work. . The passion for scientific investigation begins in the cradle. A child glories in taking things to pieces. He is always at it. He will take a clock to pieces to find the thing that is for ever ticking. He will take an instrument to pieces to find the music. He will take a flower to pieces to find the .fragrance. He will take his mechanical toys to pieces to find what makes them go. He would take his mother to pieces, if he could, to find where all the love and sweetness come from. Those who have no eye for beauty will mutter a lot of common place nonsense about his bump of destructiveness having been abnormally developed. It is not destructiveness at all. When he discovers that his investigation has destroyed the very thing that he was fondly investigating, he will weep over its ruin Nothing was further from his thought. He is not a born iconoclast, but a born analyst. That is all His most passionate propensity is the ...