The Holy Spirit baptizes with fire

Pentecost 2020

[Bible text in the video is from youversion.com in the New Living Translation]

Be filled with the Holy Spirit according to Acts, Chapter 2, and in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2: 28-29). If you are a Christian and have been praying, fasting and otherwise preparing yourself spiritually during the “lockdown” period, then step out in faith and ask the Lord for a fresh anointing of His Holy Spirit. Ask Him to baptize you with His Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist, when He saw Jesus, stated in front of others that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11).

If you are not a Christian, then you can be born again and receive free gift of the Holy Spirit by turning to Jesus. Repent of your sins, ask the Lord to forgive you, make Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life, and determine to walk humbly with Him. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Get water baptized. Acts 2:38-40.

Salvation is a free gift of God. We receive it by faith in Jesus Christ. Tell someone you made Jesus your Lord and Savior and find other Bible-believing Christians to fellowship with. Become a disciple by studying the written Word of God. The Bible is our manual, and the Holy Spirit will help you to understand it.

There are many Bible translations available and in different languages. You can find them online on Gateway.com and YouVersion.com. I recommend you also buy or order a print version of the translation you like best. Online is not guaranteed forever.

Turning to the Lord is the most important thing you can do with your life. It is also the most exciting. Jesus is coming back soon, and He can use us to reach others and to help during His 1,000-year reign on earth, but only if we trust and obey Him (Revelation 20:4-6). He will empower us for service. Serve Him – there is nothing else in the world worth living or dying for. Nothing.

Faith Today Christian Ministries (a free ministry)

Exalting the Name of Jesus!

Shalom

Facebook.com/faithtodaypage 1 and faithtodaypage1.blogspot.com

[Cover image from Church of the Epiphany and modified for this presentation.]

The Rapture: Not everyone will go

The Rapture - not everyone will go

From Stop Playing Church

Luke 17:34-3 : "I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

Luke 21:34-36: "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 

35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” 

Commentary

The rapture, the Lord's rescue for His church from the Tribulation, is conditioned on our spiritual state at that time.
Children (the innocents) will go. Christians who are faithful and obedient will go.

Christians who are back-slidden, living in willful sin and rebellion/unforgiving, prideful, etc., will be left behind to repent during the Tribulation. People who rejected the free gift of salvation that Jesus Christ obtained for us, will be left behind, but can turn to the Lord during the Tribulation.

Many though will not be strong enough to resist the mark of the beast (antichrist) and will choose material comforts even if it means the worship of satan and the punishment for this (eternity in hell and eternal separation from God). Those who refuse to worship the devil may become martyrs, but they will also receive a crown of life in heaven. The recent virus was a good wake-up call to get things in order, spiritually, and otherwise.

If a pastor is not providing teaching about these things, personally or through church Bible studies, then find a church that does. Traditions do not save us; only Jesus does.

Matthew 24:42: "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." 

Shalom

Faith Today Christian Ministries (a free ministry)

Exalting the Name of Jesus!

May 28: We will pray for you

Fasting and focused prayer Thursday, May 28

Daniel 9:3-5:

"3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws."

Note: Share your prayer needs with us; people are standing by to pray for you.

Shalom

Faith Today Christian Ministries (a free ministry)
Exalting the Name of Jesus!

Online interactive Bible study

The names or titles of God ...
  And the next topic

Image from Christian Prophecy

Last night's Zoom Bible study only scratched the surface concerning the names of God or the the names for God in the Bible. 

Sister Margie Reveles-Benton, a Bible teacher, shared on this great faith-building topic. The idea is get us to dig deeper with our own prayerful research. We learn about the truths in the Bible so we can apply them and thereby lead victorious lives.

We serve an awesome God - the Creator of the universe - and the more we can get to know Him, the more we will see Him as the incomparable Lord that He really is. Blessed be His name.

It is not without reason that one of the 10 commandments warns us against taking the name of the Lord in vain (Exodus 20:7 - “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."). 

Yet, we know from casual conversations in today's society that the "preferred" swear words expressed by many include the name of "Jesus" or references to "God" ----. Movies are filled with these expressions. It is not a coincidence. 

The demonic forces that seek constantly to get humans to blaspheme the Lord are behind this, and people allow themselves to be used in this sinful manner while incurring judgment on themselves. Yes, it makes the devil happy. 

Let me know if you are interested in participating or "observing" the new "Follow Jesus" Zoom Bible studies. You will need the link to join the online session. We have gone "international." The studies are non-intimidating and are open to anyone who wants to learn more about God and the Bible. We set aside a time for interaction, questions and views. We also invite prayer requests. Session last about 40 minutes.

Our next topic will be: "The Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ on Earth." What will be doing then? Could our "training" today, spiritual and natural, be applied then? We will probably have assignments then, and our skills will be put to use in those assignments. Ultimately, everyone will report to King Jesus during that time. 

An exciting season awaits the followers of Jesus Christ. Young people today worry that if Jesus is coming back soon, then what are their college studies and other skills for? Are they a waste of time? What about marriage? Character-building is now. You decide now how much you mature spiritually before the 1,000-year reign of Jesus. Etc.

Shalom

Diana Washington Valdez
Faith Today Christian Ministries
Exalting the Name of Jesus!

Urgent call by Jesus to salvation

Dear beloved,

After praying about what message to compose and post next, the Lord indicated several times to re-post an earlier message. 

The earlier message had been uploaded using text only. This time, a short video accompanies the message, based on John 16:9 so as to add more emphasis to it. 

Please share it with others. The video description includes a link to the entire message with scriptures. Feel free to ask questions.

Shalom

Diana Washington-Valdez/Faith Today Christian Ministries
Exalting the Name of Jesus!

Power in the Names of the Lord

THE CONCEPT OF THE NAME OF THE LORD

Prepared by Margie Reveles-Benton © 2020

Central scripture: “But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Acts 2:21 (NLT)

WHY IS THE NAME OF THE LORD IMPORTANT?

Knowing God, like Moshe [Moses] did, we may ask ourselves, “why did he and the Creator of this universe have such a close connection?” Knowing God, after the fall, began when he called Moshe from the burning bush. It began when Moshe was interested enough to go and see the phenomenon of a bush on fire but not consumed. It began with relationship. A relationship was born at this time.

God’s name was revealed out of relationship.

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE LORD?

The name of Yehovah, first revealed to Moshe in Exodus 3, means I am the One who is, who was and who is to come. Represented by the 4 Hebrew letters called the Tetragram, יהןה, Yehovah takes pieces of the Hebrew grammar for He is, He was, He is to come (YHVH-יהןה) and tells Moshe his name. Everything else we call him is a title.

Here is an example. My name is Margie. My children call me mom. My grandchildren call me grandma. My students call me miss or teacher; some call me coach. My parents call me “mija,” which means my daughter. At some churches I am called sister, minister, elder. But, none of those are my name. I think you get the picture. Those are only “parts” of me. My name is who I am. The others are who I am in part.

Why would faith in the name be important? In no other name do we have faith, not our parents, pastors, no other. The name carries the full essence and power of who he is.

No other name has the power. Simply that. If we remember that his name has power, both dunamis (might) and exousia (authority). His name is who he is, totally. It is everything we need!

EXPANDED NAMES (the more commonly used ones)

YEHOVAH YIREH Yehovah my provider (one who manifests): Genesis 22:14

YEHOVAH NISSI Yehovah my standard [or banner], rallying point: Exodus 17:15

YEHOVAH SHALOM Yehovah is peace: Judges 6:24

YEHOVAH ROHI Yehovah my shepherd: Psalms 23:1

YEHOVAH RAPHA Yehovah heals you: Exodus 15:26

Notice that the name Yehovah with another word forms a phrase (partial sentence) or a full sentences. The names given to babies in Hebrew also do the same.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. God’s name (Yehovah) is vast. It would take many pages, books even, to exhaust the study, and even then, the study of his name is inexhaustible.

Scriptures

“Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord,”
Psalms 135:1 (NLT)

“Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!””
Psalms 116:4 (NLT)

“I will proclaim the name of the Lord; how glorious is our God!”
Deuteronomy 32:3 (NLT)

“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Acts 2:21 (NLT)

Here and in Romans 10:13, it is implied that the name of the Lord is not only called upon, but one cries out for deliverance. It connotes Yeshua as Lord and worship of him as Lord.

“Anyone who blasphemes the Name of the Lord must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any native-born Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the Name of the Lord must be put to death.” Leviticus 24:16 (NLT)

“Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.”
1 Kings 18:24 (NLT)

“The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.”
Proverbs 18:10 (NLT)

[Feel free to share this special message with others. - Faith Today Christian Ministries/DWV]

Margie Reveles-Benton is a Bible teacher based in El Paso, Texas.


Sources:

https://themelios.thegospelcoalition.org/article/joel-estes-calling-on-the-name-of-the-lord-romans-10-13/