February 2012
8 posts
Not every Christian is called to major leadership in the church, but every Christian is a leader, for we all influence others. All of us should strive to improve our leadership potential.
by J. Oswald Sanders

As we are studying this week, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send His Spirit to give them power and comfort. Jesus said in John 16:7, “it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” It’s amazing that He would say that it was to their (and our) advantage that He was leaving so that the Holy Spirit could come into our lives! He is a person sent to us with numerous promises about all that He is able to do in and through us. It is so vital that we embrace the Spirit of God as the person He is and do not simply ignore His presence in our lives. When we do allow ourselves to forget Him, we can also forget the role He plays in our lives every single day. I’m including a non-exhaustive list of what the Bible says is the role of the Holy Spirit—read these verses and pray through them! Ask the Holy Spirit to do these things in your own life.
He creates and gives life (Job 33:4; Gen 1:26)
He appoints and commissions ministers (Isaiah 48:16; Acts 13:2;20:28)
He directs people where to preach (Acts 8:29;10:19-20)
He directs people where not to preach (Acts 16:6-7)
He instructs people what to preach (1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16)
He spoke in, and by, the prophets (Acts 1:16; 1 Peter 1:11,12; 2 Peter 1:21)
He convicts people of sin (John 16:8)
He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30; Isaiah 63:10)
He comforts (Acts 9:31)
He helps our infirmities and helps us pray (Romans 8:26, Eph 6:18)
He teaches ( John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:10)
He guides ( John 16:13)
He gives gifts to believers (1 Cor 12:4-11)
He sanctifies (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11)
He testifies of Christ ( John 15:26, 1 Cor 12:3)
He glorifies Christ ( John 16:14)
He has a power of his own (Romans 15:13; 2 Tim 1:7)
He empowers believers to do His work (Zechariah 4:7; Acts 1:8; 1 Tim 1:12)
He searches all things (Romans 11:33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
He works according to his own will (1 Corinthians 12:11)
He dwells with saints ( John 14:17; Rom 8:9; 2 Tim 1:14)
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May you be filled and empowered with God’s Spirit!
Pastor Daniel
- Friend: So, when do you guys meet together as a church?
- Laura: On Thursday nights at 7pm
- Friend: Where at?
- Laura: At our house right now:) You should come!!!
- Friend: OK. Can you text me you address?
- Laura: Of course! See you on Thursday.
1. Jesus claims to be the Messiah & proves it through prophecy
Isa 9:6 tells us that the messiah would be God in flesh and would be known as the Son of God
One example of Biblical prophecy concerning the messiah that Jesus fulfilled:
The messiah would also be born of a virgin—-Isa 7:14 and fulfilled in Matt 1:21-23
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah & proved it through prophecy (Luke 4:17-20 & Matt 11:2-6)
Jesus’s Disciples teach us that Jesus was the messiah (Acts 2:22-41, Matt 1:1, John 20:30-31)
2. Jesus claimed to be God
John 8:57-59 —- YHWH-The LORD
John 10:30-33 —- Son of God (same nature)
John 5:18 —- Calling God: Father (same nature…equality with God)
3. Jesus spoke as God and not a prophet
Example: The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) & Matt 7:28-29
4. Jesus accepted worship as only God stated He should receive
Ex 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Jesus accepted & approved the worship of people (Matt 14:33, John 20:28, & Matt 16:16-17)
5. Jesus forgives sin and heals a man to prove He is God —- Mark 2:1-10
Other examples when He forgave sin: The adulterous woman, woman anointing His feet, man on the cross ,etc
1 Tim 1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
6. Jesus conquered sin and death and proved it in the resurrection (1 Cor 15)
7. Jesus’ disciples accepted His claim to be God
Example:Most of Jesus’ disciples got martyred because they wouldn’t recant this truth.
They also preached that Jesus was God and could only do things that God can do.
Examples: Col 1:16, 2 Pet 3:18, 1 Cor 4:5, 2 Cor 5:10, Acts 10:36