Paula Price

I do not believe that there are Apostles today. I do believe that there are people the Holy Spirit chooses to possess some of the qualities of those Apostles. These chapters of the bible were written during the building of the church, the kingdom, after Jesus ascended back to heaven. He gave these gifts of the Spirit to his disciples so that they could continue in the work he started and the disciples were to pass these on to those who believed to help build up the church, the kingdom of God. Once the scriptures were written and each man could read them, faith took over and the need for miracles, signs and wonders were no longer needed because the promise had been fulfilled which was Jesus. Now the Holy Spirit lives in those of us who have accepted Christ as our personal savior and each one of us is given our own personal gift to edify each other and to do the will of God as is needed to accomplish His purpose which is to draw all men to salvation. As we live our lives in obedience to Him, when we pray for guidance and assistance as we go through difficulties and as satan is attacking us, we are giving gifts to overcome and the miracles, signs and wonders are performed in our everyday lives, not as they were when Jesus performed them, but spiritual none the less and unexplained, we can testify to the glory of God and all he has done for us. We are too caught up in trying to justify and explain these gifts. If we are living according to God's will, men will see our good works and glorify the Father. Why are we looking for them so hard?? If we are heirs, they are there and can be seen. If we believe in all the word of God tells us and if we are doing his will then our light is shining and the world is seeing and the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts are evident in our lives, in our walk and our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit chooses who gets what gift and instructs us how to use it. Each one who receives a gift will know and will not have to wonder whether we have it or not and what we are suppose to do with it. the Holy Spirit leads us and guides us in all things spiritual. Let us do what God has required of us, to be obedient to his word, to love one another, to worship and praise Him only, to show the fruits of the spirit everyday and let God do what he has promised to do when we trust and obey.

Ephesians 4: 12 Spiritual gifts were giving for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12: 7 spiritual gifts were given for the common good of the church body. Spiritual gifts are to be used to build up the kingdom of God. Only those who are doing the will of God are gifted with spiritual gifts. The body of Christ, the church, will recognize whether the gift is sincere, that is the reason we study to show ourselves approved. The kingdom will not grow and God's glory will not shine if gifts are not used for His purpose.

I feel that we are too caught up in trying to explain how to obtain spiritual gifts and the mind of Christ. Let us put our thoughts on living the life that Christ is requiring of us in order to obtain eternal life. If we live according to God's commandments, it will take the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ to do just that!!!! It is impossible for man to live a life free of sin as Jesus did , so the Holy Spirit is given to us to help us and lead and guide us, to strengthen us, to shield us from the evil one who is seeking to destroy us. If we live our lives according to the will of God, we will not have to wonder and ponder on spiritual gifts and how to obtain them for the Holy Spirit will direct us to them and in them. It is not our decision on which gifts we receive, but God's decision on how best to give them and who receives them and what to do with them. They are for his glory, used to draw men to salvation.." but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you". God is calling us to lead the world in righteousness and the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. All of these Jesus lived while here on earth in the mist of sin and death. He was tempted at every turn but never gave in. The Holy Spirit was upon him to help him in doing the will of the Father. When we are walking in the word and doing the will of God, he knows our hearts and will direct our path. To live our lives daily in these nine fruits of the spirit is as difficult for us as it was for Jesus but more so because we know sin. This is why we need the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, not to know the mystery of God and the things of God but to be able to withstand the evil one who comes to destroy us and keep us from all things spiritual and God. God gives those of us who are doing his will and walking in the word spiritual gifts to help us draw more souls to him. We won't have to worry about when we get them or who gets them and what to do with them IF we get them. That is God's decision and the Holy Spirit will aid us in their use to glorify HIM!!!! When we speak of having the mind of Christ, we are speaking of knowing how to please God as he did and how to live holy and righteous among sin as he did. It takes a strong faith and a strong mind to do this. The mind of Christ who was perfect!!!!!! The mind of Christ who always walked in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, righteousness, gentleness, self-control. I pray to live holy and righteous so that I may be used by God for his glory!

A person who has not accepted Christ as their personal Savior, who has not been born again, who has not been washed in the blood of the lamb. who have not confess and repented of their sins and who does not believe that God raised Jesus from the dead is not a Christian. We are Christians because we have done all of the above which are the requirements demanded by God. Once we have done these things then we are added to His church by Him and are no longer sinners, but Christians. We have decided to follow Jesus and walk in holiness and righteousness. We may not be perfect at all times, but when we repent we are forgiven and are still covered by grace and mercy. The Spirit of God can not live in a sinful body for God hates sin and can not dwell in a sinful soul. God knows the heart of man and as man walks with God it must be in the beauty of holiness. As Christians, we live our lives according to His purpose and His purpose is for us to do good works and glorify Him in all things righteous and holy. If we are not living as such than He is not in us. God and Christ live in the hearts of those who are obeying and walking in the word and the Holy Spirit also lives in those who are called according to His purposed. Every man has the choice to a be Christian but every man is not a Christian. They have not chosen to live a Christian life. It is not according to how we want to live it but how God has required us to live it. It is His will that matters, not ours.

Jesus is giving us a comparison of God and the wind. We can not see the wind but we feel it and know it exist and is real. We do not know from where it comes or where it goes which describes the mystery of God but we must go where it blows us and must be directed by it and trust that it will lead us to do the will of the one who send it. Everyone who is born of the Spirit is like the wind, we go where he leads us and do not question the direction or ask why, we are to just go where He leads. That is Faith. ( "it" used here is not referring to the Spirit, but to the wind).

To be born of water and spirit means to be baptized , having your sins washed way and raising from the old self to the new one in Christ. Once we have accepted Christ and are added to His church we are then born of the Spirit of Him who lives within us and as we walk with the Spirit of Christ we are born again and live to Him who has saved us from sin. Being baptized as Jesus was and having the Spirit to live in us and guide us in holiness and faithfulness is what is meant by being born of water and Spirit .

Jesus's reference to the wind here teaches us that God is in control of our lives and that we do nothing of our own but our steps are ordered by Him. Only He knows which the way we will go and the world has no control over us. We are not in control of our lives but God is.

Only spiritually can we enter into the kingdom of God, but we cannot become spiritual until we are washed clean by the blood of Christ. Being physically baptized with water begins our journey of rebirth from sin to walk in the newness of life with Jesus Christ as our advocate to God and the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us in all that He requires of us to obtain eternal life. When we accept Christ as our personal savior we have accepted a covenant with God to walk in his word and do his will and to do all that he requires of us in order to obtain eternal life. When we live our lives to do his will and not our will or that of the world, God sees and knows our heart and fills us with the Holy Spirit so that we are His and can do those things which will lead others to him to receive his gift of eternal life also. " We are create in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared before hand that we would walk in them."

Nicodemus was not born of the Spirit when he came to Jesus in this scripture for the Spirit had not yet been sent. Nicodemus was a believer but still had a lot of questions and had a lot to understand and accept before he could be accepted spiritually by God. The difference between the two births is that the second birth is spiritual which is required for eternal life.

In this scripture Jesus is inviting anyone who is lost in sin and want to be free to live a life of peace and happiness and joy in the Lord. He promises to each believer the gift of the Holy Spirit which Is the river of living waters. When we accept Christ into our lives we are to live our lives according to his purpose. We are to spread the news of his saving grace to others who are lost. The living waters, the Holy Spirit, gives us peace and joy and instructions on how to fulfill God's purpose in our lives. God's purpose in our lives is to love worship and serve Him by loving one another and keeping His commandments.

The disciples were given the gift of tongues in Acts at Pentecost to prophesy and witness to those who came from different parts of the country who gathered to worship annually. This was promised to them when Jesus returned to the Father so that they would be able to continue in the work that Jesus trained them to do. They spoke in tongues and everyone there where able to understand in the language they spoke. At this particular time the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples to speak to the people, and those who heard the word and believed and where saved, God added to His church. Each time the Holy Spirit visited, it was different for each one.(it refers to the visit, not the Spirit). The gift of tongues may not have been needed each time because those gathered may have been able to understand what was being said.

The Holy Spirit was promised to every believer but every believer will not have the same gifts of the Spirit. Speaking in tongues means speaking a different language or dialect. 1 Corinthians 14:27-28 says that if any one speaks in tongue, there should be an interpreter and if there is no interpreter to keep quiet. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us in all things Holy and he determines what gifts to give to whom. We may not all speak in tongues but have other gifts of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is as God and Jesus. They form a trinity. The Holy spirit acts, teaches, leads, guides. I think we call him, "it" not because we believe him not to be real but because we are trying to make known that we are speaking of him rather than of Jesus or God at the time and if we say him the person we are speaking to may not know which "him we are referring to. but if we say or call him "it" we are speaking of the Spirit and not of God or Jesus.

to testify means to "tell" , to be a witness to or for or of something. The Holy Spirit testifies to Jesus being the son of God who was sent to redeem man from sin back to the Father. .The disciples were the only ones who witness Jesus in the flesh and all the miracles and signs and wonders He did . As a Christian and one who believes what they have written I too can testify and also tell of the truth and the things He has done in my life as I live and walk in His word.

The Holy Spirit is another intercessor who will guide us into all truth just as Jesus did with the disciples when he walked with them. Jesus was the initial paraclete when he walked the earth teaching the disciples. The Holy Spirit will abide or live within us to continue what Jesus promised. Jesus is in heaven interceding for us with the Father and the Holy Spirit is who is left with us to continue leading and guiding us and speaking truth to us as it is given from God. He was with the disciples along with Jesus and when Jesus ascended into heaven he told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit of truth who will lead them into all truth and righteousness. He will be in the disciples after Jesus leaves them. at the day and time of Pentecost, they will receive the Holy Spirit to be their teacher and to help them in all things Holy and righteous and of God.

Priest were chosen by God to be an earthly link between Him and man. They were servants who lived a life of holiness and righteousness in order to be able to communicate to God for man, since man was sinful. They were to instruct the people in all things holy according to God's word. They were intercessors between God and man. As a Christian I have chosen to serve God as a priest, to direct souls to his throne. I am to live my life according to His will and His purpose to show others the way to salvation. Jesus is our intercessor to God and we are to tell the world of Jesus who is God's son, sent to earth to redeem us from sin. We are to be servants or priests to tell a dying soul how to be saved and gain eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Because I am saved by God's grace and mercy, I am his child and have a right to eternal life with him in glory. If I walk in the beauty of holiness as required. I am a shining light of His glory, not mine. I was created in his image to give him glory and to do his will and I want all I say and do be well pleasing in his sight. "for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good work, which God prepared before hand, that we would walk in them". We are chosen to be shinning examples of the goodness of God and to live our lives according to his purpose, so that others will see the God we serve and want to be servants of him.... We should be the shinning treasure that he takes out and look at and say " here is my servant with whom I am will pleased". " Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify our father which is in heaven". We are His chosen people, as were the children of Israel whom he chose to tell the world of Him and his goodness and to be the living proof of a living and loving God who cares and provides for his own, when we trust and obey and do his will. We are his witnesses to unbelievers, to show his power and greatness and he blesses us accordingly. We are to tell the world of Him and to lift Him up before men, so that He can draw all men unto him.

I believe it is a common mistake that we speak of the Holy Spirit as "it", not that we actual believe it is. God is a spirit and the Holy Spirit and Jesus are as God. We believe God to be real so his spirit is real also. They "live" in us and with us. We can feel their presence. They are not objects, and "it" implies that they are. Idol gods are objects, "its". The body is an object but the spirit brings it to life, gives it action, and when the spirit leaves the body, "it", the body is dead. "it" moves no more. no more action. The Spirit is active in our lives... when we say "it" we are just identifying who we are referring to, not God or Jesus, but the Spirit. so we say "it" when we should say "He". But if we say "He" we may get misunderstood believing that we meant God or Jesus, so we say "it" meaning we are speaking of the Spirit, not that we believe the Spirit to be an "it". Confusing... lololo. Are there many who believe that the Spirit is not a person? I know I am one who used to refer to the Spirit as "it", but I always knew and understood Him to be a person as God.

To testify means to tell. the Spirit testified to Jesus being the son of God. the Apostles were actual witness to Jesus and his work as he lived walked and taught among them while on earth. We have chosen to believe and accept their witness as truth and that Jesus is the son of God. When we confess this or testify to this, we are saved and we are to be witnesses to how He works in our lives. When we live our lives according to God's purpose and walk in his word and obey his commandments, The Holy Spirit lives within us to teach us and strengthen us in our walk. We are to testify of God's goodness in our lives so that others will believe and be saved.

Jesus is the initial Paraclete , who while on earth, walk with and taught the disciples, but when he ascends back to heaven,, God leaves another within them, someone who takes Jesus place who will continue to lead and guide them to do the work of the father. The Holy Spirit will dwell within each heart to strengthen and continue to be with them as Jesus was with them on earth.

Up until this time, Moses was taking instructions from God and doing what He told him to do. God had not instructed Moses to delegate responsibility to anyone else therefore, he did not think to do it. Perhaps God wanted to see how Moses would continue to handle his leadership of the people by not instructing him to delegate or share responsibility. Perhaps God directed the heart of Jethro to aid Moses in this choice. However it came to be, God's will and his direction for his people was still the focus. Those chosen as judges had to be God fearing, Holy and Righteous men who lived the life worthy of the position. They had to be trustworthy and doing the will of God. Their character would be the reason they were chosen. The anointing of the Spirit directs and lead and guides us in all things holy. He strengthens us to continue in the work of the Lord. We are to lead spiritual lives, holy and righteous and always doing the will of the father.

The Holy Spirit is sent from God, Through Jesus, and YES it matters!!!!! Jesus is doing the will of God the father, not his. He tells us that!!! John 14:26- "but the counselor, the holy spirit whom the father will send in my name"......John 15:26--:......but when the counselor comes whom I shall send from the Father".......John 14:16-17......" I will ask the Father and he will give you another counselor"........ All things come from God, the Father!!!! they are sent through Jesus, who is only doing the will of God, the father.

Because Jesus is in human form and flesh and blood just as man, he does miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit because that is what was promised. If he was in his divine state as God , He would not need the spirit to perform miracles. Jesus is the example for his disciples to show them that though they are human the Holy Spirit is promised to them in order to do the will of the Father. They too will receive the ability to perform miracles through the Holy Spirit. Along with this promise of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is showing the disciples or teaching them that there are requirements that they need to fulfill also. They have to pray and follow God's word and do what he instructs them to do. They have to live Holy and Righteous lives and put God before everything they do. Before now, God had a specific people he chose to commune with, that would have been the Jews only, but now all men are included in his plan for salvation and the Holy Spirit will instruct the disciples on how to lead them into it. Just as God showed his power and his glory to the children of Israel and to Egypt and Pharaoh as He delivered them from bondage with signs or wonders and miracles so that they would see and believe him to be the only true and living God, He will again show his power and glory through the Holy Spirit with healing powers and signs of miracles through Jesus and later his disciples so that people will believe in him as their true and living God. They will be witnesses of Him and his might and his power and his glory to show the people and the people will be able to see and believe also.

Jesus has always stated, from the time he was 12 teaching in the temple, until his death on the cross, that He was doing the will of his father. He came to earth to be a servant to God the father and to do the will of him who sent him. He emptied himself, meaning that it was never about him, He received no credit or did anything for his own self or for his own glory, He only did what God told him to do. He prayed daily to seek his father's will. There will always be things of the bible and the relationship with God that we are not going to full understand and that is because God does not reveal everything to us. That is where faith takes over. But one thing we do have to understand and accept and that is that it is only the will of God that we are here to do and Jesus, being his son with all power, recognized that and honored that and did nothing by himself, or for himself. He always acknowledged the will and power of God and thought of himself as a servant to Him. Jesus emptied himself in order to be the sacrifice that was needed to redeem man from sin back to God. That was the reason for his human form. Jesus showed us the perfect pattern of communion with God. He prayed before doing anything, seeking God's will and asking for guidance and strength to do God's will every step he took. He did nothing without the father's consent. It was the will of God and Jesus was and is the Messiah whom God promised in the old testament that he would sent to redeem man from sin back to him.

The Holy spirit descend from heaven in the form of a dove and rested upon Jesus as he was being baptized, and the voice of God proclaimed him to be the Son of God. He was given all power to perform miracles and to be a witness to the awesome power and the love of God to those who believed. I don't think the Holy spirit works in our lives the same way it did here with Jesus. We are given the Spirit but I believe it works differently within us according to the purpose that God has for each individual who receives it. When we live our lives according to the word of God and walk with him daily and have a relationship with him, the Holy Spirit supplies us with whatever need we have and ask for. It helps us through our daily struggles and is our way of communing with God.