The Seed Of Faith In The Hands Of The Believer

Summer Edition

June 2011

Koinonia

The Seed Of Faith In The Hands Of The Believer

K O I N O N I A

The word has such a multitude of meanings that no single English word is adequate to express its depth and richness. It is a derivative of koinos, the word for common. Koinonia is a complex, rich, and thoroughly fascinating Greek approach to building community or teamwork.

Koinonia embraced a strong commitment to Kalos k'agathos meaning "good and good", an inner goodness toward virtue, and an outer goodness toward social relationships. In the context of outer goodness, translated into English, the meaning of koinonia holds the idea of joint participation in something with someone, such as in a community, or team or an alliance or joint venture.

Those who have studied the word find there is always an implication of action included in its meaning. The word is meaningrich too, since it is used in a variety of related contexts.

Sharing Koinonos means 'a sharer' as in to share with one another in a possession held in common. It implies the spirit of generous sharing or the act of giving as contrasted with selfish getting. When koinonia is present, the spirit of sharing and giving becomes tangible. In most contexts, generosity is not an abstract ideal, but a demonstrable action resulting in a tangible and realistic expression of giving.

In classical Greek, koinonein means "to have a share in a thing," as when two or more people hold something, or even all things, in common. It can mean "going shares" with others, thereby having "business dealings,� such as joint ownership of a ship. It can also imply "sharing an opinion" with someone, and therefore agreeing with him, or disagreeing in a congenial way. Only participation as a contributive member allows one to share in what others have. What is shared, received or given becomes the common ground through which Koinonia becomes real.

Relationships To create a bond between comrades is the meaning of koinonia when people are recognized, share their joy and pains together, and are united because of their common experiences, interests and goals. Fellowship creates a mutual bond which overrides each individual’s pride, vanity, and individualism, fulfilling the human yearning with fraternity, belonging, and companionship. This meaning of koinonia accounts for the ease by which sharing and generosity flow. When combined with the spiritual implications of koinonia, fellowship provides a joint participation in God’s graces and denotes that common possession of spiritual values

What is the fallow ground of our lives? Well as I sat to write this the Lord said that it was the lost opportunities that have been put to one side in order to fit in the world’s agenda. The fallow ground is like the field that has been left to grow wild. It once was ploughed and used to bring forth a harvest and fruit. But now it has become an abandoned piece of land that is serving no purpose and has become ineffective to its immediate surroundings..

God is saying that this has happened to His body the Church it has abandoned its first love so as to please its surroundings, instead of being the life changer that He gave His only Son to die for. The fallow ground is the minds of some of His people who have switched off to the call on their lives. What this message is about is a prompt from God to relight the field of calling in the people of God to put new life into not only their lives but to bring the fruit of the harvest into the world about them. This message is a 7 step movement to bring about a harvest mindset. To produce a harvest that will be of the choicest exotic fruit. To produce a Kingdom mindset in the people of God. Step 1.

Removing the stones and weeds from the field Before anything can be used it needs to cleared so as to produce a clean sheet to begin the work of the Harvest. A farmer would set about this by clearing all the stones out of the field and placing them on the edge of the field. May I suggest that’s what we need to start in our mind set. We need to put all the things that interfere with the ways of God and to place them to one side. You see the farmer makes a wall out of the loose stones and it has a use as it becomes part of the edge of protection around the field. The same is true of the things that we set aside, as some of these things can be useful and be part of a defence system. And as we get into situations that require defending against we can call on some of those things to be a weapon of protection.

Once all the stones are cleared and the overgrowth which for me is the cover of disguise that keeps us away from the truth of God’s purposes. It’s time to take all that overgrowth and to burn it.

(Step 1 is preparation time. Clear the overgrowth and remove the stones.)

Step Two Ploughing the soil Then comes the ploughing of the hard ground, this can be a tough job as the ground has become very firm and the first cut into the ground will take a lot of energy and time.

Think of this when you ever start a new way doing something it always seem to be hard to do and to maintain. I remember this when I started the (“Hidden Rain”) word of the day. I found the first week great no problem, but as each day passed I began to wonder in my thoughts and started to doubt that to do it each day seems a bit time consuming and could I do it better. There you go my stones started to return to do it what I thought was a better way once a week write the whole lot. But that was not what God asked me to do, so I quickly put that stone of (I can do better) back to the edge of the wall and returned to the daily posting. Since that time there has been nearly 700 people visit the word of the day and its been over 150 days since its beginning. So I encourage you to persist in doing something as you proceed in the journey, it will not be long before the whole field gets ploughed. ( Step 2 is ploughing with persistence)

HIDDEN RAIN www.ktcoth.com

Step 3 Waiting for The Rain The next step needs patience as it requires waiting. For me this is a hard discipline to learn, but one that is absolutely essential to getting the very best from anything we do.

For without the rain there would be no cultivating as the soil would be too dry and the richness of the soil could not be used for the rest of the harvest process. So to put into our faith walk we need to lay open the work that we cleared and ploughed and wait for the right time to go forward. This is the work of the Holy Spirit that is the rain that needs to fall. So as we lay this out in prayer and wait the rain will come and when it does get ready to move as this will be time to plough a new season into being.

(Step 3 Wait for the Holy spirit to Rain down on your field)

Step 4 Plough The Refreshed Ground This step I like to call the mixing bowl, as it takes the soil that has be moistened by the rain and turns it into furrows of beautiful soil that is ready for the next stage. So for us this means that we take the ideas and the callings that we have and we then serve in the strengths of them in the local church and communities that we live in. Or even if I dare to say in the work places and with family where we spend a lot of our time. This is where we really grow in confidence and it is also a fantastic opportunity to evangelise.

(Step 4 Plough the Refreshed Ground and share the experience)

Step 5 Add the Fertiliser to the Ground The next area to look at is where does all the richness of the soil come from and how does it get into the soil. Well this can be a bit smelly and not everyone will like to do this as it takes participation and a lot of proclaiming. First you have to collect the manure and then you have to deliver to your field. For me this is a soaking part of the process and it requires a little homework and a lot of prayer. Finding out the promises of God on your field means that you will have to research to find out what the Bible says about your field. That will take time as there is so much information in the scriptures about all circumstances. Then when you have discovered the promises it is then that you have to pray and meditate on them this is the fertilising part of the process. Once this has been done it would be good to come alongside someone who you trust and to ask them to pray with you on this. That then seems to be the good time to lay the fertiliser onto your field and to start the next part of the process.

(Step 5 Soak in the Word and fertilise the ground)

Step 6 Plough the Ground of Expectation This for me is the part that most try to do without following the the first 5 stages above and that is why so many seeds never turn out a harvest. They have not had the proper care given to their environment so that it does not stand a chance to survive. So as you plough the ground for the third time remember that as you do this that this will be the

The turning point of seeing your faith come alive and what is in the unseen is about to become seen. This is a time to gather the seed bags as the soil is in the right state to receive it and the time has come to plant seeds of faith in the entire field.

(Step 6 Plough with a mind set of expectation)

Step 7 Plant The Seed The best bit and properly the bit that everyone likes doing and that is setting out the seeds so as to be in a place for the harvest to happen. I really believe that it is a time that most people enjoy as Christians in their walk.

For it is this time that most Christians find it easy to declare the truths of God, and that it is only a short time before what they say in faith becomes reality in the seen. This then is the blessing that poured out on all when we handle the fallow ground and use it for the Lord to glorify the Kingdom Of God (Step 7 Celebrate the Seed Planting)

Planting By A River Bank Not A Stream Prophetic Word May 2011

By Kevin Hussey

I have noticed that many people, have placed their hopes on things that aren't seen. Nowhere else is this truer than in the world of faith. Many people spend a lot of time planting their seed along the edge of the stream. It is has led to people believing in false hope and when things do not happen that they put their faith in.

They become disillusioned and give up on the things that they were hoping for.

This has led to many believers giving up on their dreams and their ambitions to be effective witnesses in the Kingdom of God. I have found that if they had placed their seed in the correct place along the banks of a river they would not be so disappointed in the results of their faith.

The problem with words of faith, if it not handled in the correct manner, can cause more harm and false promises, that's why so many believers have given up on their calling because they did not see the effect of the stream when it became a river. Many people felt comfortable planting their seed next to a small trick of water believing that it would become a mighty tree. The trouble with streams is that they get bigger and are often swallowed up by other streams.

This occurs many times in our calling for when we come alongside people who have planted their seed along the riverbank that is not seen. People tend to think that these people have missed the boat. When in actual fact these people have vision and will be around to be an effective witness in the future. The trouble with planting your seed along the stream bed is that it is in danger of getting washed away. So I would encourage you to plot your seed far from the stream bed and focus on where the river will eventually settle. This I call the big vision as this is where God wants us to be we can be of more effect with a river mind set than a stream mind set. It says in Ezekiel chapter 47:7 " when I arrived there I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me this water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arab where it enters the sea. When it empties into the sea and the water becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live where ever the river flows.

There will be large numbers of fish, because the water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.

This passage I believe is what happens when we plant our seed along the banks of the River. We are here to be witnesses of the Kingdom to a dying world, and what this says to us is that if we plant correctly we will bring life to this world and there will be plenty of supply. As I meditated on this I thought how wonderful it is to receive from God promises that not only make a change would bring hope.

A Renewed Mind Once we realise who we are we then have the new information to be able to find out what it is that have been put on the earth for.

For God wants to work through you and me not any imitation or any other person than your true self. So now that you have seen through the previous article “What Are You Like? That a lot of the actions that you do are sometimes not the right thing to do but are just preconceived ideas that have been put there by others. There comes a time in your life or maybe more than one time, you start to think about if things could be better or if they will be better somewhere out in the future.

Well the good thing is there is a solution to your identity which you may have not considered before. That thought pattern goes back right to the creation moment when God created human beings to be in the likeness and the image of Himself. And God said, Let us make man in our image, like us: and let him have rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every living thing which goes flat on the earth. And God made man in his image, in the image of God he made him: male and female he made them.

So what a thought right at the beginning we were meant to be creative, not just in our early years but also in our entire life span.

For it is the renewing that brings strength; Isaiah 40:31 says; But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. What it takes is for us to listen to Him and there are many ways in which we can do that through our worship of Him. Of course if you do not have a relationship with Him then you won’t understand Him, so the first thing is to ask Him to come into relationship with Him as this will then start to produce the correct fruit from the branch. Which by the way is a metaphor to living in the right relationship with Him. The vine (Jesus) being the source of supply from which the branch (us) gets it’s nourishment. In other words we are the branches in which the supply from the roots and the vine pass through to produce fruit.

You see it is not by achieving by our own strengths that we get the best results. We can see that through the western world by its continuing pursuit of result driven mind set. No we never feel totally fulfilled that way all that seems to happen is that we just need something else. What we need today is a new attitude to what happens when we approach things with a clean heart or as I should

Say a new approach to the way that we think. Psalm 51:10 says; Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.

By being in the spirit helps when a renewed mind is being created as it is when we are open to change we see the most effective change. Also coming into agreement with something opens up the window of opportunity to have a transformed life. So as it says in Phil 2:2; Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in harmony and of one mind.

The Next Step is living

The Transformed Life

Being Transformed Once the mind has been renewed then it will automatically transform your life. It will start to be a creative part of you producing new opportunities. Most importantly it will help you to remain strong and empower you to resist the temptation that have had such a grip over you in the past.

For an example of the power of a renewed mind we only have to pick up the Bible and go to Matthew 4 and see the temptations that Christ went through after spending 40 days and nights in the desert. When tempted to be part of something that went against the truth he kept on reminding not only Satan but also his mind the truth. He quoted back the word and promises of God . He also knew that Satan was trying to use thought patterns to destroy all that was planned for Him. By reminding yourself of the promises, it has an effect on how we do things. For as it says in Ephesians 2:10 For by his act we were given existence in Christ Jesus to do those good works which God before made ready for us so that we might do them. He made ready a plan for us but He is not going to force us to do it, as it says so that we might do them. Then as we take onboard the promises and truth we have the weapons that help us to defeat the things that hinder our inheritance.

Ephesians 4:24 And put on the new man, to which God has given life, in righteousness and a true and holy way of living.

The interesting thing about that encounter was that when it was finished it says and He was hungry. I believe He was not just hungry from not having any food, but that He got excited about how powerful the word of truth was against the enemy. And what we can learn from this is that if we spend time not listening to the world as it tries to bombard our minds with an array of visual and auditory information. Then we can replace it with words of truth it feeds us with new life and ultimately produce brand new opportunities.

So as we come to an end of these articles I think we can see a pattern forming. Once we come to terms about the way we think we have then something to compare with the word. By weighing up the life decisions against the Word we then have a time of reflection. So by finding out What you are like you then come to a relationship with the creator and that relationship then forms a trust. From that trust comes a truth and that truth then becomes a tool to renew the mind.

Once the renewing of the mind happens it becomes the agent for transformation.

Once transformed it then produces fruit that will have a lasting effect not only on yourself but also on those closest to you and the entire

Investing in Idea’s

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It’s Not Always

This Chapter talks about this in detail. We will see by studying this passage that there are lots of things that come out of a life that is following God and as we approach with a heart set on finding this true meaning of a relationship with God. Verse 1 sets in mind that we have an assurance that when this earthly temple comes to an end that we have a much more permanent temple and that is one not made by hands. It is not put under the authority of the fleshly body but under the creator Himself. There is nothing like the Godly temple that we go on to a a believer in Christ.

The Earthly body is subject to many trials and burdens in which there is a heaviness of slavery. Which after time becomes tiresome and can if not put into perspective with the future place that we as believers have with God for all eternity. This makes us feel like the verse says in Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am”. We are here for a time in which we have a journey as well as every one else, to be a witness.

But when we go from this earth we will leave it the same as we entered it naked and with nothing. When we enter into the new life of the heavenly body we will be clothed with garments of praise and with garments of righteousness and glory. We will be delivered out of all earthly troubles and we shall be washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. Made to be clean in front of our God. This is the believers assurance not insurance but something that is so absolutely assured that it becomes something (Faith) in this journey here on earth.

The journey here on earth is one that will shape the building stones of the heavenly body. Whilst were here on earth it is our life's purpose to use all that God has given us to proclaim the wonderful heart of the creator Himself. We are placed here with all our circumstances and with fellow journeymen for a reason and that reason is to minister to the environment the Gospel (the good news) of a saviour that will not only minister to the the heart of the community but also to the whole world. The most important thing of all is that this will be worked through each one of us as we surrender to Him, with all that we have.

God loves a willing heart and that heart has the potential to be the catalyst to changing the world to the message of the good news. Then by the receiving of that message there will be a newness that will see the world operating in a KINGDOM mind set, full of absolute truths that will bless the people, community and the nations in which we live in.

As in all things. its about what we put our faith in and as we put our faith in the Kingdom promises we will see that it is not all about what we see in the physical but that it is also about what we put our trust in.

Make that your goal as we look at the work of the Holy Spirit in our life’s.

About What You See

Pressing In on the Spirit of God "And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:9-13).

The way in which we get closer to God is by prayer and previously in this passage He shows us a way in which our prayers can be effective and have power in them. Then once we understand the power of prayer comes an understanding of the relationship that He wants with us. Its all about the Kingdom and how by living the Kingdom lifestyle we become participants of His purposes.

God is in the business of relationship and He intends to bless each person. The only thing that we have to do is to come into relationship with Him by accepting His son Jesus. Once we come into that relationship, we then become citizens of the Kingdom and then we fall into the promises of the King. When Jesus left us He said that He would send another who would encourage us and guide us in the way we should go. Sometimes we get this and when that happens we know that we know that He as been present. But how much more exciting would it be to in a continuing state of relationship that in all we do there is a constant relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Too many times I hear Christians say come Holy Spirit or Holy Spirit be here today. But the truth of the matter is that the Holy Spirit is always present as soon as we accepted Jesus and became a new creation. Its only then that we experience a change and that change seems very evident when we first come to the Lord. But after a little while we let the flesh take over again and then we settle into a life that starts to resemble the life before we were saved. How much more would it be if we grew in our new creation mind set and then allow God to work through us to fulfil His plan for us and the rest of the world. I believe that when we look at this we will see where other things have got in the way and that it has ruined the progress in our spiritual life. What can we do to resolve this?

Well I think its about taking what Jesus said about what will happen after He left us and went to heaven and then to accept again that He sent the person of the Holy Spirit to be in relationship with us. Ask again to be reminded of this and to start again being the new creation that you were designed to be. How you ask? Well how about just pressing in by prayer and asking Him. For He said in His word that we should ask (Praying means asking in other words bringing it to God) so start to re-energise your prayer life. The greatest of witness for God have always been those who spent time in prayer. It is amazing how The Holy Spirit loves to act on the promises of God and as He hears the promise He totally acts upon it and expects it to manifest. The only barrier that hinders this is us as we get in the way. Once we surrender to the Holy Spirit and begin to respond to His prompting we will see things begin to happen. So why not decide to seek His ways by asking or should I say talking to God and waiting on the Holy Spirit to reveal His purposes so that we can declare it to the world.

Living

IN THE

The fruit of the Spirit as stated in scripture says there are nine fruits of the Spirit. What God is doing is giving us a target so that we have something to aim at so that we know how we are doing. You need to honest as to your position because if you are not it will not help the end result. We need to do some investigation in to where we are. In Galatians 5:16 it's says that we should live by the Spirit and not by the flesh. When your flesh is fighting the things of God there is a battle going on. Living In the Spirit means that when we were saved we took on a new nature a Christ nature. It wants to be Godly but the flesh fights against that at times. God works through us when we look to Him we also see it through the signs in nature. We all know what the flesh wants because it let's us know through our feelings.

And that some times causes us to do what is not always good for you. When we become new creation in Christ we then have a conflict arise, the flesh says to us what you or others want to happen and we get guided by that. But, when the Christ Spirit guilds us through the fruit of the Spirit which is the very character of Christ. It is our guild to being more like Him in everything we do. The flesh nature is in conflict with spiritual nature. The acts of the flesh are many as it says in Galatians it stats just some of the effects of the flesh being manifested through the lives of those who follow after the flesh. But when we live by the Spirit and then start to walk in the Spirit we have a different list that sets out ways of doing something. The whole list is Gods way of saying that against such things in the list we do not need the law because it becomes not necessary because it becomes powerless. It also becomes a fantastic way to make decisions by using the list we can make wise decision that will have an effect on our generation. So take a look at the list and use it a guild in your daily walk.

Spirit love Joy Peace Long suffering Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Meekness Self control

Against such things there is no law So when we come to our God in worship it is true to say that we need to express ourselves in a true heart. That way we reflect the true essence of worship and that in turn shows in our expression.

HIDDEN RAIN

VERSE OF THE DAY www.ktcoth.com

Touched by the Holy Spirit Once the promise was released into being by Jesus there was no doubt that the effect on all of history was going to be changed. That was the effect that the release of the Holy Spirit was going to have not only on the disciples but also on every believer that was to follow. The only thing that was going to stop this was if false teaching was going to grieve the Holy Spirit. That as we know throughout the following years was to have a major effect on the church, that ultimately saw the effectiveness of the good news be restricted to just a few. But I believe that throughout history the truth of the Spirit has seen wave after wave of refreshing. That as each wave has hit the nations there has been a change that has had a dramatic influence on society. We only have to look at the welsh revival and many others to see the way in which life's have been effected.

For me I believe that there is a hidden rain that has been gently laying down it's refreshing water on a land that is dry and has been totally barren of the promises that Jesus has for it. That rain is starting to produce hidden streams that are beginning to be visible to the believers of 2011/2012. The touch of the Holy Spirit is starting to change the face of the church, where individuals are being set apart and empowered to enrich the body like never before. The result of this outpouring is different to waves in the past. Because the church is unaware of it. The church is waiting for something to happen, they built up over the years a dam of expectation on the promises of God. In some cases it's been years of waiting and waiting which has resulted in the a build up of the reservoir. Which in turn has stopped the water from refreshing the uninhabited land and that in turn has left the nations in need of a fresh look at how God is going to move.

It's about the hidden rains effect on the reservoir that is of interest today, because as it stands today the dam wall is struggling to hold back the water it has got to a point that it is a breaking point and all it needs is just a drop here and there to burst the dam wall. That is for me a time of prayer as we see the effect of a hidden stream entering the reservoir.

What wdoes that mean for you and I, well it's time to be open to Holy Spirit to be ready for the touch that will empower you with the creative power to believe that what God has promised He is about to release on the nations. Never before in history has this watering been needed as it is today. One by one each individual has they surrender to the will of the

father will in turn build and refresh the body. It's time to see the barren land completely submerged under the promises of God. That's when we will see a newness to the church of the like that we have never seen before. It will be a haven for the lost and it will minister to the generation that has lost the power to see absolute truth. That time is coming and the thing to remember is that the hidden rain which no one has seen fall is touching individuals in such a way that no one knows from where it comes. In turn that is giving the glory to God and not man.

The dam has 7 water ducts and these are the ways in which God has poured out his Spirit in the past. But this time it is going to be a release that will see all 7 opened up because without the 7 being opened there is danger that the dam will breach it's Walls. In the past we have seen healing, the word and many signs and evidence of the Holy Spirit flowing throughout the land and changing the environment. But I believe that we are about to see something totally different.

A people who accept each other because of the way in which God has touched the individual heart. He has empowered them with the gifts of the Spirit and as we see the effected that that has on them we will see a change in families and communities in all nations.

Let's be ready for the Touch of the Holy Spirit in this time of refreshing.

Hidden Rain A Verse To Start the Day

Are You Ready For The Hidden Rain

Praying In the Spirit John 4:24 “God is Spirit and His worshippers MUST worship in Spirit and Truth

Praying in the Spirit is a biblical principal and is encouraged to be practised. Not only in times prayer, but on all occasions.

JUDE 1: 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit So how are we to to pray in the Spirit? And what is praying in the Spirit?

JOHN 14: And I will make prayer to the Father and he will give you another Helper to be with you for ever, Even the Spirit of true knowledge. That Spirit the world is not able to take to its heart because it sees him not and has no knowledge of him: but you have knowledge of him, because he is ever with you and will be in you. I will not let you be without a friend: I am coming to you.

Well one way is by speaking in tongues. There is a difference to praying with the mind and praying in tongues. I recently watched a science programme where they scanned the brain to see what the effect of praying with the mind against praying in tongues. There was a surprising result when they scanned the person. Praying with the mind there was a lot of activity in the front lopes of the brain. But when the same scan was done when the same person began to pray in tongues, there was very little activity in the same place. In other words praying with the mind means you pray not only to God, but also for other people around you to understand you, while praying in tongues is directed directly to God only. This is why the apostle Paul encouraged Christians to pray with the mind at church. This goes with scripture and shows us how true the word of God is.

1COR 14: 14-19 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else if thou bless with the spirit, how shall he that filleth the place of the unlearned say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank God, I speak with tongues more than you all: howbeit in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

But as you can see by this verse it is to be used with wisdom because it is not to be confusing to others. So when praying in tongues is to be used regularly and to be a powerful witness to the world. But if we are with others who don’t understand this then it is better to pray with the heart the very things that God has placed on you. So as you can see by this, that it is the heart of God that speaks through us to the environment and that His purposes are to be fulfilled through us His body here on earth.

EPH 6:18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,

Praying In The Spirit So does that mean that rayin in the Spirit is only when we use tongues? Not at all 1COR 12: 29-31 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all [workers of] miracles? have all gifts of healings? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But desire earnestly the greater gifts. And moreover a most excellent way show I unto you.

Tongues is only one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it is not the only gift of the Holy Spirit. If not every christian recieves the gift of speaking in tongues, how could the apostle Paul encourage all christians to pray in the spirit, if praying in the spirit means to pray in tongues? This would not make any sense at all. If we taught tongues and expect people to use it when they have not recieved it from God then it would be of no use as it would be like talking on a telephone that the other person speaks a completly different language. The communication cords have been cut off.

That what would happen with us and God because it not what we recieved it what we give to be accepted by others, and in that there will be no acceptance from God. That what causes ineffective prayers. Because the Spirit intercedes for us according to Gods will.

ROM 8:26-27 And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for [us] with groanings which cannot be uttered; and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. But God can and does guide you through your own language for God speaks through the heart of the person and the Spirit prompts a person to express His heart through the relationship the prayer has with Himself. The main thing is that we should as it says in Ps 37:7 Take your rest in the Lord, waiting quietly for him; And Hosea 12:6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep kindness and justice, and wait for thy God continually.

This article is just a appetizer for the only way to experience a life that is full of the Spirit in Prayer is by surrendering to God and allow Him to work through you.

T h e P e a c e o f G o d | ARTICLE BY Kevin Hussey

The Peace of God

should be content, use what we have to it’s full potential. For it is better in God’s eyes if we use what gifts we have to there fullness, rather than try so many different things that if we are honest God has not asked us to do. It is there that arguments begin, and when they start it gets more and more difficult to resolve. Time has come to put things right not only with God but also with each other.

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T h e P e a c e o f G o d | ARTICLE BY Kevin Hussey

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Words of encouragement to reflect on

Authentic Fellowship It's the blueprint for the church to be effective in the world and to each other.

Acts 2:41-43

What is fellowship?

In the New Testament it's described as Koinonia Meaning of Fellowship The word has such a multitude of meanings that no single English word is adequate to express its depth and richness. It is a derivative of koinos, the word for common. Koinonia is a complex, rich, and thoroughly fascinating Greek approach to building community or teamwork.

Koinonia embraced a strong commitment to Kalos k'agathos meaning "good and good", an inner goodness toward virtue, and an outer goodness toward social relationships. In the context of outer goodness, translated into English, the meaning of koinonia holds the idea of joint participation in something with someone, such as in a community, or team or an alliance or joint venture. Those who have studied the word find there is always an implication of action included in its meaning. The word is meaning-rich too, since it is used in a variety of related contexts.

Sharing Koinonos means a sharer' as in to share with one another in a possession held in common. It implies the spirit of generous sharing or the act of giving as contrasted with selfish getting. When koinonia is present, the spirit of sharing and giving becomes tangible. In most contexts, generosity is not an abstract ideal, but a demonstrable action resulting in a tangible and realistic expression of giving.

In classical Greek, koinonein means "to have a share in a thing," as when two or more people hold something, or even all things, in common. It can mean "going shares" with others, thereby having "business dealings,” such as joint ownership of a ship. It can also imply "sharing an opinion" with someone, and therefore agreeing with him, or disagreeing in a congenial way. Only participation as a contributive member allows one to share in what others have. What is shared, received or given becomes the common ground through which Koinonia becomes real. [ Relationships To create a bond between each other is the meaning of koinonia when people are recognized, share their joy and pains together, and are united because of their common experiences, interests and goals. Fellowship creates a mutual bond which overrides each individual’s pride, vanity, and individualism, fulfilling the human yearning with fraternity, belonging, and companionship. This meaning of koinonia accounts for the ease by which sharing and generosity flow. When combined with the spiritual implications of koinonia, fellowship provides a joint participation in God’s graces and denotes that common possession of spiritual values

Like all things fellowship takes time to develop. Its about what you build the foundation of relationships upon. If you start trying to build on a picture of perfection or what you see is the right way to do it, you will never get to see the very best in fellowship. Many times it gets swallowed up by everyone trying to build what they want out of it. But like any building project you need good foundations to start it off. And the best place to look for those foundations is in the scriptures, especially in Acts as we see the template of true fellowship as we read the book of Acts 2 verses 41-43.

They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added [unto them] in that day about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles` teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Once a believer accepts Christ it is very important to then move on and to be part of the body of Christ. By moving on we learn by the apostles teachings. Getting to know His word and living a life led by the spirit is key to fulfilling our individuals calling on life. And key to that is fellowship, without fellowship it is hard to get the encouragement and the support to learn about how amazing the new live in Christ will be. By meeting with others in fellowship it brings something very special into your relationship with Christ. True fellowship is a place where you can feel completely free and secure amongst others that have only your best interests at heart.

It’s when we are in this environment we begin to see the true relationship that God wants us to be. By being in this relationship we begin to build our lives on firm foundations. Then we can be ready to go deeper with God and with each other. I am so often amazed at people think that something is going to work first time when they have not even surveyed the ground on which they are building. The same is true of groups at the early stages of growth. The key thing to remember is that there has to be trust and honesty. And early on there has to be a commitment to not sharing about others outside of that meeting group, or else there will only be foundations that are built on sand and that is a recipe for disaster. So it good to get all to agree on this and to move on to building on foundation that are sure and steadfast. There where the building blocks come into being. Those blocks are the gifts amongst the room and to find out them only comes from relationship.

Every successful group exists because of the gifting's in the group and how they operate in a team. I have found that as a individual feel there feet in a group they use there gifts to benefit others. So just imagine your group operating this way what would it look like?

Here is a suggestion to how a group operates in such a manner, 1. Leads 2. Facilitates 3. Hosts 4. Prayer Journalist 4. Worship 5. Events Coordinator 6. Interceder 7. Communicator.

Leaders set the programme, Facilitators set the scene and pace, Hosts welcome the guests. Prayer journalist records the prayer needs. Worship Leader prepares the worship style and time. Events Coordinator sets the calendar of events. Intercessor keeps the prayer needs flowing in the group. Communicator does the newsletter.

This is only a suggestion and you may find one or two may do more than one gift at the same time. If each group could operate in such a manner just imagine how powerful that group would be in witnessing to the world the Kingdom of God.

It’s About Building The Right Foundations Written By Kevin Hussey

Prayer A Divine appointment Prayer is always a part of our service and should be part of every day life. But how many of us really know what prayer is about. This study is designed to see what God means by prayer and what are the things that hinder our prayer life and things that we need to do to release this most important part of our life. If you need to communicate with someone you need to approach him or her by contact and the only way to contact them is to see them personally, or you use the telephone or write to them. If you do not use any of these methods then it is impossible to communicate with them.

So how do we contact God in our prayer life, I believe that it is not us but it is God who graciously hears our prayers. And this is because He loves you and me so much that He even went to the ultimate sacrifice to let us know Him, By letting His son Jesus come down to earth and die on the cross for us. He tried to touch this world personally but we rejected him and sent Him to His death. He tried over centuries to communicate through the prophets. Yet we have rejected them. There is so many times in our history that we have had the chance to get closer to God. But this has always resulted in a brief time of refreshing in our lives.

God has been changing peoples lives over the last few years and it has been a wonderful time, but I believe that it is time to get down on our knees and get closer to Him so that we can hear what He has to say to us.

In this study will look at what hinders us and what stops us in our lives from drawing into His presence and ultimately into His revelation for our lives.

HOW ARE YOU COMMUNICATING AT THE MOMENT TELEPHONE = are you picking up the receiver (listening to the Spirit) LETTER = are you reading the post (The Word) PRAYER = are you letting Him in on your life daily to speak to you..

There are at least seven things that hinder our prayer lives and our openness to God they are.

1. Idolatry 2. Wavering 3. Hypocrisy 4. Self Righteous 5. Pride 6. Enemies of the Saints 7. Cruelly oppress the Saints

IDOLATRY Let's start with Idolatry. What is Idolatry?

Where is Idolatry today and how can we discern it in our lives?

The word Idolatry means in the dictionary to be a worshipper of idols; devoted admirer making a god out of it.

In the scriptures it means idols that are used in a household as a shrine for worship.

So what things do we have in the modern day that take the place of our time with God. Are we ruled by things in our homes or are we letting God be number one in our lives.

Is the television in our homes preprogrammed into our thinking, in such a way that you can say I know what I want to sit down and watch. What time and day or days that those programmes are on.

Does it become a necessity to see each episode or can you say no to watching it.

Is watching the football more important than anything else in your life. Does it take you away from what God has set out for you to be. Is it more important for you to be a husband and a father or a person who has time for people.

In the book of Acts we have a example of idolatry although very harsh I believe it is no more harsh than what we are doing today. Let's look into it in more detail.

Acts 7: 43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

In the desert as the Israelites were making their way to the Promised Land the Israelites got caught up in Idolatry. And this idolatry was not mild it was horrible.

But when it started it was properly said that this is harmless and it won’t interfere with what God wants to accomplish in your lives. This is sometimes where we are with something it starts off as if it is harmless

to us, but as it grows it really does show itself as what it really is. It also gets harder and harder to break habits as they take hold.

The Israelites got to this stage where things got so gross that they were sacrificing their children. It is said that as they sacrificed the children that they would beat drums so loud that it would drown the sound of the children's cries.

I wonder if we have got into this trap with materialism that we are so engrossed into it that we have allowed it to take hold of our kids. I believe that instead of drums we have a much more powerful instrument in our midst it is called adverts and peer pressure. The drum of this is drowning the voice of reason and it is grasping the very necks of our children and killing them.

The longer that we allow this to persist the harder it is to get out of it. We as adults are also allowing the voice of materialism to take hold of us by being hooked into the earning war. That the more we earn the more we spend and the more we spend the more we need to work. God does not want us to be caught up in this. He wants us to think of our earning as a giving tool not an owning tool.

But as time as progressed this as been allowed to creep in and pollute our minds. So are you allowing idolatry into your life and what can you do to unblock this in your pursuit towards a closer relationship with God.

Prayer a divine appointment | ARTICLE BY Kevin Hussey HYPOCRISY Hypocrisy means in the dictionary it says simulation of virtue or goodness; dissimulation, pretence.

Titus 1:16

WAVERING Wavering is the second on our list of things that stop and hinder our prayer life.

The word waver is defined in the dictionary as; Oscillate unsteadily, flicker, quiver, falter, become unsteady, begin to give way; be irresolute or undecided between different course's or opinions, to be shaken in resolution or belief.

James 1:6-8 says; But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he that doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

For let not that man supposes that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

So wavering is an important thing for God to bring to our attention and it is also very important for us to discuss it. The scripture in James really says it all, in that if you do not ask in faith, and expect that asking to come to be. Then it will end up in failure.

You see God's promises are true and you both have faith and believe them or you don't. The consequence of your choice determines the outcome. And this is where we get either nearer to God or further away.

It is a matter of choice that we worship Him and determine ourselves the course that we are going in. God wants us to be sacrificial in our decisions towards Him

They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Many will come to deceive you; they will come in sheep's clothing. They do look like the real thing and in many ways they seem to do the right things. But in God's eyes they are an abominable people and He detests them for the way they guide people into their traps of false religion. This is properly one of the most dangerous of all the hindrances in that it ultimately leads you down a path of dependence on what they teach and the way they have to do things. Remember what Jesus said

"you will know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

(John 8:32) So be wary of them and always test what they say. If in any doubt always go to a person in your fellowship who you know has a deep relationship with God and ask their advice, better still why not ask them to show you in the Bible where it is and maybe even ask them to study with you. Do not forget that; "where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20) SELF-RIGHTEOUS In the Dictionary it says about being selfrighteous as a person who only thinks of him or herself in any situation it is only what is in it for them. The example in the Bible of this is in Luke 18:11,12,14 says;

Prayer a divine appointment | ARTICLE BY Kevin Hussey PRIDE

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess." I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

These people again look right they even seem to act right. They do church things in the prescribed way. But their heart is not in it they are always looking around to see who to make an example of. They have hidden agendas in their own lives and these are only there to demonstrate their own outcome. Which is to look good and right in front of other people.

In other words they are looking after their own interests instead of being what God wants them to be a sacrifice for others and their needs.

This is very sad in many ways because it not only effects them but it has many effects on other people. They feel judged by those with this attitude and they have a feeling of not feeling worthy or able to contribute to the rest of the body. Even though they have a great deal to offer and what is most interesting in this is that the very people that they persecute are the people that they need to help them grow in their relationship with the Lord.

The next thing on the list of things that stop us from receiving from God is the subject of pride. Which has it's meaning in the dictionary as; Overweening opinion of one's own qualities, merits. A deadly sin, arrogant.

The Biblical meaning has a few meanings but it is best described as someone who puts him or herself in a position of grandeur that has not been obtained by merit. The act of lifting ups their own station in life to look good in front of others. It tends to lead a person very quickly into trouble, especially as makes the person or even a nation very presumptuous of their power and position in the world.

It is very much like a disease in that it boil inside of you, and as it does this it's effects come to the surface and although things may seem to be going well on the outside. Inside there is a volcano waiting to explode and when it erupts it will cause a lot of damage not only to the person or nation but to innocent people around them. There are many cases in history where a nation has got proud, but the outcome is always the same. It gets brought down to its knees. Let's take a very good example of this in Daniel four; we have a good example of this in King Nebuchadnezzar. Verses 28 - 33; All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honour of my majesty?" While the word was still in the kings mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you drive you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field.

They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses." That very hour the word fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like bird's claws.

Prayer a divine appointment | ARTICLE BY Kevin Hussey

How great was this king yet it was pride that brought him down. Even though he was warned about it, he ignored that warning it says that after twelve months that he was walking along the wall of his palace. You can just imagine this man head high in the air, prancing along with a air of arrogance nobody like me as ever done such wonderful things and has ever had such a wonderful nation as this one, was his thoughts.

How many of us have ever done anything and we really feel that we have done well.

Everything goes really well and it seems that nothing can go wrong. We have no thought that there can be any other solution to the problem. We see things from one focus our own perspectives. The problem is that things are not always the way we see them there is a bigger picture. The only thing we see is what we have been programmed to see, by the ways that we have been brought up and the culture that we live in.

Nebuchadnezzar was in the same situatuation he had his vision guided by what he saw his culture and his family ways. Being king, the only thing to show was that it was successful. It was to show materialistic wealth of the nation and the size of the kingdom and the glorious buildings that arrayed the land. It is no wonder that he became arrogant and conceited about his situation.

If you were in his position would you not feel proud of your achievements, would you have listened to the warning that was issued. If things seem to be good and things were getting bigger and better you were becoming wealthier and more prosperous in every way. Do we do this today with the things that we own or the position that we obtain in society . Has this taken the place of the call that God has given us, to be an ambassador of His and to do the role of an ambassador, which is to be a representative of God in a foreign land.

ENEMIES OF THE SAINTS So what else stops our prayer life. We are in a battle and everywhere around us there is a battle going on in the spiritual realm. It is the devils plan to stop the saints from breaking into the promises of God. Psalm 18: 35-41 You have also given me the shield of your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, so my feet do not slip. I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

I have wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet. For you have armed me with the strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies; so that I destroyed those who hated me.

They cried out, but there none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.

P r a y e r a d i v i n e a p p o i n t m e n t | BY Kevin Hussey

The Shield of salvation will guide you There are people that we spend time with on a Sunday who are enemies of the saints. What do I mean by this, well they come along to see what is happening but do not or are not taking part in worship. Then when they have observed they then criticise the things which they have seen. What may you ask does this have to do with hindrance to pray.

If you study and meditate on the scripture in psalms then you will see that if we allow these people to effect us then it is going to stop our communication with God and will put us out of the will of God. And ultimately it will make our journey more difficult to walk. Let's look at this passage and see who we are in God and what position we should take with the enemies of the saints.

You have also given me the shield of your salvation; You see that God has given, that means He has permitted and appointed you and entrusted you with the liberated life to be victorious. God has put a shield around us. That shield means that it is like scales they overlap each other so that there was a strengthening of the shield around us. So God has made you to be victorious in your life, which means that when an enemy comes against you putting doubt and trying to stop you from receiving what God has said that he has given you.

So how do we contact God in our prayer life, I believe that it is not us but it is God who graciously hears our prayers. And this is because He loves you and me so much that He even went to the ultimate sacrifice to let us know Him, By letting His son Jesus come down to earth and die on the cross for us. He tried to touch this world personally but we rejected him and sent Him to His death. He tried over centuries to communicate through the prophets. Yet we have rejected them. There is so many times in our history that we have had the chance to get closer to God. But this has always resulted in a brief time of refreshing in our lives. God has been changing people’s lives over the last few years and it has been a wonderful time, but I believe that it is time to get down on our knees and get closer to Him so that we can hear what He has to say to us.

In this study will look at what hinders us and what stops us in our lives from drawing into His presence and ultimately into His revelation for our lives.

P r a y e r a d i v i n e a p p o i n t m e n t | BY Kevin Hussey TELEPHONE are you picking up the receiver (listening to the Spirit) LETTER are you reading the post (The Word) PRAYER are you letting Him in on your life daily to speak to you..

Prayer is always a part of our service and should be part of every day life. But how many of us really know what prayer is about. This study is designed to see what God means by prayer and what are the things that hinder our prayer life and things that we need to do to release this most important part of our life. If you need to communicate with someone you need to approach them by contact and the only way to contact them is to see them personally or you use the telephone or write to them. If you do not use any of these methods then it is impossible to communicate with them.

Your right hand has held me up, The right hand means that there is authority there. And when God holds you up, he holds you up with the full authority and power that comes from the creator.

Your gentleness has made me great.

Because God is so gentle and is so full of mercy he has made you great, he takes the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

(1 Cor 1:27) The word great means that you become great multiply and increase. So if God sees you as great then should we not see ourselves that way? We should from this moment release in our lives the thoughts of multiplication, in a way of our greatness and to keep on multiplying these thoughts until we grasp it has God sees us.

You enlarged my path under me, When we see ourselves has God sees us then it says in the word that he will enlarge your path, that means he will make that area in your life like a roomy pasture, you will not be restricted in a small place, but there will be so much room and so much food to choose from.

People think that you are restricted when you become a Christian, but this is far from the truth. When you have a relationship with God there is an abundance of supply and your life becomes so widespread and diverse, that you will never be able to touch all the freedom that He has given you. That means that we must be careful that we do not overdo it and try to accomplish everything. If we try to do this, then we will only burn out and this will cause us to miss what God wants us to do. So listen to the voice of God and only do what he wants you to do. and to those who are in a deep relationship with Him.

P r a y e r a d i v i n e a p p o i n t m e n t | BY Kevin Hussey AND FINALLY If you keep away from all these things that hinder your prayer life.

Then you will be successful because God's word says that if you ask then you will be answered, and if you seek you will find, if you knock you will receive. God loves you so much there is no other relationship that you will ever know that will last for eternity as that of the relationship you have with Him. God Bless you and keep you in all that you attain in this great adventure called PRAYER

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