"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in name of Father and of Son and of Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) There should be no doubt after reading this passage from Jesus that He (Jesus) considered Holy Spirit to be on same level as Father and Son.

The Holy Spirit was active and played an important part in earthly life and ministry of Christ. The Old Testament has a multitude of predictions concerning coming Christ. Have you ever stopped to consider how Old Testament prophets - Isaiah, David, Micah and others - knew about Christ? The New Testament tells us how they knew. "for prophecy never came by will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21) "Of this salvation prophets have inquired and search diligently, who prophesied of grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand sufferings of Christ and glories that would follow." (1 Peter 1:10-11) How did Old Testament prophets know of Christ, Holy Spirit told them!

However, work of Holy Spirit in earthly life and ministry of Christ does not stop here. He was there when angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to give birth to Christ. "And having come in, angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!' But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called Son of Highest; and Lord God will give Him throne of His father David. And He will reign over house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.' Then Mary said to angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?' And angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and power of Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called Son of God.'" (Luke 1:28-35)

Stephen Kingery is an author, preacher, teacher and founder of The Home Bible Study Institute.

Visit our site at http://www.james1-22.org

When we play golf, go bowling, and so forth we must also be selective. While it is not bad (in and of itself) to play golf, etc., people we choose to play those game with can have a very negative effect on our lives. If those we choose to participate in these recreational activities are drinkers, gamblers, womanizers, and so forth, these attitudes will rub off on us. You know old saying, "Birds of a feather flock together."

Serving Christ With Our Talents

One of disappointments in life for me is that I cannot sing or play a musical instrument. I really wish that I could! Perhaps some day I'll be able to learn to do one or both of these. However, I do have other talents. So do you. The important thing is that you and I use what talents we do have to glorify Lord.

What better thing could we do with our talents than serve Lord? If singing is our talent, we should use it to glorify God through song during worship service or when ever we can. But if our talent lies elsewhere, we need to use it as well.

As for me, I do have some ability to write and speak. Therefore, I have this print ministry and I also do some preaching when opportunity arises. I can also teach and I use this ability as well to serve God.

But your talents may be in visiting sick or downhearted. You may be excellent in creating craft items that elderly or even children in Sunday School could work on. You may be able to provide meals to those who have lost a loved one or for special occasions at church. Your talent may be in arranging flowers for church services. It may be in meeting and greeting people and inviting them to worship service.

Whatever your talent, use it to serve Christ. If we have a talent (and we all do) and we are not using that talent to serve Christ, then we are guilty of withholding from Him that which He has given to us. Remember, our talents are from God. We could do nothing if it were not for Him. And it is through Him that we can make most of our talents and use them to glorify Jesus Christ.

Serving Christ With Our Finances

One of most touchy subjects is one of serving Christ with our finances. Most people seem to really get offended when we begin to talk about giving to church. But, this is so important – not so much for Christ, but for us!

If we truly love Christ, then we will want to support His work. That means giving to church so that gospel can be preached and lost lives won for Christ. The local church simply cannot do work necessary without support of its people. We should want to see lost souls saved. The best way this can happen is for local church to be thriving and seeking lost in community.

Another aspect of work of local church is support of missionaries. Does your congregation have missionaries which it supports? It should, perhaps even must if it is to be a church which loves and follows Christ. The work of foreign missionaries is so very important. Remember that Christ told apostles to go into ALL world and preach gospel. We should do likewise. We can do likewise by supporting foreign missionaries individually and through local church.

While these are important, real reason to give of our finances is a matter of worship. By giving generously we show Christ that we love Him and want His work to be supported. Giving lip service to Christ may fool our fellow man, but it will not fool God.

Give Our Best To The Master

Choose this day whom you will serve! To serve Christ means to give Him our best. Give Him best part of our lives, both in work and play. Give Him best of our talents. Use what we have and develop new talents to worship and glorify Christ. And give of our best of our finances. Give a tithe and then a generous gift as well.

I like old saying, "You can't out-give God." This is true in all three respects – our lives, our talents and our finances.

All Scriptures quoted are from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Stephen Kingery is an author, preacher, teacher and founder of The Home Bible Study Institute.

Visit our site at http://www.james1-22.org