Chat Programs/IDs: ICQ#: 20731140, AIM: MrJasonGastrich, YIM: Jesus_Saved_Jason

JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"The Holy Spirit is He"

Genesis 1:2  "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

John 14:26  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

John 16:13-15  "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

Romans 8:26, 27  "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

1 Corinthians 12:7-11  "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."

Ephesians 1:13, 14  "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

Titus 3:5  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit."

2 Peter 1:21  "For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

Insight: In the scriptures, the Holy Spirit is always referred to as "He."  The Spirit is not referred to as "it."  Know the functions of the Holy Spirit.  It is within each saved believer in Jesus Christ!

Prayer: "Thank you for being a good God.  Thank you for wanting us to be successful.  Bless us and make us like You.  Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit.  Help us to understand the person You have given us, Lord.  Praise You for being faithful to us and giving us an awesome companion.  Thank you for leading us into truth with the Spirit of truth.  Reveal your will to us.  Lift us up and give us joy.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

See http://michaelnewdow.com for this week's quote from an American founder!  Next week, we'll include a new one; or perhaps several from one founder/framer.

A Moment of Introspection

Did you know that the Holy Spirit is always mentioned as "He" and never "it"?  The Holy Spirit is the third person in the triune Godhead.  He isn't a force or a thing.  He is a person.

Memorize the functions of the Holy Spirit that are mentioned in the scriptures above!

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge.

sfragidzo (Greek): sealed - to stamp with a signet or mark for security or preservation (literally or figuratively), seal up

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 9:2 - According to this verse, all animals fear humans. Although it is true that many do, it is also true that some do not. Sharks and grizzly bears, for example, are generally much less afraid of us than we are of them. "Into your hand are they (the animals) delivered." God gave the animals to humans, and they can do whatever they please with them. This verse has been used by bible believers to justify all kinds of cruelty to animals and environmental destruction.

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

God spoke to Noah and his sons.  He told them that all of the animals would dread them and be given into their hands.  God didn't necessarily say that all animals would fear all of their descendants.

This was the first command for humans to eat animals.  Therefore, animals would surely be unprepared and unable to protect themselves adequately.  Incidentally, since they lived in the post-flood world, Noah and his sons were likely large people and much larger than people are, today.  This would help intimidate the animals, too; especially the small animals that were exiting the Ark.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

Let God's will be your will.

God always has better things in store for us than we would have for ourselves because He knows us better than we know ourselves.

God could have done things in a more believable way, but He wanted people to have faith.

God has called Christians for specific purposes.

If you can't list more than a handful of things you're thankful to God for, then you're out of touch with God and the things He has done.

Even though God allows us to eat anything, not everything is good for us.

The rainbow is God's sign to us.  It doesn't belong to the gays or the University of Hawaii.

God calls godly people to serve a godly purpose.

These quotes came from God, me, and Miles McPhearson.

Do you need more quotes?  We have thousands in our archives!  They are located here: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

These quotes can be used for sanctification and fun. Most of them are directly based on scripture and scriptural principles. Some of the quotes are humorous or rhetorical, others are written from sermons and Bible studies, and some are lyrics from songs. If you’d like me to go into more detail on any of them, please email me.

Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I’ve written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures and apply the true principles to your life in a meaningful way! Please don’t sell my quotes or publish them for profit. If English is not your first language, you may not understand some of the quotes. I'm sorry, but some of them are English metaphors and deal with multiple word meanings. God bless you all!

Please make a commitment to pray for this ministry. As every believer is tempted and tried, this ministry faces trials also. God has blessed me, JCSM and the people who have been reached! Unfortunately, the enemy knows this and spiritual warfare is the result. Please at least pray that the devotions continue to be written religiously, the web pages stay on the www and the readers are blessed, sanctified and protected from evil. Thank you very much in advance!

Do you want to help people receive the good news?  We’re reaching new people every day with God’s awesome Word! If God has blessed you and you wish to send a love offering to JCSM, please send your gift to the address below.

You can join our vision and help this ministry! Your donations will keep these ministries running and further our visions for evangelism. We host tens of thousands of web pages to lead people to the Lord. Frequently, we make new ones and they are used to bring more and more people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

Would you like to support God’s work on the web? If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to JCSM. You can join us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news! Either email me for more information or simply go here: http://vision.jcsm.org.

JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.  If you wish to send support, please make checks payable to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries.  If you are sending support or simply want to contact us through the regular mail, here is our mailing address:

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

3219 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #212

San Diego, CA 92117

Along with getting support, we also give support! JCSM regularly gives to churches, Christian ministries, and needy people. Another function of this ministry is to do counseling. We are always answering questions about life, the Lord and everything in between. Lastly, we do a lot of research on religious topics on the internet and library. You will definitely see the results of our hard work and your loving support, in the web pages, and in the weekly devotions!

If you have never repented from your sins and believed, trusted, and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please email me! I would love to share the gospel with you. The Bible is very straightforward when it speaks about Heaven, Hell and eternal life. If there is any doubt that you are going to Heaven when you die, please let me know today! If you’d like to discover the biblical doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ, please go here: Audio Gospel Message - http://www.jcsm.org/godsplan/TheGospel.mp3. or the Textual Gospel Message - http://gospel.jcsm.org.

Fishes and Loaves (FALO) is a great, missions organization.  They have helped many people embark on missions trips to the uttermost parts of the world.  If you are interested in missions, please visit http://www.gofalo.net.

Do you need to find a solid, Christian church?  I've attended numerous, Calvary Chapel churches and I've been very blessed by their Bible-based sermons, inspiring worship, and kind members.  If you don't have a home church, if you're traveling, or if you need to find a new church, I recommend visiting the following site and locating a Calvary Chapel near you: http://www.calvarychapel.org.

OCCM (Online Christ-Centered Ministries) has certified JCSM as a ministry that preaches the true, biblical gospel of Jesus Christ.  OCCM is a professional membership association for Christian ministries and people that reside on and off the internet.  Are you OCCM certified?  For more information, go here: http://www.occm.org.

Over 70,000 web pages!

Jesus loves you!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."