The Grace of God

G - God's

R - Riches

A - At

C- Christ's
E- Expense

Grace is simply 'God's unmerited favor towards you.' His grace gives you kindness though undeserved. He has riches for you. His riches will satisfy your deepest needs.

Like every good thing, His riches comes with a price. Fortunately, it's a price which you don't you have to pay. He has paid it himself. Christ was hanged on a cross as a price of all God's riches for you.

The only thing you have to do it is receive it. Just like you would receive a gift from your loved ones, you can receive God's gift.

Grace is the most expensive thing you can have in your whole life, all free!

Psalm 5:12

Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (TNIV)

For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You]; as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor). (Amplified Bible)

For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
You surround him with favor as with a shield. (New American Standard Bible)

But you'll welcome us with open arms
when we run for cover to you.
Let the party last all night!
Stand guard over our celebration.
You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,
for decking us out in delight. (The Message)

Prayer for You

The epistle to the Ephesians and Colossians shows us wonderful prayers that we can use to pray for ourselves and for other believers.

Let me share them with you point wise that the Apostle Paul uses by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to pray for the believers there for spiritual wisdom and spiritual growth.

I pray for :

1. spiritual wisdom and insight

why? grow in your knowledge of God

2. your heart be flooded with light

why? -you can understand the confident hope he has given you

-His holy people, His rich and glorious inheritance.

3. understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him

4. empower you with inner strength through his Spirit

5. power to understand God's Imeasurable Love

6. complete knowledge of his will & spiritual wisdom and understanding

why? -the way you live will always honor and please the Lord

-your lives will produce every kind of good fruit

-you will grow as you learn to know God better and better

7. strengthened with all his glorious power

why? you will have all the endurance and patience you need

8. filled with joy,always thanking the Father

Make this your prayer and i believe life will never be the same again.

The verses refered includes Ephesians 1: 15-19; 3: 14-20 and Colossians 1: 9-14 from the New Living Transaltion(NLT).
Many thanks to www.biblegateway.com for the providing the online bible reference.

Read Complete Prayer here.

Prayers for Spiritual Growth & Wisdom

Ephesians 1:15-19 (NLT)

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,[a] 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,

 

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom[b] and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.[c]
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power

Footnotes:
Ephesians 1:15 Some manuscripts read your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and to God’s people everywhere.
Ephesians 1:17 Or to give you the Spirit of wisdom.
Ephesians 1:18 Or called, and the rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his holy people.

5 Small Group Myths

5 Home Fellowship/Cell Group Myths (Abstract)

Myth 1: Small Groups Are a Wonderful Evangelistic Tool.
Myth 2: Small Groups Unite the Christians in a Neighborhood. 
Myth 3: Bible Study Is the Certerpiece of a Small Group.
Myth 4: A Small Group Needs One Strong Leader. 
Myth 5: Small Groups Multiply by Cell Division.

For complete article click   5 Small Group Myths BuildingChurchLeaders.com

The will of God

The following message is a brief excerpt of a sermon by Pastor John Roughton at Spirit of Faith Church.

What is the will of God? 
The Will of God is His desires and design for your life. It is His plan and purposes for you. It is what pleases Him. The Greek word translated will here comes from a word that means a decision. God’s will means He has already decided what He wants to do.

The Apostle Paul prayed for the Christians in Colossians that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1: 9) 

He would not pray this prayer if it was not God’s will. It’s God’s will that you know His will.

God wants you to be literally filled to the full, cramped jammed full of the knowledge of His will that there’s none left. The Greek word knowledge here means complete and full knowledge. It also means precise and accurate knowledge. 

The Amplified Bible says with a deep and clear knowledge of His will. God wants you to know exactly His plan for your life. 

Is it time to change your password?

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source: http://mashable.com/2011/11/17/worst-internet-passwords/

Faith – The determining factor

Excerpts from a sermon preached by my Pastor, Rev. John Roughton, Spirit of Faith Church, Dimapur, Nagaland.

Matthew 9:27-30 (ESV)

27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”

Healing is like mathematics. God’s power and his willingness are constant. Our faith is the variable.

Your faith should not be passive. It should be active faith, a determined faith.

We don’t have more in life because we we don’t believe for more.

The problem that you may be facing is not your problem. Your problem is a lack of faith.
Are you expecting anything from God?

There are 4 types of expectation:

1. Negative expectation

Some people have more faith in the devil than they have in God.

The Holy Spirit is a genius

The Holy Spirit is the creator of all things He is smarter than me. He is a master of all subjects. And He is living on the inside of me. And He is a gentleman and will only work in our lives when we ask him to.

Sermon Excerpts by Pastor Michael on 7 may 2012 at Grace Chapel

Philippians 1: 19, 20

Acts 20:20

Every prosperity is based on your soul's prosperity.

When you are fed spiritually properly, prosperity will come.

Live for each day. Feed on the Word daily. Live with what you have today from the Word.

The Holy Spirit grieves because He loves them and there is no response to God's love by them.

Ephesians 4: 29

Hebrews 13:7, 17
Don't grieve your pastor.
The pastor is the only person in the church concerned about the one lost sheep.

Colossians 4: 12

Showing up in church is not easy!

How to be led by the Spirit of God!

                                            (excerpts from the teaching series by Pastor John Roughton

                                    Spirit of Faith Church, Dimapur, Nagaland)

Romans 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Helpful points to be led by the Spirit of God:

1. Be Open

Isaiah 43: 18, 19

Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it? 

I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.

Your future doesn't have to be a repetition of your past. Our God is the God of variety and can lead you in different ways.

Be ready for change in your life. Be open to God's directions even if it presently seems unreasonable.

Faith - The determining factor

Excerpts from a sermon preached by my Pastor, Rev. John Roughton, Spirit of Faith Church, Dimapur, Nagaland.

 Matthew 9:27-30 (ESV)
27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”
 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”

Healing is like mathematics. God's power and his willingness are constant. Our faith is the variable.
Your faith should not be passive. It should be active faith, a determined faith.

 We don't have more in life because we we don't believe for more. The problem that you may be facing is not your problem. Your problem is a lack of faith. Are you expecting anything from God?

 There are 4 types of expectation: