Weekly Bible Teaching

I enjoy keeping in touch with you weekly and hope you are benefiting from the communication. I also relish the idea of you asking any questions and emailing me your comments on the weekly teaching, or any other issue and concern.

I believe that we are at the point where we can begin to talk seriously about what it means to be a congregation and what it means to be the Body of Christ, the Church. We are all a part of a larger congregation if we are the “Body of Christ.” God cannot be confined to a single congregation. Was the Holy Spirit confined to a single Temple in Jerusalem? The Apostle Paul was being revolutionary when he said that “all believers are the Temple of the Holy Spirit wherever we go” (I Cor.3:16).

It has been 9 weeks since our first weekly teaching and I really do want to get input from you as to the following topics:

1. What does it mean to be the Church?
2. What should be the goal / vision of the Church?
3. What is Worship?

I don’t think that I could EVER be accused of not asking for other people’s input, so here is your opportunity to speak out about some VERY important issues. You can reply to this email with your comments or go to this link: http://brianccray.com/ and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Some of you have already commented and I thank you for that. So let’s continue the discussion!

So have you entered the classroom of the Holy Spirit lately? Many seem content to have just enough knowledge of the Holy Spirit to get by. But remember this, as a Christian we couldn’t receive or act on “anything” Christ has accomplished for us without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Without the Holy Spirit we wouldn’t even know how to pray, or even know the will of God!

Romans 8:26-27 And in the same way the Holy Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Don’t underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life today!

I haven’t heard any feedback on the weekly teachings, so I can only conclude that you either don’t have any comments, or questions, or maybe you’re not reading them, which I hope is not true.

We have been talking about the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. Maybe this is new information for some of you. Maybe we have just fallen into a pattern of what being a Christian is all about and even what meeting together is all about. Consider the following scripture:
Hebrews 10:24-25 let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.

This is not restrictive to a Sunday morning worship service, but any time we get together. Just like many of you, I have made assumptions and conclusions about what it means to meet together as believers, especially for a worship service or Bible study. I think it’s time to rethink what it means to “assemble together.”

Here’s a thought; if one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to teach, then I can only conclude that one of the purposes of coming together is to learn. If this is true, then when we come together we have entered the “classroom of the Holy Spirit.” Knowing this, then the purpose for even meeting together takes on a whole new purpose. Sunday morning or even a Bible study is not just a time to say hello to people we haven’t seen in a week or to be entertained, but it involves each of us involving ourselves in ministry and encouraging one another to love and good deeds.

When was the last time we were an encouragement to a fellow believer? It’s not just about having our own needs met, but also meeting the needs of others.

We’ve been discussing the Gifts of the Holy Spirit lately, so are you any closer to feeling more comfortable with knowing and understanding your gifts in the Body of Christ? It is a life-long process, but well worth it! So what is the purpose of knowing and operating within the gifts God has given you?

Ephesians 4:12-13 For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the edification of the Body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

So if we are not operating within the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that God has equipped us with, that means that the Body of Christ will never be fully equipped for service, be edified, reach unity of faith, have full knowledge of Christ and reach its full maturity. So it’s not just affecting you, it’s affecting everyone! So we cannot be content with just sitting in the pews as spectators, or warming a seat in a committee, we must become personally involved!
Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

If the person and work of the Holy Spirit is still present today, then the Book of Acts is still being written today. How about in your life? What chapter are you on? Have you submitted your whole being to God without reservation? It’s hard to do sometimes, but if you want to know Him more and be used by Him it is a necessity!

When it comes to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, God chooses what gifts He wants to manifest in our life, not us! Some have erroneously concluded when it comes to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that “God just doesn’t do that anymore!” Who says?

Don’t limit yourself or God! Moses told God he couldn’t be used in public speaking and yet God used him as a public speaker. God does not just use you in areas of strength, but also in weakness. He wants to get the glory, not you! The list goes on and on about God using people who didn’t feel equipped at the time. Where God leads He empowers! God uses F.A.T. people; Faithful, Available and Teachable!

Check out more information on the Holy Spirit here HS. Let me know if you have any questions.

This a continuation of our study on “What Happened After Pentecost?” So, have you done any of the on-line spiritual gifts inventories? What were your results? Any surprises? Obviously, there is no simple test you can take that will determine what gifts God has given you, but it gets the discussion started.

The only way you can truly determine what gift(s) you have been given by the Holy Spirit after conversion, is to begin to trust God and allow Him to work through you while doing ministry.

The age old question is, “do we receive more of the Holy Spirit as a result of receiving His gifts?” Some say you do, but others say it is more like submitting more of yourself to God. I compare it to putting gas in your car. You don’t need to have a full tank if all you are going to do is keep your car parked in the driveway. You need more gas as you begin to venture out! We need to be “continuously being filled with the Spirit.” Think about it!

Ephesians 5:18-21 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be continuously being filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

This weekly teaching begins a series on “what happened after Pentecost?” In our Sunday night Bible study we will begin to study the Book of Acts.

One area that many believers are confused about is “spiritual gifts.” Many have just reduced them to a simple personality test, instead of gifts that are given to you through the Holy Spirit. I want to encourage you to take any of the many available on-line gifts inventory tests listed below.

Inventory # 1
Inventory # 2
Inventory # 3
Inventory # 4

During this time begin to ask God what your spiritual gift (s) are. Please don’t assume that just because you are good at something that this is your spiritual gift. God may want to use you in other ways that may be outside of your comfort zone and personality. Please share your questions and the results with me.

So, if you attended Sunday services yesterday, did any of them emphasize the fact that it was Pentecost Sunday? If so, how did they commemorate it? If not, why do you think they didn’t? Is it even important to do so? In our attempt to be so inclusive have we abandoned what makes Christianity distinctively biblical?

In the Bible, the children of Israel were commanded by God to “count the days.” What does it mean to “count the days?”

Leviticus 23:15-16 You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 16 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.

Here’s an interesting point – if you were to go through the Gospel of John and mark down when Jesus said what he said, you would discover that Jesus said what he said and did what he did when it was a biblical Holy Day.

Acts chapter 2 even makes it a point to say that it was the “Day of Pentecost” when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples.
Should we count the days? Ever heard the comment to “make each day count?” If we fail to bring special attention to significant events or days in our lives, are we truly being mindful and thankful to God for them?

Week 1 - June 7, 2011

Today is the eve of the first Day of the biblical Holy Day of Shavuot / Pentecost, or First Fruits. What a coincidence? To learn more click on this link Feasts

Since this is the beginning of my weekly teaching I am sending to you, I thought it would be appropriate to begin with a quote from Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

The word “beginning” is used 106 times in the Bible (depending on your version). The Hebrew word for beginning is Raysheet and is also used in referring to the “best” and the concept of “first fruits.”

Another interesting beginning is John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Bible connects Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 and teaches that Jesus is God from the beginning and also our “first fruit offering.” In other words, He is the “best!”
In the beginning of scripture we already see the foundational teaching about the Godhead and the Trinity.

Colossians 1:15-18 And He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16 For by Him (Jesus) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

1 Corinthians 15:20-24 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

The third person of the Godhead is also a part of this first fruit offering and is also pictured in Genesis 1:2 and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
Romans 8:20-23 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

God is about creating “new beginnings.” He often takes what appears to be formless, empty void and chaos and through His Spirit brings the best. Let’s expect the same in our lives.