In Spirit and In Truth

The following was added to an older post as an update. I thought it would be relevant as a stand alone post. Enjoy :) - Hannah There is only ONE church to which every Believer must be a member of, that is the Spiritual Body of Christ. Without the Holy Spirit, there can be no church. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Christ had made this declaration to Peter that He would build His church upon "this rock". This scripture, out of it's context, quoted oft by various denominations is generally thought to mean that Peter was the rock of which the Church will be built. Within it's context, within the communication between Christ and Peter (and the disciples), it is clear that it's not Peter of which Christ speaks, but the Holy Spirit... When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the...

Many times the spiritual aspect, in today's Christian environment, applies to unseen entities, dominions and the like. What has come to my realization that the concept of what is spiritual applies to all things that exists unseen with human eyes. It gives the true Believer in Christ Jesus the ability to grow and mature in their intimacy with the Father when a leave is taken from the mainstream perception of what is spiritual allowing the Believer to renew their mind leaving behind the carnality that has enslaved it. Romans 12:2 THE UNSPOKEN COMPONENT While spirituality applies to entities, it also applies to the characters and attitudes we exhibit. By this reasoning the mind is to the brain, what breath is to the body...one could not exist without the other. The brain takes up physical space, but the mind does not. The mind cannot be seen, but like breath it exists and gives life to what would be an dysfunctioning matter. While the physical form is visible and tangible to the human...

We  live in an age where the wisdom of man has reached new heights. Where technology spurs forth with gaining speed each passing year (month). There is no question that the "tree of  knowledge of good and evil" ( Genesis 2:9 ) has been manifested in the 21st Century. There is no question that mankind has become enamored with their own intellect. There is also no question, that the Christian Culture has become enamored by the intellect of man as well.   a serpent's wisdom Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Looking at the Hebrew lexicon of subtil it says: Result of search for "subtil": 2450 chakam khaw-kawm' from 2449 ; wise, (i.e. intelligent, skilful or artful):--cunning (man), subtil, ((un-)), wise((hearted), man). 5341 natsar naw-tsar' a primitive ro...

In my post, Confessions of a Former Worldwide Church of God Member , I made a statement that I wish to expound further on: "Quite honestly, I say this knowing full well some of you, if not most will be offended by this statement, I find church attendance can be a hindrance to a believer's walk in faith" Before moving on let's clarify what exactly a "Stumbling Block" is. "an obstacle or hindrance to progress, belief, or understanding" "An obstacle or impediment" "a difficulty that prevents progress" Source: American Psychological Association (APA): Stumbling Block. (n.d.). Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary. Retrieved January 16, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Stumbling Block Chicago Manual Style (CMS): Stumbling Block. Dictionary.com. Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary. K Dictionaries Ltd. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Stumbling Block (accessed: January 16, 2008...

A relative and I were having a fascinating discussion about sin. He made a statement that rang very true to me. "So many Christians are obsessed with sin". For a long while, since reading other posts and forums about sin, I've been dwelling upon and studying about that matter. Although I've been compelled to analyze the subject by post, I haven't felt prepared to do so. As you all know, I'm experiencing a trial that proves to be a continuous battle for my faith. It has been a trial which continues to manifest the truth of Scripture, the Word of God, to my soul. It is during hard times such as these when the Glory of God is a sight to behold. And His goodness, a pleasant taste! "O taste and see that the LORD is good..." Psalm 34:8 Why do we obsess with sin? Either of our own or those of fellow Christians? Has Christ not set us free from the law of sin and death? "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of ...

SPIRIT OF FEAR There was a time in my youth when I was undoubtedly plagued with bouts of insecurities. The church I was a member of then, was divided into groups of the "haves" and the "have nots". As an orphan, I was most definitely a member of the "have nots". Being around my two-parented/one-parented friends I quietly developed a case inadequacy. As I matured in age (not necessarily in spirit), I carried that inadequacy with me, and it developed into an insecurity. My insecurity played with my vain imaginations, thus, assumptions and defensiveness was born. I became a person who would assume a particular behavior/conversation was geared towards me in a negative light, and when truth was presented to me, I became defensive of my assumptions and resulted behavior. It was a deadly mind game I played so long ago. Deadly in the fact that, spiritually I was inhibited by the insecurities that plagued me. My insecurities prevented me from seeing and then receiv...

I've changed the name of my blog to "In Spirit and In Truth" ( John 4:23 )! The reason for this change is to convey my worship of Him in a more specific light. This name change does not indicate a change in intention, but rather adding to the purpose of my blog. I feel compelled to as I continue to blog to promote the unity of Holy Spirit amongst believers regardless of their church status. That is promoting unity and edification of the Body of Christ. This change, in no way, compromises my writing. I will continue to promote the infallibility and truth of the Word. I will continue to stand for truth, by faith, and with the Holy Spirit. The Vineyard is up and ready to go! I'm hopeful The Vineyard , (another blog of mine) will also be a tool for the promotion of the Body through the unity of prayer. The main object of The Vineyard is praying for the unity of the spiritual Body of Christ. Prayer requests will be posted for all to pray upon. Prayer requests can be person...

GRACEFUL SPEECH "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Colossians 4:6 If someone were to ask you about your relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What would you say? How would you answer? Confidently, or shyly? Knowingly, or unknowingly? What if you were asked about sin and hell? What if you were asked about the book of Revelations and it's surrounding issues? How would you fare? THE LATEST TREND I am witnessing a disturbing trend with Christianity and it's church today. Either they don't know the Bible very well, or they read the Word in part (reading passages, by itself, instead of in context of the message). And sometimes, a mixture of both. The other scenario that is prevalent; a mixture of biblical Scripture and man made theologies, in other words, "new and strange doctrines" as defined in Hebrews 13:9 ; Ephesians 4:14 . I've had many a dialogue with Ch...

I've always seemed to march to a drummer who's a beat off. As I dwell on this earth amongst others, who I am and what I believe seem to be continually in conflict with others. It took me a while in my walk, not to be intimidated by these conflicts. As my journey translated into a loving relationship with my Heavenly Father, I understood that those beats, were those of His own Heart. The Spirit of Truth whispers daily into my heart, words of encouragement, words of faith. To walk in a way that reflects the Glory of God and to stand for truth always. I see lot of people, Christians, to be specific, seemingly comfortable in their day to day surroundings. Blended into the woven fabric of this society. Having worldviews that, at times, mix the secular and biblical. There have been times, when I happen upon a person, conversing with them, only to be surprised later that they profess themselves Christian. Being able to differentiate between a Christian and a non-believer is becoming d...

These are tumultuous times. There is no doubt we have a varied selection of beliefs, philosophies and doctrines. The world seems to be crazed with these issues. Consumed by every sort of practice. My decision to remove myself from the tradition of church (modern organized association) attendance stems from a need to separate, from what seems to be, an ineffectual force against these times. (Please read my post "The Integrity of Fellowship and Accountability) If you have read Acts 1 and 2. The power of the Holy Spirit during the beginning of the early church was undeniable. The Spirit was a converter of hearts of minds during that time, allowing the apostles to overcome language barriers, healing etc. Today, speaking in tongues seems to be something completely different. Or at least 1 Corinthians 14 tells me something different than what I see today. There are many who condemn the history of "church" (I use the "" because any church that does not promote the lov...