FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Are You in Contact With Your Spirit Guide? – part 2

 We want to look at the Holy Spirit as our Comforter, Spiritual Gift-Giver, and our Keeper.

Our Comforter

Then, the Holy Spirit comforts us. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you (John 14:18).

I love the story about a very sad unbeliever who was seated next to a Christian man on a train. During the trip, the unsaved man began to cry and weep. The believer said to him, “I see you are troubled and sad. Is there some way I can help you?”

The sorrowful man replied, “I’ve just lost my wife. Our home seems so empty. All I have left to keep me company is her parakeet.”

The believer replied, “Well, as a Christian I have the Paraclete-the Holy Spirit. He never leaves me. And He will meet your need if you’ll allow Him to.”

Paraclete, in the Greek, means “comforter” and is the name given for the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have the constant, unfailing presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.

Our Spiritual Gift-giver

The Holy Spirit also controls the spiritual gifts bestowed upon the body of Christ, the Church. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge…to another faith…to another the gifts of healing… to another the working of miracles: to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

God gives these gifts to each believer, as He wills. Each of us has been given a very special gift-and the Holy Spirit will guide us into a place of service using the particular gift He has chosen for us. He will also give us power when using that gift.

Peter had the gift of communication- the ability to preach. But after he was filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8; 2:4), he not only had the gift but also the fruit… boldness (see Acts 4:13). So the Holy Spirit not only gives us spiritual gifts. He also gives us the ability (fruit) and strength to use them.

Spiritual gifts are not given to hoard for our own benefit or enjoyment. They are given to enable us to minister to others. And the Spirit will provide the opportunity- He will definitely show us our place of service.

I believe there are times, depending on the circumstances, when more than one gift of the Spirit may be exercised through you. A situation may arise where there is no one else to depend on and the Holy Spirit manifests (or works) a particular gift through you to meet a particular need at a particular time. It may be a gift that has never operated in your life before, but when the Spirit puts you in a situation, He will illuminate your mind to meet the need. You will discover that where God guides. He provides.

The Holy Spirit is our Keeper

Not only is our Spirit Guide with us in life, but He remains with us even after death.

Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman relates a beautiful story about how he personally discovered this thrilling truth. He was sitting in his home, reading an address delivered by Dr. Moorhead at a Bible Conference. Dr. Moorhead declared that when one becomes a child of God, the Spirit of God comes in to dwell in that person and will continue in that body until the Resurrection. Even after the human spirit has departed to be with the Lord, the third member of the godhead remains with that body until the Resurrection.

Dr. Chapman said that as he thought about this, he started to cry. He said, “We hitched the horse to the carriage, and my wife and I rode out to a little graveyard where we had buried our firstborn son. As we stood there beside that little grave, we said, Thank You, Lord, for keeping watch.’ Immediately the peace of God flooded our souls.” He went on, “Later, when I stood by the grave of my mother, again I said, Thank You, Holy Spirit, for staying with Your temple and keeping watch.'”

What a comfort! On the day of Resurrection the Spirit will touch the body with new life, reunite it with the soul, and sweep our triuned body, soul, and spirit to be with God. How amazing and beautiful!

I encourage you today to get in contact with your Spirit Guide. But don’t be fooled by the false teachers of the so-called New Age Movement. Satan always has a counterfeit for the real and profitable things in life. He would like to deceive you into listening to his emissaries of evil and guide you into darkness. But he is no match for the real “Spirit Guide”-the Holy Spirit, who will always guide you into all truth. Remember, Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

A CLASSIC MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE

To Be Lost: Trust in Good Works – part 1

The lessons of the past newsletters dealt with baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Sermon on the Mount. In this chapter we continue our study by considering the subject of good works. The Philippian jailer wanted to do something and cried, What must I do to be saved? God’s answer through Paul was simply, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:30,31).

Humanity wants to do something to merit salvation and it is impossible.  This is so because of God’s master plan called “grace.” Grace means “unmerited favor.” It is God’s bestowal of salvation upon the undeserving because of Christ’s meritorious sacrifice on Calvary. This program of grace fills the pages of the Holy Book. Ephesians 2:8,9 says, For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.

God gives salvation and eternal life freely to all who will accept the shed blood of Christ. Any other plan would fill heaven with cocky. arrogant braggarts. Their “I” trouble would become an obnoxious sound in heaven. “I did this” and “I did that. “Therefore, to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness (Romans 4:5). None of us will boast in eternity about our “spiritual brownie points” that got us to heaven, but we will humbly thank the Lord for His sacrifice that made our salvation possible.

Until one sees, believes, and accepts this divine program. he is under condemnation. That is why Paul could say in Philippians 3:9: And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law [Ten Commandments] but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. This righteousness is actually found in Christ and never in ones own efforts. For [God] hath made [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Many miss this elementary truth. Everything a believer is or can ever become is through Christ.

Paul’s people, the Jews, missed this glorious ideal. He said, Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel to, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness [Jesus Christ], and going about to establish their own righteousness [good works] have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for religiousness to every one that believeth (Romans 10:1-4).

Yes, Christ ends all man-made programs and meritorious schemes to obtain righteousness. Christ is that righteousness. providing His righteousness to all who will believe in Him. That ls why Romans 10:10 states, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.

Get rid of all the false theological teachings held to this point and trust in the blood of Christ for salvation and righteousness. For without shedding of blood is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). Quit working and start trusting. It is God’s grace, unmerited favor, that saves sinners for time and eternity.

As we continue this study let us consider the various works men observe to gain eternal life.

Trust in Prayer

Multitudes feel that if one prays often and passionately, heaven will certainly be awarded to them. Jesus taught differently. He said in Matthew 6:5,7, And when thou prayest. thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are…But when ye pray. use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do. Christ taught that the heathen and the hypocrites prayed. This did not save them for they were still heathen and hypocrites.

He gives another example in Matthew 23:14: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. These pious hypocrites wanted to rob the widows, in a respectable way, of their finances. So, they conducted long and elaborate prayer vigils in their homes. However, their interest lay not in spiritual things but in filthy lucre. Christ warned that this pretentious farce would only bring the deceivers into damnation. They prayed, but in vain. Prayer only saves when one calls upon Christ for salvation. Then prayer becomes effectual.

Acts 10 and 11 beautifully teach this lesson. There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man. and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway (Acts 10:1.2). Did all of these spiritual traits, including prayer, save him? Not for one second! Peter is warned by God to go to the home of this needy seeker. This he does. Later he describes what took place.

Acts 11:13,14: And he shewed us how he had seen an angel to his house. which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. Yes, the God-fearing, alms-giving, prayer-offering family still had to be saved. Quit trusting in prayer and begin trusting in the One who hears prayer.

Trust in Bible Reading

Then again there are those who believe that devotion to the Bible will certainly gain merit points toward salvation. But Christ again knocked this argument into oblivion in John 5:39,40. He said, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

The Saviour made it dogmatically clear that salvation was through the Christ of whom the Scriptures spoke and to whom they pointed. It was the Living Word (Christ) revealed in the written Word (the Bible) who saved (John 1:1). Now the Scriptures are able to make one wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3: 15 as they point to Christ as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

However, as precious as the Holy Scriptures are, they cannot supplant Christ for salvation-only point to Him. Have you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, or in the Book that is His biography? Come to Him today, and then study more about Him in His Book.

CHANGED LIVES-one at a time

Dr. Rexella,

I realize that this will probably not reach you personally, but I felt led to send you this quick note.  As a result of one of your husband’s early sermons back in the 1950s in Michigan, my Dad accepted Jesus as his lord and savior.  My Dad raised all five of us kids in the church and lived his life very much in step with God.  He passed away not long ago and I just know that he is with Jesus now watching over all of us – thanks in part to your dedication to sharing God’s word.

Thank you for all you do.

Karen L.

Dr. Rexella,

Thank you for all you do.

I try my best to have faith and believe.

Thank you for your help navigating the way for me.

Tammy L. in VA

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