Contents

Study on commitment

Study on assurance

Study on baptism

Study on the Lord's Supper

Study on the Holy Spirit

Study on the Church

Study on Lordship

Study on worship

Study on the Word of God

Study on prayer

Foreword

This study can be used to lead a person to Christ as It clearly and simply presents the steps of salvation. Further, It encourages the student to respond to God in a positive and practical way. The study is also geared for follow-up. It systematically grounds the new Christian in the fundamentals of the Faith.

Study On Commitment

There are a number of things we need to understand in order to become a Christian.

The first thing is this. GOD LOVES US! WE are very Important to Him, much more than we probably realise. God created us to be both His children and His friends. Many people do not understand this. Some may not even want to understand. However, this makes no difference to God. We can ignore Him, but He loves us. Curse Him but He love us still. We can even deny His existence. But still He continues to care for us. THIS WILL NEVER CHANGE; IT CANNOT! God will always love us because "GOD IS LOVE" (1 John 4:16).

God's love Is not just an emotional love, but it is practical. He doesn't just say "I love you" but He puts His love into action. In Romans 5:8 the Apostle Paul says "But God has shown us how much He loves us - It was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!"

Yes, God in love His love allowed His own son to die a horrible death on a terrible cross, so that we might be freed from our sin. Why did God do this? Was it because we are loving, caring, kind, compassionate people who deserved to be rescued from sin and death? No! God sent His Son to save us, not because we deserved It, but because His love desired It. This is the first important thing we need to understand in order to become a Christian.

The second thing we need to understand in order to become a Christian is that ALL OF US HAVE OFFENDED GOD WITH OUR REBELLIOUS NATURES. The Bible calls this "SIN". In Romans 3:23, the Apostle Paul says, "Everyone has sinned and is fur away from God's saving presence."

Do you realise that you have offended God in this way?

The third thing we need to understand in order to become a Christian is that OUR SIN UPSETS AND HURTS GOD. More than this, our sin also stops us from being His friend. This is what happened to Adam and Eve. They lost their friendship with God when they rebelled against Him in the Garden of Eden. As a result they wore put outside of God's presence. Read Genesis Chapter 3.

It is Important that you understand that In order to receive God's forgiveness you must repent of your sin. The word repent means more than just feeling sorry for our sins. It... (Please buy the book and help spread Don's work).

Contents

The Gifts of the Spirit available to all Believers

Jesus Baptiser with the Holy Spirit

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit an ongoing experience

Jesus, still Baptises with the Holy Spirit

The purpose of the Gifts of the Spirit

Confusion between gifts and talents

Developing and maintaining right attitudes

Explanation of the gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit

The more excellent way

Has the perfection come?

Testing of tongues

New Testament teaching on tongue speaking and prophecy.

Should we desire Spiritual gifts?

Discerning the Gifts of the Spirit

Foreword

This book has been produced to aid Christian men and women who are tired of the excesses that are clearly evident, in many of the Orthodox and Pentecostal Churches.

Like myself, many of my brethren find that they are both wearied and grieved in their spirits, as they witness the denial of the gifts, ministries and baptism with the Holy Spirit, by one group and the extreme misuse and abuse of them by another. Both schools claim to use the Word of God as a basis for their practice and doctrine. However, on careful examination of the Scripture it is abundantly evident that the far left (The Charisphobiacs) either close their eyes to the New Testament evidence and/or, break all the exegetical rules, in order to come up with the answers that suit.

The other group, the far right (The Charismaniacs) take out what they want and ignore the rest. Both schools are being dishonest, with themselves, and with the Word of God.

The tragedy of this dishonesty, is that it creates a division. The division is not really based on the Bible. (This is a red herring.) On me Orthodox side it is based on fear of the supernatural. On the Pentecostal side it's based on fear as well. Fear of the denial of the supernatural which could cause them to fall headlong again into a spiritual wilderness from which they have been delivered.

Sadly, the extremes on both sides create a real problem for those who discover that there is a balance between the two schools of thought. The Christians who make this discovery find that they are neither fish nor fowl. They are pushed out of the Orthodox assemblies for their belief in and exercise of Spiritual gifts, or they are partly rejected by their Pentecostal brethren because they refuse to truck with the excesses.

My brethren this should not be so. But tragically it is the case. Therefore, I implore you in Jesus' name to take a fresh "honest" look at the old book!

The Gifts Of The Spirit Available To All Believers

No child of God should ever have an inferiority complex as far as the gifts of the Spirit or functions of ministry are concerned, as the Scriptures clearly teach us that every believer receives them from the Lord Jesus.

In Eph 4:7-13 Paul says:

"But EACH ONE has been given his gift, his due portion of Christ's bounty."

The same Scriptures also say:

"He ascended into the heights with captives in His train; He gave gifts to men. Now the word "ascended" implies that He also descended to the lowest level, down to the very earth He who descended is no other than Him who ascended far above all heavens, so that He might fill the universe. And these were His gifts: some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip God's people for work in His service, to the building up of the body of Christ. So shall we all at last attain the unity inherited in our faith and our knowledge of the Son of God - to mature manhood, measuring by nothing less than the full stature of Christ."

It is clear by these verses, that "ALL" believers receive from Jesus a gift, or gifts, or ministry function. This gifting occurs when Jesus baptises us with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, Baptiser With The Holy Spirit

In order to understand the gifts of the Spirit and our relationship to them it is important that we appreciate what it means to be baptised with the Holy Spirit.

The terms, "Baptism of, or by, the Holy Spirit are used frequently by Christians in relationship to empowerment. However, the only time the Bible uses these terms is to indicate that at conversion the Holy Spirit immerses the new believer into the body of the Church.

"For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body - whether Jew or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." 1 Cor 12:13, NIV.

If we use the terms "baptism of, or by, the Holy Spirit" out of this context, we give the impression that it is the Holy Spirit that is taking the initiative to immerse us in... (Please buy the book and help spread Don's work).

CONTENTS

The principle of worship

The meaning of worship

God lives in an atmosphere of praise

Praise is not an option. It's a command.

Praise is the priestly function of God's people

Praise is pleasing to the heart of God

Praise dispels spiritual heaviness

Praise is a weapon

Praise is a witness

Praise is vocal

Praise involves body language

Practical application of praise

Praise points on the nature of God

The manifestation of love in public praise

FOREWORD

For many of us, our conversion experience was the most exciting thing that ever happened to us. The knowledge that God loved us and had forgiven all of our sins was absolutely wonderful. To reflect upon the truth that we were now God's children and that we were eternal In nature was mind-blowing. As newborn babes we eagerly desired the milk of the Word of God. We revelled in and identified with our new found family In Christ. The new sense of wholeness, the release from guilt, the influx of peace, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, was far more wonderful than we could have ever anticipated. We soon became members of the local Church taking every opportunity of fellowship and service. It wasn't long of course before that enthusiasm was put into harness and we were quickly conscripted into the activities and leadership of the Church.

As the years rolled by however, we sensed something had gone wrong. Our devotion for the Lord had somehow decreased, yet our workload had increased. Committees, programmes and general busy - work left little time for much else. We found ourselves caught in a religious rut, a pit with greased walls that somehow drained what was left of our spiritual energies. Disappointment crept into our lives as we began to realise THAT THE FIRE THAT WAS IGNITED AT OUR CONVERSION HAD DWINDLED TO A SMALL FLICKERING FLAME.

We had gravitated from a position of revelation (our conversion experience) to a position of formalisation. From there the speed of the slippery-slide increased, thrusting us headlong into the abyss of institutionalisation and crystallisation.

There are of course multitudes of faithful Christian men and women in this situation who desperately need revival. THEIR FIRES MUST BE REKINDLED! It is imperative that they return again to revelation, that the fanning fires of the Holy Spirit's presence might be set free to burn with renewed vigour.

This book starts from the premise of the recognition of dryness, a repentance of the sins of neglect and indifference which brought about this wilderness experience, and a deep desire to be rekindled afresh. This book does not hold all the keys to renewal, it labours but one key. It is a vital key, however, THAT WILL STIR THE STAGNANT WATERS WITHIN EACH SEARCHING BELIEVER AND CAUSE THOSE RIVERS OF LIVING WATER TO RUN AFRESH.

THE PRINCIPLE OF WORSHIP

The Gospel service is advertised to start at 7pm. However, for those who want a singalong, that commences at 6:45pm. This is very clearly separated from worship to save confusion. It's not really part of the service! It's a sort of entree before the main course. Therefore, we jolly ourselves up at the song service In preparation for the anticipated feast to come. Then at 7pm, the rest of the congregation wander in like "Brown's cows" prattling on about the Sunday afternoon movie, or how fast the formula ones were at Bathurst.

The minister stands and says "we will now start the service proper by the singing of the hymn 405"... We stand and all sing in monotone unison "How great thou art". "Hmm, the Pastor's ties crooked again", "Look at those dirty windows! Who was on cleaning this week?"

The Pastor having started the service "proper" mumbles a prayer at the back wall of the chapel, after which we all settle down to be blessed real good! This is our hour (not a minute over) linked to our spiritual dialysis machine. It's time for our shot, our spiritual hypodermic. We have paid our tithe; now we can legitimately pull up to the Church Bowser and fill up. After all this is why most of us are here. We have come to be blessed, to be lifted up in our spirits, to be fed.... oh a few old faithfuls are here out of loyalty, habit, or some sense of obligation to help build up the numbers and keep the ship afloat. But most of us are here for what we can get. We demand blessing!

The Pastor calls for a sharing time and we all cringe and quickly glance around to see if there are any visitors tonight, because we know that Sister Ima Rava is going to embarrass us all by sharing some irrelevancy. Closely followed by Brother Willy Waffla.

Now we share in a medieval reading of the Word of God, followed closely by an eight verse marathon dirge. Finally the Minister stance up to preach. He announces his sermon title "The documentary hypothesis of the Pentateuch."

We turn up the regulator to full on our spiritual dialysis machine; we just love these passive, no-call-for-action, mind bending theological discourses. We know the blessings are going to flow! They had better! After all we pay this Shepherd to feed us, to oil the Church machinery and maintain our comfy little flock. YES! I'VE COME TO GET BLESSED! GOD BLESS ME REAL GOOD....!!!!

Hopefully, you have understood the error in the above attitude. The error of course is a reversal of Biblically based worship. Christians for the most part are going to Church to be blessed by God rather than to bless and magnify Him. Tragically this is not only evident in the traditional Church, but it is also evident In the Pentecostal movement.

We in our quiet formal service for the most part ignore this principle, while they in their active noisy services do the same. They just seem to have more fun doing it the wrong way!

My brethren, JESUS IS LORD! And we are his servants. However, many of us have reversed this basic truth in our worship. The very fact that we come to our services to be blessed indicates that we sit In the pews as lords waiting for Jesus to function not as ...LORD... BUT AS SERVANT...(Please buy the book and help spread Don's work).