What is the Trinity?

"The word 'trinity' is found no where in the Bible." That is the excuse that those who do not believe in the triune nature of God will use to dispute it. Well, the word 'elephant' isn't in the Bible either, so...

In God there are three divine identities:

• Father
• Son
  
• Holy Spirit

These three identities are distinct:

• Father - Work of Creation (Genesis 1:1)
• Son - Work of Redemption (Galatians 4:4-5)
• Spirit - Work of Sanctification (1Peter 1:2)

Together, these three work to achieve God's purpose in the earth. (John 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, 1John 5:8)

Now, go look up the scriptures and read them for yourself. And check out Luke 3:22 where you will find all three of God's identities together, but separate.

Ooooh....a video.....

The Importance of Fellowship

1 Corinthians 1:9 says: God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are called into fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:42-47 gives us a pattern for fellowship with each other.

Acts 2:42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

• Be diligent and CONSISTENT in hearing the Word of God
• Have fellowship in communion
• Continue in fellowship through prayer
  

Acts 2:43
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

• the result of effective fellowship
  

Acts 2:44
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

• Having all things in common (speaks of material wealth)

Acts 2:45
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

• Speaks to giving - this is a part of fellowship
  

Acts 2:46
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

• Be in one accord with singleness of heart (having no discord or strife)
  

Acts 2:47
Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

• Abounding in praise and thanksgiving

The fellowship of believers is to prosper both the individual and the Body of Christ in two ways: spiritually and practically. It is vital, both for the Body of Christ and the individual believer, for fellowship to be a part of church life.

Q & A

Time for you to put your question here. Is there a burning question you have had about your faith, the Word, life in general? Post it in the comments section and I will do my best to give you an answer.

How do I Tell Them?

By now, someone has crossed your mind, who you think may not be going to heaven. When we first get saved, we are so over the top that we usually scare people away with our new-found faith. We want so badly to tell others that we push them away with 'the gospel'. God's message of love is so gentle. He is a gentleman. He does not push and neither should we.

If however, you come across someone to whom you need to explain what has happened to you, there are some simple scriptures to use. Note: if someone does not believe the Word of God is true, then you are dealing with foolishness and you will need more experience and knowledge of God and His Word before truly dealing with that person. But here are a few scriptures you can use to explain your conversion to others who are receptive to the Word of God.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23

We all have sinned and fall short of God's purpose for our lives - to know Him and walk with Him.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Wages are just payment... due reward... what one has coming because of labor. The just payment for our sin is death. Death here means a spiritual disconnect. When we are still in our sin, we have no life with God. We are alive physically but dead spiritually. If we continue in that condition, we will be separated from God for all eternity.

But God demonstrates his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

In a demonstration of His love for us, He gave His own life.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13

Pretty simple here: Call on Him and He will save you.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10

That's it really. No rocket science; faith and confession is all it takes to become a child of God. Only believers will ever understand the change that takes place following the conversion experience. Give your testimony of what happened with you - the burden being lifted, the emptiness filled, the chains broken. Your testimony will be attractive to others and that will open their hearts to receive the Word of Truth.

The Word - Part 2

Get out your Bible. If you do not have a Bible, tell us now. We will send you one.

We are going to be taking a look at some of the attributes of God.

After each attribute of God, I have listed a scripture. Find that scripture in your Bible and read it. Let God speak to you through His Word.

• God is Eternal (Psalms 90:1-2)
• God is Immutable (Unchangeable) ( Malachi 3:6)
• God is Omnipotent (All-Powerful) (Jeremiah 32:17, Psalms 62:11)
• God is Omniscient (All-knowing) (Psalms 139:1-4)
• God is Omnipresent (Everywhere) (Jeremiah 23:23-24)
• God is Holy (Leviticus 11:44-45)
• God is Righteous (God's Holiness in action) (Romans 3:25-26)
• God is Merciful (Exodus 34:6-7)
  

Tips on Finding Scriptures

If you are going to be studying the Word of God, you should have some idea of how to find scriptures.

From time to time I will offer different tips on how to find the various books of the bible and different scriptures.

• The Bible has a Table of Contents. Like all books, this can be found on one of the first few pages. Use it whenever you need it - really.

• Memorize the first 5 books of the Bible. The proper name for these books is the Pentateuch. They are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy. They were written by Moses.

• What's with all the numbers? The Bible is divided into books. Each book is divided into chapters. Each chapter is divided into verses. And sometimes when referencing a part of a verse, a person may say 'a' or 'b'; 'a' being the first part of the verse, and 'b' being the second part of the verse. So if you are asked to turn to Psalms 23:2, that would be the book of Psalms, chapter 23, verse 2. If I was referring only to the second part of that verse, I would say Psalms 23:2b.
  

The Nature of God

So who is this new found friend of yours? What should I expect from God?

Three main components of God are these:

God is Spirit. God is not limited to a physical body nor to our understanding of space and time.

God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).
John 4:24 AMP

God is perfect.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 KJV

God is personal. Your heavenly Father is concerned with your needs. He desires to make provision for His children.

Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
1 Peter 5:6-7 AMP

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:25-34 KJVR

Your God truly cares for you in a way that no human being has ever experienced apart from His love. Speaking from my own experience and walk with God: Give up ever trying to understand His love for you. It is incomprehensible. Just receive His love, regardless of whether or not you feel worthy of it. His sacrifice for you made you worthy. Now, just take it all in.

His nature is that of love.

The Word - Part 1

OK. So now the teaching begins. If you are going to walk with God, you should have an understanding of His Word. This understanding is very important for our growth and development as Christians. God wants us to know Him and He has provided His Word for that purpose.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

God's Word is given to guide us into a knowledge of Him.

Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

God Himself is our source of strength and sustenance.

Always Remember, Never Forget

When you take that first step and receive Christ, the Spirit of God will bear witness to your Spirit that you have been saved.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Romans 8:16

There was a time, either at the very moment of your conversion, or shortly thereafter, where the Spirit of God bore witness to you, confirmed in your heart, that what had happened to you, in you, and for you was indeed a real occurrence.

Never forget that moment. Always remember that you simply knew that you knew. There will be times in your walk with God when that moment and the memory of it will bring you through doubt, temptation or pain. The memory of that defining moment in your earthly life, at times, will bring you to your knees in repentance, in hope, in thanksgiving or in worship.

Not only was it the most important moment in your life, but it will be equally as important many times over.

Even with good friends around you, a loving church home, an annointed pastor, biblical counseling and powerful prayer, that moment will always be the one single moment you can look back on and say with assurance:

"God did it. He is real. I am His. I am a child of God."

Tell Someone

It's important to tell someone who is also saved about your new found faith in Christ. It will serve a few purposes:

• You can draw on support from other like-minded individuals
• Someone will be praying for you
• It may open a door for your new church home, if you do not have one already
• You can learn from the experience, strength, and hope of someone else who has been down this road before

Both the woman at the well (John 4), and the Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5), went to tell others about their experience. The account of the woman says later that many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Jesus because of the woman's testimony.

You now have a testimony. Share it with someone.

It's All New

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

The title of this entry is two-fold.

This is the new blog.

The blog, "Staying in the Overflow", will help you walk the walk in your new life in Christ. You will find daily inspiration and teaching on how to 'do it'. We are here to help you, support you, care for you and pray for you. Life in Christ is no joke. If you've made the decision to follow Christ, you will need to know how to do it.

If you come faithfully each day, you will learn. You are now a disciple; a student. Study hard and you will be promoted, for promotion comes from the Lord.

Oh yeah, one more thing: Have fun!