Month: April 2011

Waiting!

Iris Godfrey

Resurrection Day has come and gone. Now we await Pentecost. Brothers and Sisters, let’s truly await the explosion of the Holy Spirit among us. He has not changed in intent,purpose or power since the first outpouring when the church of our Beloved Lord was born. Now let’s open and allow His total infilling and power to overtake us and release us in His ways and giftings in power.

I have been reading a book on expository preaching written by some outstanding preachers in our world and I am only in the second section of the book and already massive unbelief about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit has raised its ugly head in the name of scholarship. Man’s thinking is not God’s! When will we ever learn it is not our wisdom, logic, reasoning nor doctrine that is preformed by the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit. When will we learn to believe the Word and His illumination on that Word.

I will not finish the book. I would love to read a good expository preaching book that is Biblical. All the ones that have some value have a problem with the Holy Spirit’s Baptism. At least all those I have found. If the preacher does not lean deeply on the Holy Spirit, experience His Baptism, gifts and fullness – how in the world does he/she know anything about the presentation of God’s truth through the anointing? Oh by the way, the book has a whole chapter on the essentialness of the Holy Spirit in expository preaching, but no expansion on that thought nor way to access Him except normal ways of struggling prayer.

It is His fullness and His anointing and His Baptism that we need!

Good Friday/Blessed Easter

Iris Godfrey
“Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
Yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted,
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace
was on him
and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV2011
Beloved in Jesus,
As we pause today to remember, may we move into faith and thanksgiving in the middle of our contemplations of His great suffering and sorrow. It matters not on what actual day it occurred. What matters is that it did occurred! He willingly chose to die for you and for me, erasing our sin and enabling a life of praise and thanksgiving! As we ponder and wonder at love so great, I pray an empowerment to open and receive the depth of His love for us, for truly this is love expressed in the deepest of all levels. He didn’t just die so we would know He loves us, but it is a part of the atonement, sacrificial package that is involved in the sacrifice of His life. When we begin to grapple with the awesome provision, this day takes becomes an opportunity for wonder and produces a heart of great thanksgiving. May our day reflect this wonder, love and thanksgiving.

I am sending this out early so you will have it before this day is completed. We have a combined service tonight with the Church of the Resurrection in East Syracuse in their main Sanctuary. We would have it in our Center, but there is not enough room to do so. Last year we had a nice large crowd and our facility is ample for about 90 folk seated. However, when it came to fellowship time, it was wall to wall people. So we needed to be in a larger place this year, and I delighted at the invitation to share the event with my church. So if you are in our area at all, please join us. Directions are on our web site. It is going to be a really good – Good Friday Service.

Wherever you are, I pray your day is a good one in His love. I have listed our events below. I am praying a blessed Easter Celebration for each of you in your appointed place of Sunday worship. His provision for us is awesome in every way. Celebrate thoroughly and completely – and let it be very personal. He intends it that way. Just because it was done in a magnificent world view expression – it was still very much for me, for you. Receive it as such and enjoy Him in and through the entire week. 

Have a blessed Easter,

Iris

Now for the Schedule: (Week of April 22-30, 2011)

Friday – 7 PM – Good Friday Service – Psalm 19 + Church of the REZ – At Collamer Rd. Sanctuary, East Syracuse, NY
Lauren leading worship with combined worship ensemble
Pastor Lou Giordano + Iris preaching service.

Sunday – EASTER CELEBRATIONS

Wednesday – 10 am – Greek Canceled for this week.
                       12:30 – Wednesday prayer
                         1 pm – Joe Godfrey teaching

______________________________

Don’t Forget the TV program at 9:30 pm Sunday Evenings on Time Warner (Syracuse) #98.

We so appreciate your prayer covering.

Coming Events: Please pray ahead with us. 

Spring Conference – Fish kill – May 14, 2011 – See Web Site for directions for registration.

Stella Maris – June 8, 2011 

Be certain to check our new web site: http://www.psalm19ministries.org and my bog: www.mannaword.wordpress.com

Christ is All

Iris Godfrey

Tonight I am teaching our mid-week service at Church of the Resurrection and I am teaching from Galatians 5. Pastor Lou Giordano (Sr. Pastor) taught a very fine lesson on that passage last week, and I kept seeing things as he went along, and so have chosen to go through it once more and end it with an understanding of the fruit of the Spirit the Lord gave me some years ago.

Romans 10:4 “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” This is fully explained in Galatians 5 where it is made very clear that anything we add to Christ eliminates Christ. In other words, not even something added that God gave in another covenant’s time will work now. Christ has done everything and is everything for us. Nothing we do, or someone else does is to be added to us. He alone is enough.

He has given through the Holy Spirit, all that is needed, righteousness, gifts, fruit, even transformation of mind through the Word and fellowship in the Holy Spirit. One quote my pastor gave was “The Law requires what the Spirit does.” Awesome thought. So tonight we will work with the fact that He is enough and when we walk in the Spirit we will not satisfy the desires of the flesh. These matters will take a bit of time to sink in to our hearts and minds, but the reward of trusting Christ fully is the result.

Spring – Almost

Iris Godfrey

I have changed my theme and put a “header” up from some of my photo’s taken a few years ago. A home near where I lived at the time was awash with such and when the owner noticed me out near the road taking some photographs, he welcomed me into the total yard to click at will. It was beautiful. So I share some of them with you today.

I have a few daffodils blooming and the tulips are nice and green, showing promise of blooms a few weeks away. Well, after all, I do live in Central NY and we have not been  clear of snow for many days and could still have more (shhhh…). So, a few things blooming is wonderful.