GOD IS A TRINITY EPHESIANS 2:4–5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14) God is beyond our full understanding, and it’s difficult to wrap our human minds around him. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit are each fully God. Does that mean there are three gods? No. The Bible teaches that there is only one God. Does that mean that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are the same? No. As Christians, we believe in one God in a way that doesn’t deny the distinctions between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. This is the mystery of the Trinity. Together the Father, Son and Holy Spirit do all things. Nevertheless, the Father is generally connected with creation, making the world. The Son, Jesus, is generally connected to redemption, making us right with God. The Holy Spirit is generally connected with growing us to be more like God. The Holy Spirit helps us grow by giving us understanding, by bringing our sin to our attention, so we can repent and be forgiven, and by guiding us to follow the Lord. The Father sent Jesus to earth to be born, die, rise again, and ascend to heaven. Together the Father and Son sent the Spirit, who brings God’s people into relationship with the Father and Son. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:15–17). The Holy Spirit will give you courage, enable you to hear God’s voice, and give you words to speak when you share Jesus with others. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS QUICK REFRESHER. Evelastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatedtochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
WHY IS THE BIBLE IMPORTANT? All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17) Have you ever drawn a line only to find it’s not straight? Your freehanded line might look good, but when you put a ruler against it, you discover it’s crooked. A ruler helps you realize what’s straight and what’s not. The Bible is like a ruler for us. Something might look right to us, but when know what the Bible says, we can see that it’s actually “crooked.” The Bible is the word of God. We can trust it! It was true when it was written, it is true today, and it will be true forever. The Bible is the standard for Christian faith and action. When we aren’t sure if a belief or action is true, we should look at what God says in Scripture. God never contradicts himself. “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Christians need to know the Bible, to study and memorize it. Psalm 119 calls the Bible a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. In showing us who to follow, it guides who we are and what we do. It builds up. It corrects us. It trains us in the way we should go. God’s word is powerful. It’s not empty, but instead it accomplishes what God desires. The Bible teaches the history of God’s people and the history of the King and Savior, Jesus Christ. This history is for all believers, even for us today. The Bible shows us who God is and what he has done, still does, and will do. It also shows us who we are and how we should live. Because Christ has already won the victory over sin, death, and the devil, we know that this victory will be ours! THE BIBLE IS IMPORTANT, WE MUST STUDY THE BIBLE. ALLOW THE BIBLE TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE AND BE BLESSED BY GOD. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
WHAT DOES FREEDOM REALLY MEAN? You are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:7) Have you ever said, “It’s my life. I’m free to do whatever makes me happy”? After a while, whatever you choose to pursue—popularity, alcohol, relationships, living selfishly, or trying hard to be perfect—becomes something that controls you instead of you controlling it. Soon the choice doesn’t feel like a choice at all. Instead of being free, you’re a slave. Before we commit our lives to Jesus we are slaves to sin. Even if we try to be good, we still aren’t free. Freedom is an illusion. We are tangled up in our sin, and it is impossible to set ourselves free. When we commit our lives to Jesus, we are freed from our slavery. Only God brings real freedom. He frees us from everything we’ve been controlled by. Only God—who is absolutely perfect and all-powerful—can make us his children and save us. Jesus forgives us. Jesus heals us. Jesus makes us whole. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see instant change. The more you know God, the more you will become the person God created you to be. He knows what your purpose is, what is best for you, what you are good at, and how your experiences will be used in the future. He will help you get past what holds you back. He will make you whole. FREEDOM THROUGH CHRIST. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
THE JOURNEY BEGINS EZEKIEL 36:26–27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9–10) During a wedding ceremony, two people make a commitment to be together for life. They vow to choose each other every day from that day forward. They leave behind an old life of living for themselves and move forward in a new life together as they are pronounced husband and wife. It would be ridiculous for the bride and groom to walk back down the aisle, look at each other, and say, “Thanks for the great wedding day, but I’m going to do my own thing now.” Or, “That was a great one-day experience, but it does not change me or my life.” No! The newlyweds celebrate with a honeymoon to grow closer. They share a home and a life together. Their wedding vows are the starting point of their life together, not the end. They commit to continue to grow in unity. If you believe Jesus died and rose again to forgive you and to give you true life, if you have asked him to forgive you, if you have asked him to come into your life, then hooray! You have begun an incredible journey with the Lord of the universe. No longer do you have to worry about whether you’re good enough for God, because in Christ you are God’s own child! Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. When you feel alone or when you experience guilt and shame, you can turn to God instead of running away from him. You are forgiven! A relationship with God is better than any other relationship or anything you can buy. It’s permanent and will change you more than anything else in your life. Welcome to the beginning of a lifelong journey. (Spoiler alert: this one ends in happily ever after. ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!! Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch Pastor Andra Higginbotham
Christ and Evil Spirits There are many who are possessed by evil spirits still. 1. The evil spirits of the greed of covetousness—1 Tim. 6:10. 2. The love of the world—2 Tim. 4:10. 3. The inflation of pride—1 Tim. 3:6. 4. The exaltation of self—3 John 9. 5. The blight of error—1 Tim. 1:19, 20. 6. The division of sectarianism—1 Cor. 1:11–13. 7. The demon of envy—Acts 7:9. These are some of the evil spirits around. Christ can expel these, and cure from the ill effects, as He did of old—Luke 8:2. TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN FIND IN SOMEONE ELSE, BUT WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY BE SEARCHING OURSELF. DON’T CONTINUE LIVING WITH THE EVIL SPIRITS THAT HAVE POSSESSED YOU. TAKE THEM TO JESUS, HE CAN FREE YOU FROM THOSE EVIL SPIRITS. CHECK YOURSELF!!! Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
DON’T JUST HEAR THE WORD, LIVE THE WORD!!! Abiding in Christ depends upon holding on to his teaching 1 John 2:24 Make sure that the message you heard from the beginning lives in you. If that message lives in you, you will also live in the Son and in the Father. John 8:31 So Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you live by what I say, you are truly my disciples. 3 John 3 I was very happy when some believers came and told us that you are living according to the truth. SATAN LOVES IT WHEN YOU GO TO CHURCH AND RECEIVE NOTHING. RECEIVE THE WORD OF GOD, AND LIVE THE WORD OF GOD. Everlastingsalvationchurhofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
DON’T LOOK BACK, KEEP YOUR EYES ON GOD Luke 9:61–62 Another said, “I’ll follow you, sir, but first let me tell my family goodbye.” Jesus said to him, “Whoever starts to plow and looks back is not fit for God’s kingdom.” A person must not look back. Note three things. a. This man offered himself to Jesus. He was willing to follow Jesus. Something about the Lord touched his heart or else the Lord’s teaching and ministry appealed to him. He saw the enormous benefit to men and to society as Christ ministered to the needs of men. In either case, he made a decision to follow Jesus. He was willing. b. The man had a double allegiance. Note the words but and first. The man had thought through his decision and concluded that he was willing to follow Christ, but something else needed to be handled first: a family affair, a business affair, an employment affair, a financial affair—some other concern was put first (as is the case with so many). Something else could have been concerning the man. He may have wanted his family’s counsel and advice, to see how they felt about his decision. Perhaps he felt their approval was needed. Then again, he could have been putting his love for family before his love for Christ. Perhaps he was attached to his family more than he was attached to Christ. Family should be our first attachment after our attachment to Christ. Christ is to be first in our lives. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33). “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Lu. 16:13). “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth” (Jos. 24:14). c. Jesus’ judgment was descriptively stated—stated in such a way that once heard or read, it would be difficult to forget: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” The man got the point, and he probably never forgot it. It more than likely pricked his conscience and disturbed him often as the saying flashed across his mind. He had willed to follow Christ, but he “had looked back”; therefore, he was not fit for the Kingdom of God. The idea is this. A man who begins to plough and then looks back … • ploughs a crooked row. No row (person) is ever straight, not like it should be. (Each row or person receives only partial teaching.) • ploughs an inconsistent field. The field under his care is never matured; it never receives consistent work • ploughs in a spirit lacking total commitment. He may turn away at any time, leaving a job unfinished • ploughs but allows distractions and disruptions which affect the crops (the plants are not cared for) “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21). “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Mt. 7:26–27). “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (He. 10:38). “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (Js. 1:8). “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Ro. 14:12). I HOPE YOU RECEIVED GREATLY FROM THIS QUICK STUDY. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
SOME OF THE PROMISES OF GOD ARE: God promised that His love will never fail (1 Chronicles 16:34). He is faithful in every way. God promised blessing for all who will delight themselves in His Word (Psalm 1:1–3). Simple faith has its rewards. God promised that all things will work out for good for His children (Romans 8:28). This is the broader picture that keeps us from being dismayed by present circumstances. God promised new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Salvation is the beginning of a brand-new existence. God promised to supply our needs (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19). Not that we get everything we want, but our needs will be taken care of. We are more valuable than the birds, and our Heavenly Father feeds them (Matthew 6:26). Jesus promised eternal life to those who trust Him (John 4:14). The Good Shepherd also promised to hold us securely: “No one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). WE CAN DEPEND ON THE PROMISES OF GOD. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
