The dove often symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and in studying the Biblical background about the dove, we can see why this symbol was chosen and we are reminded of the Holy Spirit's qualities. The first emblem under which we see the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is the dove descending upon the head of Jesus at His baptism on the banks of the Jordan.

One of the biggest reasons for the condition of the American Christian today is spiritual immaturity. After instructing the believers on the fellowship of the brethren, walking in the light and dealing with sin, John deals with the stages of spiritual growth. Unfortunately, many followers of Christ never mature much past the point of salvation. We will take a look at the stages of growth and their characteristics.

If there is one thing that satan will use to keep you ineffective for the kingdom of God, it is your past. After all, satan is called the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). The Apostle Paul had a horrific past as a persecutor of the early church but was used by God to evangelize and establish churches. Paul chose to forget the past failures and successes and pursue the call of Christ in his life.

Faith in the natural is defined as, the assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition or statement for which there is not complete evidence; belief in general. In the book of Hebrews, the Bible defines faith as the evidence of things hoped for the substance of things not seen. The fact is that we all exercise natural faith frequently in our lives. Every time we drive a car we have faith that the brakes will work. When we get on an airplane, we have faith in the mechanics of the plane and the skill of the pilot to fly the plane. One day our faith will be our sight and calm our fears and confirm all of our faith but until then the scriptures tell us that we walk by faith and not by sight and that without faith it is impossible to please God but what exactly is faith? It is a broad topic and could be preached on a full year and not fully understand what it is but this morning we will look at 3 areas faith in the life of the believer.

The New Testament uses several unique images to represent the person and work of the Holy Spirit. One image shows the Holy Spirit as fire. On Pentecost, following the sound of rushing wind filling the house where the apostles were staying, what appeared to be tongues of flame rested on each of them. They were immediately filled with the Holy Spirit, and their lives were changed forever. Fire is a wonderful picture of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dub Karikker preaches a special and timely message on freedom to bring all things into perspective.

Our guest Judge Pat Evans preaches a powerful message for the church.

Jesus uses the metaphor of wind in John chapter 3 in explaining the new birth. A we look at the parallel between the wind and the Holy Spirit, we understand in a better way the workings of the Spirit.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have always been familiar, mysterious and ominous figures in culture, but practically what do they mean for us? Is there anything we can glean from the scripture that applies to our hope and future? Today, we’ll briefly consider how this frightful picture of impending judgment should reassure us that God will ultimately punish evil and encourage us in the meantime to remain steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ.

Elictia Hart, having just finished her last class at Duke's Doctoral Divinity of Ministry program, ministers again at Bethel for His glory.