As it was in the Beginning.........

And Simon Peter answered and said,Thou art the Christ , the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 16:16,17.
Jesus then made a vow which has stood for over two thousand years and will stand for eternity: that his Church will be built upon this rock and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus Christ said to Simon Peter that Jesus will build his (Jesus') Church ,NOT on Peter but on the "rock" of the REVELATION of the truth of WHO Jesus Christ is : the Son of God, given for the salvation of all men. Jesus did not found any church while he was on earth . Neither did he establish his Church , before or after his ascension on or around the personality of Peter or any of his apostles.
Jesus vowed to build his Church on the ROCK , the TRUTH of the REVELATION of himself as revealed by his Father in heaven.
The keys of the kingdom of heaven means the authority to bind and loose in heaven and on earth; the authority to decree and declare the Kingdom of heaven here on earth.
The authority to decree the mind and counsel of heaven upon the affairs of men will flow from FAITH in this rock.
No faith in the REVELATION of the Son of God, no authority in heaven and on earth!
The gates of hell shall not overrule, take away ,stop or defeat this authority.

This rock remains unrevealed and unacceptable to millions today because "flesh and blood" i.e. human intellect CANNOT believe in and accept this rock; except the human intellect that has received the conversion power of the Holy Spirit.
All through the ages ,millions have chosen of their own free will,to reject this rock.
For them, this rock is and has always been " blasphemous , ridiculous, preposterous , unscientific, foolish , old-fashioned and very offensive".
As their antecedents have done ,so they are doing now and so their offspring will do after them.
Unsurprisingly, the works of your father,you will do. John 8: 41-47.
As it was in the beginning , so it is now and forever shall be,world without end . Amen
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the the Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14.

To us who believe ,this rock is the power of God unto salvation.
1 Corinthians 1:18 - 21.
By the Spirit of God , we know the things that are freely given( revealed) to us by God. The Holy Ghost teaches us to speak them to the world ; not as man's wisdom would speak them , but by the Spirit: comparing spiritual to spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:12,13.
It burns in our hearts and it is engraved in our Spirit that Jesus is the Son of the Living God;
This is the stone (the rock) which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner .
Neither is there salvation in any other : for there is none other name under heaven given, among men whereby we must be saved . Acts 4 :11-12.
These are mysteries which only the Spirit of God, who searches the deep things of God , can embed in a man's spirit.

To establish the Church , souls have to be won into it ,not only by the preaching of the Gospel but by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit has the unique role of keeping the flame of the Gospel burning here on earth ; today and for as long as the Lord Jesus tarries .He gives utterance to the preacher and conviction to the hearers.
So the Holy spirit in a human being makes all the difference. It makes the work of the evangelist and all the preachers in the world ,much easier.
Get the Holy Spirit today by inviting him into your life. Ask him to give you a revelation of Jesus Christ and he will, surely, answer your prayer.
The infusion of the Holy Spirit into the life of a human being makes a clear difference between the believer and the non-believer; between the old life and the new life of a converted soul.

The person who does not have the Holy Spirit CANNOT please God.
The Bible describes the unconverted soul,the carnal mind,as "dead "
i.e. a living , walking dead. And an enemy of God . Romans 8:6-8, Ephesians 2:1-4.
If you, a believer, have been trying to "convert", to explain or argue with non-believers about the Way,the Truth and the Life( John 14:6); save your breath! Don't even bother.
Instead of arguing , pray without ceasing for them.
How can you convince the dead to accept Jesus Christ? . Can you raise the dead?
Why flog dead horses? Hand them over to the Holy Spirit by praying for them.
Yes, the Bible said we should tell them who Jesus is because they need to be told. Romans 10:13,14. We should tell them ,not engage in prolonged fruitless arguments!
We MUST tell them not only for their own sakes , but for our sakes.
If after informing them , the non-believer argues and continually rejects the Gospel , then we are free of their guilt. Ezekiel 33:8-9.We should move on to inform other souls.
The Bible also says it is the Holy Spirit that can perfect the conversion of the soul by quickening (making alive) the dead . Romans 8:11.
All arguments by haters of God and his Gospel cease AFTER not BEFORE their human spirit receives the revelation and conversion which only the Spirit of God gives .
Remember, you were "dead" before you received the power of salvation. Ephesians 2:1- 9, Colossians 2:13-15.
Were you saved by your human intellect or by the power of the well-crafted oratory or writing of any preacher? You know how many wonderful preachings you heard and rejected before you finally believed and received conviction by the grace of God.
Many difficult people who seemed to be hopeless cases, the devil's workshops: have been converted and become mightily used by God.With God nothing shall be impossible. Mark 10:27.
( Read my blog: Vessels of Honour)

The Holy Spirit is, the Gentle Spirit and comes, usually, as a gentle breeze, pleading with and persuading people, world wide. He comes with deliverance and healing in his wings; testifying of Jesus Christ.
But some times he comes as a mighty roaring force against the enemies of God who grieve and resist him.
There is no human device or scientific knowledge that can withstand the Spirit of God when he is on the warpath! He comes as the Invincible Warrior: as a raging hurricane , tsunami and a fiery blast.
Who can stand in his path ?
I have seen and heard of persons and even nations who resisted and ridiculed the Spirit of God and he brought them down to their knees , easily!
They were stripped of all their haughtiness and glory and thoroughly humiliated by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Do not mess around with the Gentle Spirit . If you want a fight , he would give you the biggest fight of your life!
He has been known to hurl rocks and hailstones and to roar with thunder at the enemies of God!
He is capable of slamming you to the ground , rolling you in the mud and rubbing your face and mouth in pig muck!
If he allows you to survive the harrowing ordeal, I guarantee you that after he has finished pummelling you and pulverising your pride, then you will learn to revere and hold the Holy Spirit in awe for the rest of your life!
"How could the Spirit that is supposed to be holy, kind and loving behave like that?", you may ask.
You continue to grieve and resist him. One day he will show you "how"!

How do you resist and ridicule the Holy Spirit?
By calling him a liar ; denying his existence, calling his work the devil's work and by hindering his work on earth i.e. by waging war against the spread of the Gospel and against his beloved Bride, the Church ; the Body of Jesus Christ.
Men will be forgiven all manner of sin and blasphemy but the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven any man. Matthew 12:31,Mark 3:29.

Evangelism is the heartbeat of God. The zeal to go tell the world has been given to the church by the anointing of the Spirit manifesting as gifts in the Church. We are to run with this vision. Ephesians 4: 1-14.
A runner moves fast with the message because he knows time is short.
He or she does not pause to waste precious time to argue or engage in useless and unprofitable disputations with non-believers.
There are millions of souls yet to be preached to; waiting and groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God. Please focus on those ones.
Please spare a thought for and show love and compassion by praying for the millions on earth who are weeping , secretly, in their closets , seeking deliverance and longing for a true friend and Saviour.
There are people out there who are searching for a way out of their diverse dilemma. On the outside, they look " made", smiling confidently,looking happy and contented but they are not.
You may not know any of them; but pray for such people , every day.
Millions of people believe that Jesus is the ONLY True Way. They would love to accept him openly, but they are petrified and dare not embrace and follow him for fear of reprisals and fear for their lives.
Pray for their freedom to express their faith and for a way of escape for them from their dark prisons and from their oppressors.
As we obey and preach the Gospel, may the Holy Spirit touch and comfort every needy soul to quicken them to become alive unto salvation and to receive the revelation of Jesus Christ.
May the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and live. Amen .
Verily,verily I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is , when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live . John 5:25.
He who has an ear to hear ,let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Revelations 3:13 -22.
Behold he comes quickly and his reward is with him to give every man according to their works.
The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come , Lord Jesus! ".