They were all filled with the Holy Spirit...

[Ric]

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:4)

I read a story once that comes close to home. At a wedding, the minister, the groom, and the best man were out in the hall waiting for the ceremony to begin. The groom was unusually nervous and agitated. He kept pacing and wringing his hands. Finally, the minister became so concerned about him that he asked, “What’s the matter, have you lost the ring?” The groom replied, “No, sir. I’ve lost my enthusiasm.”

A great many people have lost their enthusiasm for the church. I have talked to a lot of people who have given up on the church. If we lose our enthusiasm for the church, who will tell our young people about the savior–Jesus Christ?

I remember the minister at the university I attended saying that he went into the ministry because of a sermon he heard where the minister said, “We are only one generation away from faithlessness.” The salvation of future generations is dependant upon us and our enthusiasm for the church.

In our scripture reading today, it says, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” We need to allow God’s Spirit to fill us and our church.

 

[Vincent]

“First comes the engagement ring,”

“Then comes the wedding ring,”

“And finally comes suffering.”

Ahem…

Well…hey! “No greater love…”

 

[parishminister]

Amen, Ric! We need to be on fire for our faith if we are to encourage others to deepen their relationship with or come to Christ…and the best tool we have available is allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us, inspire us and MOVE us to be excellent examples of Christ’s love. Great post, thanks!

 

[Angelica]

I can’t agree more with you Ric.

We need to be more excited about our faith and willing to pass it on.

If I may share something. I have a girlfriend who is in a ministry called Youth for Christ (YFC). In the Southern California area she is one of its team leaders (for a lack of a better term) for her area and I can’t begin to tell you how refreshing it is to hear from her how excited the teenagers are to be so active in the faith. They are always doing some kind of event, having meetings and traveling around to different parishes in Southern California.

These young adults are so on fire for the Lord and our faith I truely believe if this ministry could be carried into even more parishes we would have an amazing turn around for our youth.

As a side note, she is also active in Couples for Christ (CFC), a similar ministry to YFC.

 

[Ric]

Angelica:

I can’t agree more with you Ric.

We need to be more excited about our faith and willing to pass it on.

If I may share something. I have a girlfriend who is in a ministry called Youth for Christ (YFC). In the Southern California area she is one of its team leaders (for a lack of a better term) for her area and I can’t begin to tell you how refreshing it is to hear from her how excited the teenagers are to be so active in the faith. They are always doing some kind of event, having meetings and traveling around to different parishes in Southern California.

These young adults are so on fire for the Lord and our faith I truely believe if this ministry could be carried into even more parishes we would have an amazing turn around for our youth.

As a side note, she is also active in Couples for Christ (CFC), a similar ministry to YFC.

 

[Katholikos]

Which “church” are you referring to?

 

[Ric]

Katholikos:

Which “church” are you referring to?

No “church”, but only the “Church” of Jesus Christ! (e.g. Church = All believers in Jesus Christ as their true Lord and Savior.)

 

[Katholikos]

Thanks, Ric. Rather than hijack your thread, I opened another one about the “invisible church of all true believers.”

The Scripture reading you refer to is not in the Scriptures for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time to be heard by about a billion Catholics all over the world, and the “invisible church of all true believers” doesn’t have a Scripture reading, so I’m wondering which church you belong to. If you’ve already shared this, I missed it (and I haven’t been posting at CA long).

Peace be with you, Jay

 

[Ric]

Katholikos:

Thanks, Ric. Rather than hijack your thread, I opened another one about the “invisible church of all true believers.”

The Scripture reading you refer to is not in the Scriptures for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time to be heard by about a billion Catholics all over the world, and the “invisible church of all true believers” doesn’t have a Scripture reading, so I’m wondering which church you belong to. If you’ve already shared this, I missed it (and I haven’t been posting at CA long).

Peace be with you, Jay

I am a Chriatian first. And the church (not Church) I am a member of is the United Methodist church.

 

[soldonsacramnts]

ric-
greetings bother in Christ! Keep in mind if you can how important Jesus and St. paul stressed unity. The power of the Holy Spirit is unleshed by the empowerment of truth. You are enough of a student of the bible to know there is only One Lord, one faith, one baptism… one church. the fullness of the unleashing of the spirit comes though His chruch where in the bible is this indicated to be a plural of invisible thing?

 

[Ric]

soldonsacramnts:

the fullness of the unleashing of the spirit comes though His chruch where in the bible is this indicated to be a plural of invisible thing?

Pardon me?

 

[soldonsacramnts]

really ric, help me out here. I would like to understand how you can be a christian first without supporting everthing you believe with the scriptures.

 

[Ric]

soldonsacramnts:

really ric, help me out here. I would like to understand how you can be a christian first without supporting everthing you believe with the scriptures.

I don’t understand that you are asking!

 

[soldonsacramnts]

I understod you to say that you were first christian and church was secondary. If that is what you were saying I am curious to know where you read that reasoning in the bible

 

[soldonsacramnts]

sorry ric I gotta get to bed. will check back tomorrow.

 

[dhgray]

Angelica:

I can’t agree more with you Ric.

We need to be more excited about our faith and willing to pass it on.

If I may share something. I have a girlfriend who is in a ministry called Youth for Christ (YFC). In the Southern California area she is one of its team leaders (for a lack of a better term) for her area and I can’t begin to tell you how refreshing it is to hear from her how excited the teenagers are to be so active in the faith. They are always doing some kind of event, having meetings and traveling around to different parishes in Southern California.

These young adults are so on fire for the Lord and our faith I truely believe if this ministry could be carried into even more parishes we would have an amazing turn around for our youth.

As a side note, she is also active in Couples for Christ (CFC), a similar ministry to YFC.

The Couples For Christ (CFC) is a fantastic ministry full of the Holy Spirit. With ministries like CFC-Youth and CFC-Kids, the younger members of our family are spiritually fed as well as being Christ centered. The CFC-Singles continue the process of spiritual growth as young men and women face the world without the protection of mom&dad or college. Many challenges face them. Singles (SFC) is there to help.