Author: Phil Rehberg

Weekly words of encouragement

Absorbing Scripture Transforms Us

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“I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” Acts 20:32 (ESV). This quote is from Paul’s speech to the elders of the Ephesian church and he emphasizes how important the “word of his grace” is for our spiritual growth. If we devote ourselves honestly and wholly to God’s words which we have in Scripture then his words will definitely build us up. Even more we will gain an inheritance with the rest of the saints of God, which reminds us of Jesus words to ““Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Mt. 6:20).  Below is an effective pattern for absorbing God’s words: Activational Scripture Reading. Read a passage of scripture, for example the verse in this post. What is this passage saying? Take at least 2 minutes Continue Reading →

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I Have The Spirit Of God Dwelling In Me

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Several years ago my longtime spiritual counselor Doug was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. Doug and his wife were effective ministers of the transforming power of God both as pastors in their church and through seminars in other churches. The cancer was tenacious and sent his white blood cells skyrocketing and he lost his energy, which was especially noticeable since he was a very energetic person. He fought back with prayer and chemotherapy and soon his white blood cells went back to normal. He regained his energy. Yet the cancer was not dead and it traveled into his groin and grew into a fist-sized tumor. More prayer and chemotherapy shrank the tumor by 75%. But after some traveling and a sickness the tumor began growing again and weakened him so much he couldn’t do chemotherapy for awhile. When he restarted chemotherapy his strength returned and he could even travel and minister. Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Rejoice When You Lose For Jesus

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“”And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Acts 5:40-41 ESV. We may not experience physical persecution but we may experience social persecution or discrimination in the workplace. Even high school students are unpopular if they are holy. Thus, we can follow the example of the apostles and rejoice when we lose out for Jesus, what greater honor is there? Jesus encourages us with this promise: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” Matt. 5: 11-12 ESV. God Will Reward The Pure – Weekly Words Of EncouragementNovember 17, Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

We Have God’s Spirit And Power – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Acts 2:17 (ESV) The promise of God’s Spirit actually dwelling inside His people was one of the most important promises of the Old Testament. This indwelling would mean that God’s people would have the power to actually follow God’s directives for living. They would also have power to be channels of God’s kingdom power on earth in order to fulfill God’s desire for people to hear from God and for healing hearts as well as bodies. Now we have this power available to us and we can “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) and “by the Spirit [we] Continue Reading →

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I Have Been Reborn In The Image Of Christ

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When someone repents and believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord then God does something that defies the imagination. He actually creates a new self inside us. Why does He do this? Because in our natural state we are a mixed bag of good and bad. The good comes from the fact that God originally made us in His image, that is, as a limited reflection of himself. But when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command and try to take control out of God’s hands then the image of God in them shattered. This meant that they could no longer think and act in healthy ways but rather in destructive ways, which is what sin is. (Sin is anything that blocks God’s goodness, especially the love we are supposed to have for one another.) Furthermore, they could no longer bond with God because it would be like Continue Reading →