The Father Speaks to Us and Through Us “Pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” — 1 Corinthians 14:1 For many Christians, conversations about spiritual gifts can feel intimidating. Questions about prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the work of the Holy Spirit have sparked debate for generations. Yet when the Apostle Paul addressed the church in Corinth, he did not present these gifts as optional curiosities. He encouraged believers to “earnestly desire” them while remaining firmly rooted in love. This raises an important question: Why would God give these gifts to His church? A Gift from a Loving Father One of the most powerful themes running through Scripture is that God is not distant from His people. He is a loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. When Peter explained the events of Pentecost in Acts 2, he pointed back to the prophecy of Joel, declaring that God would pour out His Spirit on His sons and daught...
When the Spirit Speaks A Bilingual Celebration of Unity, Mission, and the Voice of God This past Sunday, Christ Church and Iglesia de Cristo gathered together for a beautiful bilingual service centered on one powerful idea: When the Spirit speaks, the Church moves together. Drawing from Acts 13:1–5, we reflected on the moment when the church at Antioch worshiped, fasted, prayed, and listened together—and the Holy Spirit spoke clearly: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2) It was a reminder that the Spirit of God still speaks today. He still leads, comforts, convicts, sends, and transforms. A Church Together One of the most beautiful parts of the morning was simply seeing the Kingdom of God on display: different languages, different backgrounds, different stories—all worshiping Jesus together. As was shared during the service: “Different backgrounds, different stories, different languages gathered together wors...