Kingdom's Keys Fellowship

Where God's Kingdom Meets Man's Heart.

HKHaugan's Blog – March 2011 Archive (17)

The Attributes of Jesus

When we consider the nature of humanity we look at the specifics of being human. One cannot but see the obvious personal context in which everything exists. We are self-conscious persons, individuals, unique in being an ‘I am.’ We have distinct personalities with emotions, intellect and spirit that blend in a physical body. The very air we breathe keeps alive the mind and heart of a body in which a spiritually identifiable person exists. The human quest is to be a recognizable, productive,… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 31, 2011 at 4:08pm — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 15 Healing

“Be Healed!” is the cry of the TV icon as he lays hands on the bowed figure before him. The eyes of the viewer are then transfixed. Was he or wasn’t he healed? This gift is the most debated, most doubted and most desired of all the gifts. No one is without some issue that pleads for its benefit.

Physical, emotional and spiritual conditions of various kinds plague people and have since Adam and Eve.

First, from massive pandemics to simple acne an individual’s sense of… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 28, 2011 at 9:23am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 14 Faith

‘Gee, if only I had that guy’s faith.’ ‘My faith is weak.’ ‘I try to be faithful but I’m just not there yet. Maybe someday.” Heard those before? Most likely. It is just these kinds of statements that need addressing. Because we know even in our best moments we are not really as faithful as we’d like to be.

Everyone has moments of absolute weakness and troubling doubt. These are the product, proof and projection of the imperfection of sin lying in every heart. We have doubts about… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 25, 2011 at 9:16am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts Knowledge Part 2

Of the three kinds of knowledge, heart, intellectual and faith, it is the third one that delivers something special when it comes to knowledge. The gift of knowledge brings us into a dimension of faith where what is perceived comes from the Holy Spirit, not just speculation or experience. It comes in order to emphasize how personal and immediate is the presence of God when it comes to imparting personal insight. God wants to be known personally, wants to be involved personally and wants to… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 24, 2011 at 9:08am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 13 Knowledge

‘I just know that I know that I know, I know in my heart.’ That is an expression that indicates the kind of knowing that goes beyond the intellectual. It is an experiential, self-proclaiming conclusion that leapfrogs reason and explanation. It points to the first of three kinds of knowledge, heart knowledge or knowledge based on experience. The second is intellectual knowledge that fills our minds with information and concepts. The third is spiritual knowledge wherein we amass knowledge based… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 23, 2011 at 10:12am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 12 Wisdom

“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1Cor.2:6-8).”

If we look carefully at 1Cor.2:11-16 Paul shows us wisdom comes down seven avenues: knowledge,… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 22, 2011 at 6:05pm — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 11 Wisdom Introduction

What does it mean to be wise? What is wisdom? We look to people who seem to have that internal confidence and assurance when confronted with decision-making. Whether it is age, experience or studied response that has developed them, people with a reputation for being wise are held up, looked to and searched for. But before we can look at the gift of wisdom we need to see what wisdom is.

Scripture tells us that there are two kinds of wisdom, human wisdom and the wisdom of God. In fact… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 21, 2011 at 6:45pm — No Comments

Every Next Moment

To savor the moment, to find that each moment is a promise of fulfillment, to enter each moment anticipating its promise of being filled, to see each moment as the horizon where moments cease, where the series of moments slowly lose their definition as separate and become a stream of moments blending into one constant, continuing, uninterrupted awareness where time ceases. It is as though time’s very purpose is to cease being time, time blending into awareness and awareness being the goal. It… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 18, 2011 at 10:12am — No Comments

Don't let politics distract you

It was my 79th birthday last Thursday and things have really changed in that short time. But the changes are pointing more and more to the deeper needs of mankind rather than the threats of political restructuring. What we see in the international unrest column, the socialist trending and the shifting tectonic economic plates, is the call the call they present on the spiritual horizon.

When Jesus said go into all the world He meant that the human heart will always be His objective.… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 17, 2011 at 9:21am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 10 About Gifts and Attitude

Attitude. That is the key factor in the exercise of spiritual gifts. It is three –dimensional. First, attitude governs our approach to the understanding of gifts. Second, attitude determines whether or not we will identify them. Third, attitude informs us about our willingness to risk experimenting. Let’s look at these in more detail.

First, understanding.

When we accepted Jesus as Savior it was as though we had been rescued and given a reprieve. But being a disciple of Jesus… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 16, 2011 at 7:30am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 9 Mercy

“…if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully (Rom.12:8).”

Just what is the gift of mercy? We are all called to show mercy but what is the spiritual gift of mercy? One thing we have not mentioned up to this point in our discussion of gifts is the fact that Jesus possesses all the gifts. Spiritual gifts are His personal grace qualities. Through the Holy Spirit these pieces of His personality are given to each believer. When you receive Jesus as Savior and Lord He is planted in… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 15, 2011 at 6:35am — No Comments

Purpose, Meaning and Signficance

(When talking to those who don’t believe the following might be of help in your conversation.)

Man asks three questions, Who am I? Where am I going? How am I going to get there?

These are the questions philosophers have pondered over the centuries. The problem is that the answers depend on guessing, pondering, speculating, intuiting and making conclusions based on experience. Our lives are incomplete indicating there must be a completeness. Our lives are imperfect… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 14, 2011 at 11:34am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 8 The Gift of Giving

“If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously (Rom.12:8).”

Again, here is a gift that kind of lies in the middle of the list of gifts and many times taken for granted. Yes, we ought to give and give generously. But suppose it is a special spiritual gift that some people have which goes beyond the tithe? People with this gift love to give of their resources, e.g. ‘I know someone who would give you the shirt off his back.’ There is a desire to give whatever it… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 14, 2011 at 6:00am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 7 Encouragement

There are some people who, as a result of their faith in Jesus, have the spiritual gift of encouragement also called exhortation. Jesus encouraged and exhorted His disciples. His teachings are both encouraging and exhorting. Barnabas was an encourager of Paul.

If there is anything that we undertake, we need, we want to launch out into, there is always that nagging reluctance to risk, to take a chance, to wonder if we are able. That is where the gift of encouragement comes in. People… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 12, 2011 at 4:33pm — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 6 Teaching

You keep hearing the expression, ‘Get your mind around…’ It is not so much getting your mind around what God is saying in His Word but rather letting Him get His mind around you. Do we spend more time trying to make sense out of something from our limited perspective or can we let an idea of His embrace us? Can we start by assuming He might really have something to say that is valid, logical and true, then to test it? Is the way we are presently thinking about life, people and how we spend our… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 10, 2011 at 7:45am — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 5 Service

We are talking about charismata (Gk.---literally, pieces of grace), grace gifts. They are from above, from God. The best image for their focus is the Cross of Jesus. Think of them as the vertical beam. They are to be used gracefully, graciously and in grace. They are given to help us recover from the devastation of sin, its pride, fear and aloneness, that ravages the image of God. They give us spiritual identity, purpose and confidence. They are living qualities the Holy Spirit uses to restore… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 9, 2011 at 5:25pm — No Comments

Spiritual Gifts 4 Prophecy

Prophecy is the spiritual ability to bring God’s Word to bear in three ways, on the nation as a whole, on individuals in leadership and on individuals in a nation, a community and a congregation. The Prophets in the Old Testament exemplify this threefold approach. Israel was to collectively witness to the existence and presence of the One God. Its leadership was to point to God’s Law and govern the people of Israel with the Spirit of the Law in mind. Each citizen was to be a worshipper of God… Continue

Added by HKHaugan on March 7, 2011 at 8:41am — No Comments