Gavster Says Feedhttp://www.gavstersays.co.ukhttp://www.gavstersays.co.uk/article.php?post_id=12http://www.gavstersays.co.uk/article.php?id=12Gavster Says Does God Hate America?After watching a couple of programmes on the Westboro Baptist Church in America and looking at there website I thought I should try to answer this question myself. So what does the Gavster have to say does God hate America? I do not think he does. Based on my reading of the Bible. I think he hates the bad behaviour of people who live in America, and anywhere else for that matter. There are certain things I dont like about America , the death penalty, private healthcare, and being in favour of the war in Iraq. But there are also good things that have come out of America that I like and enjoy, like Literature, Film, and Comedy. There are sincere people, unsincere people, good people and bad people in all nations. There are also people who are just trying to do their best to live well and do right by others. When God made the world he said it was good. He was pleased with creation. He was pleased with us human beings. But humans started to damage the world and hurt other people, intentionally and unintentionally. I think that this upset God because he saw the pain that people were going through. It it out of his love for the world he created that he hates bad behaviour. God made it so that all this bad stuff would not go on forever so he made it that things would decay and eventually die. Death is what all humans face. Death is the ultimate punishment for bad behaviour. But again out of love God has spoken to people through out history urging them to love one another and care for his creation. But that alone was not enough. Humans continued to do wrong things. Not all but alot. And those who did listen to God made mistakes. This is why the Son part of God came into the world as Jesus of Nazareth to show people what God was like and then die on a cross as punishment for all the bad things that people have done to each other and creation. Jesus rose again from death and ascended back to Heaven where he came from. Death is no longer every mans fate. Because of what Jesus has done we do not have to face punishment for the things we do wrong. God will forgive us and we can live forever. God one day will bring heaven and earth together and form a new creation. There will no longer be death and decay. Those who die before that time will be risen again and along with those who are living at the time will be given new bodies free of disease and sickness. It will be a gloruius beautifull new creation a new heaven and new earth with God and humans once again living in harmony. Sadly not all will enjoy this experience. God has invited everyone to live on in this new creation. But we have to accept this invitation. The acceptance of this invitation requires us to recognise what God as Jesus has done for us and commit to living better lives. God will then help us through his Spirit to be better people.  Furthermore we will be able to know God more intimately because our relationship with him is restored becuase our bad behaviour has been forgiven. There is more that I could say about the benifits of Jesus\\\' sacrifice on the cross. But to answer the question I think Jesus\\\' sacrifice shows that God loves America because God as Jesus went through pain so that Americans and other nationalities can be free to live forever. There is an invitation to a party to end all parties in God\\\'s new creation the challenge is whether or not we accept this invitation.

]]>http://www.gavstersays.co.uk/article.php?post_id=14http://www.gavstersays.co.uk/article.php?id=14Spiritual gifts: What are they and what are they for?Before Jesus died he said that after his death his spirit, the Holy Spirit, would help us. Jesus was soon to leave the disciples but he wanted them to carry on the work he started in showing God’s love to others. Jesus did not say that they should get on with it in their own strength; he promised that the Holy Spirit would help them in their work to show God’s love to others and tell people about the things Jesus had done and said. It is the same for us today, disciples in the 21st century. We can ask the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit to help us be disciples of Jesus and encourage and help others to be disciples.
 
One way that the Holy Spirit helps us is by giving us spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are abilities given to us to help us do things for God.
 
There are many different types of gifts, and I would say that where there is an opportunity to serve God there is a spiritual gift related to it mentioned in the Bible.
 
1 Corinthians 12 lists some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 13 after this goes on to talk about love. We should be motivated by love, the purpose of the spiritual gifts are to enable us to show God’s love to others. 
 
The spiritual gifts are also there to help us to become more like Jesus. Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit worked through him. Jesus used all of the spiritual gifts when he walked the earth. We, like Jesus should be available to let the Holy Spirit work through us. One of the gifts Jesus used was mercy. Mercy is the gift of having compassion for people in distress and the desire and ability to help them. Jesus was full of mercy; he healed the sick, fed the hungry, had a concern for the poor, and spent time with people who others had rejected. At this time more than ever we need people who have mercy. It is the Holy Spirit who will give people the ability to be merciful if they ask Him. 
 
Spiritual gifts are to be used in church meetings and as we go about our every day lives. Another gift that I think would be particularly useful in today’s society is encouragement. When I watch the TV these days it seems that animosity and saying nasty things to one another has become a form of entertainment. I am thinking of some of the reality TV shows and daytime talk shows. As I talk to people, read the paper, and watch the TV there seems to be a lot of people who feel insecure. They are insecure about their jobs, appearance and status in society. Some have a negative opinion of themselves and wonder what the point of their life is. In amongst all of this I think it would be good if Christians were encouraging, that people would say nice things to others and were positive, and that encouragement would be an antidote to animosity and insecurity.
 
We can all make a difference for God in the world. It is the Holy Spirit who will enable us to do so.
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