|
|||||||||||||
|
The Holy Spirit
All for one, one for all
The
beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The
beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The
beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It
is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of
you, who will prepare your way"-- "a voice of one calling in the
desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The
whole Judean countryside and all the people of
Sadly
enough this statement is true for many in the church too.
Did you receive
the Holy Spirit when you believed?
The LORD spoke to you face to
face out of the fire on the mountain. (At that time
I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the
LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the
mountain.) And he said:I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
In
this day as well many stay back because they are afraid They still fear
the fire (The Holy Spirit) Today I am going up the mountain. Over the
next while I will climb the
How
true that statement by E. Stanly Jones is but to actually see the
working and the power of the Spirit would shock many in the church
today but it shouldnft we should be living every day every week with
the Pentecost in our lives
How
important is the Holy Spirit. Your salvation depends on it.
gEvery
time we say gI believe in the Holy Spirith We mean that we believe that
there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and
change it.
How
does this work?
Now I
want to remove the old, the air. What should I do? Pump
it out? Suck it out?
I
could but that would distort the vessel.
Any
suggestions?
Yes I
could fill it with water to the point of overflowing thereby forcing
out all the air, the emptiness.
So
often we are trying to push the sin from our lives. We ourselves try to
resist the sin but we all know that this does not work. We have all
failed. What the Holy Spirit promises is that if we are filled sin can
not enter into us. The sin in our lives today will begin to dilute and
eventually be washed away. I tell you my friends donft focus on the sin
but focus on the Holy Spirit focus on your faith in Jesus as Savior
Focus on the All Powerful God we serve.
James
4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
And do what thou wouldst do
As
Ifve said before Christmas last year in the service A Gift for God,
that Christmas was not considered an important event, there was no
specific birth date given for Jesus. In fact two of the Gospels ignore
it completely both Mark and John. It was important to mark his lineage,
birth place and to clearly satisfy the prophesies of the birth of He
who was to be the Messiah, the Christ. This is how it is shown in both
Matthew and Luke, not so much that it was important but that it would
reveal through prophesy that Jesus was the Messiah. Today many Churches
and Christians put Christmas above Easter, the birth over the saving
Crucifixion. This is not right we should celebrate the Christ not the
carpenter. But today, we look at the birth of the Christ
and not only Jesus of Nazareth. It was not until the Baptism of
Christ in the waters of the
"I'll
go. I'll take the form of a man and go down to earth to pay that price.
I'll be willing to die on a cross so that man can be restored to
perfect fellowship with us." Then Jesus turned to the Holy Spirit and
said, ''But I cannot go unless You go with me-for You are the one with
the power." The Holy Spirit responded and said, ''You go ahead. And
when the time is right, I shall join You on earth." So Jesus came to
earth, born in a manger, and grew to manhood. But even though He was
the very Son of God, He was powerless. Then came that magnificent
moment at the River Jordan when Jesus, coming up out of the baptismal
waters, looked up and saw the Holy Spirit descending upon Him in the
form of a dove. It must have been one of the greatest thrills Jesus
received as He walked in the flesh on this earth. And I can almost hear
the Holy Spirit whisper in His ear,
''I'm
here now. We're running right on schedule. Now things will really
happen." And they did happen. Filled with the Spirit, He was suddenly
empowered to heal the sick, cause the blind to see, even raise the
dead. It was the time for miracles. For three years they continued, and
then, at the end, the Bible says He "gave up the ghost,'' and the
Spirit returned to the Holy Father. After Jesus was in the grave for
three days, that mighty third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit,
returned. Jesus came out of the grave in a glorified body. He performed
no more miracles during the short time He was here, but He gave His
followers a great promise-the greatest promise of all, the Bible.
He
said that same Holy Spirit who had lived in Him would return to live in
all those who opened their lives to His power. The same things that He
Jesus, had done, His followers would do also. In fact, even greater
things would be done because now the Holy Spirit would not be limited
to one body but would be free to enter all those everywhere who would
receive Him. The last words (Jesus) Said before He went away were, "And
ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you." God the
Father had given Him the gift. Now He was passing it on to the church.
Every church should be experiencing the miracles of Pentecost. Every
church should be seeing the healings of the Book of Acts. The gift is
for all of us.
Benny
Hinn described it in this way
First
is the leper's anointing, Leviticus 14 teaches that the leper remained
outside the camp and that the priest was to go out to him and apply the
blood of the sacrifice, bring him into the camp, apply the blood again,
and then apply oil, making "atonement for him before the Lord."
Every
born-again believer has experienced the leper's anointing, which deals
with salvation. Leprosy in this case is a type of disease, incurable in
the natural world, but curable by God. Sin is the same, man can do
nothing to remove it and its effects.
In
the ceremonial cleansing of the Old Testament, the blood of the
sacrificial animals was applied. h the New Testament, we find that the
only cure for sin, then and today, is the blood of Jesus Christ. The
animal sacrifices of Leviticus merely looked forward to the perfect
sacrifice of the Lamb of God. They were a shadow; Jesus was the
substance.
In
John 1:.29, John the Baptist sees Jesus approaching and declares,
''Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" To
those who came to know Him, Jesus was that Lamb of God. Jesus was the
only Sacrifice that would atone for the
sin of
the world.
In
the ceremonial cleansing of Leviticus, the blood was applied, then the
oil. The application of the sacrificial blood is symbolic of the blood
of Christ, while the application of the oil is symbolic of the touch
and influence of the Holy Spirit upon a
life.
Just
as the blood of Jesus Christ flows out to all who call upon His name,
so the leper's anointing crosses all national and denominational
barriers. For when anyone experiences the grace of Jesus Christ, it is
the Holy Spirit who convicts him of sin and assures him of God's
forgiveness. Thus it is that at salvation you
experience the first anointing - the leper's anointing - which reveals
the power of the blood through the oil of anointing that pours over you.
The
Priestly Anointing
As
a believer, cleansed through the precious blood of Christ, born again
and sealed by the Spirit, you can and should move to the second
anointing: the priestly anointing. A significant number of believers
have no knowledge of this level of the Holy Spirit's activity in their
lives, and they certainly have no idea how to receive it.
When they arrived, they prayed
for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
because the Holy Spirit had not
yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name
of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and
they received the Holy Spirit.
If
we, therefore, are ministers to God, we must have the power of the
Spirit to do so. And that means we are to be baptized in the Holy
Spirit, which is the priestly anointing of the Holy Spirit upon us.
Without it, we will accomplish little.
It is
like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the
beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. There is no
such thing as a private priestly anointing; it comes in oneness, in
unity, as the church functions as one body.
On
the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, 120 people were together-in
one accord-in the Upper Room, and the Holy Spirit came upon them with
fire and power. They went out from that room and ministered to the
Lord, bearing witness to the crowds gathered there. Three thousand were
Saved! What an anointing! God was clearly present.
This
priestly anointing is not a one-time anointing, which the leper's
anointing is. Under the old covenant, the priests were anointed with
oil every day. The same must be true with you under
the new covenant. You need a daily anointing.
The
priestly anointing brings the presence, the communion, the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit. Revelation knowledge comes, for in the leper's
anointing we are introduced to God in an extraordinary and wonderful
way and we see our total need for Jesus Christ. But we really don't
understand much more.
It
is so sad that many Christians stay at the leper's anointing level, by
choice. They don't seek more. They simply don't surrender. Their ears
are dull; they don't hear God's voice.
We see
this clearly by the lack of witnessing Christians
Bill
Bright of Campus Crusade said that only 2% of Christians actively
witness their faith. With the priestly anointing witnessing will come.
Acts
1:8 But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses
in
Many
feel that the Holy Spirit is all about speaking in tongues, healing ,
prophecying and yes they all do come with the Holy spirit but the first
fruit of the Holy Spirit will be witness. We will glorify God we will
want to speak of the salvation because this Glory now lives within us
and its bursting to get out
John
15:26,27
"When the Counselor comes, whom I
will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from
the Father, he will testify about me.
And you also must testify, for you
have been with me from the beginning.
Galations
5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful
nature with its passions and desires. Since we live
by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become
conceited, provoking and envying each other.
And
the Bible tells us clearly that Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice.''
If you are truly one of His sheep and have received the priestly
anointing, you will know His presence and hear the gentle voice of God
regularly. It is not a one-time experience though; it must be renewed
daily.
God
sometimes will reveal incredible truths to you; at other times, He will
just let you sense how much He loves you. Perhaps He win correct or
instruct you on a matter; perhaps He will cause a particular Passage Of
Scripture to stand out while you are reading His Word.
Even
though you may seldom or never hear an audible voice, He has many
avenues through which to speak to you. God's regular communication does
not depend on how loudly He speaks but upon how well you listen. "He
who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Matthew 11:15 says. You must take
time each day to be quiet before the Lord so His still, small voice can
be heard. As you read the Bible, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and
listen, you win experience that daily refreshing that keeps your
heart
ablaze with love for the Master.
The
leper's anointing (salvation) is a one-time experience and cannot be
lost unless you willfully walk away from it. God will never let you go
unless you let Him go. This requires a decision that you would rather
perish than be saved.
The
priestly anointing (the presence), on the other hand, can be lost, for
if sin comes into your heart it lifts. That is why it must be renewed
daily; it will bring you into the presence of God-so near, so real that
the tears will course down your cheeks.
The
Kingly Anointing
Once
you have experienced the leper's anointing and gone on to the priestly
anointing, do not stop there. They are important and wonderful, but
more is possible. Nothing can compare with the kingly anointing, the
most powerful of them all. This lifts a person to a place of high
authority in God, giving him authority over devils, the power to rout
demons with one word. Only this will give you the power to send the
enemies of God flying as the apostle Paul did.
The
kingly anointing is the most difficult to receive. Whereas the leper's
anointing comes by accepting Jesus and the priestly anointing comes by
fellowship with Jesus, the kingly anointing comes by completely obeying
Jesus and receiving his trust.
Act5:32
We are witnesses of these things,
and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
It
is when you hear the rhema word of the Lord spoken just for that
moment-which says, "Thus saith the Lord"-that you receive the kingly
anointing. You see, there is the logos, or written Word; the Bible. But
that does not give you the anointing,
although
the logos is terribly, terribly important, being settled in heaven and
forever true. At this stage you will be in constant communication with
God hearing His directions in your life at every moment.
While
Apollos was at
Did
you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
Now I know this is different but I want to pray for each of you to welcome the Holy Spirit into your hearts, I want you all to join me in prayer because we need agreement. I will lay my hand on you to ask God to anoint you with the Holy Spirit. Just as it was done in Acts