The Baptism In The Holy Ghost
Lesson Twenty: Being Filled With The Spirit
TEXT: Eph. 5:18 - And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled (Gr. continually being filled) with the Spirit;
One of the greatest needs for ALL believers is to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit. You can't fill a bottle that is already full. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a valid experience that is so needed today. There is much controversy on what it means to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Some teach that to be filled with the Holy Ghost is to be filled with joy or become more Christ-like. Some teach being filled with the Spirit means one speaks in tongues. We must understand that even the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues is not an END to our walk with God nor is it an end to our need to continually be FILLED with the HOLY GHOST! We need to walk in the anointing of the Lord and be sensitive to his moving in these last days. Only the power of the Holy Ghost will keep us on the path of life and safe from the enemy's work.
Numerous times in the book of Acts we read of people being "filled with the Holy Ghost."
Acts 2:4 - And they were all
filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 4:8 - Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
Acts 4:31 - And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were
assembled together; and they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Acts 9:17 - And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting
his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto
thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou might receive thy sight,
and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 13:9 - Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,)
filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes
on him,
Notice the things that happened to these people when they were filled with the Holy Ghost. They:
· Began to speak with other tongues
· Began to preach to multitudes under the anointing
· Spoke the word of God with boldness
· Received their sight
· Set "his eyes on him." This speaks of our focus against the enemy's kingdom.
We are told as New Covenant believers to be "FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT." In order to be filled, there must be a space or void. You cannot fill a bottle that is already full. Believers are NOT automatically filled with the Spirit. If we were then there would be no command for us TO BE FILLED with the Holy Spirit! Yeshuah COMMANDS us TODAY to be “FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT” just as He COMMANDED His followers in the Early Church to remain in Jerusalem and TARRY to receive an "endowment of power from on high." The Holy Ghost moves on individuals, drawing them to Christ and strengthening them in many ways. But there is something completely unique and complete when one experiences the baptism (or immersion, endowment, enablement) in the Holy Spirit - the IMMERSION in Him. This removes the void that previously existed. Again, it is not a cure-all for all our lives. We must CONTINUALLY walk in the Spirit which we will deal with in a future journal in this series but there is an INITIAL infilling of the HOLY GHOST - which sets the stage for FUTURE (and hopefully DAILY) fillings!
God does not set standards to meet the needs of believers in one time in history and change them for another time. God is God and man is man. God's response to man's needs in New Testament (or apostolic times as some preach) is PRECISELY His response to our needs in THIS DAY.
Conditions For Receiving The Infilling Of The Holy Spirit
There are conditions for receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The FIRST condition is salvation. A person MUST be saved (born again) before he can aspire to receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Or course, the person who has committed his life to Christ has experienced the CONVICTING power of the Holy Ghost. He is already a Son of God and adopted into the family of God.
Romans 8:5-10 - For they that are after the
flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. [8]
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. [10] And if Christ be in you,
the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness.
In that sense, the Holy Spirit had indeed been present in his life. He
indwells us at Salvation to a measure. But one still needs God's SPIRIT to
ENERGIZE his Christian walk with POWER. Without question the singular most
important step a soul can take in life is salvation. Without this there IS no
more. But HAVING been saved, what then? Do we settle for a drab, spiritless,
loveless, passionless, ineffectual PLOD through our Christian walk Years of
being a go-nowhere; do-nothing Christian? Let me say this here not to sound
offensive. If that is what you want you may want to click on the little x in the
upper right hand of this screen before you read further. If all you want to do
is to get saved and go to heaven (which is perfectly fine in the sight of God if
that's what your level of faith is - then this journal isn't for you!) For those
who want more - let me tell you - there is some HIGH-TEST OCTANE available for
your engine! Oh, Glory to God. I feel the anointing of the Holy Ghost on that.
Just as filling up with PREMIUM can rejuvenate a hiccoughing, balky car,
receiving the immersion or baptism in the Holy Spirit can put new LIFE into your
Christian travels!
Understand this clearly however, cause some who have been saved by faith through grace have a hard time receiving this endowment because they think they must "merit" it from God. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is received the same way as salvation - FREELY! Just as no person merits salvation from our Lord, NO ONE MERITS THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT EITHER! Jesus paid the price for our redemption at Calvary AND He promised the Holy Spirit to activate our Christian lives. The baptism in the Holy Ghost is NOT available to sinners. Salvation is available to sinners, and only AFTER sinners are saved can they move forward into the Holy Spirit endowment. (I am using the words "baptism," "endowment," "enablement," interchangeably to not offend my brethren who teach there is just one "baptism in the Spirit" at salvation.)
Jesus made it clear that the sinner, the unbeliever in fact, the WORLD cannot receive spiritual things. A person MUST BE BORN AGAIN as the first condition for receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The SECOND condition is FAITH. Once a person has faith he can receive anything else he needs from God. In Galatians 3:2 Paul confronts that church with a question as to the SOURCE of the Spirit. Did they receive the Spirit by "works of the law," of by the hearing of "faith?"
Galatians 3:2 - This only would I learn of
you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
The answer is FAITH. As we spoke of in the first journal in this series "The Promise Of the Father," the entire PROMISE of the Spirit's outpouring was generated by FAITH.
Galatians 3:14 - That the blessing of
Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled on a JEWISH feast day –
PENTECOST - which means 50. That "promise," was wrapped at in two Covenants -
the Abrahamic and the Mosaic. God gave the Law (part of the Mosaic Covenant) on
Mt. Sinai to Moses that is celebrated by the Jewish people on Pentecost. The
"blessing" of Abraham I believe is the very presence of God Himself who indwells
us who are the "children of promise," the SEED if you will. There is both a
physical seed and spiritual seed. Praise God we are part of that spiritual
lineage because of the physical lineage of Abraham - the Jewish people. THEY ARE
THE OLIVE TREE we've been grafted into!
There is no specific ritual or pattern for receiving the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost the disciples were sitting down, while in other cases they received while standing. The posture or position of an individual is of no importance. People have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit under ALL imaginable conditions and circumstances. BUT THERE ARE NO SET PROCEDURES for receiving. I received the Holy Spirit baptism on my Aunt's kitchen floor in Atlanta, Georgia in 1987. My nine-year-old son Brandon received the Holy Spirit a few weeks ago while he was praising God and lifting his hands. He told me later "dad, I just felt like someone touched my hands." Praise God. My precious wife Lisa received the Holy Spirit at home after spending nearly 37 years not even knowing about the infilling work of the Holy Spirit.
One of the most common ways people receive the Holy Spirit is through the laying on of hands. ANYONE can pray for the person who is HUNGERING for the Holy Ghost and there are times when people are filled with the Spirit without the laying on of hands. However, in Acts 8, after Peter and John came to Samaria, the people were FILLED with the Holy Ghost when Peter and John laid hands on them. Again in Acts 9:17, the Bible tells us that Ananias prayed for Saul and LAID HANDS ON HIM to receive the gift of the HOLY GHOST. In the 19th chapter of Acts we see Paul laying his hands on the disciples at Ephesus - and they immediately received the GIFT of the HOLY GHOST. BUT, in Acts 2 and Acts 10 there were no hands laid on the believers. The Holy Ghost fell on those present with no special physical contact on the part of any other person.
The Baptism Of Power
Acts 2:4 - And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
Yeshuah gave the promise to
the disciples, "You shall receive POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you." The early church realized this promise and examples of that power were
soon evident. Many of the disciples had fled when Jesus was being tried and in
some cases (like PETER) denied even association with Him. But suddenly, the
disciples who had been fearful and timid became dynamic, courageous messengers
of the Good News of Yeshuah. What brought about this dramatic change? THE
INFILLING OF THE HOLY GHOST power as promised by the Lord.
This is a good place to state something I will deal with more in the next lesson. BUT THOSE GATHERED WAITING FOR THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WERE NOT SINNERS - THEY WERE BELIEVERS! That is VERY important in understanding the relationship between the Spirit's work at salvation and His work during the initial infilling. The believers gathered together in Acts 4 were not sinners, they were believers. Paul was not filled with the Spirit until AFTER he got saved. Ananias laid his hands on him - NOT TO GET HIM SAVED - but that he might be FILLED with the Holy Spirit. Cornelius and his household were saved and baptized in the Holy Ghost almost simultaneously. The disciples in Acts 19 were already believers. Paul asked them had they received "SINCE" they believed. He was not seeking to lay hands on them to get saved. Now any preacher who claims he believes the WHOLE BIBLE could read those accounts and say to himself – “WOW” those things have NOT passed away today. Only someone who wishes to deny the validity of God's word will argue otherwise.
The purpose of this infilling is POWER
FOR SERVICE. To make us effective WITNESSES! The blessings of the baptism in the
Holy Spirit are not for personal or selfish enjoyment. The wonderful experiences
to be found in the Holy Spirit are not meant as an ego trip or for a personal
spiritual "high." Neither are the "gifts" of the Spirit toys intended for our
amusement. The infilling or baptism in the Holy Ghost provides us with POWER to
DOMINATE circumstances, to be victorious, and to spread the light of the Gospel
to a sin-darkened world.
Initial Evidence Of The Infilling Of The Holy Ghost
Prior to the demonstration of Holy Ghost power in healings and miracles, the disciples exhibited the PRIMARY evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which was speaking in tongues. Many Christian churches and denominations believe (to one degree or another) in the Holy Spirit. This doesn't create any major problem. But when it comes to receiving the baptism in the Holy Ghost, WITH THE EVIDENCE OF SPEAKING IN OTHER TONGUES, the controversy erupts and erupts very passionately sometimes.
The question is always asked, "Is speaking in tongues scriptural and relevant to this day?" The matter of speaking in tongues is probably the most controversial subject within the body of Christ today. "The Body of Christ" is, of course, the overall, worldwide mass of those who believe in the fundamentals of our faith. The matter of "glossolalia" or speaking in other tongues - has caused a dividing line to be drawn right down the center of most Bible-believing bodies. When the term "filled with the Spirit" is used, little or no controversy ensues. Altering this, however to be "baptized in the Holy Ghost," causes a more adverse reaction based on the teaching by some that there is only one baptism. And using the phrase "baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues," well friend, those are "fighting words" unfortunately in most circles.
The conflict is not over the issues of being filled with the Holy Ghost - but over the issue of speaking in tongues. Many say tongues never existed - or that is passed away with the early church. Some insist that is not relevant to today's world - while others even go as far to label and attribute tongues to the devil. Still others (literal multitudes, millions of people all over the world) proclaim it as a valid scriptural manifestation of Holy Ghost power of evidenced on the Day of Pentecost - when God's Holy Spirit overflowed the 120 disciples gathered in Jerusalem.
I know these are words that will not sit too well with some. I am fully aware of the issues surrounding this experience. I was in a church in Middle Tennessee a few years back where their doctrinal pamphlets when as far as to say that even if people said they had "experienced" this infilling of the Holy Spirit we couldn't agree with an "experience" if it didn't line up with the Word of God. I read that and said "amen" before I kept reading to see the church basically denied everything that happened in book of Acts actually happened the way it was written. In our pursuit to sound so wise we can sound so utterly foolish and stupid sometimes.
Let me clarify what I believe about the Holy Spirit and then I will give some scriptural examples of what happened when people were filled with the Holy Ghost.
· We believe and teach FROM THE WORD OF GOD that speaking in tongues is a valid, scriptural expression as given by the HOLY SPIRIT. As such, it is relevant to the day and age in which we live
· We do not believe or teach that speaking in tongues will automatically produce a better Christian. What speaking in tongues WILL do is increase the unction and anointing in one's prayer life and strengthens one's walk in the Lord.
· We do not believe anyone has to speak in tongues to be saved
· We do not believe or teach that speaking in tongues has anything to do with anyone making heaven their eternal home
· We do not teach that speaking in tongues will make one "MORE SAVED" as result. When a person accepts the Lord Jesus as their Master they are SAVED. Prayerfully that individual will GROW in their walk with the Lord, but at the moment of salvation he is as saved as he will ever be.
· Speaking in tongues is ordained by God
· Speaking in tongues was a common manifestation in the early church and it is just as widespread and proper today. It has NEVER ceased from that day to this
· Speaking in tongues is the INITIAL not TOTAL evidence of one being filled with the HOLY GHOST. Other manifestations and graces may follow the tongues but if you have not spoken with other tongues as recorded in Acts 2:4 you have received this precious gift. Does that mean you're not spirit-filled? Well, we'll just leave the theologians to fight that one out but the BIBLICAL pattern for receiving the Holy Spirit after Salvation is to be endued with the evidence speaking with other tongues
· Speaking in tongues are a great HELP and ANOINTING to the believer, the giver of strength and builder of faith.
Let me again clarify that this experience is subsequent TO salvation. The Holy Spirit baptism is a separate work of GRACE. The individuals in Acts 1:4 were already saved. There's no doubt about this, yet they were specifically told to wait for the promise of the FATHER. In Luke 11:13 Jesus spoke of the Holy Ghost as being given by the Heavenly Father to THOSE WHO ASK HIM.
The Infilling Of The Spirit - AFTER Salvation Not During
Another area of controversy is the discussion of whether the infilling of the Spirit automatically comes to a person at conversion. Many teach that there is nothing else to be sought, or asked for, after this. They say, in effect, that our relationship with God is then complete. Some do believe in a separate work of grace after one gets saved but they do not believe this experience is accompanied by speaking in tongues. I wish I were talking about non-Pentecostal people here but sadly many even in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements and realms of Christendom have succumbed to this teaching that they really don't need those "tongues."
I had lunch a few months back with a youth pastor of a very large Assembly of God church in Tennessee. We got on this subject and he didn't blink an eye when he said to me, "I have realized since I've been to Bible school that we in the Assemblies have missed it- we really don't need to speak in tongues to consider ourselves filled with the Spirit." When I asked him then what would he consider a "sign" that one was filled with the Spirit he had absolutely no answer for me. I said, "You mean you can't think of even one thing that would change in a person's life if they were filled with the Spirit?" He said, "not according to my Bible teachers at school." That shows us how far down the road to denying the supernatural of God we have went in the Pentecostal world.
No wonder the Baptist and the Methodists and the Presbyterians don't get that enthused about the infilling of the Spirit - they don't see any enthusiasm among those who "brag" about having the Holy Spirit baptism.
Acts 2:4 describe the filling of the 120 with the Holy Spirit. It would be absurd to state there was ANY evidence that any of these gathered on the day of Pentecost were not saved. They obviously were. The 120 included eleven of the apostles (and actually the 12th, who had just been chosen) and it also included Mary, the other of Jesus. The Master had also told His disciples in Luke 10:20, when they were rejoicing over the fact of devils being subject to them (within the authority of Jesus), that they should rather REJOICE because their names were written in heaven. They were already SAVED! They were not gathering to get MORE saved or be born again. These were BELIEVERS looking to receive the endowment of power from on high from the Father. They were gathering to receive a baptism of POWER. They were gathered at the Lord's COMMAND to tarry in Jerusalem!
Acts 1:4 - And, being assembled together
with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait
for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Acts 2:4 - And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts Chapter 8
We read in Acts chapter 8 that Philip went to Samaria and preached CHRIST to the people there. It says in Acts 8:6 that they "gave heed to the things Philip preached," in other words - THEY WERE BORN AGAIN! It tells of unclean spirits coming out and of many being healed. There was great joy in the city. Then in verse 12 it tells of the Samaritans believing what Philip was preaching concerning the kingdom of God and the name of the Lord Jesus - and how they were being baptized both men and women. This is what the Word tells US to do in John 3:16 and in Acts 10:42-43. These people were saved under the ministry of Philip.
THEN in the 14th verse Peter and John the apostles heard about the revival. The church in Jerusalem them sent Peter and John to Samaria that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Now if an individual receives EVERYTHING at conversion what was happening here? Why were Peter and John there?? What was the point of going down and preaching the Holy Spirit and praying for them if they had automatically received the Holy Spirit at conversion - as it is commonly taught today?
The Bible says in the 16th verse that NONE of them had been filled with the Holy Spirit. They had been saved and even baptized in water, but in the 17th verse it says that HANDS WERE LAID ON THEM AND THEY RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Acts Chapter 9
The 9th Chapter of Acts describes the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (Paul), and the 12th verse recounts God's command to Ananias to go and pray for Paul and put his hands on him that Paul might receive his sight. Ananias was not directed to lay hands on him that he might be saved - because Paul had already accepted the Lord Jesus as His Savior, as a result of a great vision recorded in verses 3-7 of Acts 9:
Acts 9:3-7 - And as he journeyed, he came
near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
[4] And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutes thou me? [5] And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am
Jesus whom thou persecutes: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. [6]
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And
the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee
what thou must do. [7] And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless,
hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
The 17th verse states that when Ananias met Saul he called him "Brother
Saul." He would NOT have done so if Paul had not accepted Jesus. But Paul HAD
already accepted Jesus; he WAS saved; his name WAS written in the Lamb's book of
Life; he was ALREADY washed in the blood of the Lamb. Ananias was sent to pray
for him that he might receive his sight again AND that he might be filled with
the HOLY GHOST. If one is baptized in the Holy Ghost at conversion, WHAT was
Ananias doing??? WHY was he even bothering to pray for Paul to receive the Holy
Spirit? I mean come on Ananias - Paul already had all he needed. He didn't need
those tongues. YES HE DID!!!!!!!!!! YES HE DID! AND YOU DO TODAY AS WELL!
Acts 9:17 - And Ananias went his way, and
entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the
Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent
me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 10
It would seem that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place immediately after conversion at the home of Cornelius. That is also a common occurrence today - more overseas than in America - because people overseas tend to believe quicker than we do here in the states.
Acts 19
The 19th chapter of Acts describes the Apostle Paul as speaking to the disciples of John at Ephesus. He asked them "have you received the Holy Spirit SINCE you believed?" And they replied that they didn't even know what Paul was talking about. He then explained to them, and in the 6th verse it says he laid hands on them, and "the Holy Ghost came on them."
Every Christian receives the HOLY SPIRIT of adoption into sonship with God at the time of salvation (Romans 8:9 with Romans 8:14-16). This was NOT, what Paul was addressing here. He was asking them about the Spirit baptism that John had preached - describing how Jesus would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire. This had nothing to do with NEW BIRTH by the SPIRIT - it is the endowment of power for service.
John 1:31-34 - And I knew him not: but that
he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
[32] And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like
a dove, and it abode upon him. [33] And I knew him not: but he that sent me to
baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy
Ghost. [34] And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
Acts 1:4-5 - And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they
should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
saith he, ye have heard of me. [5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Romans 8:9 - But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any men have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his.
Romans 8:14-16 - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. [15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but
ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16] The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
When one reads this, one must be able to see that a person can be saved
by the blood of Jesus and have believed God for salvation, yet be in ignorance
of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This was what happened at Ephesus and that is
what has happened to millions today. My wife Lisa and I married in 1999. When I
met Lisa she had NEVER heard anything about the baptism in the Holy Spirit
except in a negative vein. When I told her about the validity of the experience
it was like teaching a new convert about salvation. She knew absolutely nothing.
What is shocking about that is that Lisa was a church secretary at one of the
largest non-Pentecostal churches in Knoxville for over 5 years and had attended
church all her life. She said she had NEVER heard a message encouraging people
to receive this precious experience from the Lord.
A sinner cannot receive this experience. A sinner cannot be "filled" with the Holy Spirit. A sinner must be born-again. But when we are born-again we are qualified then to be baptized in the HOLY GHOST and FILLED with the power of God.
John 14:17 - Even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you.
One Must Ask To Receive This
Experience
Luke 11:13 - If ye then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
One must ASK to receive this
experience. It is not an automatic gift from the Heavenly Father. It is
something that every CHRISTIAN should seek after he is born again - although he
cannot receive it UNTIL he is reborn! There are two trains of thought in the
Body of Christ that are very dangerous. The camp that teaches that once you get
saved you have everything from God you'll ever need is short-changing their
people. The camp that teaches once you receive this endowment with power you
have received everything you'll ever need from God is also very dangerous. There
will NEVER come a time when you receive everything from God. One must CONTINUE
to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.
But seeking more of God MUST be sought after - it will not come to
any of us automatically. There are several signs or evidences of one walking in
the Spirit-filled life that we will deal with in the next lesson in this study
and continuing series on the Holy Spirit. We do believe and feel the Word of God
states this as well that the way one can be ASSURED they have been immersed in
the Holy Spirit is through the evidence of speaking in tongues as the Spirit of
God gives the utterance.
As I close this lesson let me state something very important. Some who we have talked about this subject to in detail recently have taken offense. I don't apologize for what I have written. Having said that though I also want to state that I don't get up everyday with a vendetta or an ax to grind with any movement or denomination within the Body of Christ. There is a UNIVERSAL need - across the board - for ALL of us in the church to get as close to God as we possibly can in these last days. The scope of these articles centers around the upcoming Jewish feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon the first church. The purpose of the HOLY GHOST is to bring in the last-days harvest on Planet Earth. That is where all of this is headed. WE CANNOT SEE THE FULFILLMENT OF THE HARVEST in these last days in the strength of our own humanistic efforts in the church. ALL the activity in the WORLD will not be able to save one single soul. ONLY THE HOLY GHOST can do that. So if what I write about the Holy Spirit is getting under your skin then maybe it's getting under your skin for a reason. I'm only seeking to be a voice to trumpet the message that OUR STRENGTH in the CHURCH has never been in our buildings nor in our numbers - it's always been in the SPIRIT of GOD that comes from our HEAD - THE LORD YESHUAH. It's not about DOING it's about ABIDING. WITHOUT HIM - we can do NOTHING! Shalom.
Zech. 4:6 - Then he answered and spoke unto
me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying,
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,
saith the Lord of hosts.
John 15:1-7 - I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. [2] Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit he takes away: and every branch that beareth
fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [3] Now ye are clean
through the word which I have spoken unto you. [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that
abides in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do nothing. [6] If
a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men
gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] If ye abide
in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
done unto you.