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We are living in the age of the Holy Spirit. This age began at Pentecost and will
continue until the second coming of our L-rd, Jesus Christ.
Who is the Holy Spirit? Webster's dictionary defines the Holy Spirit as a life giving
force, the active presence of G-d in human life, the third person in the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is also known as the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit was active throughout the Old Testament Times. Genesis Ch.
1-2, records that "The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," indicating
that the Holy Spirit was here even before Adam was created. The Holy Spirit is
the same in substance and equal in power and glory with the Father and Son. He
is subordinate to both as He proceeds from them, is sent by them and they
operate through Him. The Holy Spirit possesses divine attributes He is present
everywhere Psm. 139:7-10, has all knowledge I Cor. 2:10 and is all powerful Zech
4:6, He has performed miracles only God could do, such as create the world,
conceive Jesus and resurrect Jesus. The Holy Spirit possesses a will, has a mind,
speaks, intercedes, calls missionaries, oversees the church and is susceptible to
personal treatment.
The Holy Spirit's job in relation to us is to call and convict us of our sins, to indwell
us, to seal us, fill us, empower us and anoint us. The Holy Spirit also imparts
spiritual gifts and abilities to us. To put it in simple language, the Holy Spirit first
convinces a person of their need to change. John 16:8. When a person becomes
a Christian, the Holy Spirit imparts to them a new spirit and eternal life with G-d in
heaven. Titus 3:5. The Holy Spirit mysteriously takes up residence within a
person, encouraging and strengthening them to live a proper lifestyle. Rom 8:9.
The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer placing them spiritually in the body of Christ.
1 Cor. 12:13. The Holy Spirit becomes the guarantee of our spiritual inheritance.
Eph. 1:13-14.
On the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out If
anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me as the
Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. Jesus' loud
proclamation was a call to Holy Spirit fullness. Jesus was describing a way of life
for us today. He points beyond our initial experience of salvation, to a lifestyle
bathed in an ongoing resource of Holy Spirit fullness. Jesus was talking about a
supernatural power, a power from on High.
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the
promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the command of
our L-rd, Jesus Christ. This was a normal experience in all the New Testament
Churches. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service and the
bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. Baptism in the
Holy Spirit is a distinct and different experience than that of your salvation or new
birth experience. It deepens your reverence for G-d and it intensifies your
consecration and dedication to His work.
Few church doctrines have generated more questions and controversy than the
baptism in the Holy Spirit. The debate started with the miracle of Pentecost. So
let us see what the Bible has to say. Turn to Acts 1:4-8 skip to Vs:13-14. Here
we see one hundred and twenty men and women including the apostles, and
Mary Jesus' mother gathered together as Jesus has instructed. During the 40
days of His resurrection Jesus was with the disciples at different times and places
preparing them for the coming of the Holy Spirit also called the comforter. He told
them to remain there in Jerusalem until He had returned to heaven, until He had
been restored to His former glory, until He had sent them the Promise of the
Father which was the Holy Spirit. And they obeyed. Ch.2:1-21. Notice that first of
all when the Holy Spirit fell only one hundred twenty were present. It was a very
private affair, a devotional scene. But the news of the one hundred twenty
speaking in the prayer language of the Spirit began to infiltrate the city. A crowd
gathered. They marveled in what they saw and heard. Here were one hundred
Galileans who were looked down upon because they were uneducated,
uncultured people speaking fluently in the languages of all the nations
represented. Languages which they had not learned. Another amazing thing is
found in Vs 11. Nobody thought of the Galileans as religious people. You see
they were still in their human understanding. They were trying to reason it out.
There is no way any man can reason out G-d. Man has to start with faith and
discern spiritual things through his spirit not his intellect. However, one way to
have faith is to start with doubt. Because as you doubt, you begin to examine,
and as you carefully examine you find evidence for your faith to act on.
Observers of the event asked questions, and the Apostle Peter preached a
sermon to supply answers. He directed his listeners back to the Old Testament
prophet Joel for enlightenment about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-17, Acts 9:15-17, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 11:17-18
We can reach down into our inner being and with our spirit start using our speech
organs and create a language which according to Paul in 1 Cor. 14:2 is unto G-d.
This is difficult for some of us to accept. The Bible tells us in 1 Cor. 2:14 that this
will happen. Speaking the prayer language of the Spirit seems difficult for the
intellect to understand because that intellect has been out of touch with G-d so
long. Any Christian who has used the prayer language of the Spirit often is aware
that it is like his mind is over to the side observing and hearing. It's not
comprehending the words or the sentences that the spirit is putting together.
Because what is coming over the tongue is not originating in the intellect. It's
coming from within, from the spirit.
Jesus said in John 7:37-39 that the Holy Spirit would be like a river within us. A
river has to start somewhere. Then it has to flow. As you continually use it, it
gets bigger and wider and deeper and stronger that is more natural and more
useful. A river enriches whatever it touches. As the prayer language is
continuously used, it enriches every part of our lives. 1 Cor. 14:4 He that
speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself. Vs 39 states we are not to forbid
speaking in tongues but to seek it. Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives a person a
language so he can communicate directly with G-d, edify or build himself up inside
spiritually, intellectually understand G-d better and also his own purpose in life is
made clearer.
There is another function of tongues, which is employed in services. It has a
distinctly different purpose. 1 Cor. 14 tells us when spoken in public service it
needs an interpretation so the whole gathering may be blessed.
One thing the believer should do is seek the Baptizer rather then the Baptism. It
is Jesus who baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit. Seekers should focus their
attention on Him rather than the experience. If you believe on me, out of your
belly will flow rivers Jesus said. In other words, you will feel it. Everyone who has
ever believed on Jesus has felt the rivers of the Holy Spirit. Whether you
recognized what it was or not, you can say, that is what I felt. If you will think back,
you felt something coming inside and it was good, it was great, it was powerful.
Understand that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift from G-d. It should be
received with gratitude to the giver. It can only be accepted with an open and
willing heart. Be fully persuaded that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is both biblical
and doctrinally correct. If you want the Holy Spirit confess any known sins in your
life and resolve to live a righteous life with G-d's help. Begin to worship the L-rd
with expressions of praise and adoration. Tell the L-rd you want to be filled with
the Holy Spirit for His glory. Yield to any deep welling up within your spirit. Allow
that inner surge to break through, to come up over your tongue so your spirit can
speak to G-d in a language unknown to you but meaningful to G-d.
There are those who testify to a dynamic and life-changing encounter with the
Holy Spirit who have never spoken in tongues. Because the Bible indicates that
all may speak in tongues for personal devotions, every believer must determine to
accept or reject this gift of G-d's grace. Scripture makes it clear that believers
must recognize their personal accountability to God and not compare their
Christian experience with others.
Until the recent appearance of the Charismatic movement, churches known as
Pentecostal churches were distinguished as churches whose members spoke in
tongues. We believe that the occurrence mentioned in Acts 2 on the Day of
Pentecost not only signaled the birth of the church but describes an experience
available to believers in all ages. Today Lutherans speak in tongues and pray for
the sick. Roman Catholics raise their hands in worship and pray in the spirit,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodist and Baptist are all experiencing the
baptism in the Spirit.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is rich and varied. Baptism
in the Spirit develops holiness in the individual and empowers them for service. It
leads to a life of service where gifts of the spirit provide power and wisdom for the
spread of the gospel and growth of the church. It becomes the entrance into a
mode of worship that blesses congregations and gives power and grace to us to
be witnesses unto Jesus Christ with boldness. To ignore speaking in tongues is
to miss a great blessing and come short of the New Testament pattern. The
baptism in the Holy Spirit is the introduction to a victorious Christian life in the
Spirit. All who are hungry for the baptism should be encouraged to trust the L-rd
for the overflowing evidence of that baptism which is speaking in other tongues.
continue until the second coming of our L-rd, Jesus Christ.
Who is the Holy Spirit? Webster's dictionary defines the Holy Spirit as a life giving
force, the active presence of G-d in human life, the third person in the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is also known as the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit was active throughout the Old Testament Times. Genesis Ch.
1-2, records that "The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," indicating
that the Holy Spirit was here even before Adam was created. The Holy Spirit is
the same in substance and equal in power and glory with the Father and Son. He
is subordinate to both as He proceeds from them, is sent by them and they
operate through Him. The Holy Spirit possesses divine attributes He is present
everywhere Psm. 139:7-10, has all knowledge I Cor. 2:10 and is all powerful Zech
4:6, He has performed miracles only God could do, such as create the world,
conceive Jesus and resurrect Jesus. The Holy Spirit possesses a will, has a mind,
speaks, intercedes, calls missionaries, oversees the church and is susceptible to
personal treatment.
The Holy Spirit's job in relation to us is to call and convict us of our sins, to indwell
us, to seal us, fill us, empower us and anoint us. The Holy Spirit also imparts
spiritual gifts and abilities to us. To put it in simple language, the Holy Spirit first
convinces a person of their need to change. John 16:8. When a person becomes
a Christian, the Holy Spirit imparts to them a new spirit and eternal life with G-d in
heaven. Titus 3:5. The Holy Spirit mysteriously takes up residence within a
person, encouraging and strengthening them to live a proper lifestyle. Rom 8:9.
The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer placing them spiritually in the body of Christ.
1 Cor. 12:13. The Holy Spirit becomes the guarantee of our spiritual inheritance.
Eph. 1:13-14.
On the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out If
anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me as the
Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. Jesus' loud
proclamation was a call to Holy Spirit fullness. Jesus was describing a way of life
for us today. He points beyond our initial experience of salvation, to a lifestyle
bathed in an ongoing resource of Holy Spirit fullness. Jesus was talking about a
supernatural power, a power from on High.
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the
promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the command of
our L-rd, Jesus Christ. This was a normal experience in all the New Testament
Churches. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service and the
bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. Baptism in the
Holy Spirit is a distinct and different experience than that of your salvation or new
birth experience. It deepens your reverence for G-d and it intensifies your
consecration and dedication to His work.
Few church doctrines have generated more questions and controversy than the
baptism in the Holy Spirit. The debate started with the miracle of Pentecost. So
let us see what the Bible has to say. Turn to Acts 1:4-8 skip to Vs:13-14. Here
we see one hundred and twenty men and women including the apostles, and
Mary Jesus' mother gathered together as Jesus has instructed. During the 40
days of His resurrection Jesus was with the disciples at different times and places
preparing them for the coming of the Holy Spirit also called the comforter. He told
them to remain there in Jerusalem until He had returned to heaven, until He had
been restored to His former glory, until He had sent them the Promise of the
Father which was the Holy Spirit. And they obeyed. Ch.2:1-21. Notice that first of
all when the Holy Spirit fell only one hundred twenty were present. It was a very
private affair, a devotional scene. But the news of the one hundred twenty
speaking in the prayer language of the Spirit began to infiltrate the city. A crowd
gathered. They marveled in what they saw and heard. Here were one hundred
Galileans who were looked down upon because they were uneducated,
uncultured people speaking fluently in the languages of all the nations
represented. Languages which they had not learned. Another amazing thing is
found in Vs 11. Nobody thought of the Galileans as religious people. You see
they were still in their human understanding. They were trying to reason it out.
There is no way any man can reason out G-d. Man has to start with faith and
discern spiritual things through his spirit not his intellect. However, one way to
have faith is to start with doubt. Because as you doubt, you begin to examine,
and as you carefully examine you find evidence for your faith to act on.
Observers of the event asked questions, and the Apostle Peter preached a
sermon to supply answers. He directed his listeners back to the Old Testament
prophet Joel for enlightenment about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-17, Acts 9:15-17, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 11:17-18
We can reach down into our inner being and with our spirit start using our speech
organs and create a language which according to Paul in 1 Cor. 14:2 is unto G-d.
This is difficult for some of us to accept. The Bible tells us in 1 Cor. 2:14 that this
will happen. Speaking the prayer language of the Spirit seems difficult for the
intellect to understand because that intellect has been out of touch with G-d so
long. Any Christian who has used the prayer language of the Spirit often is aware
that it is like his mind is over to the side observing and hearing. It's not
comprehending the words or the sentences that the spirit is putting together.
Because what is coming over the tongue is not originating in the intellect. It's
coming from within, from the spirit.
Jesus said in John 7:37-39 that the Holy Spirit would be like a river within us. A
river has to start somewhere. Then it has to flow. As you continually use it, it
gets bigger and wider and deeper and stronger that is more natural and more
useful. A river enriches whatever it touches. As the prayer language is
continuously used, it enriches every part of our lives. 1 Cor. 14:4 He that
speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself. Vs 39 states we are not to forbid
speaking in tongues but to seek it. Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives a person a
language so he can communicate directly with G-d, edify or build himself up inside
spiritually, intellectually understand G-d better and also his own purpose in life is
made clearer.
There is another function of tongues, which is employed in services. It has a
distinctly different purpose. 1 Cor. 14 tells us when spoken in public service it
needs an interpretation so the whole gathering may be blessed.
One thing the believer should do is seek the Baptizer rather then the Baptism. It
is Jesus who baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit. Seekers should focus their
attention on Him rather than the experience. If you believe on me, out of your
belly will flow rivers Jesus said. In other words, you will feel it. Everyone who has
ever believed on Jesus has felt the rivers of the Holy Spirit. Whether you
recognized what it was or not, you can say, that is what I felt. If you will think back,
you felt something coming inside and it was good, it was great, it was powerful.
Understand that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift from G-d. It should be
received with gratitude to the giver. It can only be accepted with an open and
willing heart. Be fully persuaded that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is both biblical
and doctrinally correct. If you want the Holy Spirit confess any known sins in your
life and resolve to live a righteous life with G-d's help. Begin to worship the L-rd
with expressions of praise and adoration. Tell the L-rd you want to be filled with
the Holy Spirit for His glory. Yield to any deep welling up within your spirit. Allow
that inner surge to break through, to come up over your tongue so your spirit can
speak to G-d in a language unknown to you but meaningful to G-d.
There are those who testify to a dynamic and life-changing encounter with the
Holy Spirit who have never spoken in tongues. Because the Bible indicates that
all may speak in tongues for personal devotions, every believer must determine to
accept or reject this gift of G-d's grace. Scripture makes it clear that believers
must recognize their personal accountability to God and not compare their
Christian experience with others.
Until the recent appearance of the Charismatic movement, churches known as
Pentecostal churches were distinguished as churches whose members spoke in
tongues. We believe that the occurrence mentioned in Acts 2 on the Day of
Pentecost not only signaled the birth of the church but describes an experience
available to believers in all ages. Today Lutherans speak in tongues and pray for
the sick. Roman Catholics raise their hands in worship and pray in the spirit,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodist and Baptist are all experiencing the
baptism in the Spirit.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is rich and varied. Baptism
in the Spirit develops holiness in the individual and empowers them for service. It
leads to a life of service where gifts of the spirit provide power and wisdom for the
spread of the gospel and growth of the church. It becomes the entrance into a
mode of worship that blesses congregations and gives power and grace to us to
be witnesses unto Jesus Christ with boldness. To ignore speaking in tongues is
to miss a great blessing and come short of the New Testament pattern. The
baptism in the Holy Spirit is the introduction to a victorious Christian life in the
Spirit. All who are hungry for the baptism should be encouraged to trust the L-rd
for the overflowing evidence of that baptism which is speaking in other tongues.
RIVERS OF LIVING WATER BY RABBI ESTHER BOUCHER |
Ministry of Gates of Praise Ministries, Inc. Copyright Gates of Praise Ministries 2007/2008