Holy Spirit

Samuel Rodriguez: This Pentecost, Pray for Holy Dynamite

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From Charisma:

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This week, we celebrate Pentecost, the event found in the book of Acts in which Jesus’s followers received the Holy Spirit.

Luke tells us, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). This is not a quake, an emotion, a feeling, an opinion or even a religion. Let’s set the record straight: Jesus said you will receive power.

Holy Spirit people believe. They do not beg. As Holy Spirit people, we should be known for our appointments, not our opinions. The Holy Spirit is the most significant empowering force in the universe. I’m not talking about just any power. I’m not talking about corrupt, coercive or controlling power. I’m not talking about temporary, tantalizing or transitional power. I am talking about the power that Jesus said will flow like rivers of living water (John 7:38).

In this passage, Jesus was prophesying about the Holy Spirit—the same power that descended upon Jesus when he was baptized in the Jordan, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. Christ-followers have the same ability to speak into the storm and say, “‘Peace, be still’” (Mark 4:39b).

Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we have the power to speak life to ourselves, strangers and friends. With conviction, we can say, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11b). The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside you (Romans 8:11). Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, came out of the tomb. In his power, you can come out of anything. You can come out of addiction, anxiety, fear, confusion, bondage, depression, discouragement, shame and sin.

You cannot rightfully claim powerlessness and the Holy Spirit. You can’t have the Spirit and be defeated. Holy Spirit people are people of supernatural power to overcome this world.

 


Back in the Old Testament, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was only temporary. It would come and go as it pleased. The Holy Spirit would visit and partially fill, but never wholly and never permanently. Now, because of the atoning work of Jesus, the power that you and I have is not temporary. It’s final.

No longer must we rely on the Holy Spirit falling upon us. We depend on Him filling us to overflowing. The third person of the holy Trinity now permanently resides in you. He is your comforter and advocate forever and always.

When the people of God lean into this reality, we will see an unprecedented outpouring of his power. COVID is not more powerful than the Spirit of God inside of us. No cancer, no depression, no political power, no religious ideology can outsmart or outmaneuver the strength and will of God inside of you. Nothing hell can conjure is more powerful than the Holy Spirit of God inside of you. Because of God’s indwelling Spirit, you can confidently say, “Greater is the one living inside of me than he who is in the world” (see 1 John 4:4).

When we as the church choose to embrace this truth, we will experience a revival like we’ve never seen before. Entire cities are about to experience an awakening; more people will come to Jesus than ever before. We’re about to see not just a revival within a building but entire cities and nations.

Get ready—because nothing can stop the Spirit of God from moving if we believe. This Pentecost, join me in praying for holy dynamite, an undeniable explosion of power in every nation. In Jesus’ name, do away with every single vestige of darkness, that each person would be washed afresh with the Holy Spirit—every family, every church, every ministry, every city, every community, every nation, baptized anew with the precious Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

How To Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit

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People often get hung up about how to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Here are 4 simple steps. Follow these steps in a posture of humbly receiving from God.

1. Ask

It is obvious that the Lord delights to give good gifts to His children. Often, all you have to do is ask. In Luke 11:11-13, Jesus says:

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

If you have never received the Holy Spirit, then ask your Father in heaven who will gladly give Him to you.

2. Believe

Faith is the key to every part of the Christian life. We receive when we believe.

Take hold of promises like Luke 11:11-13, and the other places where Jess promises the Holy Spirit. Read the book of Acts. Take hold of the promise that God wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

3. Speak

The gift of speaking in tongues requires that you open your mouth and say something.

Some people really stumble over this. God will give you words to speak in your heavenly prayer language, but you have to speak them out. You might only get one word to start with but as you speak it by faith, more will come.

Some people see words in their mind, others hear words, yet others just speak fluently. God deals with each of us differently and according to our faith. So leet God give you the words to say.

To open your mouth and say something might involve a giant leap of faith, but do it anyway.

4. Listen

Our ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit is a two way street.

God is wanting to speak to us, and we need to listen. The voice of God often comes to us as a whisper that is so easily overwhelmed by the noise of the world and our own thoughts. We need to “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Take time to tune into the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Steven Strang: Four Truths About Speaking in Tongues

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Most Christians know the church was founded on the Day of Pentecost and many liturgical churches celebrate the day. But many ignore or overlook what happened that day—the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was given, including speaking in tongues.

There were many foreign visitors in Jerusalem that day and they heard their own languages. But this practice died down over the centuries until the modern Pentecostal movement that began with the Azusa Street revival of 1906 and which has swept the world.

Nevertheless, speaking in tongues has continued to be misunderstood and even controversial in many circles.

There are some genuine misconceptions about what speaking in tongues looks like and what purpose it serves the believers. No doubt Christians are divided about whether this gift has ceased or not, and there are even debates about when the proper time is to speak in a prayer language. Instead of debating with one another about tongues, I think it is best if we look at the four truths that are pertinent to this gift that I write about in my new book Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World, which releases May 16.

1. Speaking in tongues is neither unbiblical nor outdated. Although not all Christians believe the same thing about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and its accompanying evidence of speaking in “other tongues,” nothing in New Testament Scripture restricts or confines speaking in tongues to being only a first-century exercise.

The benefits of receiving a supernatural prayer language are profound. When we do not have the words to express our need, we can use our prayer language—a language understood by the Spirit, who speaks through us to the Father, and understood by the Father, who empowers the Spirit to work in our lives to give us victory.

2. Speaking in tongues is not a transcendental experience. There is really nothing weird about praying in a language we have never learned. As Jack Hayford puts it: “The ways of God in dealing with His redeemed children may be supernatural in the source of His operations, but they are not weird in their ways of working. To speak in tongues is not to resign the control of one’s mind or indulge one’s emotions to a point of extraction. The exercise of spiritual language does involve a conscious choice to allow God’s assistance to transcend our own linguistic limits, but it does not surrender to any order of a mystical, trance-like trip beyond oneself.”

3. Speaking in tongues is not a status symbol. There have been some abuses of tongues, including those who act is if they are spiritually superior to those who have never spoken in tongues.

The Bible doesn’t tell us tongues are to be used to impress other believers with the spiritual maturity of the one who speaks. The Bible tells us, “Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you by some revelation or knowledge or prophesying or doctrine?” In another place, the apostle Paul says, “So tongues are for a sign, not to believers, but to unbelievers.”

4. Speaking in tongues is not a substitute for spiritual growth. Using our prayer language and speaking in tongues will not cause us to grow spiritually even if we do it seven days a week and 24 hours a day.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers, not a select few. Just as we receive new life in the Son of God by a definite act of personal faith, so we receive supernatural power in the Spirit of God by an act of conscious faith.

Stephen E. Strang is the bestselling author of God and Donald Trump. The founder and CEO of Charisma Media, Strang was voted by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. He has interviewed four U.S. presidents and has been featured on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CBN, Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, theDailyCaller.com and in many Christian outlets.

Today’s Sermon

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The sermon for April 23rd 2023 is now available on the New Life web site.

In this sermon, which is based on John 20:19-23 and Acts 1:1-8, I talk about “Who Is the Holy Spirit?” I apologise for my croaky voice and fuzzy brain.

Click here to listen in your browser, here to download the mp3.

Joseph Mattera- 7 Forms of Functional Cessationism

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From “Charisma” magazine:

 

7 Forms of Functional Cessationism Joseph Mattera — 8 minutes

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In this article, cessationism refers to the doctrine, practice or belief that the ascension ministry gifts and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit ceased with the early church and do not function in the present church age (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12: 4-11).

The charismatic and Pentecostal world believes in all the gifts of the spirit and in hearing God’s voice. Various terms are used to describe these manifestations: “revelation” and “illumination.” On the other hand, there are evangelical rationalists, who are, in function and theology, “cessationists.” Whether Pentecostal or a non-charismatic evangelical, you may be a functional cessationist if you don’t practice or experience divine spiritual phenomena. The term “evangelical rationalist” describes a person who believes in all the cardinal truths of the Scriptures but denies the practice of certain manifestations of Holy Spirit phenomena in the contemporary church (1 Cor. 12:4-11).

These believers “demystify” the Scriptures and have an enlightenment framework in which all biblical truth is verified through the grid of their rational minds and understanding. Of course, as true Christians, they are inconsistent in their anti-supernatural view. This is because salvation itself, the point of translation for every believer, hinges on faith and the profession of the Lordship of Christ and His historical and supernatural resurrection. This results in a supernatural conversion experience (Rom. 10:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:17).

The following are seven types of functional Cessationists:

1. Cessationism Regarding Ephesians 4:11 Ministry Gifts – Whether you or your denomination classify as charismatic, if there exists no belief in or embrace of the practical function of the ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11, then you or they are cessationists concerning these.

2. Cessationism Regarding Hearing the Voice of God – If you do not believe that God can subjectively communicate to you outside of the written Word of God or that He has ceased doing so since the completion of the canon of Scripture, you are a cessationist. Whether you describe divine communication as an “illumination,” (God impressing something upon your heart), or a “revelation,” (God speaking to you), it is all the same experience.

Evangelical rationalists take Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 13:10 to mean the completion of the canon of Scripture. (The 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament). Thus, when somebody claims “God spoke to them,” rationalists believe it is adding to the Word of God or the final canon of Scripture. (They use Revelation 22:18-19 to support their argument.)

They believe this, even though a proper exegesis of 1 Corinthians 13:10 shows that Paul was not talking about the final canon of Scripture but rather was referring to the saints seeing Jesus “face to face” in heaven. (1 Cor. 13:12; 1 John 3:2).

Furthermore, in the context of this verse, Paul said he would “know fully even as he was fully known.” Since he died before the book of Revelation was written, he could not have been speaking about canon completion but rather he was referring to going to heaven. In addition, the context of 1 Corinthians 13:10 also shows that “knowledge” will pass away, not just tongues and prophecies. Do any of these evangelical rationalists genuinely believe that our present-day need for “knowledge” no longer exists?

3. Cessationism Regarding the Gift of Prophecy – Doctrinally, Pentecostals and charismatics claim they believe in the gift of prophecy. (First Corinthians 14:31 says that “all may prophesy” so that the church may be edified. You can also see 1 Corinthians 14:4).

However, if members in such Pentecostal and charismatic churches never practice this gift in their gatherings, it is reasonable to classify them as functionally cessationist toward prophecy.

4. Cessationism Regarding the Practice of Glossolalia – Many leaders in the Pentecostal movement say that some of their young pastors and members in their contemporary churches do not practice “speaking in tongues” for personal edification (1 Cor. 14:2-4). Those who don’t pursue, receive and practice this spiritual gift, aside from the Pentecostal classification, are functionally cessationists (1 Cor. 14:18, 1 Cor. 39-40).

5. Cessationism Regarding Divine Healing – The Gospels and New Testament writings encourage believers to pray for the sick by faith for supernatural healing (Mark 16:15-18; Luke 10:1-9; John 14:12; James 5:13-15; Acts). Despite this New Testament chronicled practice, many Pentecostals and charismatics rarely pray effectively for the sick. Consequently, they are functional cessationists when it comes to divine healing.

6. Cessationism Regarding the Expelling of Demons – Jesus made it clear that believers have authority over demons in His name. (Luke 10:17-20; James 4:7). Despite this, many charismatic Pentecostal believers are spooked out when casting demons out of people. This practice, sometimes called “deliverance,” should not be the special unique calling of any one person or church, but should be part of the spiritual arsenal of all believers as the need arises. Setting the captives free is one of the essentials of the Gospel (Luke 4:18). In this area, those who never engage in the expelling of demons are functional cessationists.

7. Cessationism Regarding Experiential Hermeneutics – Being trained in the historical/grammatical method of biblical interpretation enables me to properly discover the author’s original intent when they were inspired to write the sacred, canonical text. However, if the Holy Spirit is not allowed to give further insight into the practical application and understanding of the Scriptures, this would be a form of hermeneutical cessationism. After all, the Holy Spirit has come to guide us into all truth and is our primary Teacher (John 14:26, 1 John 2:27). For more recommended reading on this subject, refer to Dr. Craig Keener’s book, “Spirit Hermeneutics.”

In conclusion, my prayerful aim is to encourage all believers, irrespective of their classification, to pursue and allow the fullness of the Holy Spirit to flow through their lives, and in their local church so that all may become more effective witnesses of Christ (Acts 1:8). Examine the Scriptures and be bold as you respond to apostolic instruction (1 Cor. 14:1). Pursue, love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.

 

Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally-known author, consultant and theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence culture. He is the founding pastor of Resurrection Church, and leads several organizations, including The U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and Christ Covenant Coalition. Dr. Mattera is the author of 13 bestselling books, including his latest “The Purpose, Power and Process of Prophetic Ministry,” and is renowned for applying Scripture to contemporary culture.

Today’s Sermon

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The sermons for June 5th and 12th are now available on the New Life web site.

On June 5th, Margaret Baxter talked about Faith In the Furnace. Click here to listen in your browser, here to download the mp3.

On June 12th I talked about Baptism With Power. Click here to listen in your browser, here to download the mp3.

How To Hear God

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Many christians struggle with the issue of hearing the voice of God. Some have been wrongly taught that God doesn’t speak to us. Others believe that He does speak to us but still seem unable to hear.Whole books have been written on the topic whether it is framed in terms of “Hearing God” or “Guidance” (The latter term is often used by christians who don’t believe that God speaks to His people but still want to know how to discern the will of God.)

In the 1980’s I came across this little book and it revolutionised my spiritual walk. Mark Virkler simplifies the whole business of hearing God’s voice to a few easy steps and an important concept. 

The concept is this: God speaks to us in the flow of our thoughts more often than through an audible voice.

The steps to hearing God are simple

  1. Still your mind. When our brains are racing away with our own thoughts it is very hard to hear what God might want to say to us. Some people like to use the “Jesus Prayer” to help this process.Settle your breathing into a regular rhythm. As you breathe in say slowly “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God” and as you breathe out say “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
  2. Ask God a question. “What do you want to say to me?””What should I do about …?”
  3. Listen to the thoughts that go through your mind in response to the question. Write them down in a notebook or journal- this process of writing your thoughts is vital, because often we start to analyse what is being revealed, but that breaks the flow.
  4. When you finish, look back over what you have written and check if it agrees with Scripture, with the things happening in your life, with other things the Lord has shown you, and so on.

This is a wonderful method to help us hear God’s voice. Like many things in life, it may seem difficult at first but with practice the process of discerning God’s voice becomes more fluent.

Keys To Receive The Holy Spirit

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These keys for receiving the Holy Spirit are described in Mark Virkler’s book, “Overflow of the Spirit.” They are important for receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues, but also in our regular renewal or refilling of the Holy Spirit.

I believe also that these are important keys in praying for revival, community transformation and any personal breakthrough.

1. Believe. Hebrews 11:6 says “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Whatever we are praying for we must believe that God is wanting to give it to us. We are not talking about weak belief here but a deep trusting heart conviction that God is good and He blesses those who come to Him.

2. Desire. Do you really want more of the Holy Spirit? Do you really want revival? Are these things sweeter to you than ice cream on a hot day? Are you desperate for God to move?

3. Ask. It’s not enough to say “If it’s God’s will He will do it.” He partners with us and expects us to intercede for that which is important to us. James 2:2-3 says, “You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” We have to ask and make sure that our asking is done with the motive to honour the Lord.

4. Unity with our brothers and sisters. We must ensure that there is no hint of contempt or even hostility and quarrelling with our christian brothers and sisters. God will not overflow in those who are at odds with His family. Confess this sin and seek the Lord’s forgiveness.

5. Yield. Every part of my will, body and mind must be submitted to God and to His purposes. I must set aside every personal ambition, pride, self-direction and totally surrender myself to God. To receive tongues I must yield my tongue, mouth and mind to Him. For other breakthroughs I must let go of my personal ambitions, expectations and judgements.