The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

 

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

It is truly miraculous, how God used a handful of men, to turn the world upside down. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles, is a record of the many journeys of the apostles, as they took the gospel of Jesus Christ to many lands. Luke gives us a record of the birth of the early church, starting with the ascension of Christ, and continuing with the ministry of Christ’s twelve apostles, as well as, other apostles, like Paul, and James the Lord’s brother. God used ordinary men to accomplish his work. Peter, James, and John were uneducated fishermen, but God who looks upon the heart, chose them to establish his new church.

God is not impressed with theological degrees, or the popularity, or outward appearance of a person, God looks for humble vessels in which he may work through. The apostles worked many miracles by God’s Spirit, in order to give validation to the message in which they were entrusted. The sick were healed, demons were cast out, and the dead were raised, by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which they preached. God’s Word states, that these signs will follow them that believe.

Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

I am a non-denominational Christian with Pentecostal, as well as holiness beliefs. I am not affiliated with the Charismatic movement or the Pentecostal denominations. I do not approve of television evangelists, prosperity gospel teachers, or the many counterfeit revivals that produce demonic manifestations.

I'm an old school Christian that is not into Christian entertainment, but into God's Word. I believe that we are saved by God's Grace alone and Not by our works. However, many churches are Not teaching their people about sincere repentance and getting the sinful bondages out of their lives. After we are truly saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross we need to learn to Walk in the Spirit and bear good fruit (Gal 5). You cannot walk in the Spirit by your own merit. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that you are able to live an overcoming life and bear good fruit. You must turn the reins of your will and life over to God and let him refine you and make you into a reflection of him. If the Holt Spirit dwells within you then you must allow him to manifest the attributes of God. You can only put down sin in your life by surrendering to God's Spirit.

The true gifts of the Spirit, should be common place within the church today. A healthy church that teaches sound doctrine, will not quench God’s Spirit, but will allow God entrance to their services. God should not be put into a box, he should be allowed to speak, teach, as well as lead the service.

Many Spirit filled churches of 40 or 50 years ago, understood that they needed to let the Lord lead the service. They would earnestly pray and fast for God’s direction. I am 55 years old, and I remember the days when the majority of the Pentecostal churches still preached holiness, but today, many of them, have been snared by the lie of Calvinism. When the churches began to drift away from sound doctrine, the gifts of the Spirit ceased, or in some cases, were replaced by the demonic counterfeit experiences. God dwells in those, who are set apart from the world, God dwells in holy vessels. The Pentecostal movement, was birthed from the holiness churches of the turn of the twentieth century.

The Lord has spoken to me countless times, that many churches are either sick, or dead, and that is the reason why His glory (Spirit) is departing from them. A lukewarm church will be vomited out of God's mouth (Rev 3).

 The churches need to teach people the necessity of having both the fruit of the Spirit, as well as the gifts of the Spirit, in their lives. You cannot trust most pastors to teach you the truth of God’s Word, you must study the Bible for yourself. When you are taught God’s Word by the Holy Spirit, you will know the truth.

In order to live an overcoming Christian life in these dark times, it is essential that we be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, he is the third person of the Holy Trinity and he indwells us, as well as ministers to us. It is God’s will that we all experience the fullness of God and that is only possible by receiving his Spirit. The free gift of the Holy Spirit is given when you are truly saved. However, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second act of Grace, and is an immersion in power that is accompanied by spiritual gifts according to God's will and must be sought after by faith.

Acts 8:14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

There are examples within Scripture where the Spirit is given through the laying on of hands, but this is not the only way. One cannot put God in a box, this means that God does things his way and not according to man’s doctrines. Although there are many examples of the Spirit being given through the laying on of hands, the Apostles were filled with the Spirit in the house where they were seeking God.

My parents, both received the baptism in the Spirit while praying on their knees in their bedroom. At that time they had never heard of tongues, or Pentecostals. However they both felt a wind enter the bedroom and my Dad spoke in unknown tongues and my Mom interpreted. They were whole-heartedly seeking God and asking him for all that he had for them. My parents were later in the prophetic ministry for over thirty years and they witnessed many miracles done by God’s Spirit. The old time Pentecostals understood that you must seek after, as well as tarry for the Holy Spirit. This means that you don’t give up if you don’t immediately receive the baptism. A person must seek after the baptism earnestly with faith. You must surrender all to Christ and allow him to guide you and mold you into a vessel of honor.

If you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you will most certainly know it, for you will either feel God’s Spirit upon you, or you will experience one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. Most people speak in unknown tongues when they are filled with the Spirit, but not always. The evidence of the baptism in the Spirit is one or more of the gifts of the Spirit at work in your life. 1 Cor chapter twelve lists the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 12: 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

The gift of speaking in unknown tongues comes in two forms. There is a prayer language that benefits the believer only, and there is the giving of a message in tongues to an assembly that must be interpreted. Here are scriptures concerning the prayer language.

1 Cor 14:2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 1 Cor 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
The apostle Paul teaches that the gifts of the Spirit must be done in an orderly manner. 1 Cor 14: 26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Here are some more scriptures on the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

The Power of the Spirit in your Life!

 May 23, is Pentecost Sunday! On the Feast of Pentecost God poured out his Spirit upon his church and they were empowered to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The good news is that by the shed blood of Jesus Christ salvation came to' fallen mankind. The free gift of salvation can never be earned by our works, it is by Grace (unmerited favor) alone that we are saved. However, you must repent of your sins and truly make Christ the Lord of your life to inherit salvation. By the power of God's Spirit you learn to walk and bear good fruit (Galatians 5). You cannot walk in the Spirit by your own merit. It is the work of God's Spirit in your life that makes it possible for you to live an overcoming life full of good fruit. You must turn the reins of your will over to God and make the decision to fully surrender to His plan for your life.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

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My Wife's Dream of World War 3

 

May 7, 2021 (My Wife's Dream of World War 3)

Today, my wife had a dream of World War 3. She dreamed that we were standing on top of a large glass observation tower with many people. We were both looking out over the land when civil defense sirens started to wale. An announcement came over a loud speaker and said, "World War 3 has begun!" Then the sky was filled with smoke as far as the eye can see. After the smoke cleared there were many tanks from an invading military rolling across the land. We understood that the tanks were not going to shoot at us directly but were an occupying army. 

Several years ago, my wife dreamed of a Russian military convoy traveling on an American interstate. She saw a school bus filled with Russian children who came to teach us their ways. This was symbolic of a re-education program that our new invaders were planning on introducing.

As many of you know, I have also had dreams, visions, and words, about the coming occupation of America and WW3. A number of years ago, I dreamed that I was driving down a remote country road. I noticed a group of Martial artists practicing on the side of the road, I decided to pull over and watch them. I noticed that they were Chinese and were dressed in black. There were a large number of them and they were throwing punches. I then continued to drive until I entered a small town. On the outskirts of the town, I could see into the homes, as the Lord spoke to me. The Lord asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see violence Lord.” I witnessed husbands beating their wives, parents beating their children, as well as children beating their parents. I heard loud cursing going on within these homes. One man chased his son out into the front yard pulling on his arm, until it was pulled out of the socket. The Lord then spoke to me and said, “The violence within the land has come before me and I must put an end to it.” I then drove into a larger town and noticed a military convoy driving down the main street of the town. The soldiers were Chinese and there were tanks and other military vehicles in the convoy. I then entered a small grocery store. The owner of the store held his head down and looked very depressed. I asked him what was going on. He replied, “Don’t you know?” “The Chinese are our new taskmasters.”

Russia and China will occupy this land for a short period of time. Toward the end of the Great Tribulation there will be total nuclear destruction to be immediately followed by the return of Christ to establish God's Kingdom upon this earth. There will be some nuclear bombs used prior to the final battle. Many of the overcomers will be protected by God in wilderness locations during this time (Rev 12).

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

Isaiah 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.