THE FORGOTTEN GIFT

In my last blog titled “Do you know Him” I briefly explored the theme of having a conscious relationship with the Holy Spirit.   As I mentioned I started to ponder on this topic due to a short conversation our family was having regarding the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the conversation has placed me on a several weeks journey of going back to the WORD and rediscovering what the scriptures have to say about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

As I have combed the pages of scripture Old and New Testament I have asked myself several questions and am curious as to what others may think. Has the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit fallen out of our Western Christian church teaching? If so, why? Are we losing something important? How imperative is it to our Christian walk?  Have we redefined the term baptism in Holy Spirit in an attempt to correct what man perhaps has misunderstood or misinterpreted?

In my review of the WORD OF GOD I can say we are losing something vital. Why? Jesus last command to His disciples is to go out and be His witnesses carrying the message to the nations. But, He tells them they need to be equipped instructing them to stay in Jerusalem until they have been clothed in power from on high.  You see what the flesh cannot do the Spirit can do.  In other words what us human beings can’t reach in the natural can be reached with the Holy Spirit moving in us, through us and among us. 

Have you ever considered that before the disciples received the Holy Spirit they denied Jesus, they had unbelief, they questioned if He was the Messiah. We read after the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts this was not the case.  In fact it was quite the contrary they received power to witness and they went out with boldness declaring the Kingdom of God.

The Holy Spirit and His baptism is the antidote that conquers fear, doubt, insecurities and defies all our natural circumstances.

In the church of Ephesus where Apollos served as pastor (Acts 18:24-28) the scripture gives us a good sense of who this man was.

   Apollos was an eloquent man

   He was mighty in the Scriptures

   He was instructed in the ways of God

   He was fervent in spirit

   He taught the things of the Lord

   He knew only the baptism of John—Nothing about the baptism in the Spirit.

When Paul visited Ephesus he opened the door through which the Spirits power manifested itself. The gospel message was there but they had not received the Holy Spirit in power.  Paul comes lays hands on them they received the Holy Spirit and they revolutionize Ephesus.

What caused this revolution? It was not Paul it was the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through men.  

Can we experience this same revolution in our lives, homes, schools, community and workplaces? ……Absolutely!!

I am convinced today more than ever we the people of God need a fresh baptism in the Holy Spirit. Let us remember just like Peter, the word of the Lord, “John, indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in Holy Spirit. If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord who was I that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11: 16-17)

Let’s run after the forgotten gift and pray, come Holy Spirit baptize me again!!

DO YOU KNOW HIM?

I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine. Many years ago He came into my life and totally rocked my world. He is that  friend that makes you feel larger than life. You know the kind that when you are with him it seems that you have no need of anyone else. He is that person who constantly pours wisdom into your life and is able to correct you without wounding you.  His words are like a healing balm soothing the soul.  The fruit of joy, peace and love are byproducts of our relationship.  Yes, He is the beloved Holy Spirit.

Several weeks ago I was sitting in my living room and our family was having a conversation about the importance of the Holy Spirit and His infilling.  As I was listening I asked this question, do you make an effort to commune with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis? I know we all pray and have relationship with the Triune God but I mean do you intentionally pray in the Spirit? The answers varied some said not as much as I use too, or no I don’t but I should.  The consensus was we should have a relationship with the Holy Spirit and like every relationship it should be cultivated.

After the conversation I started to go down memory lane and pondered on the day the Holy Spirit filled me to overflow. I was bound, weak and troubled and in an instance I was free, joyful and walking in a power I had never experienced before.  My spirit man was alive my prayer life excelled and walking in HIM was just easier than it had been before. 

Before you start running to conclusions and say she is one of those tongue  talking women I want you to know I am not necessarily talking about praying in tongues. We need to get out of our minds the baptism of the Holy Spirit equals tongues that is just an all to common misunderstanding. However, I will tell you I believe in the gift of tongues and I believe it is for today and I believe it’s for everyone.

The questions that I had to ask myself as I pondered on the day of my infilling were these:

1.    If the filling of the Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father then why not receive it.  (Luke 11: 11-13Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a -snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

2.    If it’s a specific event as scripture is clear in telling us then I need to experience it.  (See Act 19 1-7, and that is just one of many)

3.    If being filled with the Holy Spirit thrusts us into relationship with Him then I must continue it.

This third point is what I want to emphasize if the infilling of the Spirit  thrusts us into relationship with Him then we must nurture it until we see Him face to face.

If you, like myself and some of the members of my family may have in one sense or the other neglected the relationship I want to encourage you to reignite the flame.  Or if you are reading this blog and you have no idea what I am talking about and need a life changing experience then ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill you.

Let’s pray and stand on the truth of the WORD of God,

“Fill me know afresh. Lord, wake up in me that which has grown faint. Revive my being with your refreshing power. In Jesus Name.”

I leave you with these beautiful words from CH Sprugeon :

Common, too common is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. He deserves well at our hands, for he is good, supremely good. As God, he is good essentially. He shares in the threefold ascription of Holy, holy, holy, which ascends to the Triune Jehovah. Unmixed purity and truth, and grace is he. He is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness, striving with our rebellious wills; quickening us from our death in sin, and then training us for the skies as a loving nurse fosters her child. How generous, forgiving, and tender is this patient Spirit of God. He is good operatively. All his works are good in the most eminent degree: he suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in all the world of which he is not the author and sustainer, and heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to his work. He is good officially; whether as Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, Quickener, or Intercessor, he fulfils his office well, and each work is fraught with the highest good to the church of God. They who yield to his influences become good, they who obey his impulses do good, they who live under his power receive good. Let us then act towards so good a person according to the dictates of gratitude. Let us revere his person, and adore him as God over all, blessed for ever; let us own his power, and our need of him by waiting upon him in all our holy enterprises; let us hourly seek his aid, and never grieve him; and let us speak to his praise whenever occasion occurs. The church will never prosper until more reverently it believes in the Holy Ghost. He is so good and kind, that it is sad indeed that he should be grieved by slights and negligences. ^[1]

Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening: Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.).

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