WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST!
Just a word before you read this. This is NOT a "Faith Movement" ministry that promotes a hyped up, counterfeit type of revival that worships "signs and wonders." What I advocate is 100% Biblical, and authentic Christianity. However, many have grown allergic to and even demonized the authentic work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Some Pentecostal/ Charismatic ministries have accentuated the gifts of the Spirit to the point of worshipping the creation above the creator. At that point, the Devil is more than happy to send in the counterfeit experience that many hawk as though God's Spirit were some kind of commodity, of which any power hungry adept can simply buy a franchise. They erroneously equate the work of God's Spirit with personal success and "prosperity." That type of blasphemy is doing exactly what the Devil wants to do: hijack, and defuse the authentic work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Marginal, immature Christians look at these "fools" prancing around on TV and rightly equate their bizarre practices (slaying many in the "spirit", speaking in tongues etc.) as psychotic or even occultic behavior. Those that have institutionalized and attempt to force manifestations of the Holy Spirit, are mostly faking them or worse yet, manifesting evil spirits.
Don't get me wrong...Jesus is the same "yesterday, today and tomorrow, Jesus can and does work miracles everyday in the lives of believers. The gifts have not yet "ceased," as many now preach. BUT, the abuses have caused many to be turned off to the deeper things of God and His real power available for every believer. Marginal believers fear becoming hijacked by this sort of "crazy" experience and then hold God off at arm's length. The effect is to not pursue God and His Presence, as all believers should. The abuses in the Faith Movement/ counterfeit revival, has discouraged many believers from seeking their complete Biblical inheritance in the Spirit that allows us to dwell and abide IN Christ and Him in us! Many have simply thrown out the baby with the bathwater due to these abuses! Please realize that many famous Evangelical believers sought after, received and then preached about the spiritual Baptism found in Jesus Christ alone necessary for ALL believers, as my first quote by Oswald Chambers thoroughly exemplifies.
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Chapter three of "Jesus Is Our Dwelling Place":
We Need the Holy Ghost to fill our temples
“Our Lord does not mean that our lives will be free from external difficulties and uncertainties, but just as He knew the Father’s heart and mind, we too can be lifted by Him into heavenly places through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, so that He can reveal the teachings of God to us... Just as Jesus stood unblemished and pure in the presence of His Father, we too by the mighty power and effectiveness of the baptism in the Holy Spirit can be lifted into that relationship-- “...that they may be one just as We are One...”” (John 17:22)
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, May 29
The day was the dedication of Solomon’s Temple The priests had sanctified and dedicated it to the Lord, and the Lord showed up and filled His temple with His mighty Presence. As 120 priests and musicians, played as one before the Lord, the glory of His Presence fell upon them and filled the entire Temple with His glory. The Lord immersed the Temple in His Glory! This was a foreshadowing of how we also would one day be filled with the overwhelming glory of His Presence! Since Pentecost, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is how He now immerses His temples, and it is only His Presence that can sanctify His temples, just like Solomon's Temple. The Holy Spirit is our direct link to Jesus– our power source and our strength. We need to be empowered for life and for service to Him through His baptism and the ongoing filling of His Holy Spirit. The disciples were instructed to “...wait for the promise of the Father, which saith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:4,5)
Not Till I See Nail Holes!
It really tries my biblical patience when I hear certain preachers talking about the pre-Resurrection / pre-Pentecost disciples with respect and adulation. Although I can relate to the disciple’s severe human foibles, I don’t find there to be anything in them prior to the Resurrection and Pentecost, that I particularly admire, except that Jesus had chosen them. It is only after Pentecost, when they actually got filled with Jesus’ presence– then I see something in them that is admirable and powerful that I want in my own life.
There is no doubt that these men that got to walk with Jesus, had seen and experienced the greatest wonders and miracles ever seen by man. But did they really know before they personally experienced His resurrection, ascension and the day of Pentecost, just exactly who they were following? “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Phillip?” Jn 14:9. This was Jesus’ response to Philip’s bone headed request that Jesus, “show us the Father and it is sufficient for us!” (Philip said this, having witnessed untold miracles and wonders! It still wasn’t enough for Him!) Jesus responded With great sadness and compassion, revealing the deepest truth about who He is! “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” Jn 14:9. The disciples truly didn’t even understand at that late point, that: Jesus is God, “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead BODILY!” Colossians 2:9. Would they have been able before the resurrection to truly abide in Jesus and spread the gospel, without the fire and indwelling of Pentecost... receiving the promised “power from on high.” Could they have even desired to continue to follow Jesus without the promised Comforter? How could they have all abandoned Jesus if they really were truly Christians? It is quite clear that the disciples would not have been worth a footnote in the sands of time nor would we even have the gospels, had it not been for them experiencing the “power of His resurrection” and the fire and indwelling of His precious Holy Ghost. I strongly believe that this is more than proof that without the power of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost, we are not available for service to God.
After His crucifixion and burial, the disciples were all devastated and worthless. They were swimming in doubt, fear and unbelief in the Upper Room and in spite of the rapturous report of the disciples who had spoken to the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus, the disciples were yet dumbfounded and numb. When Jesus appeared to them, they were in shock! They couldn’t believe who they were seeing! Jesus had to show them His wounds! Thomas even had to put his fingers inside of His wounds, before he could believe! This, all despite the fact that Jesus had prophesied all about that day:
“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. "At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Jn 14:19-21
The disciples didn’t really know who Jesus was, despite the fact that Jesus had proclaimed to them that He is the Resurrection and the Life.” Jn. 11:25. as He raised Lazarus from the dead. He more than let on to them that He is God, in whom all the power of God dwells. If the disciples remembered what Jesus said about Himself at all, they probably figured that since Christ was dead, all bets were off... that His promises were not true... that since He was dead, they would just die too! Reality had come crashing down and there was suddenly no more fantasying about who would be greater in the kingdom! I’m sure that their minds were in torment with the reality of His death and what would now happen to them if the authorities found them. They couldn’t even begin to imagine what surprise, wonder and mercy lay just ahead for them!!!
The disciples that were on their way to Emmaus had already received the revelation of who they had been walking and talking with, at the moment that He broke bread with them. Jesus revealed Himself to them (when He broke the bread) through that which had been a Passover prophecy of His sacrifice for over 1500 years. They knew on the road, that there was something special about Him and the words that He had spoken to them but they were in such deep grief, doubt and disillusion that they could not see that it was Jesus, until He decided to reveal Himself to them! What a merciful God we serve, for although we don’t deserve Him, He reveals Himself to us because He knows how badly we need Him. It was not a coincidence that Jesus revealed Himself as He broke the bread for His disciples. Jesus was revealing His divine nature and reminding them that He is our total provision. Jesus is the Bread of Life and God’s precious sacrificial Lamb, the total fulfillment of the law and the prophets!
It seems very clear to me that the 12 disciples prior to Pentecost, even resemble the brothers of Joseph. Who himself was a foreshadowing of our Jesus. He was one that was rejected by his own as well. Joseph was the “scapegoat,” sold and banished by his brothers. A dozen losers except for Joseph! So were the 12 disciples. They fully epitomized common man, which is undoubtedly a major reason as to why the disciples were chosen by Jesus. They weren’t without some redeeming qualities I’m sure, but Jesus chooses those that really need Him, those who are desperate for the Savior! Those who are perfect in their own eyes, have no need of the Savior. Our Great Physician is seeking those woo know they are ill, not those who profess their own wellness. Our Master calls the outcasts... the ones who others won’t esteem. He chooses those especially, whom the world rejects! Our Lord suffered the ultimate rejection at the hands of those whom He loved!
Before the disciples could fully serve our resurrected Jesus, they had to be baptized in the Holy Ghost. These were men that were ready to give up, men who had fled from Jesus. The only thing that brought them together in the upper room was the deep guilt from denying Him and the desperate grief of losing such a special leader, in such a hideous manner. Each in their own way had abandoned our Savior. Peter denied Jesus quite easily and repeatedly to save his own skin, while His Master WILLINGLY submitted to torture and crucifixion for Peter’s sins. Tell me that it didn’t take a supernatural healing to get past that guilt! But how many times have we done the same thing – Jesus has never stopped loving and restoring us? He is so good to us!
The women who first saw that the stone had been rolled away from the empty tomb and then heard the angelic proclamation of Christ’ resurrection, must have experienced every possible emotion known to man! Peter ran down to see for himself if his Lord was really alive! Peter was probably more afraid that His body had been stolen and I’m sure that the others were in shock when the women said that angels had proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead. The women’s report “astonished” (more like “shocked”) the disciples. I don’t mean to demean the disciples but only to show the distinct difference between the disciples before and after His Resurrection, His Ascension and His Pentecost.
Somewhere between the Resurrection and Pentecost, these men learned (by divine revelation) to truly “die to self, to take up their cross and follow Jesus.” Before this deep and personal revelation they were yet incomplete and not available to be used by Jesus! Jesus had chosen them to show us that His strength does show up best in less than ordinary, weak people. This spiritual truth is definitely meant to “confound” the wise who may wish to think that Jesus had assembled an already perfect team of men who would shake the world. In God’s own way, they were perfectly imperfect subjects, the first chosen to be changed into His image– that His glory would clearly shine through man– for we all deeply need the Savior to amount to anything! We must desire to “do all things (only) through Christ who is our strength’!! The disciples had heard the most marvelous words ever spoken and walked daily, with our God who has made the universe. Though they loved Him to some extent and confessed Him as being “the Messiah, Son of the Living God”– were they completely ready to receive Jesus as personal Savior, God and Lord until they had seen Him resurrected in person?
I think that an important earlier watershed moment came as Jesus “breathed on them, and said unto them, RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST!!!” This is known as “John’s Pentecost” as it appears in John 20:22. Until that time, was it impossible to be truly “born again”? It certainly was possible to be forgiven and yes; to repent and be born again and follow Jesus. It was obviously possible to receive some specific impartation of the Holy Ghost from Jesus even before He ascended because the Holy Ghost was in Him, to impart as He desired, but the full immersion wasn’t going to be available to them until He had ascended and sent the full Fire of Pentecost to them. (I believe that this describes a major portion of Christians today. They have been "breathed upon" [born again] but have not received the fullness [baptism] in the Spirit). Had Jesus ever breathed the Holy Ghost on them before? I would venture to say that they had all been somewhat affected by the ministry of Christ’s Spirit for quite sometime, for “flesh and blood” cannot reveal anything eternal or spiritual to man. It is only through His Spirit and His truth. They all had had some kind of partial spiritual revelation prior to the crucifixion but obviously not enough to continue on serving the Lord of Glory after His ascension. (that’s what happens to allot of new converts, which is why we must disciple them to receive the power of the Baptism) I believe that when Jesus breathed on them, He sealed them and marked them as His, as He does with all new believers but the real life changing power and overflowing gusher that was promised, was yet to come. The Lord thoroughly prepared His vessels by sanctifying them with His truth and sealing them with His Holy Spirit. The new wine skins were now in place so that they could receive the New Wine. He then told them to “WAIT,” to receive His power; the infusion of the baptism, His river of living water. This power is for all believers!! You’re cheating yourself if you don’t think so. “For the promise (remission of sins and power of the Holy Spirit) is to you and to your children, AND TO ALL WHO ARE AFAR OFF, as many as the Lord will call. Acts 2:39. Peter was speaking prophetically for future generations! If you are reading or hearing this, you too have been called by Jesus to receive restoration to God and the free gift of His Holy Spirit. The promise is being extended to you as well!
Think of the transformation that occurred in these disciples in the period of about 50 days! It didn’t happen as a result of going to seminary or phsycho-babel self help disciplines. God alone did the finishing work within them. These guys went from being despicable (from despicable to disciple) to being truly empowered “little Christs.” That’s what the name “Christian” really means. They went from being pathetic losers that could abandon their loving Lord at His worst hour, to men of integrity and power and love. All within 50 days! Mighty men, super men if you will, that burned brightly as beacons of God’s power and His message of Jesus our redeemer. But... these guys had to see the nail prints and His pierced side to fully believe that He was who He claimed to be but Jesus said; “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed’. (John 20:29) That’s us!! At least it can be you, if you only ask Him! Jesus’ disciples were failures in one way or another. Some were bigger losers than others prior to the Resurrection and Pentecost, but the fact that He chose them tells me that there is room at the cross for all of us and that we all can be transformed and empowered in His Holy Ghost! Only those that seek Him will find Him. And only those that wait on Him and want the fullness and power of His Holy Ghost, will receive His baptism and be used to His greatest potential and God’s glory!
The most glorious thing about the Upper Room appearance of the risen Christ is the inward revelation to His disciples of who He really is. Until then, they had a certain amount of belief but beginning in the Upper Room, by seeing, experiencing and worshiping Jesus in His glorified body, those disciples afterward began to know the presence of Jesus within themselves. The word “awe” and “surprise,” cannot even begin to capture the disciple’s reactions when they saw the risen Christ for the first time, after what they had been through. Emotionally, they had just been through the worlds most intense roller coaster ride. They had walked with Him and learned His sayings but had not really known deep within themselves, just who this Jesus really was, (although they may have said it) nor did they know His glorious presence and power within themselves! Little did they know that within 50 days they would all be transformed into powerful dynamos, filled with His Presence and power– fearless and able to reproduce disciples. What had made this reproducing possible? It was the deep impartation of the life changing power of His resurrection and the dynamic infilling of His Pentecost Power!.
Without the “enduement from on high,” they would have been a rag-tag shack of an edifice but in obedience to our Lord’s command, they waited “to receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them,” and instead, 120 disciples became new Temples of His Holy Ghost fire! The Lord promised that:
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” Jn 14:23
The disciples had known all about Jesus prior to His resurrection but yet they didn’t really KNOW Him deep down inside, nor who He really was (El Shaddai, Yahweh, Jehovah Jireh, etc.). Though they had seen His wonders, His miracle power, His loving kindness and righteousness, they really hadn’t yet experienced His glorious power within themselves... not the overwhelming, life changing power that the Lord has intended for ALL of His sons and daughters! So what had happened to that tribe of disciples that so transformed them all within the time frame of 50 days? They were first brought to complete repentance ( from fear, doubt, unbelief and treason) after our risen Lord had revealed Himself and the “power of His resurrection” to them in the Upper Room. It was there that the inner revival and regeneration began for them. They suddenly deeply realized that all that Jesus had told them about Himself was true! They began to trust Him in a way in which they had never trusted anyone before. The Lord was preparing them to be holy vessels of His Presence. Jesus was preparing them to become His Dwelling Place, His Temples! Jesus had commanded them to wait to receive the Helper:
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Jn 14:26
Perhaps you’re like the pre-Pentecost even pre-resurrection disciples who didn’t really know yet who Jesus really is. Perhaps you’re going through the motions, and pretending that you are abiding in Jesus but you’re really not! Perhaps you’ve never really known His loving Presence way down deep inside of you and you’ve never experienced the blessed assurance of His Comforter. I’ll tell you what’s standing in the way- it’s you! Only your preconceived ideas, formulas, methods, religious notions and PRIDE, separate you from knowing Jesus and the power of His resurrection and His powerful indwelling presence. You must be willing to lay your whole life down for Him. Realize that the disciples that shook the world for Jesus, were of NO great use to Him until AFTER Pentecost. That without Pentecost, the church would not have been born! I am not telling you to seek any particular gift except the gift that Jesus has promised to ALL of His disciples. The baptism in His Holy Ghost is not meant to be an option for believers. His baptism is meant to last forever and be ongoing. “Be ye filled,” is a command that can happen daily as we commune with Jesus. Jesus longs to continually fill His Temples with His awesome Presence and reveal Himself to us in ever deepening measure!
Oswald Chambers has anointed insight, that through the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” we have our “first realization” of the awesome presence of God within us and begin to understand the depths of Jesus Christ.
“The only possible way to have full understanding of the teachings of Jesus is through the light of the Holy Spirit of God shining in us. If we have never had the experience of taking our casual, religious shoes off our casual, religious feet--- getting rid of all the excessive informality with which we approach God--- it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His Presence.” 13 (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Jan 3rd)
The Lord made it extremely clear that His followers would not be endued with the power of the baptism in the Holy Ghost, until He had ascended to heaven. “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you...Howbeit when He the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak.” (John 16:7,13) The Lord said “...ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8) KJV
Is it the Lord’s will for us all to be baptized in the Holy Ghost? Is this something that was strictly historical, meant only for the early church? Was the Fire of Pentecost a one time event that covered us all? These questions are quickly answered by both sides on this important issue. Unfortunately, only one side can possibly be correct. My study of the scriptures and my personal experience have led me to the only obvious conclusion: that which happened to the early church, can indeed happen to us. “For the promise (of the Spirit) is unto you, and to all your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:39) We each need the personal infilling of Pentecost! Acts 2:39, is a direct answer to those cessationist scoffers that would say that Pentecost was a strictly historical experience, meant only to initially jump start the church. It is God’s will for everyone who receives Jesus as Savior and Lord, to also receive the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. Christ’ Baptism is not synonymous nor “automatic” with salvation, though their is an impartation of the Spirit when anyone repents and receives Christ as Savior. We most certainly receive the full potential of the indwelling Holy Ghost when we are born again, just like a newborn has received the full potential to become a brain surgeon or professional athlete, but that infant doesn’t instantly walk in his full potential does he? Now the difference in that analogy is that whereas a baby takes years to develop, a person can make great strides in the Spirit, (it is biblically possible to receive the Baptism at conversion) depending upon their faith and consumption of the word. The Lord can’t pour the fullness of His Holy Ghost into old (unsanctified) wineskins!
Even famous evangelicals like Oswald Chambers, Dr. Charles Finney and D.L. Moody, knew better than do the modern cessationists! I believe that a lack of teaching and a disbelief in our need for His empowerment, (filled with the power and presence of Jesus) has hamstrung a vast majority of believers. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a biblical imperative, not a cultish experience relegated to a few “crackpots.” (Remember that standers-by that witnessed Pentecost, thought they were all drunk!) Although, God would prefer to keep constantly refilling a few “cracked pots” than to try to pour His Most Precious Holy Spirit into a sealed vessel. His desire is that as vessels of His Presence, we all be broken and spilled out, over and over again, much in the same way the woman in Luke chapter 7 poured out her precious ointment and her own tears onto the Lord. The Lord will pour Himself into us as we pour ourselves out on Him in adoration and worship!
To be empowered from on high, is to know His preeminence in our every day lives. The different manifestations that may occur, (speaking in tongues, drunkenness, prophesying, singing, shouting, dancing, etc.) may happen when God pours out His Spirit on receptive believers but is usually not as overwhelming as what happened in the 2nd Chapter of Acts. These manifestations should not be our goal or our focus and should never be a measurement of God’s presence in us. The manifestations of the Spirit have received too much focus in our time. All of the gifts are still in operation but I can’t absolutely proclaim that it’s God’s will for everyone to speak in tongues, though like the Apostle Paul, I wish that every Christian did (in private). We all receive different gifts but we don’t all have the same gifts. Very few disciples receive the office or ministry of prophetic tongues. Though the Apostle Paul said, “I wish that you all spoke in tongues.” Now, that is probably not in reference to the office of tongues, which is a much rarer gift. He is probably desiring that everyone would speak in a private prayer tongue, which is for the purpose of intercession and self-edification. Although I certainly encourage all the gifts, the gift of tongues, prophecy, and healing are practically worshiped in some ministries. The gifts have been given to us, so that we would give glory and focus to Jesus, so that the church would be edified. The gifts are not to be worshiped or showcased themselves. The effect has been that in some churches the gifts have become an idolatrous, out-of-control fixation and in other churches, fear of the gifts and offending others, has caused a spirit of control that shuts down the supernatural all together. Both extreme scenarios quench the Spirit. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.”
Many evangelicals are familiar with the 19th century ministry of Dr. Charles Finney. What many evangelicals have no knowledge of, is Dr. Finney’s teaching and His advocacy of being Baptized in the Holy Ghost, not just once, but whenever needed. Dr. Finney was the primary voice of his time to describe a second experience after being born again that He identified as the biblical based, Baptism in the Holy Spirit. One of the most powerful and well respected EVANGELICAL ministers of the past two hundred years; Dr. Charles Finney, was the grandfather of the modern Pentecostal movement!!! In Finney’s own words:
“Subsequently to these scenes will occur other periods of intense desire for new baptisms of the Spirit and for a new ascent upon the heights of the divine life. This is to be the course of things so long at least as we remain in the flesh, and perhaps forever....Oh, this everlasting progress- this is indeed the blessedness of heaven!” 14 (Finney, Gospel Themes, pp. 412-13)
Dr. Finney’s writings reveal that he deeply believed and experienced that Christians needed, not only one baptism but “new and continual baptisms in the Holy Spirit” (we now call the “anointing”), “to enable us “to maintain and deepen the believer’s life of holiness” Finney noted in 1840 that “new trials may call for fresh baptisms of the Spirit” (anointing) because “in this life, believers were never out of danger” and that “renewed temptation calls for fresh and more powerful baptisms in the Holy Spirit.” If the church ever needed this teaching, it is now, in these desperate times!
Many of God’s great servants, sought and received a new and deeper relationship with Jesus. Perhaps these servants didn’t know that it was the baptism in the Holy Spirit that they had waited and sought the Lord for. Many great men of God were brought to the end of that which they could naturally deal with and found that they had to get fresh power and strength from the Lord. This was what happened to D.L. Moody in the year of the great Chicago fire, when he lost his home and his church. Moody was as challenged as a man can be, and then went through what he called a second conversion. The Lord allows all of His children to undergo great trials that are meant to break us, purify us and lead us to a deeper well from which to drink. I venture to say that what Moody experienced, was a closer encounter with Jesus, through His Holy Spirit. There are some that called it the second blessing. Many of these great men of God didn’t worry at all about semantics, they just preached the truth in God’s word about needing more and more of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the truth is that the Holy Spirit desires more and more of us. It is our brokenness (a deeper realization of our need for Jesus) and repentance that allows the Spirit to fill us to a greater measure!
F. B. Meyer is another of these anointed men of God. He had an important impact on the life of Oswald Chambers. In F. B. Meyer’s sermon called “The Chambers of the King,” he describes vividly how it is that all Christians come to a place where they discover that they need a greater filling of the Holy Spirit:
“Many of us have lately been startled to find that we have been content with too little of the Holy Spirit. There has been enough throne-water to cover the stones in the river bed, but not to fill it’s channel. Instead of occupying all, our gracious guest has been confined to one or two back rooms of our hearts; as a poor housekeeper is sometimes put in to keep a mansion, dwelling in attic or cellar; while the suites of splendid apartments are consigned to dust-sheets and cobwebs, shuttered, dismantled, and locked.
Each Christian has the Holy Spirit; but each Christian needs more and more of Him, until the whole nature is filled. Nay, it would be truer to say, the Holy Spirit wants more and more of us. Let us ask our Heavenly Father to give us of His Spirit in ever enlarging measures; and as we ask, let us yield ourselves incessantly to His indwelling and in working. Then let us believe that we are filled, not because we feel it, but because we are sure that God is keeping His word with us: ‘Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water.’
It is true that the filling of the Spirit involves separation, a giving up, going apart, which is keenly bitter to the flesh. The filling of Pentecost is a baptism of fire. But there is joy amid the flames as the bonds shrivel, and the limbs are free, and the Son of God walks beside.” F.B. Meyer
Oswald Chambers was a mighty man of God that struggled deeply, even during his Christian education with his own salvation. Chambers called his early inner struggle “hell on earth.” He thought that he would lose his mind until he too, had a life changing experience in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. Chambers became a great man of God, due only to this life changing event that filled him with God’s presence and assurance. It is clear to me that Oswald Chambers received the power of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. It is quite evident in his writings that He had a powerful anointing and really heard from God! He went from being a defeated young man, possibly headed for an insane asylum, to a powerful man of God. (Always remember that God’s strength shows up BEST in weak people!) His writings most certainly reveal the power and presence of Jesus in his life that is only possible through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Whether Chambers or Moody ever spoke of their experience in the currently recognized semantics, is not the point. They both went on in the power of the Holy Spirit, to win thousands to Jesus and the legacy of their ministries, still does! And they spoke boldly of the need for each believer to be filled with the Holy Spirit!
I believe that some have received the Baptism that don’t fully realize what has happened to them, nor completely understand the biblical significance. They simply wanted a closer and deeper walk with God. They pressed in, emptied themselves by taking up their cross, surrendered, waited on the Lord, and He filled them! They went on to realize that they had a deeper love for Jesus and it is very obvious that they were mightily empowered! (Finney, F.B. Meyer, Chambers, Wesley, Spurgeon and many others) Many of these people kept the extent of their experiences to themselves. After all, the manifestation is not what is to be sought by the humble seeker, but rather a new and fresh empowerment and presence of the Lord. “Seek the Lord and HIS strength; seek HIS face evermore! (Ps. 105:4) Let us go back to examine further, the abandon that many of these men had for Jesus by seeking and receiving a mighty in filling of the Holy Spirit!
John Wesley was a mighty man of God and was used by Him in great ways. He had the privilege to preach to nearly 50,000 people a week during his ministry! This was in the 1700’s! From his sermons “On the Holy Spirit,” comes this jewel about spiritual discernment:
“The Holy Spirit has enabled men to speak with tongues and to prophesy, but the light that most necessarily attends it is a light to discern the fallacies of flesh and blood, to reflect the irreligious maxims of the world, and to practice those degrees of trust in God and love to men, whose foundation is not so much in the present appearances of things, as in some that are yet to come.” 16 John Wesley
There is also however today, the counterfeit. A different kind of preacher with the same spirit of Simon the magician, that want the power without the holiness; that want the “charisms” without the character of Christ in their heart. Don’t be scared off by some modern eccentric preachers before you discover what God wants for all of His children. Far too many current charismatic ministries have over-stressed the importance of speaking in tongues or being slain in the Spirit, and needing that as immediate evidence, as if it were some kind of spiritual merit badge or rite of passage for both the recipient and that ministry. These manifestations may happen to some, but there are those that try to force or coerce: tongues, miracles, and being slain etc. For some ministries it has become a religious fixation, designed to validate their ministry as having great power and deserving of a great following (validation). This can become the focus, instead of Jesus and a deep exposition of God’s word, the crucifying of the flesh and an intimate and loving walk with Jesus that forever changes one’s life. Many of these ministries barely teach the basics (milk) of His word. Instead they accentuate the hype. Many of these ministries revolve every sermon around “prosperity” and sound more like infomercials than gospel preachers. We live in an era of superstar “evangelists,” some that prance around like crazy rock stars, puffed up with their own importance and filled with greed. They justify their cries and demands for money with unbalanced and heavy teachings that will profit them and enhance their image. I want to see Jesus! I don’t want to listen to a preacher who is just performing or ranting and raving without any true work of the cross in them. I am not desiring to see a false humility either, but it’s not that hard to spot a phony. Even most non-Christians can identify the performing phonies! There is a subtle difference at times between a preacher under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and one under the influence of a religious spirit. A “religious spirit,” will operate on a preacher that is full of “hype and methods” who may also have a tendency to be theatrical. “Charisma in America has a stomach for hype... a growing majority of charismatics relish sensational packaging and overlook the absence of a true work of the Spirit” 17 (Mario Murillo; “Fresh Fire” p.52)
The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to glorify Himself, not the specific acts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has not come to glorify Himself, though He is the very presence of Jesus within us. I hear some ministers praying to the Holy Spirit in such a way as to indicate that He is the focus rather than Jesus. In some ministries I hear them preach the cross in such a way as to glorify it, rather than Jesus. By all means, we must embrace the work that Jesus did on the cross as we lay the foundation of repentance but then move on and embrace the Master Himself, who did all the work for us on that wretched tree. It is not the cross that I fellowship with but rather the Lord Jesus Himself! No one is redeemed by having a relationship with the cross but lives are changed daily by embracing our loving Jesus!
There is a growing move of the Spirit to cleanse His temple from idolatry, in particular the inordinate focus on bizarre manifestations, as opposed to focus on the word and holiness. There are great men of God like Mario Murillo, that have staked their ministries to say that: “This is a solemn warning to everyone that speaks in tongues. We must repent and be rebaptized in the Holy Spirit so that we have a legitimate authority to do the true work of God.” 17 (Mario Murillo; “Fresh Fire”) Mario may not be using the correct lingo, but he is making a courageous proclamation; that much of the current “Charismatic movement,” is in gross error and needs to repent before a new outpouring can occur for them. Another part of the modern Pentecostal movement is forsaking the preaching of the Full Gospel of Jesus and becoming like many of the watered down “seeker” oriented churches that compromise the word and have little or no Spirit. I discern that God has sent a “leanness” of Spirit (like He did to ancient Israel) to many churches that are failing to call people to repentance and fail to worship the Lord in “Spirit and in truth.” I am not at all denouncing all manifestations of the work of the Spirit. I believe that what happened on Pentecost can most certainly happen today. We are going to see strange and wonderful effects of the work of the Spirit. We are going to see people shake and jump, dance and fall under the power of God’s Spirit but we must be aware and discerning of when it is real and when it is a contrived ritual of some sort.
A few of the ministries that err on the side of “charismania,” have become so obviously soulish, bizarre, decadent and eccentric as to easily chase away all but the wackiest and eccentric of followers. While there are a few false and dangerous “Holy Ghost” counterfeits in operation, there are many genuine, loving, balanced, Spirit filled and powerful fellowships that preach the Full Gospel without compromise. It is time for true prophets to boldly call the errant ministers to repentance. There is error and unbalanced teaching in some charismatic churches but let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water! No matter where we are in our walk with Jesus, there is a higher place where He wants to take us. We all need a deeper baptism and daily anointing in His Holy Ghost, but it won’t happen without repentance and turning away from errant doctrines and sinful indulgences (IDOLS)!
In some circles, there are gifts that have been over accentuated and idolized. “Tongues,” is the most controversial. It has not ceased, but I do not find anywhere in the Bible that speaking in tongues is a mandatory sign that one has received the Baptism. I do believe that all of the 120 disciples on Pentecost, did speak in tongues, (Acts 2:4) but we must not insist on or cajole the manifestation. (We are NOT the Holy Ghost– we are NOT God. We MUSTN'T try to assume His role, [we’re NOT God] for He will not abdicate HIS own glory or role to anyone). We don’t know for sure if all of those afterward also spoke in tongues. They possibly displayed a different manifestation such as prophesying, having visions or just falling down drunk in the Spirit. I am definitely not against speaking in tongues. Perhaps some of them just manifested a holy lifestyle as all baptized believers should! Regardless, we must not assume that thereafter they always spoke in tongues as the only true sign that they had received the baptism. Many have gotten dogmatically assuming about the book of Acts and proclaim that everyone must speak in tongues as “evidence” of having been baptized. We are all instructed to receive the Holy Spirit but there is no commandment that we all must speak in tongues. Making tongues a necessary “sacrament,” institutionalizes how the Spirit is supposed to work and that isn’t possible. We cannot tell God how He is going to work! I have known of several people, including myself that prayed to receive the baptism and did eventually have a prayer language, months later. But, I would never say that everyone must speak in tongues. Because there is nothing in the scripture that says that we must all speak in tongues, we should not focus on it as integral to the baptism but as something that may happen. What we should focus on as integral to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, is a brokenness and willingness to totally surrender every area of our lives to Him. He can only completely fill a vessel that has been thoroughly cleansed.
When we receive Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit, we may also receive the overwhelming fullness of the Baptism right then as well but we receive neither without repentance! The baptism is possible, only as we repent and surrender much more of ourselves to Him. Some are ready vessels right when they repent and receive Him, others may not be immediately ready. Only Jesus knows! Jesus is eager and waiting to fill His temples with His glory but we are the ones who throw up the roadblocks. We want things our way, which is at the heart of our selfish natures. He cannot fill us with that kind of disposition. The true baptism of the Holy Spirit starts with repentance, brokenness and complete abandonment to Him. We need to realize how desperate we are for Him before He can fill us. It could be said that He needs and requires more of us before we can be thoroughly filled. We should let people know that they may sense something different happening in themselves but we should never insist upon it or try to coach it or demand some standardized manifestation (tongues) as the only sign of the baptism! Some gifts can and will manifest spontaneously! The greatest fruit of being baptized in the Spirit, has been an ongoing, deeper revelation of Jesus. In recent years as I have allowed more of my flesh to be exposed and crucified, I have also experienced a more intimate walk with Him and His glorious anointing in many different situations. The apostle Paul said, “I die daily.” It is only through the work of the cross in us, that we may experience the pure joy and glory of His presence. Jesus said “But you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” I wasn’t ready for a greater filling until fifteen years after I first received Jesus. This delay was my fault. We all need to wait on Jesus for His baptism. We all need His power! When I initially received the baptism, I immediately knew that I was connected to Jesus in a much deeper way, which I could not explain. I knew that I would never be the same!
In the ministry that flowed in the years after Pentecost, it was very obvious to the disciples when people received the power of the baptism. In the earliest church, I venture to say that many did speak in tongues, but they also prophesied and had visions while some may just have fallen flat on their backside in pure ecstasy!! This is first century Christianity and it can happen the same today, there is no such thing as the “cessation of the gifts.” The gifts will be done away with only when we see the giver, face to face. There is massive neglect and denial on the one side and some that over-emphasize and even idolize the gifts on the other. How ‘bout some biblical balance? When we keep our eyes on Jesus and His word, it automatically stops the bickering and His truth prevails!
Many find the gift of tongues particularly offensive, the strange babble tends to confound the listener but the gift of a prayer tongue is certainly biblical as well as other kinds (diverse) of prophetic tongues. (I have heard from reliable sources, of Christians under the power of the Spirit, witnessing in foreign tongues, and winning souls, just like in the 2nd chapter of Acts.) My experience has shown me that praying in tongues privately, is simply allowing the Spirit to pray through us and meant mostly for private edification and intercession but there are also diverse tongues, (prophetic) some that are meant to be heard by others but only with interpretation. The babble itself may be meaningless to us while we pray in the Spirit, but the Spirit simultaneously prays through and for us in utterances that are sometimes more like moanings and groanings, not necessary for us to even recognize. Paul says that the Spirit prays for and through us. (“I wish you all spoke in tongues,” is what Paul said although it is the lesser of the gifts.) I would even say; it is a communication in the Spirit, meant to confound our “flesh” but not meant to be the focus. I deeply believe this to be true, there has however, been rampant abuse and soulish-indulgence of this gift. The vast majority of the usage of this gift, is meant for the private edification of the believer. It needs to be reined in, in some churches, to be in obedience and in biblical order. However, those that demonize the gift, have been deceived.
The baptism is meant to confound all of our natural rationale and to reveal to us the joy of serving and knowing and being totally abandoned to Jesus. This experience in the Holy Ghost is a super natural act, performed by the Lord, and meant to joyously overwhelm our flesh and subordinate our wills, intellects and emotions to Him. To fill our spirit, soul and body (the entire temple) with the power of Jesus.
Did you know that it is possible to “have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof.” (2 Tim. 3:5) Christianity without the indwelling power of the Holy Ghost, is Christianity in name only; simply dead religion. I believe and see that most Christians today are either afraid of such a “radical experience” and/ or even despise such teaching, even though Jesus has instructed us of the extreme importance of receiving the comforter who will lead us into all truth. I also think that the scriptures prove that it is possible to have the Holy Spirit working in/on your life (like the pre-Pentecost Disciples that had been breathed on by Jesus and received a partial anointing) and not have the fullness or overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit. “Be ye filled,” is a commandment, not an option! It’s clear to me that the Disciples didn’t fully know who they were following, until after they saw Jesus resurrected, ascended and then had received the baptism on Pentecost. The revelation of Pentecost is that we are of no use to Jesus until our vessels have been washed and filled! Charles Spurgeon rightly said "that a church in the land without the Spirit is rather a curse than a blessing. If you have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker, remember that you stand in somebody else's way; you are a fruitless tree standing where a fruitful tree might grow.” 18
I have met some immature, worldly “Christians,” that have no problem using “new age” techniques such as “channeling” and “spirit guides” or having their senses overwhelmed by “nature,” but then get revolted at the thought of being filled with the Spirit of Jesus that He Himself told us to wait for and greatly desire. The confusion and proclivity of these deceived, thus unempowered “Christians” to abhor the Baptism in the Holy Ghost and to classify those that have experienced the Baptism as crazy or cultish, only indicates their ignorance of the real Jesus. Complete surrender to Jesus, is anathema to the self centered “control freak.” Remember, Jesus supernaturally offends the “flesh”.... His Spirit brings conviction that can disturb and even shake people right out of their “comfort zones.” This profound disagreement that many church going people have with biblical Christianity, shows a deep disregard for major and overwhelming portions of scripture. Those of us that have experienced Jesus in this profound, life changing way, only desire that all Christians might know and not fear the Lord’s Baptism. I don’t want to seek the “manifestations” or to cajole anyone into seeking the supernatural or to glorify the gifts themselves. I’m also not saying that every “supernatural” manifestation is always from God. That is where the gift of discerning of spirits is needed to help balance all the other gifts and works of the Holy Ghost. We mustn’t seek the experience of the manifestation, we must seek Jesus–– His holiness and His fullness. When I first experienced the power of God like this, as a fruit of seeking Jesus, His loving presence became even more real to me! My focus and worship of Jesus is anointed and deeper and all I want, is to stay in His presence! He wants everyone to enter into intimate fellowship with Him through the power of His Holy Spirit!
In Acts chapter 8 there is an important lesson about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit being a separate impartation from that of salvation. Phillip had preached in power and many were saved and baptized for repentance but the Spirit had not yet fallen upon them:
“ But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:12-18
The scripture here indicates that to only be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus was not sufficient– that one must also be born of the Spirit. This scripture indicates that repentance alone doesn’t insure that one is born of the Spirit. The impartation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit came here, only as the apostle John and Peter laid hands upon them. This was also true in Paul’s ministry:
“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” Acts 19:1-6
We mustn’t get too dogmatic about the dispensation of the baptism however because the scripture also indicates that as we preach, the Spirit can fall upon people spontaneously in power as happened when Peter preached to the gentiles in Acts 10:
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" Acts 10: 44-47
By what happened historically in Acts, one would almost believe that mere belief in Jesus and repentance, does not automatically equate into spiritual rebirth but that only when one has received the Baptism in the Spirit, is one truly born again. Is it possible that much of the church is floundering because of “easy believism,” that negates the necessity of having a personal Pentecost? It is impossible to serve God in our own strength. Greater baptisms (infillings, anointings) are always necessary for believers– the Lord has made it so! I would highly reccomend that when a new believer confesses Christ, that those in authority lay hands on that person for the baptism as well! Gather ‘round that person and lift them up to God! Then disciple them! When a person first confesses Christ as Savior, they may not immediately walk in the Spirit or display any of the gifts, that indicate the Holy Spirit’s presence, but as soon as those believers enthrone Him as Lord over their lives, the fruits and gifts of His Spirit will be manifested through them (unfortunately, 15 years transpired after I confessed Christ, before I was Baptized in the Spirit). Discipleship is also a vital part of whether that new believer will mature or not. If a new believer has no knowledge about the baptism in the Holy Ghost, or is fearful or revolted by such a possible experience, they may never be ready for the Spirit to have prominence in their lives. They may never manifest the gifts or fruits of the Spirit, some only want basic salvation, which of course is the vital basis of our relationship with Jesus. One is truly born in the Spirit, when one truly receives Christ but there is a deeper level of His dwelling and empowerment that not everyone seems to want to receive. Jesus will not force upon you that which you won’t or can’t receive! Jesus is the ultimate gentleman! But if your desire is to have more and more of His presence and less and less of yourself, it can only happen by being continually filled and refilled!
“Finney discovered that new baptisms of the Holy Spirit were needed not only to overcome temptation and maintain the believer’s current state of perfection, but were also needed to enable the Christian to progress in perfection: ‘The Antinomian Perfectionists, supposed that whoever believes gets so filled as never to thirst any more.’ Quite to the contrary he believed that A TRULY SPIRITUAL PERSON WAS ‘MAKING STILL RICHER ATTAINMENTS IN HOLINESS AT EACH RISING GRADE OF PROGRESS.’ New plateaus of spiritual attainment were made possible by a baptism of the Holy Spirit. But even though these spiritual high places could result in a great sense of triumph, faith, joy, and rest, the appetite for new and greater ‘attainments in holiness’ were natural and unending.” (Pastor Jim Reeve quoting Dr. Charles Finney) 19
Once you have received the baptism, the subsequent refilling is also known as His anointing. The Lord wants us to do all of our daily tasks and ministry, through His anointing: “Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord.” We have at our disposal the power to “do all things through Christ who strengthens us,” but of course we all “fall short of the glory of God” in some way. This kind of dependence on His anointing does not happen overnight, nor will we always be operating in His anointing. Not desiring all that God longs to give us, is a tragic mistake, as the Christian life is impossible to live in our own strength! He keeps bringing me back to that basic truth. I have heard of many a Christian that feel chronically “empty,” and “lonely.” Some that confess to “having no assurance at all that they are even saved!” My heart goes out to such Christians because I spent years in the same condition, until I began to pour my heart out to God and ask Him to show me what was wrong. He led me deeper into His word and showed me that I had a whole lot more in me that needed to die. His promises about having His love and power and blessed assurance within, became reality. He showed me that I could “know Him and the power of His resurrection,” if I was truly willing to give Him everything. God’s Spirit will also convict us and make us feel miserable if we are not where He wants us to be! Those that have shut the door to the baptism, have hurt themselves, for He commands us to be filled with the Holy Ghost, (“be ye filled”) it is the only way that we can walk in the Spirit and fully serve Him. This type of Christian needs to be reminded that they don’t need to fear the power of the Holy Spirit since He already lives in them. The truth is that Jesus needs more of us before we can have more of Him!
A great man of God that ministered to millions earlier in this century was Smith Wigglesworth. He had a powerfully anointed ministry and preached that: “The Holy Spirit will come when a man is cleansed. There must be a purging of the old life. I never saw anyone baptized (in the Holy Ghost) who was not clean within.”20 (Faith that Prevails, p.41). The Lord will not give His Holy Spirit to the unclean or unknowing: “.....did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to Him; no, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit?” (Acts19:2) They had been baptized by John in the baptism of repentance but had not received Christ’ Baptism in the Holy Spirit, so they were baptized in the name of Jesus and “when Paul had laid his hands on upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” (Acts 19:6) NASB. The other important factor before being fully immersible in the Holy Ghost, is a complete willingness to be be conformed by Him.
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