Life in the Spirit

Part One

Today I want to talk with you about living as a Christian should. I am not going to be talking about obedience, or about duty, or about reputation or about example, important as all those things are. I want to talk with you about “function” how we are meant to function as believers, as Christians, for we cannot live as a Christian, or function as we ought without the Holy Spirit. Going to Church week by week does not make you a Christian. Believing in God does not make you a Christian.

Saying your Prayers and Reading your Bible does not make

you a Christian. So then, you ask, what makes one a Christian?

A Christian you are, ONLY when your human Spirit has become alive or regenerate by the Holy Spirit, and that takes place when you trust Jesus as your personal Saviour. In other words you cannot become, live or function as a Christian without the Holy Spirit. If you have not the “Spirit of Christ” living, working, witnessing, and worshiping inside of you right now, the Bible says “you are none of his” … let me read it from

Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his“.

This message is so VITAL to the Church and to the world, so vital that I have devoted two sermons to it, (be sure to tune in again next week for part two) Some of the things I have to say over the next two weeks many of you will never have heard before, and many of you will not like to hear, for some of these vitally important revelations have been removed from most of the main stream Church denominations and Church traditions.

But more about the thinking behind that – later.

It is John (the Baptist) who introduces us to “Life in the Spirit” as he prepares the way for Jesus. John as we know came

“…clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leather girdle about his loins, and did eat locusts and wild honey“. Mark 1:6

But John the Baptist came also with a remarkable message,

a remarkable Gospel – here it is …

“… he preached, saying, There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I baptized you with water; but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost“. Mark 1: 7&8

And Matthew 3:11 adds … “and with fire”

And we know when that happened, in Acts chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost.

There are few things more controversial in the body of Christ than the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying gifts. But I am not afraid of controversy. I have been ordained to preach the whole counsel of God – I’m not about pleasing men, my only desire is to please God.

Much of modern-day Christianity sees the born-again experience as all that there is to salvation. Many Christians oppose the belief that there is a separate experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and they especially oppose the validity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for today’s believers. They don’t seem to realize that this type of belief puts them in conflict with the book of Acts and the very teaching of Jesus. Those who experience and function in the power of the Holy Spirit today are often labelled as fanatics or heretics. So I must ask what does the Bible have to say? What did Jesus say about this?

On the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, he made one of the most amazing statements of His whole ministry. Lets read that from John 16:7 where Jesus says:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; 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.”

Grasp what Jesus is saying! Jesus said it is more beneficial for us to have the ministry of the Holy Spirit than it was to have Jesus present with us in His physical body!

Most Christians are totally shocked by this. They would give anything to have Jesus present in His physical body. How could anything be better than to physically see, hear, and touch Him?

Jesus knew His disciples would be shocked by His statement, so He prefaced it with the words, “I tell you the truth.” As hard as it may be to understand, the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is better than the earthly ministry of Jesus.

This is not to take anything away from His ministry on the earth. Without Jesus coming to the earth and accomplishing what He did, there could be no ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The whole plan of God hinges on the redemptive work of Christ.

But, once His work was done, it was actually to our advantage to have Jesus return to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to take His place. Therefore, we shouldn’t lessen the pre-eminence of Jesus, but we should not ignore the importance of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. Many Christians don’t realize how involved the Holy Spirit is in everything that the Lord does.

They do not ascribe nearly enough importance to the Holy

Spirit and what He is doing in the earth today.

In Genesis 1:1-2, the Bible says that , “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

In the beginning, God created all the elements needed for His creation. Then, everything else was formed from what had already been created. All the essential ingredients were in place. But nothing happened without the Spirit of God.

Notice specifically that the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) moved upon the face of the waters. The English word moved is translated from the Hebrew word “rachaph.” It literally means “to brood.” This is describing the manner of a hen sitting on her eggs waiting to hatch them.

The Holy Spirit was brooding over the creation of God just waiting to bring forth whatever the Creator said. When the Lord said “Let there be light” Gen. 1:3, then the power of the Holy Spirit brought that light into being. Likewise, with everything the Lord created and made, it was the power of the Holy Spirit that brought it all into existence. We understand it in this way, that God the Father conceived it, Jesus spoke it, and the Holy Spirit was the power that performed it.

Everything God did in His creation was accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. When God the Father was ready to bring Jesus into the earth, He took the spoken Word (Jesus), the Holy Spirit brooded over Mary (a virgin), and she conceived Jesus’ physical body.

This perfectly illustrates the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are one. In fact, they are so much one that they can’t operate independently of each other. They are a team. Jesus didn’t do any miracles or start His public ministry until after He had been anointed with the Holy Spirit.

If Jesus couldn’t, or wouldn’t, operate independently of the Holy Spirit, neither should we.

Let me say it long and let me say it loud …

No one can have an effective Christian life or Christian ministry without the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in them. This fact cannot be argued by anyone who truly believes the Bible is God’s Word. The Scriptures are replete with proof that it is “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” Zech. 4:6.

So, why is there so much debate over this issue? The sad truth is that denial of the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit is a convenient theology. Believing that miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit don’t operate today excuses powerless and prayerless living. If it is true that the Holy Spirit is still willing to move as in biblical times (and it is true), then there

is no excuse for living lives so far removed from the victory portrayed in God’s Word.

The number one reason people resist the ministry of the Holy Spirit is because it exposes the lack of power in their own lives. And once exposed, it demands change.

Thus in an attempt to avoid responsibility for change, they change the Scriptures instead of themselves. Of course, it’s not that blatant, but there is a predisposition against the ministry of the Holy Spirit, so the Scripture is twisted to support their views. It’s now politically correct to say that alcoholics are not responsible for their actions, depression is a chemical imbalance, and homosexuality is genetic. We’ve even had lawsuits where overweight people sue the fast-food chains for their obesity. No one wants to admit that their lives are usually the result of their own choices and their own actions. There are of course exceptions to this yet it is appealing to think that someone else is at fault for their messed up lives. Sadly, the lack of personal responsibility in our society has crept into the attitudes of much of the church, even within the evangelical wing. But, the ultimate attempt to avoid responsibility is when we place the blame on God. This goes all the way back to Adam when he said, “It’s that woman that YOU gave me” (Gen. 3). He passed the “buck” to the woman and then ultimately blamed God. But God’s judgment shows that He held Adam responsible for his own actions.

Another group of Christians willingly accept a limited ministry of the Holy Spirit as their comforter and consoler, but they still deny His miraculous power. That’s convenient, the benefits without the responsibility. These are usually the ones who also believe there isn’t a second experience with the Holy Spirit beyond being born again. They may be sincere in their beliefs, but tragically they are sincerely wrong. They have been “short changed” and they settle for so much less than could rightly and justifiably be theirs. Are you among them?

There are many clear examples in Scripture where a miraculous encounter with the Holy Spirit enabled believers to live supernatural lives. Jesus himself taught about two separate experiences in the believer’s life. Lets look at them.

In John 20:28, Thomas confessed Jesus as his Lord and God. That made him “saved” according to Romans 10:9-10. Yet, the Lord told Thomas and all of his followers to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). The reason Jesus told them to wait on the baptism of the Holy Spirit was because they didn’t have it yet.

Look what happened to them once they received that power. They were changed people Jesus said it this way in Acts 1:8, “But ye

shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

After the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’ disciples, they were powerful. (filled with power) They faced persecution and death fearlessly. What made the difference? By Jesus’ own words, it was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8, Philip preached to the Samaritans, and the whole city believed on Jesus and were baptized in water. They were saved. But Acts 8:15-16 says,

“Who, when they [the apostles] were come down, prayed for them [the Samaritans], that they might receive the Holy Ghost: For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

This is a very clear example of people being born again but still needing to receive the Holy Spirit. This can also be witnessed in Acts 19. Paul found disciples who were not baptized in the Holy Spirit. He prayed for them, and they spoke with tongues.

If you look again in Acts Chapter 2 verse 3, you will see beyond any doubt that these “tongues” or “cloven tongues” sat upon each and every one of them. There is a “tongue” for us all.

But if you’ve never been taught that you too have a spiritual “tongue” you will never expect to speak with it… but you do!

Then there are other believers who acknowledge a second experience with the Holy Spirit which releases power, but they refuse the part of speaking in tongues, or at least say it’s not for everyone.

But the baptism of the Holy Spirit is like a pair of tennis shoes: It always comes with tongues.

I know it’s possible to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and not desire to speak in tongues, but why wouldn’t you want to? If you’re afraid, don’t be! There’s no reason to fear; you’re in full control. I’m not speaking in tongues as I prepare or preach this, because it’s up to me to decide when I speak in tongues.

It’s the same for you. Usually You’ll control when you speak in tongues. Maybe there’s something else that is holding you back. I know from experience that a person whose understanding

of this gift isn’t right can stifle it. I did. In my case, a denominational tradition had instilled such fear in me that I was afraid I would get something from the devil. It wasn’t until later that I learned the Lord wouldn’t let that happen (Luke 11:13).

Yet I worked, worshipped and witnessed for years without ever grasping these precious revelations that have now transformed my life and my relationship with the Lord Jesus. Remember that the Holy Spirit comes to glorify Jesus. His role in your life is to bring you closer to Jesus and closer to your destiny. As a Younger Preacher back then, I can honestly confess that

there wasn’t much difference between me and an unbeliever in terms of visible results. If I would have been arrested for being a Christian, there wouldn’t have been enough evidence to convict me.

But when I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. My life was transformed. God was working through me bringing blessings and benefits I had never experienced. Before the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I was often in fear of offending; afterward, I became as bold as a Lion (Proverbs. 28:1).

This series of messages stems from that Boldness.

One preacher I met a few weeks ago in Paris France told me that he would like to be able to have my kind of boldness in the pulpit, but that he feared his congregation would stop his wages. Thank God, Heaven pays my wages! I know that there are many Preachers out there who would love to be able to say what I say, but the fear of man has brought a snare. My confidence is no longer in “people” my source and my supply is my Heavenly Father! This flowing in the Holy Spirit has given me a fresh love for the Lord and for the Lost. It is not just me living anymore, but Christ living through me, loving through me, speaking through me, touching through me, healing through me, and I know “Preaching through me”! It is no longer “overwork” but “overflow”. That’s how I function.

My life wasn’t without problems back then, when I began my full time ministry and still isn’t now. But receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit opened up a whole new, dynamic relationship with the Lord. You would never have heard of me if I hadn’t received this sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, which the Bible calls the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It’s my desire to see you experience and FUNCTION in that same power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that come with it.

NOW THIS FINAL WORD

In part two of this message I will have more to say about “speaking in tongues” and the blessings and benefits that lie there for the child of God. But I struggled for a long time to come to an understanding of that phrase in Acts 2 verse 3 that speaks of tongues and cloven tongues of fire. I knew that there

had to be a difference but I could not find any revelation about it.

So I took it to the Lord in prayer and this is what He showed me when I was praying in the spirit.

I saw my Mother lighting the oil lamp in the kitchen when I was a child. Many of you are old enough (as I am) to remember those dark and dismal days before country-wide electricity.

I could see her add the flaming match to the oil saturated wick. The wick flickered a little before she carefully placed the glass globe over the flame.

Then I saw it, it was a “tongue” of fire. Shaped and formed just like a flaming tongue sticking up and giving light. Then I saw her “turn the wick up” and the tongue became a “cloven tongue” a sharp spiked two pronged flame, hot and dangerous.

By turning the wick up, she had added power to the flame, fuel to the fire. Then I saw it … that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. You may just “babble” a little today in an “unknown tongue” that’s alright, keep at it, and soon the Holy Spirit will increase the power and the flame, increase your spiritual vocabulary and you’ll set the world, your world on fire for Jesus. You’ll walk in the Spirit and live in the supernatural. Remember that the Apostle Paul boasted that HE prayed in tongues MORE than he ever did with the understanding; 1 Cor 14:18 Now don’t miss part two of this message coming next week. Remember its VITAL that you function and flow in the Spirit, and stop playing games in the flesh.

As the apostle Paul says in Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit“. Are you?

God Bless You

Amen