The Voice of the Holy Spirit

I have a wonderful encounter with the Holy Spirit. It is beyond the baptism of the Holy Spirit - He entered my life! From personal experience three things happened:

1. The Word of the Living God became absolute life to me. I just fall in love of the Bible. I have no less than 20 Bibles in my possession. I prefer the NKJV and so I have many Study Bibles in this version. No longer did I read a little from Matthew and a little from Psalms. I opened the Bible and felt as if I were inside it - seeing it "live and in living color." The voice of the Holy Spirit led me to a great adventure in the Scriptures.

2. My prayer life changed dramatically and completely. Gone were the hours of praying, yawning, and repeating myself. I prayed because I want to and not because I have to. The Holy Spirit urged me to pray. The Holy Spirit and I were in conversation. He made God real. He gave me power and a boldness that made me feel ten feet tall.

3. He transformed my daily Christian life. I actually began to sing and don't know why until I read the Words: "Be filled will the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in my heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:18, 19).

What began to happen to me was not natural - but supernature! The Holy Spirit had taken over. He began to baptize me with a love for people - even those who I considered "unlovable" earlier. It was exactly as the Word declared: "The love of God has been poured out in our heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to me" (Rom. 5:5).

I became such a changed person that my natural instincts and reactions were replaced by the leading of the Holy Spirit. I learned what it meant to "crucify the flesh." And I realized that I couldn't do it my self - "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Rom. 8:13, 14).

How are you led by the Spirit? You become familiar with His voice. You recognize it. You respond to it. And the more you fellowship with Him, the deeper the relationship becomes.

To be familiar with the voice of the Holy Spirit

How are you led by the Spirit? You become familiar with His voice. You recognize it. You respond to it. And the more you fellowhip with Him, the deeper the relationship becomes.

First manifestation of the Godhead

From the beginning of time, God made the person and the power of the Holy Spirit clear. In fact, the Holy Spirit is the first manifestation of the Godhead in Scripture - "And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2, NKJV).

When God created Adam out of the dust of the ground He began by forming mud. That mud was absolutely dead until the breath of life came. The Bible says that God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of live and man became a living being" (Gen. 2:7).

The breath of God is the Holy Spirit. Here is how Job described it: "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4).

The moment God breathed into Adam, he came alive. When Adam opened his eyes the first contact he had was with the Holy Spirit. For He was the breath that flowed through Adam's body and remained hovering over him. Adam stood up completely filled with the presence of God.

The Scripture tells us that God the Holy Spirit was the power of creation. "By His Spirit He adorned the heavens" (Job 26:13).

What is even more exciting, however, is that God wants to take that same Spirit and give Him to you and me. He actually wants to "pour" Him on us: "Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful fiels" (Isaiah 32:15 16).

What a wonderful promise. God wants to pour His Spirit on you. He wants to breathe His Spirit into you. He wants you, like Adam, to come alive.

Realizing that the breath of God is the Spirit of God was for me like discovering a buried treasure. When the Almighty speaks to you, you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who communicates the voice of God. The description of God the Father's voice is recorded in Job: "Hear attentively the thunder of His voice ... He thunders with His majestic voice ... God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehand' (Job 37:2, 4, 5).

The power of God's Voice was more than the people of Israel could understand.

God directly spoke in the New Testament

In the New Testament, there were only three times that God actually spoke:

1. He spoke of Jesus: "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well please'" (Matt. 3:17).

2. Jesus Himself asked the Father to "glorify Your name." And here is what happened: "Then a voice came from heaven, saying, 'I have both glorified it and will glorify it again'" (John 12:28). The crowd who heard it said it had "thundered" (John 12:29).

3. When the clouds surrounded the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration and God said: "this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him" (Matt. 17:5).

The voice of God produced an awesome result. "When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, 'Arise, and do not be afraid.' And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only" (Matt. 17:6 - 8).

The Holy Spirit spoke to the Old Testament prophets

The voice that was heard by the prophets was that of the Spirit - not the voice of the Son or the Father.

Isaiah talks about hearing the voice of the Lord saying: "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed" (Isaiah 6:9, 10).

But who was really speaking? Was it really the voice of the Lord? Or was it the voice of Jehovah on earth - the Holy Spirit? To find out, let's look at that same Scripture as it was repeated in the book of Acts.

Paul, in Rome under the watchful eyes of a guard, preached that - "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, "Go to this people and say: 'Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; for the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them'" (Acts 28:25 - 27, emphasis added).

Who really spoke those words? What Isaiah attributed to the Lord, Paul clarified as being spoken by the Holy Spirit.

It is true that the New Testament explains the Old. Here is another example. In Jeremiah we read: "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:33, emphasis added).

The prophet writes, "says the Lord" (Jer. 31:31). But to understand the true source of that Scripture, you need to read it in the book of Hebrews: "The Holy Spirit also witneses to us; for after He had said before, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them" (Heb. 10:15, 16, emphasis added).

Who said it? The Holy Spirit. Not only did He witness it, but the Scripture reveals that "He had said it before" (Heb. 10:10).

The Holy Spirit equals God

Many Christians are somehow brought up to believe that the Holy Spirit is less equal with God. We are somehow indoctrinated that because He comes third He is not really God. The truth is - The Holy Spirit is God, He is no less God than Jesus. He is no less God than the Father. He is as much God as the Father and the Son.

Jehovah is the name of the triune being - not the name of just one of them. The Father is called Jehovah. The Son is called Jehovah. The Holy Spirit is called Jehovah.

When God the Father speaks, He speaks through the voice of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus sent out the Twelve, He said: "Do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spiri of your Father who speak in you" (Matt. 10:19, 20)

Over and over again in Revelation we are advised, "He who as an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says ..." (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17). Whose voice should we hear? The voice of the Spirit.

Even Christ himself does not speak without the Holy Spirit. In Acts we read that He was taken up into heaven, "... after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen" (Acts 1:2). And in Hebrews we find that Christ offered Himself to God "through the eternal Spirit" (Heb. 9:14).

No one can hear the Voice of the Father or the Son directly

The Holy Spirit is the one who communicates heaven into your heart. He is the voice of God to you. Imagine what would happen if God the Father ever spoke to you audibly. You could not bear it. it is doubtful that you are even prepared to hear the voice of Jesus, described as "the sound of many waters" (Rev. 1:15). When John heard it, he fell at His feet, "as dead" (Rev. 1:17).

The Holy Spirit, however, takes the voice of the Father and the Son and makes it quiet, lovely, and perfectly clear for us to hear.

The mystery of Trinity made clear

How can God be one and three at the same time? God is one, but God is also three: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Look at it this way - God is like the sun in the sky. If you look at its brightness you see one sun. In reality, however, it is a triune sun that keeps our planet livable. There are three distinct elements: The sun, light, and heat.

And so it is with the Trinity. The Father is like the whole sun, Jesus is the light, and the Holy Spirit is the heat you feel. When you stand in the presence of the Father, what do you feel? You feel the warmth, the energy, and the power of the Holy Spirit. If you look into the face of the Father, whom do you see? "He who has seen Me has seen the Father," Jesus said to Philip (John 14:9).

I get excited when I think about the time I enter heaven. The Godhead will be there. When I stand before the Father I will see all three - the Spirit, the Son, and God Himself!

What does God look like?

There is not one place in the Word of God where the Father is described in detail. Stephen, "Being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaen and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55).

Stephen saw Jesus clearly, but when he saw the Father he could only see the "glory" that surrounded Him. Yes, God the Father has a form but no man knows what it looks like (Phil. 2:6). The Word says, "No one has seen God at any time" (John 1:18). But the Son came to reveal Him.

If you look closely at what Christ said, you will understand how the Spirit embraces the Godhead. Jesus said, "No on comes to the Father except thorugh Me" (John 14:6). And Scripture teaches that we are drawn to Christ by the Spirit. In other words, you've got to have the Spirit if you want the Godhead. When you embrace the Holy Spirit you are also embracing the Father and the Son.

Paul, writing to the Church at Corinth, says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17). That's right. We all confess that Jesus is Lord - but so is the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of Jesus!

The Holy Spirit is omnipresent, but unfortunately liberty and freedom are not found everywhere. Some Churches feel more like a hostile prison than a house of praise. Why? Because the Spirit is not Lord in that congregation.

The Trinity is the Glory of God

We need to understant that the Trinity is the Glory of God. God the Father is the glory of God; God the Son is the glory of God; and God the Holy Spirit is the glory of God. But who manifests that glory? It is the Holy Spirit. That is part of His work.

How do you know that you have passed from spiritual death unto life? You know it because the Spirit told you. The Holy Spirit speaks right into your being - into your very blood and marrow..

In exactly the same way, we know that Jesus is alive. Not because we have seen His face, but we know He is alive by His Spirit. And that same Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit is for you and me - today

If there was one particular verse the Holy Spirit revealed to me that turned my life around, it was this: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor. 13:14).

The more I studied this verse, the more exited I become. Suddenly I know that the Holy Spirit was for me - today.

Here is what the Holy Spirit showed me. When did we know "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?" When He died for us. When did we know "the love of God?" When we saw the cross. They both refer to the past. But then we read, "the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all," I said, "That's it. The Holy Spirit is here to commune with me and be with me now!"

The Arrival of the Holy Spirit

Do you find it tough to keep God's commandments or God's laws? Don't feel all alone. It is totally impossible to succeed by yourself, and God doesn't expect you to. You need help! But to whom should you turn to ? God the Father is in heaven and so is God the Son. You need a friend here and now, and the person of the Trinity that is dwelling on earth is the Holy Spirit. He is the one you desperately need to know.

If you are to take a survey and as Christians what they wanted most from God, the answer would likely be: "I want God to be happy with me." And that is what the Lord promised the prophet Ezekiel. God said: "I will not hide My face anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel" (Ezek. 39:29, NKJV).

When the Holy Spirit becomes a part of your life

The moment the Holy Spirit becomes a part of your life, God will begin to look in your direction. His face will begin to shine on you. The Father's great desire is that you receive Him, be filled with Him, and have fellowship with Him. It makes Him happy.

Just begin to read the Book of Acts, and you'll sense what God had planned. The apostles had a tremendous relatioship with the Holy Spirit and the evidence is recorded in every page. But perhaps more inspiring is the fact the "acts" continue to happen - even today.

What transpired in the Upper Room should have been no surprise. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus Himself told His followers not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the gifts His Father promised: "... for John truely baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5).

Christ even described what it would be like and how it would change their lives: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

The coming of the Holy Spirit

Just as real as the coming of Jesus to earth, so was the coming of the Holy Spirit. Just as the prophets predicted the Messiah, so did they foretell the coming of the Holy Spirit. Hundreds of years before Christ, God told Joel: "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see vision, and also on My menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days" (Joel 2:28, 29).

The Holy Spirit came with a mighty entrance! The sound of a thunderous wind, tongues of fire and a demonstration of God's power. His arrival on earth was nothing short of spectacular!

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

It was exactly as Isaiah had foretold: "For with stmmering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, ..." (Isaiah 28:11).

Now when Jesus was born, the moment was marked by peace and quietness. It was a beautiful night in Bethehem, so clear that the shepherds followed the star to the manger. What a contrast to the powerful noise that accompanied the arrival of the Holy Spirit. I created such a clamor in Jerusalem that "... when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, ..." (Acts 2:6).

The pandemonium of what happened literally was heard all over town because "there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5)

The Word says that when they heard this sound they rushed to the scene in bewilderment "because everyone heard them speak in his own language" (Acts 2:6).

Utterly amazed, they asked: "... are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born" (Acts 2:7, 8)? And when they heard them declare the wonders of God in their own tongues, they asked each other: "What could this mean" (Acts 2:12)?

The beginning of the age of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit's thunderous coming was not scheduled for a temple made of stone. Instead, He came upon one hundred and twenty believers who became the new temple of God.

When Solomon finished his temple he had "one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets" (2 Chron. 5:12). The Scripture records that "The house of the Lord, was filled with cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God" (2 Chron. 5:13, 14).

It happened again in the Upper Room. One hundred and twenty came together and the Spirit of God filled the temple. Why 120? I believe it is the number of the closing of the age of the flesh and the opening of the age of the Holy Spirit. In Genesis, where for 120 years, Noah was building the Ark, the age of the flesh ended. God said: "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years" (Gen. 6:3).

It is precisely for this purpose that the Lord gathered 120 at Pentecost - so that God the Holy Spirit could be released among the nations. It marked the beginning of the age of Spirit.

Observers could not understand what was happening! Some made fun of them and said: "They are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13). 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. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel'" (Acts 2:14 - 16).

The 12o were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they could not stand under their own power. The Holy Spirit was so mighty that He took control over the actions of the believers. He was at work changing their speech, their emotions, and their behavior. What Jerusalem witnessed was not drunkenness, but the incredible joy tha comes when the Holy Spirit takes control.

Transformation of Peter

What a transfomation in timid Peter! It brought out the "preacher" in him as he "raised his voice" (Acts 2:14) and spoke with boldness to the growing crowd. But who do you think gave him the words? The captivating message was that of the Holy Spirit - "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit ..." (1 Thess. 1:5). Yes, the gospel is preached by the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Word says, the Spirit "working with them." He is the one who does the work.

Now watch what begins to happen suddenly in the book of Acts. The Holy Spirit gives tremendous authority to those who have received Him. It was three o'clock in the afternoon as Peter and John were going up to temple, and "A certain man lame from his mather's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple" (Acts 3:2).

Turning to the disheveled beggar, "fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, 'Look at us'" (Acts 3:4). It is a marvelous thing to see a man completely given over to the Holy Spirit. Peter was filled with a boldness and power he had never known as he looked deep into the soul of this poor man - right through his eyes.

The beggar knew Peter and John were not playing games. A holy boldness had been vested in the apostles. When Peter said, "Look at us," the man immediately "gave them his attention, expecting to received something from them" (Acts 3:5).

Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, ut what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" Acts 3:6). He took him by the right hand, helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became stron. "So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them - walking, leaping, and praising God" (Acts 3:7, 8).

Can you imagine the consternation in the temple? The beggar made a mighty entrance of his own! They recognized him immediately and "were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him" (Acts 3:10).

An ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit

The power and authority the apostles received began to touch lives at every turn. Their ministry was followed by "many signs and wonders ... among the people (Acts 5:12). And the result was - "Believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women" (Acts 3:14). The signs that followed the coming of the Holy Spirit led people directly to Christ.

What happened in the Upper Room was not a onetime experience; nor a footnote of history. The Spirit filled believers established an ongoing relation with the Holy Spirit. They continued to be filled. When Peter was called before the Sanhedrin over the healing of the beggar, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Peter was "filled with the Holy Spirit" when he spoke (Acts 4:7, 8). Not past ense, but present tense. The word "filled" describes the apostle at that very moment.

New filling with the Holy Spirit

Over and over in Scripture, when followers of Christ are portrayed as "filled with the Spirit," the reference is to a new filling, not to something that happened yesterday or last month.

Peter was so full of the Spirit in the temple that he had authority over his critics. Undaunted, he said: "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to the helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ Of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole" (Acts 4:8 - 10).

The power of the Holy Spirit can so infill you that you fear absolutely no one. It is possble to establish such a communion with Him that even addression the leader of a nation would cause no apprehension. The Spirit will lift your head, square your shoulders, and instill in you an unexpected confidence.

An example - Peter the meek became Peter the mighty

Peter was facing more than the priests of the temple. He was actually up against the government of Israel. In fact the night before he was permitted to address the priests, he and John were thrown in jail. But when he spoke, the words were hard-hitting. He told them that the Lord was the "stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief cornerstone" (Acts 4:11). It was a direct quotation of Psalm 118:22.

Was this the same Peter who, a few weeks before, in the same place, before the same people, had beed cowed by the sneer of a girl and had denied his Master? Now here he was, filled with the Spirit, in utter fearlessness, defying the murderers of Jesus.

It was no longer Peter the meek. It was Peter the mighty. What a change the Spirit made!

So great was his fellowhip with the Holy Spirit that Peter directly challenged Ananias. He said: "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit" (Acts 5:3)? Peter's words and God's actions were so forceful that "great fear came upon all those who heard these things" (Acts 5:5).

Consequences of the closeness and anointing of the Holy Spirit

In the case of Peter

Peter was so close to the Holy Spirit he told his accusers: We are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32).

In the case of Stephen

The Holy Spirit so possed Stephen that when he was brought before the priests: "All who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel" (Acts 7:55).

He is so full of the Holy Spirit that we read this, "But he being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55).

I am convinced there is a point in your relationship with the Holy Spirit when the anointing becomes so heavy on you - His presence so close to you - that you can look up and see a vision of God. That is how real He can become.

In the case of Saul (Paul)

Sau, during his dramatic conversion, had a firsthand experience with the awesome power of the Holy Spirit. As he was on his way to Damascus, breathing out murderous threats against the fellowers of Christ, "suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him: 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me'?"(Acts 9:3, 4)

The Holy Spirit never stops working

From the moment of Pentecost the Holy Spirit began His work on earth, and it has never stooped. The Holy Spirit is an active person. He will even send an angel to you if that is what you have need of. What happens on earth is the Spirit's doing. He is the representative of the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit is concerned about your life - even your future. He wants to guide you, protect you, even warn you of what lies ahead.

The Holy Spirit can make all decisions to you. What makes sense to you should also make sense to the Holy Spirit. The Church council at Jerusalem wrote: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us ..." (Acts 15:28). When it is right it will be confirmed by the Holy Spirit, and you will know the direction to take.

The Holy Spirit longs for a daily, ongoing personal relationship with you. He wants to make an entrance - a mighty entrance - into your life.

The Communion of the Holy Spirit

There is a particular verse of Scripture that the Holy Spirit revealed to me recently which has become most interesting in my life - The last verse of 2 Corinthians: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor. 13:14, NKJV). In this message we deal with the communion of the Holy Spirit. The other two of the three phrases will be my future messages - "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" and "The love of God." Briefly, where do we read about the love of God? In the Gospel of John: "For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). The cross reminds us of God's love. Where do we read about the grace of the Lord Jesus? In the book of Ephesians: "In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ..." (Eph. 1:7). This reminds us that Jesus died for our sins.

The work of the Holy Spirit in the individual's life

Three things happen when the Holy Spirit enters your life:

1. The Word of the Living God becomes absolute life to you. No longer did you read a little from Matthew and a little from the Psalms in your daily devotion. When you open the Bible you feel as if you are inside of it - seeing it "live and in vivid living color!"

2. Your prayer life will be changed completely. Gone will be the hours of going through the motion of prayer which is mechanical and repeatedly saying the same prayer. The Holy Spirit and you will be in conversation. He makes God real to you. He gives you power and boldness that make you feel ten feet tall and more!

3. He transforms your daily Christian life. You will be full of joy and begin to sing spontaneously but don't know why until you read these words: "... but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:18, 19). Notice that what is going to happen to you will not be natural - it will be supernatural. He will baptize you with a love for people. It will be exactly as the Word declared: "... the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). You will be such a changed person that your natural instincts and reactions will be replaced by the leading of the Spirit. You will learn what it means to "crucify the flesh." (Read Galatians 5:24). But you will realize that you cannot do it yourself. Paul said: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:13, 14). How are you led by the Spirit? You become familiar with His voice. You recognize it. You respond to it. And the more you fellowship with Him, the deeper the relationship becomes.


The work of the Holy Spirit from the beginning

From the beginning of time, God made the person and the power of the Holy Spirit clear. In fact, the Holy Spirit is the first manifestation of the Godhead of the Godhead in Scripture - ".... And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). When God created Adam out of the dust of the ground He began by forming mud. That mud was absolutely dead until the breath of life came. The Bible says that God "... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Gen. 2:7). The breath of God is the Holy Spirit. Here is how Job described it: "The Spirit of God has made me. And the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4). The moment God breathed into Adam, he came alive. When Adam opened his eyes the first contact he had was with the Holy Spirit. For He was the breath that flowed through Adam's body and remained hovering over him. Adam stood up completely filled with the presence of God. The Scripture tells that God the Holy Spirit was the power of creation - "By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; ..." (Job 26:13).

The voice of the Holy Spirit

What is even more exciting, however, is that God wants to take that same Spirit and give Him to you. He actually wants to "pour" Him on you: "Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field" (Isaiah 32:15, 16). What a wonderful promise. God wants to pour His Spirit on you. He wants to breathe His Spirit into you. He wants you, like Adam, to come alive! Realizing that the breath of God is the Spirit of God was for me like discovering a buried treasure. Have you ever heard the voice of the Almighty speaking to you? Many people have. But exactly who was speaking? Whose voice did you hear? I believe you hear the Holy Spirit. He is the one who communicates the voice of God. The description of God the Father's voice is recorded in Job: "Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that comes from His mouth. After it a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, and He does not restrain them when His voice is heard. God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend" (Job 37:2, 4, 5). The power of God's voice was more than the people of Israel could understand.

A voice from Heaven

In the Old Testament, God spoke through an angel. God spoke to Moses through and angel. In the New Testament, there were only three times that God actually spoke: 1. God (a voice come from heaven) said: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). 2. Jesus asked the Father: "Father, glorify Your name" (John 12:28). Then God (a voice from heaven) said: "I have both glorified in and will glorify it again" (John 12:28). 3. At the Mount of Transfiguration God (a voice from the cloud) said: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him" (Matt. 17:5)! Notice that the One (God) who was speaking was the Holy Ghost.

The voice of the Holy Spirit

I believe the voice of God is the voice of the Holy Spirit. The voice that was heard by the Old Testament prophets was that of the Spirit - not the voice of the Son or the Father. Isaiah talks about hearing the voice of the Lord saying: "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; less they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed" (Isaiah 6:9. 10). But who was really speaking? Was it really the voice of the Lord? Or was it the voice of Jehovah on earth - the Holy Spirit? To find out, let us look at that same Scripture as it was repeated in the book of Acts. Paul, in Rome under the watchful eyes of a guard, preached that: The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, "Go to this people and say, 'Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have close, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them'" (Acts 28:25 - 27). Who really spoke those words? What Isaish attributed to the Lord, Paul clarified as being spoken by the Holy Spirit. This is an example of the New Testament explains the Old. In Jeremiah we read: "But this is the covernant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jer. 31:33, emphasis added). The prophet writes, "says the Lord," but to understant the true source of that Scripture, you need to read it in the book of Hebrews: "But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them'" (Heb. 10:15, 16, emphasis added). Who said it? The Holy Spirit. Not only did He witness it, but Scripture reveals that "He had said before."

The Holy Spirit is God

Thousands of Christians (I was among them) are somehow brought up to believe that the Holy Spirit is less equal to God. We are somehow indoctrinated that because He comes third He is not really God. You must come to this truth: "The Holy Spirit is God. He is no less God than Jesus. He is no less God than the Father. He is as much God as the Father and the Son. Jehovah is the name of the triune being - not the name of just one of them. The Father is called Jehovah. The Son is called Jehovah. The Holy Ghost is called Jehovah. When God the Father speaks, He speaks through the voice of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus sent out the twelve, He said: "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matt. 10:19, 20). Over and over again in the book of Revelation we are advised, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17). Whose voice should we hear? The voice of the Holy Spirit. Even Christ Himself does not speak without the Holy Ghost. In the book of Acts we read that He was taken up into heaven: "... until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen (Acts 1:20). and in the book of Hebrews we find that Christ offered Himself to God "through the eternal Spirit" (Heb. 9:14). It is therefore clear that the Holy Spirit is the one who communicates heaven into your heart. he is the voice of God to you. To put it another way, it is the Father, through the Son speaking by the Spirit. It is without any doubt that the Holy Spirit is God - equal in majesty, power, glory, and eternity. He is God. The moment you realize that you should begin to worwhip Him and treat Him as God. What did Jesus say about the Spirit? He said that when He comes, "He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speaks; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13). What does He hear? The precious Holy Spirit hears the Father and speaks directly to you. But when He speaks, He does not say, "The Father says," He says, "I say." Why? Because Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always act in harmony.

The leading of the Holy Spirit

How does the Holy Spirit speak? He witnesses to your conscience. Paul said: "I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 9:11). You should never doubt the leading of the Holy Spirit. At a time when your "inner man" is troubled, don't move. If you attempt ot be your own guide, you'll collapse. Listen to His voice as he speaks to your very soul. The world does not have the foggiest notion of the things of the Spirit because they are spiritually blind. But you can know because you understand how the Spirit operates and you are learning how to recognize His voice. you are learning how to commune with the Spirit.

The communion of the Holy Spirit

There are seven Scriptural meanings of the word "communion":

1. It means Presence - the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit.

2. It means fellowship. You do not need to pray to the Holy Spirit; you simply fellowship with Him.

3. It means sharing together. You pour out your heart and He pours out His. you share your joy and He shares His.

4. It means participation with. The Holy Spirit becomes your partner.

5. It means intimacy. You'll never experience a deep love with Christ until you know it with the Holy Spirit who brings that intimacy. You can't love God without the Holy Spirit.

6. It means friendship. The Spirit longs to be your closest friend - somone with whom you can share the deepest secrets of your heart.

7. It means comradeship. It Greek the word means commander. he is like a captain, a ruler, or a boss - but a loving, friendly one. Since Christ departed, the Holy Spirit is "in charge" on earth. You should begin to commune with the Holy Spirit day and night. This is the secret of praying without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17)!

To inherit the Kingdom of God

Many say it is difficult to be a Christian. Some even say it is impossible to be a Christian. Let us look at two cases which I have personally encountered. These two cases involve two so-called Christians with ancestral-worship background.

Case one

This person whim I called Chan (not his real name) is about 75 years of age. I am not sure when he became a Christian. What I do know is what he told me. He said the moment he became a Christian his life was completely changed. He became extremely zealous for the Lord, albeit in his own way. He became very critical about pastors and Local Churches. According to him, he has not met one genuine (called) pastor yet. All pastors fail to enter the narrow gate. He often quotes what Jesus said: "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Becaus narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matt. 7:13, 14. NKJV). Almost all pastors choose the broad way that leads to destruction because any broad way will not offend Church member. No pastor, in his right mind, would like to see members leave for another Church. Furthermore, Chan has not found any Local Church with the "right" way of worship yet. He is very critical about the type of music. According to him, no drum (in any form) and no electric guitar should be used because these musical instruments are too noisy. He prefers piano only. As a result, he is in the habit of "Church hopping." It is difficult to find a Local Church that uses piano only. Perhaps you may find a few small home-Churches. As a result, he would only enter a Church after the worship is over. He seems to forget how David worshiped the Lord according to the Bible. David said: "Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals!" (Ps. 150:3 - 5, emphasis added). It does not sound quiet to me! He himself admits that before he became a Christian he was extremely hot tmpered. There were times he used like "shut up" or "get out." when the slightest thing irritates him. He said many years back he even chased his own father out of his home with a meat chopper. Of course he did not actually harm him. But the problem is, he is still extremely hot tempered after becoming a Christian. He is my long-time close friend and I am usually ready to put up with his strange behavior. Recently, we were having breakfast together and we talked about a common doctor friend (a wealthy Christian) who owns a luxurious house (a "five-star" house with Jacuzzi in the master bedroom) by the sea near here. This doctor friend is working in another country and so he asked Chan to keep an eye on the major renovation of the house. For his help, this doctor friend frequently give him gifts. I believe this doctor friend becomes lover of the things of the world. Before he went to work in another country this doctor and I were prayer partners. During that time, Chan was not among our circle of friends yet. John said: "Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). I don't know what happened, but when I brought out the subject of frugal lifestyle of a Christian, Chan suddenly asked me to shut up and furiously walked away. Till now I have not seen him again yet. It looks like after years of being a Christian he fails to walk in the Spirit and also fails to bear fruit.

What the Bible says about Christians walking in the Spirit

Paul said: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the fesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:16 - 21, emphasis added).

What the Bible says about Christians bearing fruit

Paul further said: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have rucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22 - 25, emphasis added). Note that I have emphasized three aspects of the fruit. But it does not mean that a person has these aspects (or the lack of it) only and not the other six aspects of the fruit. It only means that these three aspects are more apparent in his life. In actual fact, all nine aspects of the fruit (or the lack of it) are a complete whole and cannot be separated.

What the Bible says about someone who is hasty in his words

A person who does not have self-control, gentleness, and kindness is usually hasty in his words. Solomon says: "Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (proverbs 29:20). A fool usually says things that comes in his mind without so much as considering whether he should say it or not. He is worldly and is of the flesh. He is therefore hasty in his words, without realizing that once the words come out of his mouth cannot be withdrawn! Paul said: "Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24). In other words, anyone who fails to crucify the flesh does not belong to Christ. In short he is not a Christian!

Case Two

This person whom I called Chong (not his real name) is nearly 80 years old. He became a Christian recently. Many people (including myself) have been praying for his salvation. In fact I have asked a prayer meeting of a Church to pray for his salvation. Our prayer is answered. God opened doors for him to meet a pastor (a lady) through a relative (a cousin) called Wing (also not his real name). This person is under persecution from his mother who is an idol worshiper. He promises that he would not become a Christian as long as his mother is still alive in order to avoid trouble. But the Gospels tell us that when a person is called, he leaves everything to follow. Exanples are Philip and Nathanael. Jesus said: "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26, NLB). Chong faces many obstacles on the road of his salvation. Here are some of them:

Obstacle 1

Chong's wife is a person full of infirmities - physically, mentally and spiritually. His wife is fully dependent on him and I don't think she can live without him. He makes every dicision for her and he cannot go anywhere without her. But somehow she had made up her mind not to become a Christian. Once Chong brought her to a Church but she demanded to go home immediately. Chong would not like to offend her and so he stays away from the Church. The lady pastor could not give counsel in this area of need. I advised him to read the Bible at home. Surely his wife will not disallow him to do that.

Obstacle 2

Chong himself is not very healthy and he takes all sorts of pills and capsules daily. Chong's eyes give him a lot of trouble. He had cataract in both eyes and operated on. He also had a cornea transplant recently. His eye doctor advised him not to drive at night. If there is a Church meeting or any social function at night someone have to drive him there. Even reading the Bible is no easy task because of his poor eyesight. A Christian needs to read the Bible daily. When a Christian reads and studies the Bible God speaks to him. In a Church meeting a man (the preacher) speaks of him. Therefore I believe reading and studying the Bible is more important than Church meeting. If Chong is keen enough to grow in his new found Christian faith, he can buy a Bible with large print. Alternatively, he can listen to the narration of the entire Bible in tapes or CD's. There is actually no excuse for not reading or hearing some people reading the Bible for us with modern technologies.

Obstacle 3

Relatives who are able to help Chong in transport at night are all idol worshipers. Because of this, Chong feels obliged to please them by going to pray in their temple especially during religious bestivals. Furthermore, this pleases Chong's wife as well because she refuses to go to Church.

Obstacle 4

The lady pastor teaches Chong strange Christian doctrine. As a result, Chong believes as long as hes is not water baptized he can go to temple to worship idols. So, he keeps on going to the temple until he is ready to be baptized. I once told him that being a Christian he should not pray in the temple of his friends and relatives. He replied that he is not a Christian yet because he had not been baptized yet. How sad! His pastor should explain this to him. This is committing spritual adultery. The Bible is vey clear concerning this. Jesus said: "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Peter, talking about false teachers, said: "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the later end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true prover: 'A dog returns to his own vomit,' and, 'a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.'" (2 Peter 2:19 - 22).

Obstacle 5

Chong's spiritual growth is greatly hindered. He is like the person in the Parable of the Sower: "A Sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold" (Luke 8:5 - 8). Jesus explained the parable (Luke 8:11 - 15). Let me paraphrase it. The seed is the Word of God. Those fell by the wayside are the ones who hear (like Chong); then the devil comes and takes away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who (also like Chong), when they hear, received the Word with joy; and they have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation (going to temple to worship idol with the unbelieving relatives) fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns (also like Chong) are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the Word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Conclusion

I believe both Chan and Chong will inherit the Kingdom of God provided they come to the knowledge of the truth. Also provided they receive the right counseling from an experienced and compassionate pastor (preferably a man). They need to repent of their sins and renew their commitment to follow the Lord whole heartedly irrespective of consequences. The Lord will take care of that.

Whenever Jesus is Glorified

I believe whenever Jesus is glorified, the Holy Spirit comes! Contrary to what most people unintentionally assume, the important thing here was not that the Holy Spirit had come - the important thing was that Jesus had been exalted.

Let us take a look at the second chapter of Acts. Peter and all the disciples were gathered together when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, and they were with one accord in one place. Suddenly as they were gathered there come a sound from heaven as the sound of a rushing mighty wind. It was not a rushing, might wind - it was the sound of such a wind. It filled the entire house where they were sitting (Acts 2:2). Little tongues of fire sat upon each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues. Seventeen nations were there and heard them speak in their own languages. The ones that could be amazed were amazed. The doubters doubted, and the questioners said, "What does this mean?" Those who sat in the seat of the scornful were also present, and they said, "They are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13, NKJV).

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said to them, "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and sign which God did through Him in your midst, ... (Acts 2:22). He proceeded to tell them how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled prophecy and from there on, it was all about Jesus of Nazareth. Peter testified that: "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promised of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:32, 32). He then said: "Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God has made his Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). So, the important things, according to Peter, was the fact that Jesus had been exalted.

When Peter stood up

Jesus Himself had said on that last great day of the feast at Jerusalem: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

It is therefore plain that glorification of Jesus brought the Holy Spirit - where Jesus is glorified, the Holy Spirit comes. He does not have to be begged. Let us get it into our heart - the Holy Spirit comes when the Savior is glorified. When Christ is truly honored, the Spirit comes.

Let us take note, particularly Acts 2:14 - "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them ..." He stood up, and then he lifted up his voice.

Notice that Peter here stands for the whole Church of God. Peter was the first man to get on his feet after the Holy Spirit had come to the Church. Peter had believed the Lord's Word and he had received confirmation in his heart. The difference between faith as it is found in the New Testament and faith as it is found now is that faith in the New Testament actually produced something - there was a confirmation of it.

Faith now is the beginning and an end. We hav faith in faith - but nothing happens. They had faith in a risen Christ and something did happen. That is the difference.

Now, here was Peter standing, and he lifted up his voice. And that should be the business of the Church - stand up and lift up. Peter became a witness on earth, as the Church should be, to things in heaven. The Church must be a witness to powers beyond the earthly and the human. It grieves the Lord that the Church is now trying to run on its human powers!

The Church that carry on in its own power

Peter testified to something beyond the human and the earthly. Some power that lay beyond the earthly scene was interested us, and was willing to enter and become known to us. That power turns out to be none other than the Spirit of God Himself.

So, Peter, witnessing to things he had experienced, wanted to influence, urged and exhorted those who had not yet experienced to enter in.

Now, let us consider the Church trying to carry on in its own power. In my opinion, that kind of Christianity makes God sick, for it is trying to run a heavenly institution after an earthly manner. What we need is divine power. The Church that seeks God's power will have something to offer besides social clubs, garden tea parties, fashion shows and all of the other side issues.

First, we must strive to make our beliefs and practices New Testament in their content. We must teach and believe New Testament truths, with nothing dragged in from the outside. It means we must be going constantly back to the grass roots, to the basic.

Second, we must also earnestly, sacrificially and prayerfully, strive to be empowered with the same power that came upon them.

Peter said: "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:32, 32). We must live to gear ourselves into things eternal and to live the life of heaven here upon the earth. We must put loyalty to Christ first at any cost. Anything less than that really isn't a Christian Church. I would rather be a member of a group that meets in a little room on a side street than to be part of a great going activity that is not New Testament in its doctrine, in its spirit, in its living, in its holinee, and in all of its texture an tenor. We need not expect to be popular in such a Church, but certain fruits will follow if we make a Church that kind of a Church.

Characteristics of a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led congregation

They will be a joyful people. Church history tells us how the Holy Spirit came upon the Moravians one October morning in 1727. They were having communion. They went out joyful from that place, scarcely knowing whether they were in earth or had died and already gone to heaven. That joyfulness was characteristic of the Moravians for a hundred years. They were not just a happy people in the sense of working up their happiness - their joy came from within.

We do have many professing Christians in our day who are not joyful, but they spend time trying to work it up. I believe when we give God His place in the Church, when we recognize Christ as Lord high and lifted up, when we give the Holy Spirit His place, there will be joy that doesn't have to be worked up. It will be a joy that springs like a fountain. That is one important charactistic of a Spirit-filled congregation. They will be a joyful people, and it will be easy to distinguish them from the children of the world.

Benefits of a Spirit-filled congregation

A Spirit-filled congregation is useful in the neighborhood - useful to the sons of men, even the ones that are not converted. In another sense, we are to be influential among the Churches, as well.

I would like to see a Church becomes so godly, so Spirit-filled that it would have a spiritual influence on all the Churches in the entire area. I would like to see every Christian and every Church become so Spirit-filled, walking with God, learning to worship, living so clean and so separated that everybody would know it and the other Churches in the same area would be blessed on account of it.

Church history tells us that when Luther carried out his reformation, the Catholic Church was forced to clean up - the moral pressure from Lutheranism brought about change in the Roman Church. When Wesley came and preached throughout England, the Anglican Church was forced to clean up some of the things that were wrong. Methodism was a spiritual force that compelled other to do somethin about their own condition.

There is no reason why we could not be a people so filled with the Holy Spirit, so joyfully singing His praises and living so clean in our business and home and school that the people and other Churches would know it and recognize it.

But, of course, there are some Christians who just won't even fill at home in a Spirit-filled congregation. Not all men have faith and there are some who don't want that kind of Church. For example, the people who put on religion as a well-pressed Sunday garment won't like that kind of joyful Church.

The cross of Jesus Christ changes men's plans

Let us be reminded that the cross of Jesus Christ always changes men's plans. The cross of Christ is revolutionary, and if we are not ready to let it be revolutionary in us or let it cost us anything or control us in any way, we are not going to like a Church that takes the things of God seriously.

People want the benefits of the Cross but yet they do not want to bow to the control of the cross. They want to tak all the cross can offer but they don't want to be under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Those who expect religion to be fun won't like that kind of a Spirit-filled congregation. We have just gone through a long period when Christianity was the "funniest" thing on earth. Many of us have been told that we could have more fun serving Jesus than we could do anything else in the world. It is clean, too - and we don't have a hangover! But we can get drunk in the Holy Spirit.

Can you imagine some people would think that the purpose of being a Christian is for the sake of fun - Christianity as an entertaining medium? The whole thing is offensive and foul before God Almight. Seriously, the cross of Christ isn't fun, and it never was fun. It is most solemn.

The joy of the Lord

There is a such thing as the joy of the Lord which is the strength of His people. There is such a thing as having joy unspeakable and full of glory. But the idea that Christianity is another form of entertainment is perfectly ridiculous.

When I sing "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound," I am worshipping the Lord God Almighty. If you want to call "entertainment" that which they do before the throne when they cry day and night without ceasing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," then I am an entertainer. If it isn't entertainment - and it certainly isn't - then I am a worshipper.



The Church must worship, beloved! There is more healing joy in five minutes of worship that there is in five nights of revelry and worldly entertainment. Nobody ever worshipped God and then went out and committed suicide as a hangover. Many a man has killed himself because he had just burned himself out trying to have fun. Many a pretty young woman has thrown herself into having fun, and before she is twenty-five, she has to have a make-over job done on her countenance - she has simply burned herself out.

How I love to see the grace and the joy of the Lord in a face! I believe many true Christians love that too.

Cultural values of the Church

People who embrace a Church for its cultural value will not be happy and satisfied in a Spirit-filled congregation. These people don't know anything about the Spirit in their lives or the Spirit-filled Church. They do believe that cultural value of the Church is good for them and offers them something, and they want their children brought up in the cultural atmosphere of the Church. They seek after lectures on flower arrangements, child-rearing, book reviews and all sorts of things. It is a foregone conclusion that they are not going to be at home among God's regenerated people who are intent upon spiritual advance.

So, we will always have to be be aware that this kind of discontent is going to rule out a few, and we are made sad by their dicision. But we thank God for those who will be in their glory if we go constantly to the grass roots, weeding out everything that is not of God and keeping the grain growing lush and beautiful. Thank God for those who want to gear into things heavenly and walk with God and obey the truth and love one another!

Those who are in a Spirit-filled congregation



Who are these people who will be happy and contented and fulfilled in a Spirit-filled congregation? They are those who have a leading ambition to be rid of their sins.

I believe we ought to have the sincere to be rid of our sins. If I had a cancer growing in my neck, I would want to be rid of it - the sooner the better!

Let us talk about getting rid of our sins. Some people that are overwhelmed with the desire to be free from their sins have had refining fire go through their hearts sanctifying the whole person.

These people will be happy in a Church that would not allow any form of "cancer" to be in the congregation. They want to know God and to walk with God. Their ambition is to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They ar the Lord's people and they know and appreciate one another. No matter what our backgrounds or where we come from, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We have learned to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd. We will be at home in a Spirit-filled Church.

The true Christian Church can be a conglomeration of everything under the son. That is, we may ha Calvinists and Methodists and Baptists and members of Assemblies of God and all sorts of believers, and yet we are all together on one thing - Jesus Christ our Lord. He is all wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption! He is All in all, and the people of the Lord who have learned to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd gravitate toward that kind of Church.

Thank God for those in the Churches who would rather hear the voice of Jesus than to hear the voice of the greatest preachers. Thank God for those who would rather be conscious of the Divine Presence than to be in the presence of the greates man in the world.

These are the things in which we believe: Jesus Christ the Lord; clean living; decency and separation from all things that are wrong; joyful, radiant, joyful worship; sweet fellowship based on kindliness and patience, endurance and honesty. Above all things, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness." Amen.

Marks of the New Testament Church

Not only do we have the Holy Spirit indwelling every single believer, but He also dwells in us corporately as the Body of Christ. We are described as living stones being built into a building, with Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

Peter said: "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spritual sacrifices accepted to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4, 5, NKJV).

As Christians we no longer have the option or luxury of an individualist life because we are part of something bigger than a group of individuals with the Lord in common. We therefore need to see ourselves not as 'going to Church' or 'going to a meeting,' but being the Church and functioning with the other members in a unified way. As part of the Body of Christ each part is necessary and matters, whether the individual believes that to be the case or not (read 1 Cor. 12:14 - 26). If one part suffers then every part suffers. If we are not feeling the suffering of those members of the Body who hurt, including those in prison around the world, then we are not functioning fully as the Body of Christ. Our lives are meant to be interdependent in such a way that we can meaningfully bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ to love one another (Gal. 6:2). There is still in most of us too much of self, too much individualism, which is more cultural than Biblical and part of the spirit of the age. It is also part of the old sin nature that needs to be put to death.

Paul said: "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:4, 5).

Even in the Body of Christ there are ministers who belong nowhere and are accoutable to nobody. God wants His children to be part of the family in more than theory and to have a meaningful relationship with each other. The world is suppose to say: "See how they love one another." In fact you hear more often: "Why can't they agree?" Renewal clearly has to touch us in this area much more than has happened hitherto.

Restoration of the New Testament pattern

Let us consider the marks of the New Testament Church, all of which can be quite easily restored if we want them enough. Let us look at some verse of Scripture in Acts 2.

"An they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:42 - 47, emphasis added).

Note the four things the early Church committed to do - study the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. Let us consider each one in some details:


1. The apostles' doctrine


They were devoted and committed to a program of teaching to bring them to maturity. This was far more than regular weekly teaching (in Sunday/Saturday Church service). Often, in some cases, the teaching session would go right on into the late hours (Acts 20:7 - 11).


In those days teaching had to be verbal because some could not read and books were not available anyway, so the way they showed their devotion was by attending a continual program of spoken teaching. In today's context it means devoted to Bible study and reading. New Christians generally have an insatiable appetite to read but many lose it in the process of time. There should be a program of recommended reading of the Bible or Christian materials so that the initial enthusiasm and devotion can be encouraged and directed. Bible/Christianity basics need to be systematically covered. A good Topical Bible and concordance can help.


The writer of Hebrews listed these basics: "Therefore, leaving the dicussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits" (Heb. 6:1 - 3).


These are the six basic areas where the believers receive instruction as part of their grounding in faith. I believe many contemporary Church members were not taught of these basics, especially the laying on of hands. Therefore, we have a lot of catching up to do if we want to be like the early Church. We all have access of the Bible so that we can learn about them ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to give us revelation. The Body of Christ needs the teaching ministries to nourish and build up the Church, and for a fresh devotion to hearing and applying the pure Word of God.


2. Fellowship


The mutual commitment of a group of believers to each other cannot happen if you rarely meet and split your life between work, home and Church. There is a great need for love and belonging together in the Body of Christ, because many find refuge there from a harsh world. We need to establish that sense of togetherness, that we have thrown in our lot with the other believers, whoever they are, because they too are the Lord's. Devotion to the fellowship is like a triangle with Jesus at the top, you at the base ine one corner and other believers in the other corner. As you and the other believers move closer to the Lord you move closer to one another. Equally as you move closer to one another you move closer to the Lord. We really do need each other and to know that the commitment is mutual - us to the fellowship and fellowship to us.


It is very important that believers find where they belong to the Body of Christ and are committed to that group of believers so that the others can also be committed to them. This is done more than membership and cannot be forced. It has to come from a real sense of belonging.


3. Breaking of bread


The breaking of bread to which the group of believers devoted themselves was the 'agape' love feast, as it was known until the second century when it effectively stopped due to religious leaders turning it into a service and away from its proper purpose. It was not communion as such, but it was more than an ordinary meal. The 'breaking of bread' or 'Holy communion' which we now have is very different from the practice of the early Church. Because we have kept the name we tend to assume that they did what we do, but that is not the case. Basically if was a fellowship meal together that would have led on into singing, praise and worship and really bonded together the believers. They basically came together to eat (1 Cor. 11:33) and after eating a meal would remember Jesus in the passing of the bread and wine before going on into the meeting, almost like a thank-you after the meal. The apostles may well have based it on the practice of Jesus. It was after supper that He passed the cup (1 cor. 11:25) and they then say a hymn (Mark 14:26). This was probably a regular feature of the disciples' fellowship together, although this is the only reference.


This ministry is sometimes neglected and is included within the whole area of hospitality. It must be based on the Luke 14 principle of need, rather that inviting those you like. We should in fact be doing both without partiality, but particularly to the needy in the Body, the lonely, the widows, the single parent families and those who may look fine but are not (read Luke 14:12 - 14).


4. Prayers


The early believers were devoted to prayer. I believe if Christians were even half as devoted to prayer, individually and corporately, the Local Church would be transformed. Consider what proportion of your Church or fellowship regularly attends a prayer meeting. It is there that the devotion can be seen. Because we are all responsible for our own time it is nobody else's fault. There is nothing to stop us being devoted and going, whatever anybody else does or does not go, but the fact is that if there is little prayer there will be little power and little effectiveness. Devotion to prayer bring down the power of God.


"And when they had prayed, the place were they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31).


The early core of believers was 120 (Acts 1:15) and these 120 were present on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1). The question is, where were the other to whom Jesus had appeared, as He appeared to over 500 at one time (1 Cor. 15:6). Paul said that some of them had 'fallen aleep' (died). But somehow many of them had not joined the early Church. Or if they had, they were not there with the rest praying on the day of Pentecost. The 120 were 120 devoted pray-ers - "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers" (Acts 1:14).


The real point is that those devoted to being together to pray received the power and even if we are one of the 500 who have had a revelation of Jesus there is a better place still, namely being locked together with other believers seeking God in prayer. I believe some of the 500 who were not there but heard about the Pentecost regretted for not being there. They certainly would never miss another prayer meeting!


Things happen at prayer meetings where there is devotion to seeking the Lord and prayer needs to be a very hig priority, not just alone at home, but with other members of the Body of Ghrist. Ideally they would all ray together as a Body, but if this is impossible then at least in areas. If we want early Church power we need early Church prayer!


I believe there has to be link between the teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer and signs following. When the Body of Christ is together in unity and functioning Biblically the Lord gives His blessings (read Psalm 133). Perhaps the current absence of the visible power of God in some Local Churches has to do with the absence of these other factors as well. Certainly where they are being restored the signs are beginning to follow. If we were less concerned with the signs and more with the Glory of God and representing Jesus on the earth they would just naturally flow from manifesting the life of Jesus within us.


Believers had all things in common


In the early Church believers were together in unity and had all things in common. This is often misunderstood, because if they had all sold their houses there would have been an immediate housing crisis to deal with! In fact they all re-evaluate all their possessions, sold what was not needed and use the money to meet the needs of those who had nothing. Many of them had probably been forced to leave home through being Christians, and might well have joined the church with literally nothing but the clothes they stood in. Those who had two houses sold the second one. We know that they kept some to fellowship in, because they broke bread from house to house (Acts 2:46). The key lies in the willingness to give everything to the Lord - "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold" (Acts 4:32 - 35).


Benefits of a greater degree of sharing


It is quite possible for the Body of Christ to return t a greater degree of sharing, and not considering possessions to be for our own exclusive use. The early Church had a real revelation that they had been bought by the Lord along with everything they had, and it was all available for the Body. It was seen as God's and not their own. The sprit of the world has infiltrated the Church if we think that all we have is ours for our own exclusive enjoyment. We can return to the concept of sharing if we are closely knitted together as a fellowship. This does not necessarily mean all putting their income into one pool and everyone drawing out what they need. Rather it is an openness to acknowledge that everything comes from God, that we have personal stewardship and accountability, and to be willing to be led by the Holy Spirit in giving to the needs of the Body. Giving should be done with maximum free-will, in secret and in faith, not under compulsion, publicly and as a sort of levy where faith is not exercised (2 Cor. 9:7). Giving is in essence sowing to the Kingdom and an investment in the future. We will reap what we sow.


God adde to their number. Where there is life and commitment in the fellowship growth will occur. This is the best form of evangelism, not just preaching the Gospel but living it! whee love and power are evident those who seek after truth will find the Lord. We should be proud to bring visitors to our meetings, because of what the Lord has done among us. If life is there unbelievers will discern it. Paul expects unbelivers to be at the service (1 Cor. 14:22 - 25), and for them to fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is truly among you' if the Body functions with tongues and prophecy. That is a further reason for having meetings of this kind, because they have an evangelistic role as well and can bring in far more numerical growth than the conventional type of mission. It also make follow-up that much easier.


Conclusion


If we are willing to live as the early Church did, be as devoted as they were and walk in faith and power as they didm then we will see God working mightily among us as they did. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and the promise of the Spirit is for us.


Peter, in his sermon after pentecost said: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38, 39).


If we do not have the power it is not because the promise is invalid and applies to a different dispensation. It is because God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Furthermore, if we reject Biblical truth the Holy Spirit is grived and restricted in His work. In these last days before Jesus returns we have a wonderful opportunity to see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and outside the Church if we will do His work His way.

Chosen by God to be Fruitful

At the very beginning of creation we read of God's first recorded words to Adam: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; ..." (Gen. 1:28, NKJV).

God's command is to be fruitful, which is part of God's purpose of man. This is quite separate from multiplying, which relates to filling the earth and refers to subduing the earth, so that it is productive and brings forth fruit. This is an important principle to see because God wanted Adam to exercise rulership as part of his fruitfulness. In other words, he would be directly involved in producing order and being in authority over the animals and plants kingdoms. He was to be in control and as long as he was in fellowship with God abundance, prosperity and fruitfulness would result. The same principle applies to redeemed man in the walk of the Spirit. We are to be fruitful. When Jesus spoke to the disciples he told them: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 13:16).

The fruit we are to bear is the type that will last and determine our reward in heaven, which is of course eternal and will last forever. In this message we shall look at the fruit that the Holy Spirit wants to bring forth in our lives and how to achieve abundant fruitfulness.

All fruit starts as a seed and when we are saved there is a seed planted within us. It comes from the Holy Spirit tree and is the very nature of Jesus, who was filled with the Holy Spirit and fruitfulness.

Jesus said: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

There is no fruit apart from Jesus and the Holy Spirit will produce the nature of Jesus in us to the degree that we co-operate.

The seed and the fruit

The parable of the sower indicates what can happen to the source of the fruit, namely the seed. Without restating the parable in full, the seed is the Word of God and some fell on the path (wayside), some on rocky (stony) ground, some among thorns and some on good ground.

Jesus gave the explanation: "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who recieved seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matt. 13:18 - 23).

The seed is supposed to produce fruit in each one of us, but we determine how great that fruit shall be. This is true both of salvation and of the seed of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5 is in essence a contrast between the walk in the Spirit and the walk in the flesh. There is a choice hence the exhortation from Paul: "Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).

We shall now consider the parable of the sower in relation to the seed of the fruit of the Spirit, for the principle is identical. The first seed falls by the wayside. Jesus relates it to the message of the kingdom that is neither received nor understood and the Devil therefore snatches it away. This can happen to the seed of the fruit of the Spirit for if it is neither received nor understood it will not be watered and the Devil will snatch away the idea that we should be fruitful at all. This happens when only salvation is preached and nothing more. It is assumed that any fruit will be self-germinating and automatic. Part of that message is that the gifts are not for now either! We need to be sure that the concept of fruitfulness is not snatched away by the father of lies and the accuser of the brethren.

The rocky ground is the man who initially desires to be fruitful for God but has no root to reach down to the nourishment. He doesn't read the Word because there is something good on TV. He doesn't go to the prayer meeting because it means getting up early after a late night movie or a late night birthday party. And if the prayer meeting is at night, he'll probably have to go out dinner with friends. He doesn't fast because it means missing a meal or two. This kind of shallowness will not produce fruit because of all the rocks in the ground. There is an initial enthusiasm after salvation but the spiritual life then gets too hard because some effort is required!

The thorns and thistles are more common than generally realized. We tend to assume that we are of course the good ground and can deceive ourselves that we are better than is the case.

James said: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).

Unless we are actively putting into practice the principles of the Word of God we will be deceived into thinking that we are following the Lord when we are merely onlookers.

Two of the main thorns are the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. These prevent the fruit of the Spirit from growing to full maturity. If we can weed out the thorns and thistles then we shall have abundant fruit. All fruit come from the same seed. You do not produce some of the fruit and not others.

The fruit of the Spirit and the character of Jesus

The fruit of the Spirit is in essence a description of the character of Jesus. We are to be like Him, and aware of those things that hinder this.

The writer of Hebrews said: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:1, 2).

In the context of a race any excess weight slows you down and you miss your potential. With the gardening picture the problem is both the soil and the weeds. God nevertheless is keeping an eye on us as His sons and daughters and will correct and discipline (chasten) us.

The writer of Hebrews said further: "If you endure chastening God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you ar illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore stengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather healed" (Heb. 12:7 - 13).

The fruit of the Spirit and the harvest of righteousness and peace are in essence the samething. Therefore we need to see discipline in a positive way and not despise God's ways of making us fruitful. We reap what we sow and if we sow to the Spirit we shall reap a bountiful harvest in the form of a really fruitful life for God.

The Devil is also sowing as the parable of the wheat and tares illustrates but we sow too. The seventh of the things the Lord hates is a man who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:19). Control of the tongue is the suprime objective of self-control and God wants the Holy Spirit to control our tongues. One of the reasons that tongues were given to the Church at Pentecost is because God wanted His people to praise Him with a pure tongue and that had to come from the Holy Spirit. This is still true in the natural area and God wants your uncontrollable tongue - "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). It is He who will produce that fruit of self-control as we yield to the Spirit of God. The fruit of the Spirit is the corporate result of the process of turning seed into ripe fruit. You don't have some but not others, e.g. patience but not self-control! They are all part of the same fruit. It starts off as a seed but it's all there in potential. First, you see the blossom immediately after salvation, and then it falls off sometimes to the surprise of the person who expected to be that way permanently. After blossom you have a tiny little piece of fruit that forms. If you pick it and eat it you will find that it is hard, green and bitter and you would reject it, but it is still nevertheless fruit. Only in later stages does the fruit come into ripeness and is visibly identifiable as fruit because the color changes. Too often we only think of fruit as fully formed and ripe and fail to recognize the stages of growth. Growth takes time and we are being repened by God into mature fruit. It need not take so very long and will be affected by the climate we are in. If you are in a greenhouse where here is warmth and water you will grow more rapidly. Equally true is the reverse, namely that if you are stuck out in the icy cold and not fed or watered, the fruit will be less and take much longer to produce. Fruit is important because it show wha kind of tree you are from. Even if you are producing fruit God will still prune you and you will be cut back regularly to produce even more fruit. It is the result of a spirit led life and does glorify God as Jesus siad: "By this My Father is florified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples" (John 15:8).

This is why we are told to recognize people by their fruit because it shows what kind of seed is inside them.

Two different views of the parable of the sower


In the parable of the sower Jesus said that the seed would bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold and some on hundredfold. There are two different views of the meaning of this:

1. Some consider that the seed has equal potential in each person and that we can all produce one hundredfold as our maximum potential because the seed of the Holy Spirit is capable of this. If you then produce sixtyfold you have achieved sixty per cent of your potential and similarly thirtyfold is thirty per cent. In other words, it all depends on the soil and how we feed and water the seed.

2. The other view is that believers have diferent potential by the svereign grace of God. Some are capable of much, others of less and God is looking for faithfulness. This view is supported by the parable of the talents where they were given different amounts. If you are a thirtyfold in potential and produce thirtyfold, then you have done equally as well as the potential hundredfolder who produces a hundredfold. Actually if you produce thirty and the other person produces ninety you have done better as far as God is concerned even if an outside observer thinks the ninetyfolder has been three times as productive as you!


Whichever view you choose the key is to achieve your maximum potential and not be concerned if others appear to be doing better. There is tremendous potential in the Holy Spirit to be really productive for the Kingdom and it is also true that we can quench the Holy Spirit and limit the fruitfulness. It is up to us to keep our soil weed free and open to the light of the Word of God and the Living Water that comes from Jesus. There is a day coming when God who is no man's debtor will reward those who have faithfully served Him and led a fruitful life. It is indeed a high calling. There is no easy way or soft option for the man of God. We have to take up our cross daily, die to self and follow Jesus.


Conclusion


Perhaps the best way to conclude is to consider what Paul wrote in Timothy and pray that God will be pleased with us on that day when we finally meet the One we seek to serve:


"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:7, 8).


When we meet Jesus may He be able to say: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord" (Matt. 25:21).


Many people toward the end of their natural life regret the missed opportunities and the wasted years, when they chose to live for themselves rather than God. Solomon started off walking with the Lord but the care of this life and the deceitfulness of riches led him astray. When he looked back and wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes he wished he had been wholehearted toward God. He discovered that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and that the commandments of the Lord are the route to happiness and he wished he had followed them. May we make the most of the days God has given us and determine afresh that we will be led by the Spirit of God, living a fruitful life worthy of our high calling.


"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Eccl. 12:13, 14).