We have greatly underestimated the Holy Spirit's ministry in the Body of Christ. All of the revelation and wisdom of the Word has been placed in His hands. Man's wisdom has diminished the wisdom of God by failing to recognize His work in the Church. Like those have done for centuries before us, we become rigid in what we think the Word says and then refuse to change.
1Corinthians 2:9-11 (Amplified) says, "But on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, (all that) God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him (who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed)."
There are things that God has made ready and prepared for us that we can only know and understand by the Holy Spirit. Verses 10 & 11 go on, "Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed by His Spirit, for the Holy Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God (the divine counsels and hidden things and beyond man's scrutiny) For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit withing him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."
The Holy Spirit is the only One Who can know and understand the thoughts and things (hidden counsels) of God. Bible school and church Bible studies can only teach what men know, without the hidden counsel of the Holy Spirit teaching and revealing the things God knows, to us. 1Corinthians 14:2 (Amplified) says, "For he who speaks in an (unknown) tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the Holy Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things (not obvious to the understanding)."
The Church has struggled for hundreds of years with "speaking in tongues." Churches have split apart, fought in our own faith and become downright angry with one another over the speaking of tongues. Yet, the Word tells us that God has revealed the hidden counsels and things of God to us, by the Holy Spirit. We have also read the Word which says, "When a person speaks in an unknown tongue, he speaks secret truths and hidden things not obvious to man's understanding."
The Holy Spirit is the only One Who knows the mind of God. How can we expect to know His thoughts and counsels with the Holy Spirit's revealing them to us? We are told to speak in tongues or pray in the Spirit in Jude 20 (Amplified) which says, "But you beloved, build yourselves up (founded) on your most holy faith (make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher) praying in the Holy Spirit."
Praying in the Holy Spirit is the Biblical way of growing in the Lord and making progress in your walk with Him. This is precisely what Paul said in 1Corinthians 14:2 (Amplified), "Speaking not to men, but unto God, speaking mysteries (hidden counsel) and Hidden things." How can we ever hope to know the "hidden things" God has for us without the Holy Spirit's revealing them to us?
We just read that God has revealed these things to us "by and through the Holy Spirit." These things are not hidden from the Church, but for the Church. Only those who are born again of the Spirit can truly receive the things of the Spirit. Jesus said that the "Things (Words) He taught are Spirit and Truth." Only the Holy Spirit can impart the Spirit life into the Words that we read. The carnal mind can be educated enough to understand what the words mean, but only the Holy Spirit can impart the mysteries of the Spirit from the Word.
Have you ever had someone say that they "Tried to read the Bible, but they couldn't understand it? These things are spiritually discerned and can only be received by your spirit; otherwise, they are just words. As we study the scriptures, we must go beyond just education and receive revelation.
We have had hidden counsels revealed to us by the Holy Spirit that came and died before having a chance to grow into the full truth for the Church. The truth of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, has been a truth for more than two thousand years, but is still not the truth to all the Church.
We continue denying the truth about Spiritual things because we simply do not allow the Holy Spirit do His work in our lives. We've read that, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard and it hasn't entered into the hearts of man, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him." But, the Word doesn't stop there (like a lot of us do), but goes on to say, "God has revealed them to us by His Holy Spirit." Men cannot understand these things without the Holy Spirit.
If God has revealed them to us by His Holy Spirit and we can "pray these secret things in the Holy Spirit," according to Jude 20 and 1Corinthians 14:2, then "These hidden truths will build up our faith and ourselves higher and higher, like an edifice (or building) praying in the Holy Spirit." Why don't we then enter into the deeper things of God?
1Corinthians 2:13 (Amplified) speaks about these hidden truths of God, saying, "We are setting forth these truths in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Holy Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language (to those who posses the Holy Spirit)." Verse 14 goes on to explain that, "These spiritual things are foolishness to the natural (or carnal) minds, without the Holy Spirit to reveal them to us."
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit is the most crucial thing in the Church for those who wish to be used by God before Jesus' soon coming return. Without the Holy Spirit to lead us into all the truth, how can we ever know what to do or how to do it or when to do it?
Praying in tongues is not "gibberish" like some people claim, but are "Mysteries being revealed into our spirit, by the Holy Spirit." Satan has fought ferociously trying to prevent the Church's hearing this truth, because this would be his downfall over the Christian believer. Once the Church receives the full truth that the Father wants us to have, then what can stop God from moving in the supernatural flow of His presence throughout the world? Nothing.
It's only the Body of Christ has privy to these hidden truths and mysteries, by the Holy Spirit. His work and His ministry can only be fulfilled in the Spirit and not the flesh. All man's self-imposed rituals cannot take the place of the Spirit of Liberty that has come for us to follow.
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