Lesson 75 The Work and Minsitry of the Holy Spirit

     The Holy Spirit is the greatest source of knowledge and wisdom found in the earth today.  Without His input into our lives, we can only walk in man's knowledge and with the mind of the flesh.  We know from God's Word that we're not to be conformed or pressed into the mold that this world system is trying to press us into.  We are to be renewed by God's Word, according to Romans 12:2 (Amplified) which says, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age) (fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs) but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude) so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)."
     The Holy Spirit is the Teacher and without His revelation to us of what the Father's will is, we can only walk in the world's idea of what God's Word tells us.  Reflecting the eyes of the world, the social media and its ideals are trying to press us into a mold where they think love is being "tolerant of all things" and "embracing all things" and "accepting all other gods are equal to our own God" and "being one big Utopian family."  The world (the unsaved) sees these things leading to peace and safety, because they don't know the Prince of Peace, Jesus.
     God's family has previously been influenced by the world's way of doing things for centuries.  Therefore, we've accepted the idea that we already know God's will and that is for us to "go to heaven when we die," "be nice to everyone" and "don't make waves."  This is exactly what Paul instructed us not to do in Romans 12:2 because it's the very same influence we walked in before knowing Jesus.
     If the Church is exactly like the world, then what difference can the world see?  We are called to be "in the world, but not of the world."  God has left us in this world to make a difference in the way men see Him.  The world would like to simply put it all in a blender and make it all work together.
     In these last days before Jesus returns for His Church, the battle lines have been drawn.  We can "go along to get along" or just "hang on until the end."  Or, we can let our light shine into the darkness and lean on and be led by the Holy Spirit with His compassion, wisdom and strength.  This strength isn't merely keeping us strong in His power and His might, but it will strengthen those around us by this same strength.
     Our God and Father is the only real source of strength and power in this world.  All other sources of power are weak in the True Power of God's Might.  Jesus said that, "All power has been given unto Me, both in heaven and in the earth."  This settled the problem forever.  We look upon the government as power, as if it can actually remove God from a nation or a people, through law and policy.  The governments of this nation and the world might make agreements and policies about prayer, worship and unity, but God's way is still the only power that will endure.
     In order to remain true to our own heart, we must hear and understand the Holy Spirit in these times.  The world's idea of government has blurred the lines.  We can only see clearly by the Word of God and its illumination by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus didn't let the things around Him detour Him from His mission.  He simply walked through them.  The same way we see the Holy Spirit guide Jesus, we see Him guide Peter, Paul and those who went on in the things of God.  You might say, "Yes, but they all died."  Yes, but so did everyone at that time.  It's not if we've going to die, but how we're going to do so.  I don't know anyone over 120 years old, do you?
     I'm not writing about revolution, but revelation.  Revolution is exactly what the enemy wants, because it would wipe-out mankind and put satan in control.  Revelation, however, will restore mankind to God and put the power of God once again in full control by His Spirit and His Word.
     The greatest power on this planet is the Church or God's family.  Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 (Amplified) that, "All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me."  We have been granted privilege to God's Throne of Grace to receive grace in our time of need, by Jesus' Name and His Blood.  Paul asked for help in his time of need and the Lord told him, "[God's] grace was sufficient for all he was to do or where he was to go."  God says, "My grace is sufficient for you," or in other words, "I will supply to you, whatever is required to get the job done."  Paul went through many tough times, but the key word is that he went through them.  He didn't stop and God's grace never failed him.  The Church will have some things we must endure and go through, but we will go through them.
     Our brothers and sisters in different parts of the world, are going through trials, tortures, rapes, displacements and death.  In America, we are facing a different and more subtle sort of persecution.  We're being pressed into the world's image and don't even realize what is happening.  Little by little, we have given ground and retreated before the enemy and yielded to compromise.
     The lines are drawn and the time for "Having done all to stand" from Ephesians 6 is here.  We will either allow the Holy Spirit to lead us like He did Jesus and the early Church or we will stumble in the dark.  Jesus said in John 14:27 (Amplified) that, "My peace I leave with you; My peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you."

Lesson 74 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told), and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself)." 
     John 14:26 (Amplified) says, "But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Stand-by), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name (in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf) He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you."
     Just hours before He would carry the cross to Calvary, Jesus explained to His disciples, the Holy Spirit's upcoming ministry in their lives.  Jesus told them that the very Holy Spirit Who worked and lived in Him, would live in them and bring to their remembrance everything Jesus told them.  Many things concerning the new covenant had been shared with the disciples over the last three years of Jesus' life, but they were unable to understand them yet.  John 12:16 (Amplified) says, "His disciples did not understand and could not comprehend the meaning of these things at first; But when Jesus was glorified and exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him."
     They didn't have the revelation of Jesus' message, even when they read prophecies from the Word concerning Him, without the the illumination and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  We previously read that, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God," from Romans 10:17.  When we do not hear what this new covenant entails, then we do not put faith in what isn't preached.  The things Jesus, and His disciples went on to do, were the result of what was preached and seen during His earthly ministry.
     In many of today's churches, we only hear a portion of what Jesus called the Church to do.  Many haven't had faith for our lives and for our time because it hasn't been preached and we haven't heard it.  The Good News that Jesus preached was revealed to His disciples and continued far into the second century, before it was watered down.  Today, the Holy Spirit is bringing to our "remembrance" all things Jesus said.
     The healing ministry of the Holy Spirit is being renewed in the Body of Christ, like it was in the early Church, like never before.  We have seen evidence of all these things trickling down through the years by early men and women of God.  As it was being preached by such persons like Katherine Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, William Brannon and John G. Lake, faith arose in the people to receive.  Many hadn't heard this powerful portion of the gospel preached very little or not at all.
     We cannot have faith in what we haven't heard.  Once we hear it preached and we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us, our faith will arise to meet the promise.  Our biggest enemy of faith has been not hearing the real or full gospel.  If we don't know what the Father's will is for us and for our time, then it's difficult to have faith for it in our lives.
     All Christian denominations love God to the extent of what we know about Him.  We've all put faith in what we do know, some believe it's just for the hereafter, because that's all they've heard preached.  "The Holy Spirit confirms the Word with signs and wonders," according to Mark 16:20 (Amplified) which says, "And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied it, Amen (so be it)."
     The Holy Spirit is waiting for the Word to once again be preached everywhere, so that the Lord has something to "confirm."  Jesus said that it was the "Father's Own Word He spoke" and that it was "the Father doing the work He did."  The Holy Spirit is only obligated to "confirm" God's Words and not our own.  Jesus said, "It is not My Own Words, but the Father's Words" He spoke.
     Many of us seem rather reluctant to believe beyond what they were taught, but the Holy Spirit will teach us in things beyond our local church meetings and denominational teachings.  We seem to be reluctant to "hear' beyond our own things.
     I attended the denomination church my wife belonged to, after I first was born again.  The people there were good, sincere people in their faith.  I had a "hunger" for more of God than I was being fed there and began a search for more.  I didn't leave our church, but went further into the Word than they were teaching. 
     As I heard others teach different things from the Word, my faith in God grew and I believed more about Him than I had previously believed.  The teachers from my wife's church weren't teaching incorrect things, they just weren't teaching the complete Word.  What I heard had inspired faith for some things, but not for other things.  As the teaching of the Word increased in my life, the Holy Spirit began confirming what I heard and what I had begun preaching.
     I discovered that God's Word hadn't lost any of its power, but I had lost sight of that Word.  The Holy Spirit brought revelation of its "living" place in my spirit as I searched God's Word.  The Holy Spirit still will bring all that Jesus preached to our "remembrance."  The Word on paper becomes the Word living in our lives by the Holy Spirit.
     It doesn't matter what we did or didn't believe before...we can still learn to believe more of the Father's will and Word through the Holy Spirit.  Some people are afraid to venture into certain things because they fear not "being in God's will" or they fear succumbing to "false teachings."  We must learn to trust in the Holy Spirit as our Teacher and Counselor, in the things of God.  Let's read 1John 2:27 (Amplified) again, "But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides (permanently) in you' (so) then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His (the Holy Spirit) anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him (being rooted in Him, knit to Him) just as (His anointing) has taught you (to do)."
     For the most part, we haven't been taught to lean on and listen to the Holy Spirit as our Guide, like we should.  Many of us weren't even allowed to cross over from one denomination to another.  We operated in fear of being deceived.  1John 4:18 (Amplified) tells us, "There is no fear in love (dread does not exist) but full grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the though of punishment and (So) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown (into loves complete perfection)."
\     The Holy Spirit will not allow someone who is walking in love (God is Love) to be misled, if we will listen to Him.  There is no need to fear if our heart is right before God.  If we get caught up in our own selves or pride, then we can be deceived.
     When Paul was caught up into heaven and given the revelation from on High, he had to trust in the Holy Spirit to guide him.  The things he taught after that were things no one ever heard before or dared to believe.  If he hadn't trusted the Holy Spirit to lead him, then Paul would never had the ability to preach the things he had heard.  He preached the revelation knowledge to the world and the Jews.  Now the Gentiles could become covenant with God and the Jew would have to change his covenant with God.
     Some people have exchanged the true ministry of the Holy Spirit for their own ministry, for various reasons.  Many throughout the years, have been deceived because they didn't listen to or study to show themselves approved by God.
     God hasn't changed His original plan for mankind.  He still desires to have an unlimited fellowship and relationship with us, like in the beginning.  Satan will do anything possible to limit this relationship and make us think it's not God's plan for our lives.  We strive to "get into" or "remain" in God's will for His Church.  The last thing any true believer would want, is to become a preacher of false doctrines.  We figure the best way of avoiding that is to simply remain in what we know.
     That decision is fairly safe, but very confining for the Liberty of the Gospel.  It might be safe for us to stay put, but it doesn't do much to "set the captives free."  We keep waiting for the world to come into the church to hear the Gospel, when we should be going into the world to reveal the Gospel.  Going out into the world doesn't always involve going to another country, but going to the unsaved.  There are probably unsaved people in your work, school, neighborhood or family.  If we will trust the Holy Spirit and let Him guide you, then you will be amazed at the things He will do through you.

Lesson 73 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     In John 14:16-18 (Amplified) Jesus tells us, "I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Stand-By, Strengthener) that He may remain with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him; for He lives with you (constantly) and will be in you."  Verse 18 goes on, "I will not leave you as orphans (comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless) I will come (back) to you."
     Jesus was giving His final message to those He had walked with on earth, just hours before going to the cross.  They didn't understand at that time how important this last discourse would mean to them.  Jesus was about to entrust His whole ministry and mission to these men.  It would now be incumbent to these men to carry on the Gospel and bring the people into the new covenant.  All of the things Jesus said and did in His Own ministry, were now examples to these men to continue in.
     Jesus told them in John 14:12 (Amplified) that, "I assure you, most solemnly, I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he himself will be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father."
     The new covenant had not come into being and Jesus had not ye been glorified when He made this statement.  Jesus was heading to the Father and He would destroy the hold satan had over mankind.  God was going to give Him all authority, both in heaven and earth.  The sin of Adam, over those who would believe, would be completely removed and through Jesus' Blood and sacrifice, men could be restored into right standing or righteousness with God.
     The things Jesus spoke to His disciples, were beyond mans ability to understand without the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus said that "He would come back to them," He was speaking of His presence  through the Holy Spirit, as well as His return from the dead and from the Father's presence.  Jesus' return from the dead and from His Father would be a temporary return.  But, the Holy Spirit, in His place, would always be with them and us.
     John 14:26 (Amplified) says, "But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Stand-By) the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name (in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf), He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you." 
     The Holy Spirit, Whom Jesus was speaking about, was so important to that them that Jesus spent much time teaching about Him, before He left them.  Without the Holy Spirit, these men would have returned to what they previously believed.  These men were the product of the three and one half years of Jesus' ministry on earth and they were to carry on after His ascension.  Many of Jesus' teachings, that would be so important to them, would have been lost to them without the Counselor reminding them and bringing them back to their remembrance.
     The Holy Spirit knew every Word and every deed that Jesus spoke or did.  He was "The Father in Him" Who was "speaking and doing" all the deeds Jesus did, according to John 14:10-11 (Amplified) which says, "Do you not believe that I Am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I Am telling you I do not say on My Own authority and of My Own accord, but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the (His) works (His Own miracles, deeds of power). Believe Me that I Am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believer Me for the sake of the (very) works themselves, (if you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father's Name convince you)."
     We still labor over and struggle with these same statements today.  "Doing His works and His miracles" is something men have struggled with for two thousands years.  Most of the world have dismissed Jesus' statements altogether.  We have taught and have been taught that this was only for the Apostles or the early Church.  The disciples must have thought that once Jesus ascended, it would be all over for them, at the time He spoke this message.
     We have access, through the New Testament, to the things they didn't know then.  Read what the Holy Spirit revealed in 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amplified) to the Apostle Paul, saying, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value). (No), even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint as a Man, Yet now (we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh). Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold! the flesh and new has come."
     Although we have the Counsel of the Holy Spirit within us, we continue to struggle with our old sin nature that has been dealt with by Jesus' Blood.  We argue over how saved we really are and we hardly ever view ourselves like the Father sees us, because we don't allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us how complete our salvation really is.
     2Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified) says, "For our sake He (the Father) made Christ (virtually) to be sin Who knew no sin; so that in and through Him (Jesus) we might become (endued with, viewed as being in; and examples of) the righteousness of God (what we ought to be, acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness)."
     This is what the Father intended from the beginning.  This is what we ought to be (not what we are going to be someday in heaven), but what God always intended us to be...in "right relationship, right standing and righteous before Him."  Through Jesus, we are this again.  We were "endued with and viewed as being" as righteous as Jesus, before God.  This righteousness is a gift from God to us, that was granted through His Only Son.
     Like any other gift from the Father, this is something we appropriate by faith in Jesus.  It's already  ours in the sacrifice, but without the Holy Spirit to reveal it to our spirit, we struggle to believe we are righteous or in right standing with a Holy God and Father.  Jesus' disciples could never have imagined the full potential of what He was saying at the time of His departure, because the Holy Spirit had to reveal it to them. 
     We now know why Jesus said, "When He, the Holy Spirit comes, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I have told you."  We still think as mere men and operate as mere men without the Counselor, the Holy Spirit.  Recall what Paul wrote through the Holy Spirit in 2Corinthians 5:16 (Amplified), "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value)."  Paul went on to say that we have such "knowledge of Jesus now by the revelation through the Holy Spirit that we no longer simply see Him in the terms of the flesh."
     When thinking about Jesus, most of us continue to see Him in terms of the flesh instead of the
"Firstborn of many brethren."  The new creation that Paul spoke about is the restoration of what Adam lost in the Garden of Eden.  Now, through Jesus, we've been redeemed and restored back to what we ought to be in God.

Lesson 72 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified) says, "It is the Spirit Who gives life (He is the Life-Giver) the flesh conveys no benefit whatever (there is no profit in it) The Words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."
     Only the Holy Spirit can bring forth the life of Jesus and the Father, from the Word.  The "flesh conveys no benefit whatever."  When men read and teach God's Word without the Life and Spirit, it conveys no truth.  As flesh and blood people, we've frequently been trained and taught by the flesh and not the Spirit.  It's only through the Holy Spirit that we really receive life and truth from God's Word.
     As mere men, we've taken the Words of life and liberty Jesus taught and returned others to bondage with them.  Psalm 25:12-14 (Amplified) says, "Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the ways that he should choose."  Verse 13 says, "He himself shall dwell at ease, and his offspring shall inherit the land."  Verse 14 says, "The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning."  John 17:16-17 (Amplified) says, "Jesus answered them by saying, My teaching is not My Own, but His Who sent Me. If any man desires to do His will (God's pleasure) he will know (have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself) whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from Myself and of My Own accord and on My Own authority."
     1John 2:20,27 (Amplified) tell us, "But you have been appointed by (you hold a sacred appointment from, you have been given an unction from) the Holy One, and you all know (the truth) or you know all things."  Verse 27 says, "But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides (permanently) in you (so) then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him, just as His anointing has taught you (to do)."
     The "anointing" that John spoke of above is the Holy Spirit Who has come to live in us as children of God.  Jesus told His disciples in John 14:16-17 (Amplified) that, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Stand-by) that He may remain with you forever-the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart) because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him, for He lives with you (constantly) and will be in you."
     The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, John spoke of in 1John 2:20,27 is the Anointing and the Unction and the Secret Appointment we received from the Father, when Jesus ascended into God's presence.  The Holy Spirit is the Only way to know the "covenant and its (deep, inner) meaning."  Psalm 25:12-14 (Amplified) says, "Only the "Teacher," the Holy Spirit can reveal the deep, inner meanings of the covenant to us.
     Man has contrived his interpretation of what the covenant says, but not always what the Holy Spirit has said.  The difference between reading God's Word with our intellect and understanding and reading the Word by our spirit (through the Holy Spirit), is life and death to the believer.
     Man's attempt to please God has placed the burden of reaching Him on the "head and work" of those who have come into the covenant.  The Holy Spirit, the Unction, was given to us by God and is liberty.  He has revealed the true meaning of the covenant to us, which is believing in what Jesus has already done to please God on our behalf.  Man says that works please Him and the Holy Spirit tells us that it's faith in Jesus' work that pleases God.  Man's ways lead to bondage and God's way is to "rest in the finished work of Jesus" Who perfectly pleased the Father.
     Psalm 25:13&14 say that the one who is taught by the Holy Spirit will "dwell at ease with the Lord, and his offspring inherit the land."  Verse 14 says, "The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord is also theirs."
     We're not to "fear" the Lord by the flesh like some have taught, but the Spirit teaches that "fear" is reverence, awe and respect for the Lord.  Most Christians know we're to reverence the Lord, but not enough of us know that by the Holy Spirit, we will have the secret of sweet, satisfying companionship with the Lord.
     The Holy Spirit is the Only One Who can reveal the life and truth of God's Word and the covenant to us.  When we read the Word only by our intellect, we "see truth," but still don't know the truth.  We can read the Words that are written and by our own intellect, understand and comprehend what we're reading, but we still have no understanding of what it truly means without the Holy Spirit.
     We have so many different manners of walking with our Father because we have taken a Spirit Word and received it in a carnal mind.  It's true that the Father has different places and works for all of us, but we're all to be taught by the Holy Spirit.  Man teaches that we must work hard to get to heaven, while the Spirit says that "we've already been raised together with Jesus and seated together with Him in heavenly places," in Ephesians 2:6 (Amplified).
     "We are seated with Him in the heavens, and He is present in us, on the earth, all power is given to Him, both in heaven and earth," according to Matthew 28:18 (Amplified).
     Jesus said in John 16:22-24 (Amplified) says, "I have given to them the glory and honor which you have given Me, that they may be one (even) as We are One. I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me. Father-I desire that they also, Whom You have entrusted to Me (as Your gift to Me) may be with Me where I Am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me (Your love gift to Me) for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."
     As Jesus prayed the above prayer, He knew the Father would grant it.  We see the prayer answered in Ephesian 2:6 where we have been "raised up with Him, and seated with Him in heavenly places."  We are with Him in heavenly places and He, by the Holy Spirit, is with us here on this earth.  The authority He granted by His Own resurrection, has been placed in us by the Power of His Name and the Father (the Holy Spirit) living in us will, will carry out the work of His ministry on earth.  Only the Holy Spirit can reveal this full truth to us by His presence in us, through the Word.
      

Lesson 71 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     We've all heard of and have been used of the Holy Spirit, even before we knew Him.  He's been sent by the Father in complete authority to build and strengthen the Church and to bring the world into a knowledge of His love for mankind.  Many of us have learned and know Him in many separate ways and in many different manners.
     The great thing about the Holy Spirit is that He is God in the Spirit , He is Jesus in the earth and He is the One Who will carry out God's plan in our lives.  He is not, as some seem to believe, inferior to God or Jesus in any way.  The Holy Spirit is the One Who reveals the Father and the Son to the world and without His presence in our lives, we simply know nothing about the Father's plan.
      The entire plan of God for mankind was revealed from the beginning in Genesis.  Some think that the fall of man was God's plan all along and that He purposely intended Adam's transgression, so that He could redeem mankind as a Savior.  Others believe that it's our Father Who is responsible for all things that occur in our lives and in the earth today.  Some believe that God continues dealing with man like He did in the Old Testament.
     The Holy Spirit has come to reveal God's true plan to the world and to the Church.  He reveals to the world that Jesus is the savior Who can save us from sin and death and restore us back to into God's righteousness and favor.  To those who have yielded to the truth of God's grace (the Church, God's heirs), He reveals the truth of God's great love for mankind and the revelation of His heart through Jesus.
     One of the greatest verses in all the New Testament is Romans 5:5-6 (Amplified) which says, "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us."  Verse 6 goes on, "While we were yet in weakness (powerless to help ourselves), at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly."
     This is Who and what the Holy Spirit has come to reveal to the world.  He reveals how even when we were sinners, God's love for us never ceased on our behalf.  When we yield to His love and receive God's grace, we are "translated" by that love and grace to the place God intended for us to be from the beginning.  Without the revelation of this great love, we still fail to understand the Father's heart.  The above scripture means more than we can love others because of His love.  Jesus taught us to "Love one another as He has loved us."  This means that "Love Himself" is not only in us, but we can now understand the very heart of Love, Who is God.
     1John 4:16-18 (Amplified) says, "And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love of God cherishes for us. God is Love, and he who dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him. In this (union and communion with Him) love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment (with assurance and boldness to face Him) because as He is so are we in this world."
     We can know from these scriptures that, once we understand how much God truly loves us, we can become confident in His love for us and we can now learn to allow Him to love through us also.  We can never love like we are told love, without His love being perfected in us.  The greatest revelation the Holy Spirit can give the Church and the world, is this great Love.
     Many of us are still living in the knowledge of the old covenant (the Law) and are striving to be "included" into the place of favor and right standing with God.  Once the Holy Spirit reveals the fullness of the Father's love for us, all that working and futility to be accepted  by God is gone.  We learn that we're already accepted and have right standing with Him because of His love for us.  There is nothing you can do to make Him love you more than He already does.
     Jesus said in John 17:23 (Amplified), "I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me."  The thing that should unite the Church isn't the denominational things we know, but the Love of God made to make us all become the same.
     We've tried doing what Jesus instructed us so many times, but we've always failed and seemed to fall short of His instructions.  We search for formulas and works and even self-debasement in order to please God and become close to Him.  All these things appease the flesh and make us feel like we're doing some thing righteous for Him.
     The greatest revelation one can ever receive from the Holy Spirit, is the depth of God's love for him.  All the different things we learn, whether they come from "Word of faith" people or the main line denominations, is the very depth of God's love for you as an individual.  If we fail to understand this, then nothing else works properly in our lives.
     Many have tried walking in the Word of faith teachings and have returned to their old way of doing things.  It's not that their old ways don't work or that the Word doesn't work, but Galatians 5:6 (Amplified) tells us, "For (if we are) in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only FAITH activated and energized and expressed and working through Love.  Once you know and understand His love for you and the world, your faith in His Love will grow to the point where you no longer doubt anything in your life.  And, because you know the greatness of God's Love, you're no longer afraid to lay hands on the sick because your faith says that God's Love will never leave the sick person in that condition.  You no longer wonder "will this work" or "am I doing this correctly" or "I don't know if this works for everyone," but you will hold the confidence in His Love to set them free.
     The reason we don't witness the power of God in our time is because we still haven't understood the power of His Love.  Many truly believe that it's God's will which allows things to be like they are.  They haven't reached the "perfection" that 1John 4:17 (Amplified) speaks about.  "Perfection," it says, comes "by the understanding of this Love" and that "Love is God's will for mankind."  We can never obtain what God's Love desires for the world through the natural kind of love man holds.  The Holy Spirit is the Love of God, God Himself and the great revelation of this love.  He is the Only One Who can bring this revelation to us today. 
     We must never put our faith in what you may know, but in Whom you know.  Without the understanding of Who you know, what you know is only words.  I know many people who've had very little teaching in God's Word and have worked great and mighty works.  Their faith was only in the Love of God.  I also know many people who hold a great knowledge of the Word and produce very little.  This does not mean that we shouldn't study God's Word, but that we must also know the One Who wrote it.
     Without the Spirit the Word is only words.  Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified), "It is the Spirit Who gives life (He is the Life-Giver); the flesh conveys no benefit whatever (there is no profit in it) the words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."
     Without the Spirit the "word of faith" teachings and other such teachings are just words.  The Holy Spirit didn't simply pour the Love of God in our hearts, He is the Love of God poured in our hearts.  The Gifts of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit and the very Life of God, is His Love.

Lesson 70 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     In many instances we have failed to the Holy Spirit's impact and importance in the Church and the world.  For many it's singularly about the Gifts of the Spirit from 1Corinthians 12.  For others, His ministry is simply about speaking in tongues, which most don't understand anyway.  When my mother received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, thought she could only speak in tongues when the full anointing was present.  She believed that when the anointing lifted, so did her ability to speak in other tongues.
     1Thessalonians 5:19-21 (Amplified) says, "Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the Holy Spirit; Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets (do not depreciate prophetic revelation or warning) But test and prove all things (until you can recognize) what is good (to that) hold fast."
     Many believe that these things have passed away or were only for the early Church.  Many other things have been taught in our churches, but this is not to be so according to the above verses.  We do not see the power or presence of the Holy Spirit in many of today's churches like was seen by the early Church and it's because of these teachings.  If the Holy Spirit is still here (and believe me, He is), then He still does exactly like He did in the early Church.  The difference has been that we did not understand His presence.  Many think the Holy Spirit's purpose is to bring people to salvation and then He is basically done in our lives.
     This thinking comes from good and dedicated men of God who taught against the Gifts of the Spirit and the speaking in tongues.  No one who was saved and born again would purposely teach against the Holy Spirit.  The false things they taught were nothing more than trick and deception of the enemy, used to"dis-arm" the Body of Christ.  If we were taught and truly believe that "all these things have passed away," then we would cease to seek after them at all.
     The power of the Holy Spirit in a Christian's life, is the most important thing for our walk.  He is the Same Spirit Who worked through Jesus Himself.  Without the Holy Spirit's teaching, guiding, leading, directing, revealing and empowering our lives, we simply become another religious group of people.
     What makes Christianity different from all the world's idea of religion, is the power of a Living Savior in our lives.  The Holy Spirit was sent to live in and empower the Christian by His  Supernatural Presence in our lives.   He is to demonstrate to the world, that our Jesus lives.  No other kind of religion in the world can ever say that or demonstrate that to the world.
     Receiving the speaking in tongues wasn't the end of our seeking God's presence in our lives...it's only the beginning.  After receiving tongues, many believe they "arrived" because this new language allowed them to commune with God on a higher level of wisdom than was available before.  If all we can pray is from our own intellect, then how can we possibly reach a higher level of the will and knowledge of our Father?
     Carefully consider what the Apostle Paul teaches the Church about "unknown" tongues in 1Corinthians 14:2-5 (Amplified), "For one 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)."  Notice how Paul didn't say that it was foolish because other men couldn't understand that tongue or because you didn't understand it.  What he did say was that "we are not speaking to men, but to God."
     It doesn't matter how well educated you are, you cannot pray above your own intellect.  God has so many things to say and do in our lives, and in the lives others,  that our finite minds and intellects can't even conceive.  The only way to receive these things from Him, is in our spirits.  1Corinthians 14:2  states that when we pray in an unknown tongue, we are speaking "mysteries and hidden truths."  Obviously, they are not mysteries or hidden from God, but only from our finite minds.
     As God transfers His wisdom and revelation of hidden truths into our spirit, then we can (and do) receive revelation knowledge from Him.  Without the knowledge from the Holy Spirit, we're still left without the "super-natural" ability needed to do the things God expects and desires.  Many of our brethren in today's Church are still in bondage to the world and the flesh, because of a lack of knowledge about the deliverance of the Holy Spirit.  They are truly still children of our Father and are still going to heaven, but suffer so many things here that God never intended.  As Christian people, we've been useless in "helping" ourselves and others.  Only the power of the Holy Spirit can do the things our Father intended us to do.  Jesus said that it was not Him, "but the Father (Holy Spirit of God) in Him, that does the work."  Can we then expect to do the "super-natural" works, without the Holy Spirit in us?
     There's so much more than believing and going to heaven someday.  We must allow the Holy Spirit of God to live in us and work through us to bring heaven to the world.  The Holy Spirit didn't come to exalt man by His presence, but to exalt Jesus through man, by His presence in us.  The undertanding of Who the Holy Spirit is in our lives today, is something that will not only change you, but will change everyone you come into contact with.
     
    

Lesson 69 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     The Holy Spirit responds to God's Word and brings to pass that which God has spoken.  We find in our lives today, less of the power of the Holy Spirit than in days gone by.  It is not, as some would say, that these things (healings, miracles, and His Presence) were only for the early Church.  I cannot recall any time when the Church or the world has needed the ministry of the Holy Spirit more than now.
     We have been conditioned throughout the years, to expect very little from God in our earthly lives and wait until we get to heaven.  We've been taught that everything we read in the Word is only "for the Spirit."  We've lost sight of the fact that everything we see or have, came from the Spirit.  Going to heaven is a wonderful things to look forward to, but Jesus said in John 14:18 (Amplified) that, "I will not leave you as orphans (comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless) I will come (back) to you."
     Jesus was giving His disciples a discourse on His upcoming ministry and continued on about "not leaving us as orphans" in John 14:26 (Amplified), "But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Stand-by) the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name (in My place, to represent Me, and act on My behalf) He will teach you all things, and He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you."
     The Holy Spirit has been commissioned to be the earthly Representative of Jesus on the earth today.  Jesus has finished His earthly mission and has returned to the glory in the throne room of His Father.  The work that Jesus did as the Sacrifice on this earth has been completed.  Now, the Holy Spirit is to take the results of what Jesus has done and reveal and bring to pass, that which the Sacrifice has done on our behalf.
     We've limited the extent of what Jesus' Sacrifice accomplished to "it's for when we get to heaven," but the Holy Spirit has revealed much more than that for those who will believe and listen to Him.  The Holy Spirit was sent from the Father at Pentecost to bring everything the Sacrifice of Jesus was about, including the forgiveness of sin, the blessing of Abraham, the "Sonship rights," the authority of the believer, the indwelling presence of God, the heavenly language (tongues) to pray beyond our own carnal minds, restoring healing and God's power back to His family, to be the "Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Standy-by and many other things in our lives.  The Holy Spirit would restore the "supernatural" Presence of God like God had intended from the beginning.  Through the Holy Spirit, we can now hear, walk, live and have all the same fellowship with our Father, that Jesus Himself enjoyed while He was here and even before that.
     Now, we are able to actually walk with God like Adam did from the start.  We are to be led by the Holy Spirit in every aspect of our lives and to enjoy the earth that the Father prepared for us.  Only the Holy Spirit can reveal these things to the child of God.  Tradition has limited the very power of our new birth for until we get to heaven, but Jesus said we were to be equipped here to "set the other captives free."
     Without the Holy Spirit working in our lives, we simply become just another religion, with no power to prove our words.  Jesus said in John 14:11-12 (Amplified), "Believe Me that I Am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the (very) works themselves (if you cannot trust Me, at least these works that I do in My Father's Name convince you)."  Verse 12 says, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to  do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to My Father."
     Without the Holy Spirit working in us, we can do nothing of ourselves.  Just as Jesus said, "It is the Father (Holy Spirit) in Me Who does the work."  The very same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus during His earthly walk, is the very same Holy Spirit that has been given to us.  We try preaching the Word like Jesus did, but we never do the works that He did.  If Jesus Himself needed the Holy Spirit to "Do the work of the Father" so some would believe in Him by His works, then what makes us think they would believe us without the demonstration of His presence?
     The Father equipped Jesus with the "proof" of His presence in Him and the same Holy Spirit is sent to equip us for the same purpose.  The early Church only had the promise Jesus gave before He ascended.  They believed what Jesus said and they witnessed what He did.  With the Holy Spirit working through them, they turned the world upside down.  People heard their words concerning the Risen Savior and they saw the demonstration of Jesus', life even after His death.  We, however, are expecting people to believe without the demonstration of His resurrection.
     The Holy Spirit is the power behind everything we preach and do.  Without Him, nothing works.  John 6:63 (Amplified) says, "It is the Spirit Who gives Life (He is the Life-Giver) the flesh conveys no benefit whatever (there is no profit in it) The Words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."  When Jesus spoke healing, the Spirit brought healing.  When Jesus spoke blessing, the Holy Spirit multiplied the loaves and fishes.  When Jesus spoke to the dead, the Spirit brought life because, "The Words (truths) He spoke to them, are Spirit and Life."  Without the Spirit, Jesus' Words were just words because "the flesh conveys no benefit whatever."
     We, the Church of the Lord Jesus. has tried building more on the flesh more than on the Spirit, many times.  We gather a group of people and spend one-hundred years telling them how to conduct their lives.  The Presence of the Holy Spirit will change our lives instantly, if we would allow Him to do so.  He will give Life to God's Word and it will bring Life to the believer.  It's not just behaving or restraining the flesh of the old man, but it's an actual death of the old man and a new birth of a new creation that He brings.  It's no longer a fight to do what's right, but an anointing to set us free from the bondage.  By willpower, the flesh can temporarily control our impulses, but we are still not free.  We still have a life long fight just to do what's right.  The Holy Spirit will impart right living into our spirit and the fight is over.
     We haven't allowed the Holy Spirit to do what He was sent here to do.  When we read in God's Word, Who and what the Holy Spirit is for today's world, then everything about the believer will become a living witness to the power of our resurrected Lord.  We won't just tell people about Jesus, but we will show them God's power and the Love that sent the Holy Spirit to them.
     We've entered into the time of Jesus' coming and the anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit will be amplified in the life of those who will believe, to the demonstration of God's power like never before.  Through Jesus, you have been "qualified" to walk in this power of the Living God, before the world.

Lesson 68 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     For many years we have held different views of God and His Word.  Some feel and have been taught that certain parts were only for the early Church, while others believe that these things weren't "for everyone."  Others believe that we already have it all and God isn't doing anything else.
     We've been reluctant to stand for certain things in God's Word because we fear being shunned.  I've read and studied God's Word for many years now and I wholeheartedly believe that we're living in the end times.  The more I see what's occurring in the world today, the more convinced I am that Jesus is coming back in our lifetime.
     Because these are the end time, things are about to change and the greatest revival this world has ever seen is now underway.  We are about to see the power of the Holy Spirit move on this earth that no other generation has witnessed.  There will those who oppose this move and those who will not.  There are those embrace it carnally and those think it's time for all religions to be one.
     When Jesus came to earth as a Baby in Bethlehem, many didn't recognize the time or way of His coming, even though the prophets spoke about it for centuries.  Many believed that the Messiah's coming was to happen "for another generation."  Things haven't changed much since that time.  If you say that "These are the last days before Jesus' return," then some would respond with, "They've said that for years and we're still here."
     The dispensation of the Church Age is about to come to a climax with Jesus returning just like He said.  There are many who believe this and many more who do not.  It's going to happen whether or not we believe or disbelieve it.  Nothing can slow down or prevent His return because God's Word is   going to be fulfilled regardless.
     God is calling out to as many as will do it, to "Rise up" in the power of His Spirit.  In this move of the Holy Spirit, we're about to see the manifestation of His presence in miracles and power.  For those who will seek Him out, the presence of the Holy Spirit will be an Awesome witness for the living God.  Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19 (Amplified) that, "The Spirit of the Lord (is) upon Me, because He has anointed Me (the Anointed One, the Messiah) to preach the Good News (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to sent forth as delivered those who are oppressed (who are down trodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity) To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound)."
     Most of those present would have shouted "Amen" to Jesus' message if He hadn't gone on to say in Verse 21 that, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing."  When Jesus said that the time was "Now," many became offended in Him.  All of them believed what God's Word said about the Messiah, but they didn't believe that it could be fulfilled "now."
     I don't know any Christian who doesn't believe that Jesus is coming back, but I do know many who don't believe that His return will ever happen in our lifetime.  I've often wondered about the great men and women of God from the Book of Hebrews.  The Holy Spirit inspired the documenting of these faith warriors in the Hebrews Hall of Fame and they all had one thing in common...they dared to believe the "unbelievable."  We find such men as Noah who dared to believe God was sending a flood, even though no one on earth had even seen rain before.  There was a mist that rose up and watered the earth before the flood, according to Genesis 2:5-6 (Amplified) which says, "When no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not (yet) caused it to rain upon the ground. but there went up a mist (for, vapor) from the land and watered the whole surface of the ground."
     This Hall of Fame contained such men as Moses who would simply take what God said and then do it.  Of course, Joshua and Caleb made the list because they dared to believe God despite what others around them said.  David made the list for using his sling and his covenant to take down a giant.  The soldiers were afraid to confront the giant and some mocked David for standing on his covenant for victory.  Three other young Hebrews made the list for refusing to bow, even though others bowed and even though it meant being thrown into a fiery furnace.  Daniel makes the list for refusing to pray to the One True God and believing God would keep him from the lion's mouths.
     There has always been a remnant of people who dared believe God above all else.  The Holy Spirit is making Himself available to just those kinds of people in these last days.  The Holy Spirit is illuminating the power of God's Word for all "who will hear" in this great outpouring of His presence today.
     There is a precedence for these days in Mark 16:17-19 (Amplified) which says, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; In My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; they will pick up serpents; and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they shall lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."  As those who believed went forth, the Lord went with them and confirmed their message and deeds with the "attesting signs and miracles."
     This scripture is still being fulfilled today.  It didn't stop when the Apostles of old passed on to be with the Lord.  It's still being preached and believed in this day and age.   There are those who still believe to the point of "casting out devils, laying hands on the sick and working miracles" by the Lord working with them just like He did then.
     This is a generation of warriors in God's family who will shake the devils dark region to its very core.  The Holy Spirit is even now revealing Himself to all who will believe in His presence in their lives.  Not everyone will believe this is "the generation," just like those who didn't believe the Messiah could come to their generation.  But, for those who will believe this is the generation who will usher in the coming of the Lord, they will witness the Holy Spirit's power.
     Peter stood in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost and declared in Acts 2:16-17 (Amplified) that, "But (instead) this is (the beginning of) what was spoken through the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, Goddeclares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind."
     Peter said that this was the "Beginning of the last days" even two-thousand years ago.  He said that even then, "It was the beginning of what Joel prophesied" beforehand.  If the last days began two-thousand years ago, then we are no longer in the beginning of the last days, but in the closing of the last days.
     We're about to see the mightiest movement of the Spirit of God on this planet unlike ever seen before.  For those who will dare step into this place with God, there is going to be an awesome display of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to the world and the Church.  It will be made available to "whomsoever will."  For all who will give themselves over to the Holy Spirit, it's what the whole creation has "groaned under" and has waited for two-thousand years.  The Holy Spirit is about to bring forth the Manifestation of the Sons of God.
     To some it would seem that all those things I've written about in this blog are without merit, but God has always had those who would believe Him, like the Hebrews Hall of Fame.  Would it seem stranger to think God would still raise men and women today any more or less than He did then?  It might not be the Apostle Peter, John, Paul or any other we read about in the Word, but God can still raise up Smith Wigglesworth, Billy Graham, John G. Lake, William Branham.  Has God changed?  Didn't He say He would do this?  Why would it be any different now?
     Acts 1:8 (Amplified) says, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."  When you look around today's world and see the headlines and news broadcasts about men, women and children being put to death for their faith in Jesus, you can see the darkness that is trying to envelope this earth with terrorism, death, child abuse, starvation and chaos.  Do you agree that we need this outpouring and ability as much now as they did two-thousand years ago?
     The Holy Spirit is the Only One Who can reveal Jesus as He truly is, to this messed up world.  And He will do it through those who make themselves available to Him.  This will be the greatest manifestation of power, miracles, healings, angelic interventions and displays of God's presence that this planet has ever known.  I've longed for and looked for this end time army of God ever since becoming born again.  Some will believe this is foolishness and fantasy, but to those who will believe, it's the fulfillment of God's promise to His people.
     1Thessalonians 5:4-5 (Amplified) says, "But you are not in (given up to the power of) darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief. For you are all sons of Light and sons of the Day; we do not belong either to the night or the darkness."   As far as God is concerned, we are to know the time of the last days.  We might not know the day or the hour, but we can and should know the signs of the time, according to 2Peter 3:3-4 (Amplified) which says, "To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing, (people who) walk after their own fleshly desires. And say, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the forefathers fell asleep, all things have continued exactly as they did from the beginning of creation.
     We find out why they think everything will "just go on as it always has" in 2Peter 3: 8-9(Amplified) which says, "Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance."
     The only thing holding up the coming of Jesus is God's "long-suffering" and His great love.  He doesn't want to see anyone lost, but will, with this last outpouring of His Spirit, resort to signs, wonder and even angels to bring into salvation all who will believe.  Ephesians 3:9-10 (Amplified) says, "Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan (regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men) of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in (the mind of) God, Who created all things by Christ Jesus."  Verse 10 goes on, "(The purpose is) that through the Church the complicated, many sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and power) in the heavenly sphere."

Lesson 67 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     In John 14:25-6 (Amplified) Jesus said, "I have told you these things while I am still with you but the comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Stand-by) the Holy Spirit. Whom the Father will send in My Name (in My place) to represent Me and act on My behalf, He will teach you all things, And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you."
    Today's Church has never fully realized the full impact of the Holy Spirit's ministry.  Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be sent in His Name, in His place and would represent and act on His behalf.  This means that the same One Who directed Jesus' earthly ministry, would now be here to teach us how to function like Jesus did.  As our Advocate (Lawyer), the Holy Spirit would reveal to us the spiritual laws that heaven functions in.
     We have already been raised and seated together with Jesus in Heavenly places where He sits with the Father.  Ephesians 2:6 (Amplified) says, "And He (God) raised us up together with Him (Jesus) and made us sit down together (giving us joint seating with Him) in the heavenly sphere (by virtue of our being) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."  Matthew 28:18-19 (Amplified) says, "Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, ALL authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me; Go then and make disciples of all the nations."
     Disciples are students training up in the teachings of the Master.  The Holy Spirit was sent in His place to represent Jesus and act on His behalf and is now present to teach the Church it to function in this relegated authority.  The Holy Spirit has given that same authority to the Church, which is His Body on earth.  Just as your body is joined to your head, the Body of Christ is joined to our Head-Jesus.  The body and head both have the same Name and authority.  Our body does what our head directs it to do and the Church does what our Head tells us to do.
    Jesus stated that "All rule was given to Him" and we need to understand this power of rule.  Heaven isn't some weird place where little, naked cherubs sit around on soft clouds, playing harps.  Heaven is the Kingdom of God and has rules and laws that govern it.  The main rule or law that operates in His Kingdom is the Law of Love.  Jesus didn't heal the sick to impress others.  He healed them because love couldn't stand to see them in such pain and suffering.
     Matthew 14:10-14 (Amplified) says, "He (Herod) sent and had John beheaded in the prison. And his head was brought in on a platter and given to the little maid, and she brought it to her mother. And John's disciples came and took up his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus."  Verses 13-14 go on, "When Jesus heard it, He withdrew from there privately in a boat to a solitary place. but when the crowds heard of it, they followed Him (by land) on foot from the towns. When He went ashore and saw a great throng of people, He had compassion (pity and deep sympathy) for them and cured their sick."
     Even in the midst of His grief over John's beheading, Jesus only retaliated in love and healed the sick by His compassion because the main rule or law of God's Kingdom is love.  Men should never desire to have the Holy Spirit work through them for any other reason, except love.  1Corinthians 12:31 (Amplified) says, "But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts (the gifts of the Spirit and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way (one that is better by far and highest of them all-love)."
     We read in 1John 4:16-17 (Amplified), "And we know (understand, recognize, and are conscience of by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put forth in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love, dwells and continues in God and God dwells and continues in him. In this (union and communion with Him) love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment (with assurance and boldness to face Him) because as He is, so are we in this world."
     This love law or rule is the cardinal law that moves heaven.  When we understand the power of grace, we can put faith in this great love and can flow in it.  No other rule of the Kingdom is so great as love.  We quote John 3:16 repeatedly without ever realizing that this is the law that rules over everything.  We've misunderstood this great love and many of us still live under condemnation over our past.  Many fear failure because we're still not perfect.  Other are afraid they don't qualify for the Gifts of the Spirit because of our not measuring up to what we think are God's standards.  What we fail to understand is that, His great love has already qualified us in Jesus.
     The power of the Holy Spirit in us, is the same Holy Spirit Who was in Jesus.  We've never learned to hear His voice like we should.  The Holy Spirit is speaking to us all the time.  If we would become serious about hearing His voice, then He would deliver us from things we would otherwise walk in.  If the Holy Spirit should lead us into a dangerous place, then is isn't to destroy us, but to lead someone out.  He's not "trying" us.  He will protect us in that place.
     Jesus was lead of the Holy Spirit into many place where we would never go.  But, in every case, the Holy Spirit took Him through it and brought others out with Him.  There is no place God will lead you, that love cannot deliver you.  Even in the Apostle's lives, Jesus told them beforehand what was going to happen and they consented to it.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knew beforehand what love demanded and He consented to do what love needed done.
     The laws that govern heave or the rules and laws of the God's Kingdom, are things we must learn from the Holy Spirit.  All of our unanswered prayers remain so because we asked "amiss."  We make up many excuses for unanswered prayers, but Jesus said that, "Whatever you ask in My Name, He will do it."  He said in John 15:7-10 (Amplified) that, "If you live in Me (abide vitally united to Me) and My Words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine. I have loved you, (just) as My Father has loved Me; abide in My love (continue in His love with Me). If you keep My commandments (if you continue to obey My instructions) you will abide in My love and and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love."
     He continues in Verse 12 to point out what His commandments were saying, "This is My commandment; that you love one another (just) as I have loved you."  We continue trying to keep every one of the ten commandments given in the old covenant.  These commandments are still valid, but when you walk in love, then you will not break any other rule of the Church or God's Kingdom.
     We've not looked at love as a commandment of God's.  We've struggled with doing what God has instructed, but our human emotions won't allow it.  We feel like a hypocrite when we lose our temper with someone.  Remember! Love is not an emotion, but A Person.  God is Love.  We don't measure love by how we feel because our feelings can change from one minute to another.  We measure our love by how much we're committed to Jesus.  We must treat even those we dislike with the same respect and dignity as those we do like.  One cannot walk his Christian walk by emotions...this is carnal Christianity.  We walk in love through obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.  Your emotions will come in line with your spirit, because God's love is in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Lesson 66 The Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

     Luke 3:21-23(Amplified) says, "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized, and (while He was still) praying, the (visible) heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven saying, You are My son, My Beloved! In You I Am well pleased and find delight. Jesus Himself, when He began (His ministry), was about thirty years of age, being the Son, as was supposed, of Joseph, the son of Heli."
     Luke 4:1 (Amplified) says, "Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in (by) the Holy Spirit."  Luke 4:14-15 (Amplified) tells us, "Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the Holy Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region around about. And He Himself conducted (a course of) teaching in their synagogues, being recognized and honored and praised by all."
     Jesus didn't begin His Own ministry until the Holy Spirit came upon Him.  Luke 3:23 (Amplified) says, "Jesus, at that day and time, began to be about thirty years old."  He was Jesus the day before being baptized and the prior year He was twenty-nine years old.  He was named Jesus from His birth.  He didn't become Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan River, but He never performed any miracles or healings (at least the Bible doesn't say He did) until the Holy Spirit came upon Him with power.
     We read in Acts 1:4-5,8 (Amplified), "And while being in their company and eating with them, He (Jesus) commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised, of which (He said) you have heard Me speak. For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with (placed in, introduced to) the Holy Spirit."  Verse 8 says, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth."
     We read the account of the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4 and about the Holy Spirit's introduction into the earth and upon the Church of Jesus Christ.  Working our way through the New Testament, we read about how the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit opened up to all who will believe and receive.
     Many things have been said and debated about the Holy Spirit since that day, but not was according to God's Word.  Some say that it was only for the early Church, while some believe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for us today.  Some Christians even reject the gifts and manifestation of His presence today.  All these different things can only be judged properly by God's Word.  Man's ideas and understanding mean nothing if it differs from God's Word.
     If Jesus Himself did no mighty works before being baptized by the Holy Spirit, then what makes us believe we don't need Him in our own lives today?  Some claim that speaking in tongues has now ceased.  What do you then do with the thousands of people (including myself) who speak in tongues?  Denying the presence of the Holy Spirit is denying the power and ability of God in our lives.
     Many people use "self-help" programs in order to "be good."  Personally, all the self-help programs (without the power of the Holy Spirit) I've used are simply that...programs.  According to God's Word, the Holy Spirit is the very Person Who makes us and gives us the ability to "be a witness into all the earth."  Without His giving Life to what we say or His giving power to what we do, we are just making noise, according to John 6:63 (Amplified) which says, "It is the Spirit Who gives life (He is the Life-giver); the flesh conveys no benefit whatever (there is no profit in it). The Words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."
     We have made creeds and laws from God's Word and we've built traditions and man-made rules based on God's Word.  But the Holy Spirit did not come to bind us with traditions, He came to bring "liberty to all who were bound."  Jesus was speaking to the people in Luke 4:19 (Amplified) concerning the Holy Spirit and His anointing, "To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound)."  In Luke 4:21 (Amplified) Jesus "began to speak to them; TODAY  this scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing."
     If that scripture was fulfilled that day, then it is still fulfilled today.  Religion will bind us with man's traditions and laws like it did in Jesus' day.  Relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit will bring the liberty of the new birth.  Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, (there is) NOW no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live (and) walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of Life (which is) in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being) has freed me from the law of sin and of death."
     These are Spiritual Laws that function in the realm of the spirit at all times.  There is a Law of sin and death and there is a Law of the Spirit of Life.  These laws are always in motion, just like the law of gravity.  God proclaimed this Law even before Jesus came in the flesh.  This was a choice given then and it is now a choice we must make for ourselves according to Deuteronomy 30:14 (Amplified) which says, "I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses;  therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live."  God went on to to say in Verse 15 that, "He is our life, and the length of our days."
     I have no idea why people wish to fight over the goodness of God.  Some would rather believe that it's God Who is responsible for all our troubles rather than all our blessings.  The Holy Spirit came to enforce the blessings of Abraham on us (Gentiles) and not to enforce the curse.  "He came to proclaim healing, deliverance and blessing," according to Jesus in Luke 4:18-19.
     It's difficult to fathom how we ever came up with the dumb things we believe from Jesus' preaching.  Only the Holy Spirit can bring God's Word to life in our hearts.  Man's idea of the same Word will bind you and hold you down.  The Holy Spirit will loose you and set you free.  Men will keep you under condemnation about who you were before being saved.  The Holy Spirit will give you the new creature image of who you now are and not who you were.  Two people can read the same version of the Bible and have different ways of doing what it says.  Men will use what should be our liberty to bind you with laws.  The Holy Spirit will take those laws and lay them upon Jesus and give and use the liberty of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus to set us free from the Law of Sin and Death.
     We must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit and not the mind of men.  He will give us the mind of Christ and change your yoke of guilt to the easy yoke of Jesus.  His yoke is easy and life.  Let the Holy Spiirt do the work and ministry He was sent to do and He will set the captives free.