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.
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