The Gift the Father Has Promised - Part 2
#holyspiritseries
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Lisa Ang, assistant director of the CBC English Prayer Ministry, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
Pastor Dion opened the service by engaging the congregation in prayer, asking God to refresh, renew, and opening our hearts and to hear God’s word.
Holy Spirit is not just about information but about experiencing what He is doing.
Continuing Pastor Paul’s sermon from last week, Pastor Dion went straight to Scriptures:
Matthew 4:23-24, NIV “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.
In the Bible, every time Jesus came to an area, He did not just come to bring the message of good news. The message of the good news of the Gospel never stands alone. It always gets connected and is accompanied by healing of every disease and the demonstration of the power of God by setting the captives free. The churches in today’s era should also be teaching in the same manner as Jesus did, the Gospel is not just words of good news, but also carries the demonstration of the power of God. Jesus did not only talk, but also brought the reality of the Kingdom of God from heaven down to earth.
Let us look at some of the patterns in the Bible:
Luke 9:1-2, 6 NIV “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, HE gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick... 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”
Luke 10:1, 17-20 NIV “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go... 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The above Scriptures show a model of how Jesus operated while He was on earth. He started with 12 disciples, gave them power and authority to share the Gospel, and to perform miracles, signs, and wonders. He did not stop there, He appointed more people to go out and share the good news and perform more miracles, signs, and wonders.
As disciples of Jesus, our desire should be to follow what Jesus is doing, despite what the enemy is doing or whatever challenges we face. Let us go back into alignment with God’s purposes in our lives, which is first and foremost—to be like Jesus. God wants us to have such a close relationship with Him that we will be more like Jesus.
Jesus is the same yesterday, now, and forever. Same God, same power!
If Jesus did not come with power and raised from the dead, He will be no different than other political or religious figures. Jesus is the only ONE LIVING GOD. Jesus is not just a person, He is God and He is not powerless. It is an honor to be His disciple.
John 11:11-12, 15-16 NIV “11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father... 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.”
John 11 said that we will do greater things than what Jesus did. If the reality now is that we have not reached this point, then something is wrong. This should serve as an eye-opener for us. All the confusion that we see today should not happen if we truly follow Jesus’s ministry model.
Jesus only had 3 years of ministry time on earth, what about us?
How many more years will we live on this earth?
What will we do with our lives?
Will we be known as good Christians?
Or will we be known as good Christians that is filled with the power of God?
The Bible is full with ordinary people filled with the power of God. Joseph, for example, was good with politics, he was anointed with the Spirit of God and changed the course of a nation. We can do the same in modern days. It is not enough for us to have the 9 fruits of the Spirit without having the 9 gifts of the Spirit. We need to have solid characters to represent Jesus, and we also need to have the power of God because Jesus gives us assignments. The reason why we can have the power of God in us is because Jesus gave us the Spirit that was in Him to us.
It is ESSENTIAL for every BELIEVER to be baptized in the Holy Spirit!
There is a lot of spiritual warfare regarding Holy Spirit baptism. The enemy has successfully infiltrated the majority of Christians in the world today, in our way of thinking, to believe that God’s power is not for today. If Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, shouldn’t His power remain the same yesterday, today, and forever? If Jesus has given us His power, shouldn’t we be able to do what He did yesterday, today, and forever as well? Remember Jesus’ model explained above? He gave power to His 12 disciples, then He gave His power to more disciples to go bring God’s Kingdom to earth.
The enemy has won on many fronts, that is why Christians are known as people with good character. That is not enough! We need to come with divine answers to the complicated things that we are facing in the world today. We need to know God’s will, and that is all supernatural, thus we need the Holy Spirit.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is only irrelevant to the following group of people:
People who are LAZY
People who want to be SAVED but NOT FOLLOW JESUS
Jesus never sent us to battle only with the character of Christ.
It is like sending the soldiers out to the battlefield without any weapons!
We need Holy Spirit now more than ever. We face many temptations every day that make it hard for us to live in holiness. This is why we need Holy Spirit, to help us live in holiness. Let us be HUNGRY for more of the Holy Spirit!
Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10):
Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
Faith
Healings
Miracles
Prophecy
Discerning of spirits
Different kinds of tongues
Interpretation of tongues
Acts 10:39-40, 44-46, NIV “39 We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen... 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”
Acts 19:4-7, NIV “4 Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.”
Praying in tongues is the initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:15-18, NIV “15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
The above Scriptures show that praying in tongues is promised to all believers, not just to a select few. We need to desire it; we need to ask and believe that we receive it as it has been promised. Prayer language (praying in tongues) is different than the gift of tongues.
Prayer Language is a language of prayer. It is a personal way of praying. Because it is personal, there is no need for interpretation. It is between an individual and God. God knows what an individual said to Him so there is no need for interpretation.
The Gift of Tongues is different because God is speaking through us to other people, so it needs to be interpreted so that others understand what is being said. For example, if a pastor started preaching in tongues, the congregation might think he is crazy because no one understands what he is saying. The Gift of Tongues needs to be interpreted to bring edification for the Body of Christ.
Everyone who has been baptized by the Holy Spirit receives a prayer language, but not everyone has the Gift of Tongues. It is up to the Holy Spirit to choose to whom He gives the Gift of Tongues.
How to Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Because it has been promised, it is already there. Pastor Charles Green mentioned that the reason why many people have not received it is because they used their head (logical mind) more than their hearts (1 Cor 14).
To Receive the Baptism of The Holy Spirit:
ASK - Luke 11:11-13
BELIEVE - Mark 11:24
ENGAGE IN P-P-W - Luke 24:49-53
THE LAYING ON OF HANDS - Acts 8:17, Acts 19:6
ACTIVATE IN FAITH!
Luke 24:49-53, NIV “49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but STAY in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”
THE LAYING ON OF HANDS (Acts 8:17, Acts 19:6) There have been occasions where people received baptism of the Holy Spirit through laying on of hands. Keep asking, keep praying, keep worshiping and be in the right place!
ACTIVATE IN FAITH!
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is very important, but how many of us, after receiving the Holy Spirit baptism, decided not to use our prayer language? Have you been walking in the fullness of God? It is one thing to be filled with Holy Spirit, it is another to be FULL of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit is a person, it is not just a gift. We need to build relationship with Him.
Let us learn to partner with the Holy Spirit and not just use Holy Spirit like a tool.
1 Corinthians 14:1,12; 12:4-7 NKJV “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy...12 Even so you, since you are [d]zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the [e]edification of the church that you seek to excel. 4 There are [d]diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works [e]all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of ALL.”
Prayer Points:
Pray that as disciples of Jesus, our desire first and foremost is to be like Jesus. Jesus is the same yesterday, now, and forever. Same God, same power! Pray that we understand and know who Jesus is and what He expects of us.
Have you received Holy Spirit baptism—evident by speaking in tongues? If not, pray and ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. You can also contact your CARE Cell leader(s) and request them to lay hands and pray for you. If you have prayed/been prayed for and have not received, then keep on praying; do not be discouraged!
Pray for us to be HUNGRY for more of the Holy Spirit!
If you have received Holy Spirit baptism, what will you do with it? Make a commitment to God that you will live in the fullness of His Spirit. You will talk and walk like Jesus did; full of compassion, full of power to do God’s will for the remaining of your years on earth. Pray that your ministry will be effective and impactful.
Pray to be filled with Holy Spirit and be full of Holy Spirit—not only to have a good character, but have divine wisdom and to move in the power of the Kingdom of God: Proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, heal the sick from every disease and affliction, raise the dead, touch and heal the untouchables, kick and cast out demons, move in signs, wonders, miracles—doing greater things than Jesus!