How God Anointed Jesus With The Holy Ghost and Power - Part Two
He Shall Tell You What To Do Part Six- The Message of Peter to the Gentiles Regarding Salvation And The Holy Spirit
Peter's message in the house of Cornelius speaks to an apostate church of this hour that has refused and rejected to deal with the ministry and operation of the Holy Ghost. If we misinterpret or misunderstands His manner of working, as many do, they we are then left with noting but human devices and schemes. Tragically most of the Religious denominations have denied the Word of God and the Working and Operation of the Holy Ghost simply because of not rightly dividing the Word of Truth and/or upon hearing the truth rejecting this truth because of a hardened heart of unbelief! When this takes place that which is God is pushed aside for that which is either of man or Satan. To be frank if it is of man Satan is behind it. The modern church system has become very adept at calling that which is God of "Satan," and that which is Satan "God." Unless we have revival in the church our fate is going to be apostasy as it is in many camps at present time. God has anointed JESUS CHRIST with the HOLY GHOST and for those who seek the mighty baptism in the Spirit the Lord Jesus Christ wants to anoint them as well!
By Chris McDonald
TEXT: Acts 10:37-38 - That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; [38] How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Peter continues his message by declaring that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth "with the Holy Ghost." Jesus as a man NEEDED the anointing of the Spirit in order that ALL mighty works He did be done. Had He done these miracles as God, which He was fully just as He was fully man, no Anointing was needed in any capacity as should be obvious to the reader. However, when God became Man through the person of Christ, it was absolutely imperative that He have the Holy Spirit Who would Anoint Him to carry out His Mighty Works. The word "anointed," as used here in the Greek Text is "chrio," and means "to designate or consecrate to an Office or Ministry." It also means "to smear or rub with oil," speaking of the great help given by the Spirit to carry out the functions of that particular Office or Ministry, in this case, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, performing Miracles, and casting out devils.
On the Day of Pentecost, due to what Jesus did at Calvary and the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit came in a completely new dimension, in fact taking up abode in believers, just as He had done with Jesus. As a result, believers can now Preach the Gospel , Heal the sick and cast out devils in the same anointing and power that rested on Jesus. It is the SAME HOLY GHOST in both cases, and, consequently the SAME anointing! The difference between Christ and the modern day believer is found in John 3:34 where the beloved apostle states "God gives not the Spirit by measure unto Him."
John 3:34
For he whom God hath sent speaks the words of God: for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him.
No believer can say such even though the HOLY GHOST is so powerful, being God Himself, and through believers do astounding miracles through those who yield themselves to His power! They must totally consecrate themselves to God's ways however and not man's. Deliverance from the powers of darkness never comes on man's terms, but always comes on God's terms.
Mark 16:16-18
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. [17] And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; [18] They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
The "anointing," which is graphically described here, is known and understood ONLY by Spirit-filled believers. Let me state that again. Those who do not believe, preach or proclaim the baptism in the Holy Ghost according to Acts 2:4 little understand the anointing and in most cases don't want anything to do with what the anointing involves. Some do not even believe the anointing exists yet still proclaim they can some how see souls saved without it. Without the anointing of the Spirit of God there will BE NO SALVATIONS! People may walk down and repeat a prayer, may even have an emotional experience and shed tears, but they will not be born again! We can then write their names down and boast of their number as we add them to our church rolls, but friend in the end - their souls will be lost and hell will be their home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Spirit of God is the ONE who brings men to Christ.
And With Power....
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Peter ties the anointing of the Spirit that rested on Christ to POWER, which is the same term used in Acts 2:4 describing that which those on the Day of Pentecost received 10 years earlier. The same POWER that was on Jesus now rests on the Church and is available to all who will receive such! When one is saved the next event that must take place is the believer to be endued with power from on high. This power is to lay hands on the sick that they may recover; cast out devils; preach the word of God under the anointing of the Spirit; break bondages of darkness and to set the captive free. Cornelius and his house would soon experience this minutes later in such a glorious way that again the door would be swung open for ALL Gentile believers to receive the glorious infilling of the Spirit.
Having the anointing of the Spirit on one's life brings great power yes but let's face it, it also brings tremendous difficulty as well. Jesus suffered without measure as did many in the early Church who experienced this power. History records great men of God who, though not perfect, were also anointed with this same power and did mighty exploits for God through the unction and ministry of the Holy Ghost. To be frank, very few have paid the price to give the Spirit such total control of one's life as to affect entire continents for Christ.
Only the Spirit of God can produce such results. All the marketing techniques the modern church can muster cannot change the hearts of men. THE HOLY GHOST is the One who changes hearts and He does so as a result of what Christ did at the Cross. The Spirit's "glory" is housed in earthen vessels; this is how God has always accomplished His work on earth - working through the frailties of humanity while always remaining Sovereign and never allowing man's failures to get in the way of His plans on Earth.
2 Cor. 4:7-9 - But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us
As earthen vessels there is always going to be the chance that the weight of such power and glory will take it's toil on the one bearing this glory. History has noted many examples where this has occurred and in MOST cases, not all, but MOST, the institutionalized church world has rejected the Spirit of God WITHIN these God used vessels, both male and female, because of their human failures instead of respecting and believing in the POWER within. The power in these vessels was OF GOD, and NOT of man! This attitude through the centuries of church history is to our eternal shame and not something we should boast of. I read one periodical from a leading denomination in America state the other day that their job was to "stand against the abuses of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements." This denomination as a whole with very few exceptions rejects the validity of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and has went as far as to forbid their missionaries pray in tongues during their private prayer life.
This writer asks a question he does not flinch at asking: Whose job should it be then to rebuke and stand against their unbelief and stiff-necked theology concerning the Holy Spirit? Yes, there have been abuses and great failure among many of God's servants through the years who have been powerfully anointed with the Spirit of God. As stated the fault of such is NOT the Spirit of God or His power but the fact that this "earthen" vessel is not perfected yet but being perfected in a process called sanctification. If we take our eyes off the Cross, we are doomed to failure regardless of how anointed we may be!
However, just because the treasure of God has been placed in flawed individuals, we also cannot take our eyes off the GLORY! The Holy Spirit's work is REAL today and did not pass away when Peter finished preaching this great message to Cornelius.
I think now of a city which this writer believes still sits under an unresolved cloud of judgment because of events in 1953 and its handling of the late Evangelist A.A. Allen on a trumped out DUI charge brought against him while he was preaching the gospel in this city. According to several websites this writer researched concerning Brother Allen's ministry the following account of events is similar. One website we found actually issued an apology to Brother Allen for spreading lies about him after they read this following account I'm about to share with you. This is from Paul Cunningham a close friend and Associate of Rev. Allen who also ministered along side R.W. Schambach another anointed man of God who has been used mightily of the Lord with signs and wonders but who also preaches the gospel the way it needs to be preached.
"Both Bro. Allen and H. Kent Rogers, (his
vice-president and crusade song leader) told me the same story, separate from
each other. The Allen party was in revival in the Auditorium at Knoxville,
Tennessee. in the mid 1950's . . . There was no church large enough to
accommodate the crowds, so the auditorium was chosen. The local pastors of the
denomination he belonged to at that time, were clamoring for the "headquarters"
to force Allen to "come back into the churches, where he belonged". . . (The
real reason for the pressure to go back into the churches, was due to the fact
that the local church would then receive the tithe from the offerings received;
whereas, in the auditorium meetings, only the denominational headquarters got
any tithe). When Allen refused to "return to the churches", because the crowds
attending the meetings were too big for any church to accommodate, the
"preachers" decided to "rule or ruin" the Allen ministry! Bro. Allen drove from
the motel in Knoxville, to the auditorium each night, accompanied by Bro.
Rogers, and one or two others of the team. Since Allen did not eat before the
service, he stopped at a local cafe on the way, to have a glass of milk.
This particular evening in question, he remarked to Rogers, "Rog, that milk
tasted funny". . . Rogers responded, "perhaps it was blinky," meaning about to
sour. . .
They then left the cafe for the meeting, and after driving a couple of blocks,
Bro. Allen told Rogers, "I feel really dizzy, and think I'd better let someone
else drive." He pulled over, and when he stopped, the media were there,
accompanied by several denominational pastors, and the police. (What a strange
coincidence!) Allen was then "ticketed" for DUI, and given a citation and
allowed to proceed. He went to the auditorium , conducted the meetings, and in
the following days newspaper, the headlines screamed, "Evangelist Allen arrested
for drunk driving". . . Allen and Rogers both told me this story. . . and that
Allen simply "paid the ticket" and went on, rather than interrupt the schedule
of meetings."
Allen was not perfect no more than any of us reading or writing this journal
are. He was an earthen vessel that loved God and was used powerfully by
the Holy Spirit to witness miracles and healings that shook the nation of
America in the mid 1950s at the height of the healing outpouring and revival. He knew the power and anointing of the
Spirit. When this city brought this trumped up "drunken driving" charge against him,
it blasphemed God by doing so and unfortunately set a precedent of judgment that
rests over it to this day. Allen never recovered from this stigma and died from
heart problems 7 years later in a San Francisco hotel room.
We heard recently that his family was invited to a church south east of this city and was asked to forgive the city for this incident. I pray the Lord was pleased with that effort to right a severe wrong when it comes to the handling of the anointing in this city. It was one church among thousands here in this town, where the fact remains that the church community at large and as a whole however has never addressed this issue which at this point will probably never find a conclusion or the real truth until we reach heaven. The issue with Rev. Allen was not the MAN, but it was the lack of respect the city, including it's religious leaders, showed the anointing of the Spirit and that lack of respect still exists to this day. I could say a whole lot more about that which I may later but for now I'll leave that be.
There have been others used mightily by God and anointed with some of the most powerful anointings known to man only to fall under the weight of it.
The fact is that few of us understand how it feels to have such glory resting upon one's life. Many sit back and criticize anointed vessels who have failed the Lord to their own shame and peril. No, we're not glorifying the failure or taking that lightly. Sin has a high price tag on it neighbor and when left unchecked and not repented of it will destroy men's lives and ministries. There were some who did go off into error; others fell morally; but the truth again is that was not the fault of the Holy Spirit, it was because the GLORY OF GOD rested in "EARTHEN" vessels and because His glory rests within frail human flesh - there will always be the possibility the anointed vessel of God will be prone to fall! There are those who sardonically mock the baptism in the Spirit using such failures as an "example," of why they don't believe. That is the attitude of fools.
I remember in the late 1980s when two of America's most prominent evangelists at the time had difficulties; the entire world mocked, laughed, lampooned and said all sorts of things - mostly untrue - about these men. Late night comedians made them the butt of every joke and many in the church sat beside the world and laughed along side. Neighbor, hear this writer. GOD WAS NOT LAUGHING. One evangelist I speak of got sentenced to prison for 42 years for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars while at the same time a banker who was the son of the President got six months for stealing 10 million. That sentence was America taking its fist and again blaspheming God and spitting in the face of the anointing. God is not amused neighbor I can assure you of that. We have all failed the Lord in some way or another but those who mock the anointing and the ministry of the Holy Spirit stand on dangerously shaky and perilous ground.
This writer was raised in the church, the son of a Baptist preacher, and a former Pastor himself. I have worked with young people, been a worship leader, an associate pastor, and have taught and preached for over 20 years now. I've seen it all, heard it all, watched fads come and fads go. I've heard all the arguments and debate from those who don't believe in the Holy Spirit anointing and at times made those arguments myself. Prior to 1987 you would not have met a more antagonistic individual to the working and operation of the Holy Ghost than myself. I knew very little about the Holy Spirit's work to be frank and even though I had faith in Christ I knew very little of how to live for God. In 1987 I received the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues and without a doubt my life changed course ever since.
I can tell you first hand however that even receiving the baptism in the Holy Ghost did not zap me into Christian perfection. Since then I faced trial after trial and have failed the Lord a million times since. I know first hand what happens to an individual who receives an experience and then puts faith in an experience instead of embracing the CROSS of Christ, and allowing the Holy Spirit to change one's heart as He guides and directs. So let's be clear that we're not upholding any "experience," per say; tongues themselves are not the issue as so many try to make it; the ANOINTING OF THE SPIRIT IS the issue! And part of the anointing includes the GIFTS of the Spirit which includes tongues and interpretation, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, prophecy, diversities of healings and the working of miracles. It also involves the prayer language all receive at the initial INFILLING of the Spirit after one gets saved.
Preachers who claim to know the Word of God yet do nothing but denigrate and deny that the Spirit's work today is real and needed while at the same time embracing and promoting every false doctrine under the sun, most of which is rooted in New Age humanism. We reject the Holy Spirit while we embrace demon spirits and do it without conscience. How very very sad the barometer and spiritual temperature of the modern church. Just because a ministry has a ton of activity does not mean that ministry is anointed. Only that which is done through the Person, Leading, Agency, Office, and Ministry of the Holy Spirit is TRULY of God. That which is flesh is flesh and that which is Spirit is Spirit. The Spirit does NOT anoint fleshly means to do the work of God!
The flesh produces fleshly, worldly things; the Spirit of God produces spiritual things and those things that are truly of Christ, not of men. When we are anointed by the Spirit of God, baptized in the Holy Ghost according to Acts 2:4, we receive POWER which results in the Spirit producing CHRIST and His Fullness through us to a lost and dying world.
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
If Jesus as a man needed the anointing of the Spirit how much more so and a million times more so do we need the anointing? Peter's message about the anointing actually pointed back to Isaiah's prophetic description of the Spirit's purpose and ministry upon Jesus, who quoted Isaiah when describing the purpose of His earthly ministry in Nazareth:
Isaiah 11:1-3
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: [2] And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; [3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Luke 4:16-20
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. [17] And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, [18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. [20] And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Isaiah 61:1-2
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
1. The Spirit of the Lord
2. The Spirit of Wisdom
3. The Spirit of Understanding
4. The Spirit of Counsel
5. The Spirit of Might
6. The Spirit of Knowledge
7. The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord
When John was brought to the Throne of God he saw a similar view of the Holy Spirit which he described as "seven lamps of fire burning before the Throne, which are the Seven Spirits of God."
Rev. 4:5
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
The term "seven Spirits," does not mean there are "seven" Holy Spirits, but it means the Holy Spirit's work is TOTAL, COMPLETE, ABSOLUTE and INFINITE as it both relates to His work through Christ and also the New Covenant believer! The Spirit of God is all in all, the beginning and the end, and perfection, just as Christ is those things to the believer as well. This is the POWER and COMPLETENESS of the Spirit of God which rested upon Christ and rests upon the believer who is filled with the Spirit of God.
When Jesus announced His ministry in Luke 4, He proclaimed the following, which shows us why we today need the same anointing of the Spirit that rested upon the Lord:
1. To Preach the Gospel to the Poor - the poor need more than food and clothes; they need the GOSPEL which if believed and truly accepted will change their life and bring them out of the poverty they experience; this speaks of more than just physical raiment and sustenance; it speaks of being 'poor in spirit,' meaning that those who are humble and ready to receive the gospel are those whom the Lord seeks; one can be rich in physical goods and be POOR spiritually! Others who are poor in physical goods but know Christ and are filled with the Spirit are RICH IN JESUS! Better to be poor and born again than to be rich and be lost.
2. To Bind Up The Brokenhearted - The only hope to heal those brokenhearted is the anointing of the Spirit of God; all the self-help books in the world cannot heal one broken heart due to sin; many are broken because of abuse, broken homes, divorce, bad choices and the list can go on; many have deep hurt over children who have either died or are out in sin.
3. To Proclaim Liberty to the Captives - Satan has taken MILLIONS captive through deception and the only hope for freedom from His wiles is faith in the Cross; Drugs and alcohol and lust are terrible slave masters and has destroyed the lives of so many; false religion is also a slave master that has put millions in prison bound by tradition and keeping them from true liberty in Christ; only the anointing of the HOLY GHOST can set the captive free!
4. To Open The Eyes of The Blind - Sin not only puts people in bondage and breaks hearts, it blinds them as well; spiritual darkness is a horrible state for one to be in yet it too is the state of millions; Jesus declared that if we walk in the LIGHT as He is in the light we can be sure we won't walk in darkness; Only the anointing of the Holy Spirit give us light.
5. To Set At Liberty Those Who Are Bruised - This statement is a bit different than the one concerning those in the prison to sin; millions have been 'bruised' by sin the abuse of parents, spouses, children and sadly even spiritual leaders; the wounds of this abuse in millions go deep causing many to fall away from the faith, go into rank atheism and in some cases sadly, deny God in their hearts; Satan is a master accuser and he is adept at accusing God to man and man to God; Only the anointing of the Spirit can HEAL and set at liberty those who are bruised by sin's results. I don't mean to be unkind but the soothing words of a New Age guru dressed up in a suit and tie speaking smoothly eloquent words that have NO LIFE in them even though they sound "positive," and "uplifting," can do this; it's not about us being a "champion," but us being FREE; this is a SPIRITUAL matter and only the HOLY GHOST can produce spiritual results.
This is why we need the anointing of the Spirit of God, the ONLY one who can change the hearts of men and why we fight Him so I will never understand. This writer has never taken the position or idea that he knows it all or has been a faultless example of faith; many times as I write these journals the tears flow down my face in buckets knowing the Holy Spirit is speaking to ME not just the ones who may read these words. I do know this - there is no other means of victory and deliverance outside the Cross of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Cross becomes a reality through the work of the Spirit; the work of the Spirit always compliments and points the believer back to the Cross! The Spirit and the Word AGREE!
...Went About Doing Good
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Peter went on with his message concerning the anointing and said that Jesus, anointed by the Holy Spirit, "went about doing GOOD." EVERYTHING the Lord did was good, NOTHING He did was bad, and as the Holy Spirit said through Peter, "no guile was found in His mouth." He was sinless, perfect, without fault or blame and as such is the example and standard for the church. The church is not the standard for the church. We in the Body are not perfected YET, even though the ultimate purpose of the Spirit is to make more and more like CHRIST.
1 Pet 2:21-24 - For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
The Christ who suffered for us is OUR example for us to FOLLOW in His steps. He DID no sin and when He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but COMMITTED HIMSELF to the One who judges righteously, bearing our sins in His own body, that we being DEAD to sins (through the power of the Holy Spirit) should LIVE unto righteousness, which is the righteousness of Christ, by whose STRIPES we are healed.
His "good," made the hypocrisy of Israel's religious leaders all the more hideous. His LIGHT revealed their darkened hearts and the self-righteousness of their actions. The Holy Spirit will ALWAYS do the same with the religious of today - He will separate that which is of the darkness from that which is LIGHT! If one is filled with the Spirit there will be great discernment.
Genesis 1:3-4
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
The religious of Israel had a choice: they could repent, thereby giving their hearts and lives truly to Christ, which He would have gladly and without hesitation accepted and changed; or, they could seek to destroy Him, which in effect they opted to do. The thing the religious never realized then as the religious of today never realize is that when we fight against the anointing we are literally fighting against God. Whenever Jesus healed a blinded eye, a withered hand, or brought about deliverance from demon spirits, Israel's religious accused Him of doing these works by the power of Satan. Through unbelief they were willing to tell Him to leave their coasts because they lost pigs off a cliff instead of welcoming the delivering power of the Holy Ghost. That rejection brought on a terrible judgment upon Israel as a nation that won't be totally lifted until she accepts Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation period.
Remember this friend, God has never reacted to Satan; Satan always reacts to God, who controls all that the enemy does; NOTHING that the enemy does to any true child of God takes place without first God's permission! NOTHING the enemy does and instills in the hearts of men to do catches God off guard and neither what the religious of today does in resisting the power of God catches the Lord off guard either. Christ's mission was to die on a Cross and bring about a new Covenant whereby God through the OFFICE and PERSON of the Holy Spirit could dwell with man and live inside these temples of flesh. That New Covenant is what we have today and has provided ALL who want the fullness of the Spirit the chance to have just that!
..Healing ALL That Were Oppressed of the Devil
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for
God was with him.
Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, went about doing good- and HEALING ALL that were "oppressed," of the Devil! The word, "oppressed," in the Greek means, "katadunasteuo," means "to overpower or control someone by force." From this we see that Satan through oppression literally "controls," the human race and is the instigator of all disease, death, war, famine and all sickness.
Job 2:7
So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
Luke 13:16
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?
Yes, God allows such but not because He sits in heaven and enjoys human suffering brought on by the enemy. God loves the human race and out of that love sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a Cross that men might be saved and healed by the stripes the Lord bore on the Cross of Calvary. So many blame God for the ills and hurts of the humanity claiming that "if He is such a God of love why is there so much suffering in the world?" Neighbor, God is not the author of such, SIN is the source of man's suffering! When man fell, this earth was placed under a curse that can only be removed by the results of what Christ accomplished at the Cross. The POWER through which this is accomplished is the power of the Spirit. One day the Lord will RETURN to Earth and the lion shall lay down by the lamb; men shall beat their swords into plowshares and they will learn war no more! No, God is not the author of the fallen condition of this world but HE IS THE SOLUTION and that solution is found through the Cross of Christ!
God's purpose in allowing these things is two-fold: one, He wants man to CHOOSE to love and worship HIM instead of worshipping and loving Satan, the thief who comes to STEAL, KILL and to destroy; two, God wants to show man the results of sin and what happens when Satan is in charge of one's life. If we choose Satan's path, we will be open to the enemy's plan - "to steal, kill and to destroy." This present world is but a mirror of how Satan seeks to destroy every single human alive today through sin.
So many blame God erroneously for the suffering on this earth claiming "if God really cared He would not allow hungry babies to die, etc. and the list goes on without measure." The truth is that God is not the author of the hurting and suffering - but SIN, which brought on a CURSE upon this earth, and Satan as the prince and power of the air has capitalized on man's fall to inflict as much death and destruction as he is allowed to do. THE THIEF comes to steal, kill and to destroy but CHRIST has come that men mighty have LIFE and have it more abundantly.
Man accuses God of being a great "kill joy," in demanding man not sin and live holy before Him. Is it a kill joy for a loving God to not want man destroyed by alcohol, drugs, sex, lust, perversion, hatred, jealousy, envy, greed? God hates SIN so much that He took a cross 2,000 years ago and placed Himself on that cross in the person of His Son that sin's power would be broken forever for all those who come to Him by faith. He KNOWS the results that sin can bring better than any of us will ever know. Drugs, sex, lust, and all these things bring DEATH - both physical AND spiritual. That is LOVE, not hate! He loves the sinner enough to warn him of the consequences of living in sin's power and not repenting. But if the sinner rejects God's love and chooses by his own free will to obey Satan instead of God then that individual will face the results of sin and Satan which will include the loss of their eternal soul once they die.
Again, if the enemy had his way ALL of mankind would be dead but since he doesn't have such power - at least not over the child of God - he does everything else in his power to bring misery, suffering, remorse, regret and pain to as many as he possibly can and in doing so blaming God to the human race and blaming the human race to God.
John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
When talking about individual suffering, suffering in itself may not mean that individual has sin in their life, even though the root cause of ALL suffering IS sin. Man's problem is not economics, social or even psychological. Man's problem is SIN. In the life of the sinner without God, the devil has full sway in that individual's life because if they don't believe in Christ, they are the child of the devil! As a result the sinner CAN be possessed by Satan, oppressed, depressed, turned upside down and every which way but loose at the will of the enemy. Jesus said those who did not belong to God cannot claim to have God as their Father, but Satan! This debunks the myth today that "all are the children of God;" NO THEY ARE NOT! One becomes a child of God by expressing FAITH in Christ and what He did for us at the Cross and nothing else.
John 8:44-46
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. [45] And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. [46] Which of you convinces me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
The Holy Spirit through Paul instructed Timothy that ministers of the gospel, are to strive to recover those who have been "taken captive by the snare of the devil," at will, meaning that the enemy can place people in bondage who don't know Christ! The way men are recovered out of the snare of the devil is through the ACKNOWLEDGING OF THE TRUTH i.e. the message of the Cross and REPENTANCE which is only about through the convicting power of the HOLY GHOST! Many claim they want to be free but they don't want to REPENT of the sin that has them bound! Let this writer state it again. The HOLY Spirit's job is to CONVICT, which He will do, but He CANNOT and WILL NOT make one repent; that is OUR part in this process called Christianity! God gives them repentance, "through the acknowledging of the truth," i.e. the Gospel message of the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Cross is the gospel, the gospel is the Cross! THAT is the truth that brings true repentance.
2 Tim 2:24-26
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
When it comes to the believer, oppression does not have necessarily have anything to do with sin being in one's life, although, again, that may possibly be the case. As a believer we are to strive to live above sin and not be controlled by the sin nature, (Romans 6:3-5) which is only accomplished through the work of the HOLY GHOST. Many times when we are oppressed, the SOURCE of that oppression is Satan, who through his demon spirits, overcome a person in various ways whether with sickness, depression, or poverty. In some cases the enemy brings back addictions and bondages the believer was delivered from when they got saved and if not dealt with will destroy not only the life of that believer but claim their eternal soul! I know that flies in the face of our "once saved, always saved," friends and we don't seek to draw a sword. But friend, when we get saved, we still have free will and can CHOOSE to cease believing in Christ and Him Crucified.
The root cause of all oppression and depression is spiritual, which is why addictions and bondages do not respond to psychology, man-devised therapy, or any other self-help theology. New age gurus dressed up in religious garb with all their smiles and smooth talk cannot break these bondages either!! These issues respond ONLY to the POWER OF GOD i.e. the ANOINTING OF THE HOLY GHOST!
Sadly, millions of Christians suffer oppression by Satan, even as uncounted numbers in Israel suffered the same fate during the time of Christ. The latitude held and taken by Satan, at least in most cases, is tied many times to a lack of faith on the part of the believer in the Cross and the working and operation of the Spirit, or as we've stated many times in this message series, is a failure to rightly divide, interpret or understand the Word of God, which tells us of our true spiritual rights and privileges as Christians. The Bible is our source as to those privileges, not some charlatan on a Christian television network promising you if you give him $100, God is obligated to give you $500 back. To be frank, there are SOME cases however, that have nothing to do with sin OR a lack of understanding or even ignorance of the Scriptures. Job is a perfect case in point. Paul is another example where his "thorn in the flesh," the messenger of Satan, could possibly have been described as oppression. Paul prayed and prayed to the Father asking it to be removed only to be told by the Lord, "My grace is sufficient for thee."
2 Cor. 12:7-10
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. [8] For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. [9] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Paul GLORIED in his infirmities and weaknesses, which the Holy Spirit said was "made perfect in weakness" so that the POWER of CHRIST may rest upon him. We have it backwards in the church world today as we GLORY in our strength and numbers but we don't have the power of Christ!! When we are WEAK, THEN we are strong; when we think we're STRONG in our own flesh, neighbor I can assure you - we are WEAK and no match for the onslaught of Satan. We may want the thorn in our flesh to depart, but the Lord's grace is more important than the thorn! His power is bigger than any oppression Satan can bring against the believer. Greater is HE that is in YOU than HE that is in the World!
1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he
that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Yes, the enemy will buffet the believer; yes, the enemy will attack the one standing for truth; yes, the enemy will do everything possible to discourage us and cause us to lose hope and faint in the battle for God and the right, but the HE that is IN YOU is the POWER and the ANOINTING of the HOLY GHOST and GREATER is HE than he that is in the world.
We are to be BRAVE, Be bold, against ALL evil, never run or even lag behind! If we will fight for GOD and the RIGHT, we can then KEEP on the firing line! Praise God. Paul said I will GLORY in the Cross of Christ because He knew that in the CROSS came the power of the HOLY GHOST which was the GRACE given to all men who believe. Child of God your answer is not Freud if you're dealing with oppression, your answer is to get filled with the mighty baptism in the Holy Ghost and get FREE.
2 Cor 11:30
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
For God Was With Him..
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
As we close this lengthy journal, we see the final part of this great message of Peter to Cornelius concerning Christ with the statement, "for God was with Him." This speaks to us today that the Holy Spirit will NEVER anoint sin or error! For the person truly anointed to preach the gospel and such anointing results in souls being saved, bondages being broken, believers being healed, demon spirits being cast out, oppression and depression being removed from those bound by their grip, it is God's seal that what they are preaching is NOT ERROR but the TRUTH; it also says they do not have unconfessed sin in their hearts and lives while they are seeking to preach to others.
There is NO higher sanction than the Holy Spirit! However, since the Holy Spirit is not the criteria in most Church circles, but rather silly rules made up by men, many may claim the Holy Spirit and "anointing," but very little evidence follows those claims. One may even claim evidence but there may be no substance. The Church rejects those who are truly called of God and anointed while putting their seal of approval on those NOT anointed by God but anointed by men. As a result most denominations and ministries have evolved into "control" centers for those under them - just as those under the influence of the Jewish Sanhedrin of old were controlled by men as well. It's an age old problem - that which God loathes, the church loves and embraces; that which God anoints and sanctions, the church loathes and hates. The Christian world embraces that which is not of God gleefully and without question or conscience because we have lost the anointing and the Spirit's discernment between the two.
God ANOINTED Jesus of Nazareth with the HOLY GHOST and with POWER, and He went about doing GOOD, and HEALING all those who were oppressed of the Devil, and God was WITH HIM! God is STILL with HIM at this very moment as He sits at the Father's right hand, carries out the plan of God on the Earth through the operation and MOVING of the HOLY GHOST. He sits at the RIGHT HAND OF GOD, exalted, reigning over all eternity. One day and one day soon, He is coming back, crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We as believers have access into the same anointing for the King of Glory is also the baptizer in the HOLY GHOST and with fire. The baptism in the HOLY GHOST anoints us for service and is just as important to the believer and salvation is to the sinner.
Neighbor, if you've been saved and not experienced the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit, this journal is to encourage you today to do so! We cannot see the works of Christ take place through our hearts and lives in a real, meaningful and powerful way without the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, the enduement of power promised by Jesus, John and recorded by Luke in Acts 2:4. Peter pointed to this great anointing in one of the greatest messages ever preached as it pertains to the Holy Spirit and the Gentiles.
People take issue with this and ask us all the time claiming God can use those who are not baptized in the Spirit just as much as He can those who have. Well in the sense that God is God the answer to that I guess is "yes." God is sovereign and can do all things and anything He wants. Let the reader be clear though - God has given the church the pattern for New Covenant ministry and that is through the anointing and operation of the Holy Ghost. Those not baptized in the Spirit and used truly by God through the years have always been the exception not the rule.
It takes a supernatural anointing of the Spirit to impact SOULS for eternity in a real and meaningful way and that my friend is not up for debate. Jesus Christ needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon Him to do all His works! Why in arrogance and yes spiritual stupidity (got in trouble for using that term recently) do we think that we can do the works of Christ and not have the same anointing?????? We can't, plain and simple.
I read just the other day some of the supernatural occurrences that took place in the lives of Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, D.L. Moody and many others of the late 19th Century, early 20th Century, who did not have the LIGHT on the HOLY GHOST we have today yet were used mightily of God in supernatural ways; the doctrinal stance that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a separate work of grace did not originate with Pentecostals, but with John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church!
After the Azusa Street outpouring of 1903-1907, great light was then given on the mighty baptism in the Spirit and many of the occurrences that took place prior were then understood in their proper context. Many of these men spoke in tongues, had prophetic utterances, but didn't realize what was happening. And yes, before I get emails on this, there were many men used by God through the years who never spoke in tongues and endued with power from on high, but again these were the exception, not the rule.
Billy Sunday, one of the greatest Baptist evangelists known to the Body in the late 1800s, early 1900s, as far as this writer knows never received the baptism of the Spirit but was used by God to win many souls. The same can be said of Billy Graham and Adrian Rogers, who went on to be with the Lord recently. I respected Pastor Rogers deeply even though I didn't see eye to eye on everything with him - but the man preached the Cross and he was wise enough to recognize that he didn't have all the answers when it came to Pentecost and he sure didn't want to find himself "happily fighting against God." A ministry associate of his shared recently how Pastor Rogers rebuked a missionary his church supported who was speaking despairingly of the Holy Spirit baptism and those who spoke in tongues by telling him, "you need to be careful what you say about things you don't understand." To my knowledge Pastor Rogers never spoke in tongues but he preached the Cross as much as he could with the light he had. God blessed him for that and I believe without one single doubt he is in heaven today.
Billy Graham spoke at an Assemblies of God camp meeting in the mid 1990s when an utterance in tongues came forth from the crowd; Rev. Graham, who to my knowledge has never spoke in tongues, stepped back from the pulpit, looked to the leadership of the camp meeting and said, "I don't need to say anything here today, God has already spoken." Rev. Graham knew that even though he himself may not have understood everything that took place there - he was sure not going to exercise spiritual stupidity and fight God! Graham is another example of a man who preached the Cross of Christ with as much light as he received and was faithful in doing so.
Most who are hungry for God but not yet not baptized in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues are those who are very very careful what they say about God the Holy Ghost. Those who reject what I am describing here because of religious tradition and unbelief and are not hungry for God usually find themselves operating in the same spirit that opposed this anointing of the Spirit on Jesus that Peter spoke of to the house at Cornelius so long ago.
Others have just never received light on the matter enough to ask the Lord to fill them in such a way but upon hearing the message regarding the baptism in the Holy Spirit readily accept that which the Lord wants to do in their lives. There are many good friends of mine, Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterians, who are truly born again and love the Lord with ALL their hearts, but they have never received the baptism in the Holy Ghost.
I don't look down at them for that nor do I feel I am a better Christian than they are because I've received the baptism of the Spirit and they haven't. To be frank, I know some who have never been baptized in the Spirit who exhibit more of the nature of Christ than those who have. Again, that is not the fault of the Spirit, but the fault of those who have not allowed the Spirit to form Christ within their hearts and lives.
My own dad, who I know is saved and if you don't mind me as his son saying this, is one of the greatest pastors I've ever known on this earth- not just because he is my earthly father - but because I've watched his heart get tore to pieces a million times over the years and he still keeps the spirit of a shepherd in leading the sheep to Christ - has never received this that I speak of. Is he less a Christian for it? Of course not. He is a godly man who has seen many come to Christ through the years through his ministry.
When it comes to the issue we speak, he'll be the first to tell you - a lot of his hesitation to ask the Lord for the baptism of the Spirit is from years and years and years of religious teaching and tradition that taught him not to accept such as being from God. With three tongue-talking, spirit-filled sons however, it's a bit harder to embrace such theology! Without doubt, dad and I don't see eye to eye on every single issue but we respect each other as father and son and I love him dearly and pray for continued anointing and grace upon his church there in Southern Georgia. I've spoke there many times and there are no more precious people in the world than at Climax United Methodist Church. Just to show you how things are, Dad and I do agree on the rapture which my brothers disagree on. I'm saying these things about our family to let the reader know that not all believers will see eye to eye on all things even among family members. What we DO have in common in our family is one thing - we anchor our FAITH in the CROSS of Christ and recognize that ALL things that matter to the things of eternity must come through Christ.
You who read Spirit Journals would enjoy our McDonald family get togethers at Christmas. Our wives put us all in one room, shut the door and tell us not to kill each other :) From time to time they order pizza for us then come in and make sure we all have our limbs attached still. Never a dull moment to be sure. But we love each other and give each other a hard time in the love of Jesus often.
Remember this as we close today. A man with an experience is no match for the man with an argument. Don't come at this writer with an argument rooted in unbelief or something you have been taught by religious tradition and opinion, which is the root of where most arguments spring. You want to discuss what the entire scope of Scripture says about the baptism of the Holy Ghost, we'll talk. If not -our website is not here to gender fights and I promise you we will gladly respect your opinion but we will leave you to your opinion because in all honesty, God does not honor our opinions - He honors HIS WORD.
When this writer was baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues 20 years ago in the kitchen of his late Aunt's home in Atlanta, Georgia on a stormy night all arguments against whether tongues and the Holy Spirit were real or not ended. No devil and no backslidden mossy back saint will convince him otherwise!
If Jesus needed the anointing of the Spirit; if Paul needed the anointing of the Spirit; if Peter needed the anointing of the Spirit; if John needed the anointing of the Spirit; if Luke needed the anointing of the Spirit; if Titus, Timothy, Philip, Stephen, James, and the entire New Covenant Church needed this anointing, which included speaking in tongues, why do we fight so hard against it? We're actually going to look very soon at why there is such "angst," against the Holy Spirit and why it is one of the most explosive issues facing the church of this hour as we go further into 2007.
For now we leave you with this word of encouragement. You need the baptism in the Holy Ghost! You need this anointing of power today for service in the Kingdom of God. You may be doing a great deal for the Lord right now in the flesh but that which will effect ETERNITY can only be done through the anointing of the Spirit! Let these words sink in today.
I speak today as one knowing that without the Holy Spirit we are all wandering through this Christian life in the dark and without the power to live for God and will never realize the full realities of the Finished Work of Christ. We preach Christ Crucified for the wandering soul who may come to this website seeking answers and in desperate need of the TRUTH of God's Word. We need the anointing of the Spirit friend. It's getting late and it's harvest time. God bless.
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