EXERCISE THE POWER OF GOD

The Holy Spirit is God's power. In Luke 1:35 and 4:14, the Greek word for dunamis means power, dynamic, dynamo or dynamite. It is this same power that  prophet Jeremiah wrote, "I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by MY GREAT POWER and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me".  The same is repeated in Jeremiah 32: 17.

The first recorded martyr in the New Testament, Stephen, saw the source of this power when He looked to heaven, "But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God". Endowed with God's power, Peter and John were able to preach the Gospel with boldness even though they were uneducated and untrained men (John 4:13,31).

The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16-17 that it is through God's power He created all things, both in heaven and on earth. It is through this same power that He preserves all His creation (Nehemiah 9:6). Some preachers may tell you to 'reach deep within' to tap the 'inner self '. But the Bible is clear that the power of the Holy Spirit is a gift received after true conversion and did not reside at birth.

Most are mistaken into believing that the Holy Spirit is part of the trinity of God, like God the Father and Jesus Christ. If that is so, then Christ should be called the son of the Holy Spirit, since God (Father) sent His Spirit to beget Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:5 tells us that God has given us the earnest of the Spirit (KJV). True disciples of Christ receive only a token of God's Spirit, with greater measure of it to come after the resurrection. This clearly shows that the Holy Spirit is not a person, for one cannot receive a part or portion of a living being, let alone a God Being! Though not a living person, the Holy Spirit is active like rivers of living water (John 7:38). The currents of a river are powerful that can generate hydro-electricity for energy consumption.

True believers need to exercise the power of God, much like exercising the muscles to prevent atrophy. Christ was fully aware that without God (Father)'s Spirit, He can do nothing (John 5:30), and He strived to stay connected with the Heavenly Father through His Spirit. We are admonished to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18)  and through it develop the godly character that God desires for His children. In order to do so, we must think and act like Christ, Who set the example for us to follow.

There are four ways to exercise the power of God's Holy Spirit - pray, study the Bible, meditate and fast. Christ prayed constantly and for long hours into the wee hours of the morning before His scourging and crucifixion. He fasted for forty days and quoted the word of God to ward off temptations from Satan while being tested in the wilderness. To meditate is to contemplate and ponder over what we have learned from studying the word of God that are pure and good (Phil 4:8).

In addition to the four disciplines, the true disciples of Christ also need to obey the word of God. For the Holy Spirit is given by God to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). God allows trials and tribulations in our life to mold and shape us in the likeness of Christ - as what the Apostle Peter wrote as the trial of faith (1 Pet 1:7). But faith without works is dead (James 2:20). So we need to do good by serving with a humble attitude and compassionate heart. By doing good works, we are helping to stir up the spiritual gifts which God will give to those who are obedient to Him.

A Christian needs to produce good fruits  by connecting to Christ through the Holy Spirit, much like a tree that will produce good fruits by the nutrients taken in from the root source. Without which, we could be in danger of working things out in the flesh. We all need to examine our life constantly to see if the Holy Spirit is evidently working in our life!

What Actually Is Speaking In Tongues?

More and more traditional churches are going down the Charismatic route thinking that they ought to get a piece of the action about invoking the spiritual gifts and the more controversial speaking in tongues. But what is all these about few truly understand. Most of the Charismatic leaders share about their tongue experience, but are tongue-tied to explain what it actually means in the light of Scriptures. They allow their experience to be the new norm in the interpretation of Scriptures.

While it is absolutely true that a Christain must receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in order to be led by it and be 'quickened' (resurrected) from death at Christ Second Coming to receive salvation, it is another thing to be flippant with God's spiritual gifts. Yet most who claim to speak in tongue have no clue what they are babbling about. The Apostle Paul made it very clear when he wrote, 'Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be IGNORANT' . It is not God's intention for His people to be ignorant of what tongue really is.

There are nine spiritual gifts listed in 1 Cor 12: 8-10, and Paul emphasisd that not everyone receives every gift, but rather the gift given to a person is for everyone. Nowhere in Scriptures is mentioned that one must speak in tongue to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Christ teaches that all true disciples are known by their fruits (Matthew 7:20), not by their tongues. Again it is recorded in John 13:35, 'By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another'. From these simple principles alone, those who teach that every Christian is to receive the gift of tongue is in direct violation of Scriptures.

1 Corintinians 13 is a chapter on spiritual gifts, admonishing that faith, hope and love are the greatest of all spiritual gifts one should seek. Yet countless millions in tarry meetings are mesmerised in seeking after tongues, why? The Apostel Paul answers this in 2 Cor 11: 13-15, 'For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.'  Many are seduced by false ministers into Satan's counterfeits, working signs and wonders, when Christ Himself clearly warns, ' A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah ( a reference to His death and Resurrection) Matthew 16:4 '.

Millions the world over are deceived (Rev 12:9) falling right into Satan's death trap. Since they bear the mark of the Beast (part of the mystery Babylon) they will undergo horrendous sufferings in the coming Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord! The preachers and leaders who entice their followers to do likewise will receive the greater punishment as hypocrites, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:51).

When God gives the gift of tongues, they are known foreign languages that require interpretation (that is why the gift of interpretation is required). The word 'unknown' is in italics added by Bible translators. Only those who are serious seekers of the Word of God will find the truth, for the truth will set them free (John 8:32). Those who do not seek the truth of God's word is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20) and they do not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thess 2:10).

The incident in Acts 2 was a one time occurence and has not happened since, contrary to what men may claim. The Apostle Peter spoke his own language and different people of different languages heard as if he was speaking to them in their own language. The miracle happened not only to the one speaking but also to all those hearing. This account is unique because it is the founding of the New Testament church which Christ promised will happen (Matthew 16:18). All other accounts of speaking in tongue happened only to the one speaking. God gave an extraordinary miracle because it is uniquely important at the founding of His church!

Subsequent accounts of speaking in tongues recorded in Acts chapters 10, 11 and 19 were not the same as the account in Acts 2. There is no tarry meetings or waiting on the Holy Spirit and nobody cajoled anyone to speak in tongues. The incidents in Acts 10 and 11 were to affirm that God gave His Holy Spirit to the Gentiles through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:14). In the Acts 19 account, the disciples understood repentance from John the Baptist, but they need to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and Paul laid his hands on them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and they did speak in tongues. All these accounts were quite different from the one in Acts 2.

Pentecostal meetings are full of drama and begging for His Spirit. Nowhere does the Bible teaches that. But Acts 5:32 teaches that God will give His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. This can take place only after true repentance, not simply mumble some sinner's prayer as commonly taught by traditional Christianity. Receiving God's Spirit is a mark of being a Christian (Romans 8:9) but not necessarily the gift of tongues. The Day of Pentecost is the founding of the true church of God and are the firstfruits of the harvest (James 1:18, Rev 14:4). Subsequent harvests will come after Christ return to establish the kingdom of God on earth when all human beings will be resurrected (Ezekiel 37; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) and given the opportunity for salvation through the Blood of Christ (Phil 2: 10-11). By then, the Spirit of God will be made available upon all flesh who believe on Christ for salvation (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:18, 21). That is the Good News of the Gospel of the kingdom of God!