the Charismatic / Pentecostal preacher

PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS MATURE FROM NOVICES
AND LEARN HOW TO BECOME A SPECTACLE





I Corinthians 4:9-13
"For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle, unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour, we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; and labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it, being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day..."



Paul says a preacher is made a "spectacle". The Greek word indicates the idea of a Greek parade, which at the end of such a parade were brought criminals, bound and fettered to make them suffer public humiliation before the crowd. In the same way, the preachers of this gospel are often subjected by some in the congregation to humiliation for their simple cross-bearing presentation of the gospel.



The novice is not ready to be a ‘spectacle’. The novice knows they are a child of God, and walking with Jesus, and it can be shock to be treated then like a ‘spectacle’. Maturity, learning, experiencing the realities of life take some time, and God allows a ‘novice’ to learn thereby and mature into a person who can endure the mistreatment of the world. The Pentecostal preachers are willing to mature from 'novice' and immature assumptions of grandeur and deserved praise from constituents, to realizing that doing God's works will make them a 'spectacle', a person who will be mocked, mistreated, and abused in their work for Jesus.


Paul also says that pastors are "fools" for Christ. The Greek word is "moros" which is the word from which we get "moron." A minister is often considered a moron by some in the congregation for the simple, cross-bearing gospel message. Having studied diligently, and having the wonderful Teacher in the Holy Spirit, it is difficult then to find the world, and carnal Christians, think pastors to be ‘fools’.


Pastors are not actually "weak", for it does take more energy to preach a half hour sermon, than it takes the average man to work an eight hour day. Yet, many will look at pastors as though they are ‘weak’. The novice needs to learn this. Ministering the Word of God with authority, with conviction, and with zeal is demanding, and drains all the strength of the minister.


Any preacher of the gospel is "despised." There are many households where "roast preacher" is served for Sunday dinner. These people criticize the sermon, his haircut, his manner of delivery, his emphasis, and his not beating them to the door so he could shake their hand.


Paul also said preachers "hunger", "thirst", are "naked", are "buffeted", and have "no certain dwelling place." This is because a minister is seldom overpaid. Their job is to preach for the Lord, but humans who are often carnal, often guilt ridden, and sometimes self seeking think they are controllers, bosses, and directors of the preachers. Only God truly has that job, but many attempt to rob God of the authority He owns. The preacher of the gospel speaks with the Almighty God, seeks His counsel and guidance. He is the under-shepherd of the flock that belongs to the Creator of the universe. The novice has to learn the vast difference in how God sees them, and how the church, the world too, will see them.


Preachers "labor". This labor is too often a physical labor. The church congregations often think it is the minister's job to clean the church, fix the plumbing, change the light bulbs, and shovel the snow. Then they wonder why he seems tired on Sunday.


"Being reviled, we bless, ... persecuted, we suffer it..." shows that the insulting abuse that preachers often receive, is usually taken without defense. The preachers usually continue to allows the lies, innuendos, insults, and abusive treatment of the gossips, critics, and tares of the church. They need to attend to preaching, and most often they do.


"Defamed, we entreat..." illustrates how a pastor is rejected. Often as ministers have tried to preach, they have had attacks, and still keep entreating the people. Novices need time in growing in strength, to endure such defamation of person, as they undoubtedly will experience when they become a pastor.


Pastors are often treated as the "filth" and the "offscouring". This "filth" refers to the sweepings of the house that one brushes out the door. Many a preacher has felt pushed away, in that same way. The "offscouring" is a word that referred to the scrapings from a pan of burnt on food, charred and worthless, they are scraped off and washed down the drain. The vulnerability of their work for God has allowed them to be hurt and shamed before the world.


There was a custom in Greece to incarcerate certain worthless criminals, who in time of plague, famine, etc. were thrown into the sea in the belief that they would "cleanse away" the guilt of the people. In that same way, many a preacher has been shunned, hated, criticized, persecuted, expelled, and fired by some who want to blame him (or her) for the problems of the congregation. Instead of searching their own judgmental, hypocritical, bitter hearts for the problem, it is easier to throw the true minister to the sea.


I Corinthians 4:1-2
"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful."


Pastors are "ministers of Christ", not of man, nor of the church, nor of the board of deacons, nor of the denomination. Jesus alone is their Lord.

The preachers of this and of every age are "stewards of the mysteries of God." They administrate the presentation of the whole truth of God. They show in the Word, how the Christian life should be lived. They have a grave responsibility to not add to, nor to take away from its message. They must faithfully preach it, not dilute it. They must preach it even when some will try to embarrass them for it.

The Pentecostal preachers are 'faithful' in this work. When others will want to contend with them, and hope the minister will change the message to avoid the confrontation, they must forcefully hold fast to the truth of the Word of God. This is their burden of responsibility given them by God.


I Corinthians 4:3-4
"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judges me is the Lord."


The Lord not only is our only True Judge, but He is the One Who left directions for us, ‘not a novice’, and that is a wise command to heed. Many have tried to pastor while still a novice, and I can foresee that some will likely hear words from that Judge to the effect of “I told you not to take that job while still a novice.”

The Pentecostal preacher has been in the 'school of the Holy Spirit,' and has matured from 'novice' to 'spectacle'. Wow, what a change!

PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS OFT PREACH TO "VACCINATED PARISHIONERS"


Inoculated, vaccinated saints

Some have no religion. They know that they are godless. They will admit their sins. They can be saved, but if they do not get saved from their guilt of sin - they will go to hell. There is another group who have had an inoculation with a mild case of religion that has made them immune to true religion. It is like the measles' vaccine, or polio vaccine - which give a mild case of the disease to the body so antibodies will be created by the body and make the person from that point on immune to the real disease. These people in religion today, are very, very difficult to get saved because they have been vaccinated with a mild dose of religion. They are therefore immune to the real thing.

In real revival, reality can become form.

Fellowship with God can be subtly replaced with a patriotic zeal. Worship can degenerate into ceremonies and chants. The end result, if we are not careful, can be worse than before the revival. This is strongly evident in the revival of Josiah. It seemed real, and it was. Many were converted back to Jehovah. False idols were destroyed. Sinful practices were stopped. The people had been immersed into the true worship of God. They had been given a dose of true religion. Some had received the real thing. Suddenly it was stopped. The mild dose that some had received had become like a vaccination to them. Not all in the revival had received a big enough dose of religion to give them the full "disease."

We see the same thing in Jesus' day. Judas had gone with the other disciples to pray for the sick and cast out devils. He had a mild case of the real thing. Yet, when the times became trying -he lost the real thing abruptly. In the early church, Ananias and Sapphira had seen the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of the first days. They had seen the thousands being saved, baptized, and filled with the Spirit. Yet, their own dose must have been like a mild vaccination of the real thing. They were struck dead for lying to the Spirit. In churches today, it is easier to win a terrible sinner to the Lord, than to open the eyes of many a church member who is immune to the true faith and relationship with the Lord. They have missed the real reason for the church. They are so hardened at being a pew-sitter, that they will do their pew-sitting and walk out on the preacher at noon - even if the preacher were Jesus Himself. If they had been in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, they would have missed the infilling of the Spirit because they would have fallen asleep, as they are accustomed to doing during every service.

Are we in a religion that has simply had a mild case of real faith, but is now immune to the real relationship type faith? Some may degenerate, or backslide from the faith to a "form of godliness" that has no real power. In Jesus' day, there were many religious groups.

Today, we also have many religious groups,
and each think they are the true one.

The Sadducees of Jesus' day were like the modernists, liberals of our day. They denied the resurrection, and denied the existence of miracles. There are some today in churches that deny the miraculous workings of God. They try to explain away the answers to prayer that a church will experience when it believes God. They had a vaccination of religion, and were immune to the real faith that Jesus came to proclaim to them.

The Essenes of Jesus' day were like the ones in religion today who withdraw from others and try to claim a super-holiness because of their great respect for Scriptures. They get caught up in the pride of feeling superior to other Christians. They disregard the main issues of the Word of God, and concentrate on the minute points of the Word. They too can get immune to the relationship type faith that is vital to real salvation. They can get so caught up in their pride and "super-holiness" that they are vaccinated to true faith.

The Herodians of Jesus' day were like those of today who try to mix part of heathenism with true Christianity. This religious group attempts to make Christianity more palatable to the world by adopting their methods and ideology. This form of religion can be like the inoculation that makes them immune to even understanding what real relationship faith with Jesus is like.

There were Zealots in the times of Jesus who had great zeal to make the world adopt their religious ideas. Their zeal was motivated by the desire for power and control. In Christianity today, there are some who want power and very zealously, and even ruthlessly attempt to gain control. The zealots even murdered to attempt to overthrow the other powers. Some in religion today also will do things that chase others from the Lord, without much, if any, guilt about it, because it fits into their selfish goals. Unfortunately, this group today in the churches are the ones who are so busy struggling for control and domination that they have no idea of the joy of worship, fellowship with the Lord, and joy of being a servant to the others in the church. Their inoculation has made them immune to true faith also.

One group that Jesus often confronted was the Pharisees. This group was like the "holier-than-thou" people in religion today. They added rules to the true faith. Of course, rules are needed, but they put them equal to, or above the Word of God. There are some in Christianity today that spend more time making and enforcing rules, than in seeking revival. If these rules cause someone to backslide, and fall away from the Lord, it doesn't bother their conscience. The rules have become more supreme than the love for souls. They attempt to dominate others with these rules. They have rules that hurt, rules that help them maintain domination, rules to enforce their personal interpretation of holiness, rules that have no scriptural support, rules that keep some from joining our fellowship, and rules that have caused some to backslide. This is the group of Jesus' day that He spent the most time confronting.

The last group in the days of Jesus, was His own group. He had a number of followers that were taught by Him that the emphasis needed to be on an inner change. He taught them to forsake sin and rebellion. The method that He used was marked by His simplification of the law. He took all the laws of the Old Testament period and taught that if people would obey only two laws, they would please God. There are some today in the religious world that still hold to that doctrine. They will love God supremely, and love their neighbor as themselves. Jesus wanted us to take all rules and make them into only two. The Pharisees took the many Old Testament laws and added many more. They ended up with a religion that few could and would follow. Jesus took their rules and disobeyed them, whenever they interfered with the two laws that He had set forth. In Christianity today, there have been so many additions to the two commandments of Jesus that there is often church splits, backslidings, bickerings, factionalism, etc. All of these stem back to rules that people have added to the Word of God

How very easy it is for churches to take the two commandments of Jesus and make it 2002.

The ones who make these rules often will attempt to make people obey these rules as though they were given of God in the Bible. They take a rule and want others to follow it because if they don't they are not a "team player." And even if the rule, and its enforcement may cause someone to backslide, or another to not get saved, they will still demand obedience to it. Their idea is that obedience to the rule is supreme and to have someone go to hell because of it is a small concern.

The concept of a relationship with God, which gives one a love for his neighbor, is one that they do not understand. They have only the inoculation of a form of religion, and they do not have the real "disease." To them, religion is a form of worship demonstrated by observance of rules and being subject to domination by a "shepherd", or denomination, or dogma, or church creed... They are unaware that they are becoming immune to true faith. Rules are dominating, and replacing what they should have.

If you lived in China, where there is a rule that after one child is born to a family, all subsequent pregnancies must be aborted, would you obey the rule and murder the unborn child? Not many saints would dare to say "yes." We would disobey that rule because of a higher law of God that tells us to love life. In the same way, some of the rules of churches can come into conflict with the higher laws of God. When this happens, we must throw aside these man-made rules and obey God. The Pharisees of Jesus' day did not do that and it angered Jesus greatly. He could forgive the woman caught in adultery with ease. He could warn Peter of his impending failures with love, but to the Pharisees and their rules He added warning after warning. He called them horrible names and gave to them many a "WOE."

The best of churches are not free of problems.

Even in heaven, we find the devil came into the midst of the angels who were present to worship God. (Job 1) How do we handle the ones in our midst that are being used of the devil to do works that hurt Christianity, and souls? How do we minister to those in the church who are simply "vaccinated saints?" We need to preach the truth, read the Bible, pray, love the brethren, until the devil is so uncomfortable that he leaves.

Why does the devil attempt to get his workers into the midst of the saints? There are many reasons.

The more good being done in a place, the more the devil will oppose it. He will bring anger and dissension into revival. To stop a potential revival, he will encourage bitterness, slander, and unforgiveness. The world will not break down the doors of the church to attend where such things happen. Souls will not get saved where the dissension is so thick that it has to be cut with a knife. The main cohorts of the devil in his attempts to destroy revival and split the churches are those who are the "vaccinated saints." These are already within the church. Often they have positions, as ministers, board members, deacons, teachers, division leaders, etc. These "vaccinated saints" will do much harm to the true faith, and relationship faith that God is trying to develop in the Christians.

How did the troublemakers and "vaccinated saints" get into the church, and how did they get the power to do their work??? In the parable of the sower, we have an answer, it says:

"WHILE MEN SLEPT, HIS ENEMY CAME AND SOWED TARES AMONG THE WHEAT, AND WENT HIS WAY." Matt. 13:25

The church slept.

Perhaps, it was a "building project" that became an idol of worship. The souls of the church were neglected while the bricks of a building received all the attention. The prayer life, and the Bible study, and the love of the brethren have been neglected by some of the saints. While spiritual desire waned, and the real saints slept spiritually, the devil sowed tares and "vaccinated saints" in the midst. Many pastors and religious leaders have spent many hours, weeks, and years building brick temples, and in the process they have allowed abuse and neglect of the sheep. The wounded sheep began to scatter while the shepherds looked about for someone to blame.

Too many are building the wrong buildings. The body of the believer is the "temple of God". Time, prayer, Bible study, in place of the brick laying, painting, and faultfinding of all who were not partaking in the same, has caused many a shepherd to let the true "temples" of God be abused.

A building of worship may be inspired of God, but the worship of the building is not. God probably spoke often to awake the sleeping saints, but they mistook the encouragement of worship of Him to mean they must double their efforts to finish the building sooner, so they could worship Him as they did earlier. When the building project is finished, and they take their eyes off of it, they suddenly are amazed to see that the devil has been sowing tares in the midst. They are so weak spiritually by that time, that unless they repent of their lethargy, they often will join the dissension and turmoil that the devil has begun to harvest.

If God could just get the shepherds of those buildings of worship to realize how close we are to the judgment time of God's wrath, they would not be so wrapped up in the material things. Too many churches are placing undo emphasis on buildings that are soon to be destroyed. To preach as though the judgment was many years away, or would never come, is a horrible crime of the false shepherds. The sheep, that suffer while buildings are worshipped, must someday be accounted for... What will the shepherds say to an angry God?

Some of the "vaccinated saints" are the ones who may have been in the church for years. They never developed a real relationship with God.

Like the Pharisees, they spent their time working on rules and wanting a religion that elevated them to places of power and prestige. When revival came to the church, they were the ones who were uncomfortable. The church began to accept many newcomer converts who were growing spiritually, and finding a real relationship with God. The "vaccinated saints" felt threatened by the new converts and wanted to create new rules, dress codes, power structures, etc, that will show these new converts "who" is in control. Revival can suddenly come to an end if these are allowed to gain domination over new converts.

MORE TO COME

Paul said of the Pharisees (I.E. some of the vaccinated 'saints' of the day):
Romans 10:2-3
"FOR I CAN TESTIFY ABOUT THEM THAT THEY ARE ZEALOUS FOR GOD, BUT THEIR ZEAL IS NOT BASED ON KNOWLEDGE. SINCE THEY DISREGARDED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES FROM GOD AND SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN, THEY DID NOT SUBMIT TO GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Paul was saying that surely the Pharisees are zealous. There are many zealous today that add to the righteousness that God has demanded. They put rules above the two that Jesus gave. They, like the Pharisees, disregard the rules about love for God, and love for their fellow man. Yet, we can see in them a zeal, but one that is not with knowledge.

The Pharisees emphasized the "oral law" (the law that was their interpretation of the "written law", in other words, the law that they could not find Scripture to back up). The "oral law" was composed of many explanations of the law.

It focused on trifling details. For instance, a person could spit on a rock on the Sabbath, but could not spit on soft ground, because that might move some soil, and constitute plowing.

Another was - a child could be lifted on the Sabbath, but one had to beware lest the child was holding a stone, because then to lift the child would involve the labor of lifting the stone also.

One could not drag a chain, or belt on the Sabbath. This might make a slight furrow in the dirt, and constitute plowing.

Women were forbidden to look in a mirror on the Sabbath, because they might see a white hair and try to pull it out. This is work, and therefore considered sinful on the Sabbath.

Do some of the "vaccinated saints" in Christianity add such silly rules to the two laws that Jesus commanded? Yes, and some are as silly, and others, when obeyed actually contradict the two laws that Jesus commanded.

Matthew 12:1-8
"AT THAT TIME JESUS WENT, ON THE SABBATH DAY, THROUGH THE CORN, AND HIS DISCIPLES WERE HUNGRY, AND BEGAN TO PLUCK EARS OF CORN TO EAT...THE PHARISEES SAW IT...'BEHOLD, THY DISCIPLES DO THAT WHICH IS NOT LAWFUL (according to their added rules)'... HE SAID... 'DAVID... WAS HUNGRY... HE ENTERED... THE HOUSE OF GOD...AND DID EAT THE SHEWBREAD WHICH WAS NOT LAWFUL...ON THE SABBATH DAY THE PRIESTS IN THE TEMPLE PROFANE THE SABBATH AND ARE BLAMELESS... IN THIS PLACE ONE GREATER THAN THE TEMPLE...IF YE HAD KNOWN WHAT THIS MEANS: 'I WILL HAVE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE' - YE WOULD NOT HAVE CONDEMNED THE GUILTLESS. FOR THE SON OF MAN IS LORD EVEN OF THE SABBATH DAY."

The Lord illustrated to the Pharisees that their added rules could be and should be disobeyed when they interfere with the law of God. The disciples were hungry and the law of God was not intended to keep people from satisfying their hunger. God doesn't want us to starve people to death to show they love God. The rules added by the Pharisees, should have been "prayed about" by these condemners, and the disciples were smart enough to know that Jesus and His law did not condemn them for "praying about this rule" and deciding that it was contrary to the two laws Jesus said were necessary. Jesus called the disciples here -"the guiltless." There are many in Christianity today that need to beware becoming Pharisaical. The condemning, the rule adding, the judgmentalism, the nit-picking over details, is not Christ-like, and not Christian. It is the practice of the "vaccinated saints" of today's church, just as it was in Jesus' time on earth.

David was not of the Levite tribe, and not a priest. Yet when he was starving, he entered into the holy place of the tabernacle and ate of the shewbread. This was forbidden by the true law. Yet, Jesus taught us that even here--the greater law of love overcomes any other law. David was not condemned for saving himself from starvation. The disciples, likewise, harvested food on the Sabbath. This too was work. However, they were "guiltless." The priests did work in the temple on the Sabbath day. They trimmed lamps, did sacrifices by the score, and yet are guiltless. Jesus is a higher authority than the law of the Old Testament, the law of the Pharisees, and of the rules and laws the churches try to impose on Christians. Whenever, the laws of Jesus conflict with the rules of mankind, we need to obey the Lord.

Matthew 12:9-14
"...INTO THEIR SYNAGOGUE... THERE WAS A MAN WITH A WITHERED HAND... THEY ASKED HIM, 'IS IT LAWFUL TO HEAL ON THE SABBATH DAYS?'... HE SAID, 'WHAT MAN AMONG YOU... HAVE ONE SHEEP... FALL INTO A PIT... WILL HE... LIFT IT OUT... HOW MUCH BETTER IS MAN THAN SHEEP...IT IS LAWFUL TO DO WELL ON THE SABBATH DAY... STRETCH FORTH THINE HAND'... RESTORED WHOLE... LIKE AS THE OTHER... THEN THE PHARISEES WENT OUT AND HELD A COUNCIL AGAINST HIM, HOW THEY MIGHT DESTROY HIM..."

Jesus, in defiance to the rules of the "vaccinated saints" of that day, obeyed the greater law of love and healed this man.

This man, according to the early church writers was a mason who needed both hands to do his work. The Pharisees were angered by Jesus' defiance of their rule. They took counsel to "destroy Him." Today, when the rules that the "vaccinated saints" have added are broken, the "vaccinated saints" of today seek to "destroy" the ones who would have the nerve to disobey their rules. Councils have been held to decide how to handle some who are only trying to love, as was Jesus. It hurts to have "the brethren" take council in opposition to your stand on love. Yet, today's prophets have been adequately warned by our Lord that they will do this. Mourn for the Pharisees, the "vaccinated saints" of today, for they shall be judged if they don't repent.

Matthew 15:1-9
"...CAME TO JESUS, THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES... SAYING, 'WHY DO THY DISCIPLES TRANSGRESS THE TRADITION OF THE ELDERS? FOR THEY WASH NOT THEIR HANDS WHEN THEY EAT BREAD. HE ANSWERED AND SAID, WHY DO YOU TRANSGRESS THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD BY YOUR TRADITIONS? FOR GOD COMMANDED... HONOUR THY FATHER AND MOTHER... BUT YOU SAY IT IS A GIFT... YOU HYPOCRITES... ESAIAS PROPHESIED OF YOU...'THIS PEOPLE DRAWETH NIGH UNTO ME WITH THEIR MOUTH AND HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES, THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.'"

Thus, the Pharisees had put so much importance on the writings and rules of the scribes, that the Lord had to tell them that their rules had caused them to transgress the higher law. Today, still we find that traditions and commandments of people are raised to a level equal to, or above, the Word of God. This makes our worship to be "in vain" according to Jesus. There are many in the church of today who are unfortunately inoculated from the true faith, and are the "vaccinated saints" that cause the church to have a bad reputation with many people.

Matthew 23:4
"THEY BIND HEAVY BURDENS AND GRIEVOUS TO BE BORNE, AND LAY THEM ON MEN'S SHOULDERS, BUT THEY THEMSELVES WILL NOT MOVE THEM WITH ONE OF THEIR FINGERS..."

Isn't it a wonder that, like the Pharisees, many "vaccinated saints" today still enjoy adding more and more rules to the two that Jesus gave us.

They will not help those who have to try to obey these rules. One terrible indication that people are dealing with a "vaccinated saint" (modern day Pharisee) is the lack of concern they show for the souls of the ones they abuse with their rules. To allow a young Christian to slip away from the church, and feel unloved by the saints, and to possibly find that the only ones who seem to really care are the unsaved friends --is a sign that their concern is more on the rules, than on the love of their neighbor. A true saint is broken-hearted at the backsliding of a young Christian. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, who was about to betray and crucify Him. Yet some in Christianity, seem unconcerned over those who have fallen away. The inability of those who have stumbled to follow all the man-made rules the church has added is given as the excuse for the "vaccinated saints" unconcern. We need more weeping before the altar.

Joel 2:17
"LET THE PRIESTS, THE MINISTERS OF THE LORD, WEEP BETWEEN THE PORCH AND THE ALTAR, AND LET THEM SAY, 'SPARE THY PEOPLE, O LORD, AND GIVE NOT THINE HERITAGE TO REPROACH...'"

It is time for God's people to weep, and humble themselves. The rules of churches are themselves responsible for the hurting of many in Christianity today. The unconcern of "vaccinated saints" who wish to judge and condemn others who are not able yet to keep all the rules they have added, requires much prayer and supplication for mercy. For the world to tempt away young believers is bad enough, but when the church pushes them out with their lack of love, requires a modern day- "WOE."

Matthew 23:23-24
"...STRAIN AT THE GNAT, AND SWALLOW THE CAMEL..."

It is strange how we can get priorities, and concepts upside down.

For instance, to embarrass a young Christian for wearing cut offs in the "sanctuary" lest he defile the "sanctuary", is a wrong concept. The true "sanctuary" is the body of the saint, for the Holy Spirit dwells within the believer. To criticize, embarrass, and condemn another - defiles the "sanctuary" (the body of the believer who so criticized the other Christian). The inside spirit is more important than the inside of the four walls people call the "church." Like the Pharisees, many worry more about the outside of the cup, but the inside of the cup is filthy. If the inside of the person is cleaned, and the condemnation and judgmentalism is removed, then the true "sanctuary" becomes undefiled.

Matthew 23:25-26
"YOU CLEAN THE OUTSIDE OF THE CUP, AND OF THE PLATTER, BUT WITHIN IS FULL OF EXTORTION AND EXCESS... THOU BLIND PHARISEE, CLEANSE FIRST THAT IS WITHIN... THAT THE OUTSIDE MAY BE CLEAN ALSO."

Many think that such modern day Pharisees, who are the "vaccinated saints" of today, would be easy to spot. But the Bible indicates that they can outwardly appear to be righteous.

Matthew 23:28
"...OUTWARDLY APPEAR RIGHTEOUS TO MEN... WITHIN ARE FULL OF HYPOCRISY AND INIQUITY..."
more to come

The Lord was very hard on the Pharisees of that day, He had many a "woe" for them, and indicated that their judgment would be greater than others.

Today, people want to preach against many sins, but neglect the sin that most angered our Lord. We tolerate, and allow these Pharisaical sins to continue. We try to cover for them, and to keep others from finding out when others are hurt by them, and to get angry at those who finally say "stop" to these "vaccinated saints".

Matthew 23:29-33
"WOE... SCRIBES... PHARISEES... HYPOCRITES... BUILD TOMBS OF THE PROPHETS, GARNISH THE SEPULCHRE OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND SAY, 'IF WE HAD BEEN IN THE DAYS OF OUR FATHERS, WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PARTAKERS IN THE BLOOD OF THE PROPHETS... YE SERPENTS, YE GENERATION OF VIPERS, HOW CAN YE ESCAPE THE DAMNATION OF HELL?"

The preachers who stood up against the sins of the people of God were slain.

Today, we still find the Pharisaical element trying to eliminate the ones who protest their ways. Jesus stood up to the Pharisees of that day. Jeremiah stood up against the "vaccinated saints" of his day. We are now in the time when God wants to clean up the church to be pure, spotless, and ready for the rapture. It will take a sudden judgment. God needs all of us to stand up and warn the people of the consequences of only having a mild dose of religion. We need ones in our day that are brave enough to preach a sermon to "vaccinated saints" as Jesus and Jeremiah did. We need revival. We need it now. It will start with a sob, not a shout. It will continue if we learn to obey the two supreme commandments. We must learn to love God with all our mind, soul, and spirit. We need to learn to love our neighbor as ourselves. We need to forget our other rules, and quit looking to condemn those whom God alone can judge.

Joel 2:12-13
"TURN YE EVEN TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH FASTING, AND WITH WEEPING, AND WITH MOURNING; AND REND YOUR HEART, AND NOT YOUR GARMENTS, AND TURN UNTO THE LORD YOUR GOD; FOR HE IS GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL."

Most churches of the last days are to be like the Laodicean church of Revelation 3:17-18:
"Because thou sayest, I am rich and have need of nothing, and knoweth not that thou art wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest, and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see."

"Vaccinated saints" reject the true message.

The prostitutes and harlots accepted Jesus's teaching before the Pharisees and scribes did. Jesus was very angered by the "vaccinated saints" of that day. There is something very wrong with this mild dose of religion that keeps one from the truth of Jesus.

"Vaccinated saints" do not change morally.

The only kind of faith worthy of the name of Jesus is the one that results in moral behavior.

God asked:
Jeremiah 7:9-10
"Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods... and come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered: that ye may do all these abominations.'"

In other words, will you be a regular attender at church and then go out and live like any other sinner. Worship and faith that does not result in a change of character is not only worthless - but it is hateful to a holy God.

The people in Jeremiah's day had a form of religion. They had the warped idea that if they observed certain religious customs, and obeyed certain rules, one could live unchanged morally. Religion of this kind is an opiate to many, dulling the conscience. These are the ones who are the "vaccinated saints". The proof of real faith is the life of the believer outside the church.

"Vaccinated saints" have a false security.

The original idea of a "sanctuary" was that of protection. The fugitive fled to the "horns of the altar" for safety. The people of Jeremiah's day found a false security in their religion. They thought they could sin, run to the temple and repent, and return to sin, and return to the altar... Over and over, without any real desire to change, they made that their religion. Certainly, even the real saint will often have to repent, but their desire and cry to God is to help them change. He does - and step by step, glory by glory, they are transformed into the image of Jesus.

The "vaccinated saint" has no real desire to change... They are satisfied with the religion that soothes the conscience for their failures, but does not force them to change.

There is too often a church board member who says "amen" often during the sermon, while his oft-beaten wife sits mildly beside him. She undoubtedly wonders how this "saint" can continue his barbarian actions. The Lord is wanting prophets of today to stand up to today's "vaccinated saints" (who are like this so-called saint) with a warning from God.

The nation of Jeremiah's day used their religion like an ostrich that hides its head in the sand, to avoid seeing the truth. There are many today who will try to avoid the message of this sermon of Jeremiah, and will try to assume that all Pharisees died long ago, and that there are no "vaccinated saints" in their midst.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that true worship was not in the externals, not in the group with which one fellowshipped, - but it was to be done "in spirit and in truth."

John 4:24
"God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth..."

God reminded the "vaccinated saints" that obedience, not sacrifices were necessary.

Jeremiah 7:22-23
"For I spake not unto your Fathers nor commanded... concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them... Hearken unto My voice, and I will be your God..."

Sacrifices were never intended to be an end in themselves. Nor is the constant repenting, or going to church regularly, or faithfully paying ones tithes, to become an end in itself.

I Samuel 15:22
"To obey is better that sacrifice..."

Isaiah 1:11, 17-18
"What unto me is the multitude of your sacrifices? ...cease to do evil, learn to do well..."

Hosea 6:6
"I desire goodness, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

The true temple is in us, it is not the building in which we worship.

Acts 17:24
"...dwelleth not in temples made with hands..."

Colossians 1:27
"...Christ in you, the hope of glory..."

Luke 17:21
"...the kingdom of God is within you..."

I Corinthians 3:16-17
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God... the temple of God is holy, and such are ye..."

We are not to seek righteousness by occasionally entering into a "holy temple." Rather, we are to be the TEMPLE. Therefore we can never leave such a temple. So we must always be holy... seven days a week, 24 hours a day... Our bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. What manner of person ought we to be, if God is constantly dwelling within us... the temple of the Almighty God!

There is terrible judgment for unrepentant "vaccinated saints."

Jeremiah 7:16
"Therefore pray thou not for this people, neither lift up cry, nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me, for I will not hear thee."

Jeremiah 11:14
"Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto Me for their trouble."

Jeremiah 14:11-12
"Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good, When they fast, I will not hear their cry, and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them, but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by pestilence."

To insult God by coming into His Presence, hearing His Word preached, etc. and walking away unmoved-- tempts God to great anger and wrath. The "vaccinated saints" are doing this on a regular basis. The ministers will be hated, despised, and plotted against. That is not an excuse to not do our job. We must speak the WHOLE Word of God. We must preach and teach relationship, not form. We must get others to meet Jesus and follow His ways.

PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS HAVE THE DUTIES OF A WATCHMAN


God has called you to ministry of some sort. You were not called to simply fill a pew, but to do real ministry, somewhere, somehow, for the Lord. This calling has brought responsibility. You are responsible for that work the Lord is wanting you to do. You may not be speaking to a stadium full of people, it may be one on one witnessing, it may be visiting the sick in hospitals, it may be a children’s Sunday school class, etc. but there is a work for which you are responsible.

We ‘watch and pray’. The ‘watching’ that we are to do, is to ‘watch’ not just for signs of His coming, but to ‘watch’ for how we minister while those signs are being fulfilled around us. The signs of His coming that we see, are to make us even more ‘watchful’ of how to minister to others, before He does arrive to rapture us.

We are to be ‘WATCHMEN’.

Ezekiel 33:1-6
"Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people, then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."



During the war, the city put a heavy responsibility on the watchman. He had to give a warning whenever the enemy approached. If a man disregarded the warning, he was signing his own death warrant, and could not blame the watchman. If a man was outside the wall, and failed to heed the warning, his death would not be the responsibility of the watchman. If the watchman failed to warn the people in the unprotected area, he was held responsible for their lives.

The trumpet (shophar) was a long horn, upturned at the end. It was used for military and religious occasions. It is still used in Jewish synagogues at their New Year. The watchman was to sound it in warning to the ones inside, and to the ones still unprotected outside. When God tells a preacher to warn the people, he must pass on the message. The preacher must warn the righteous as well as the wicked.

Ezekiel 33:7-9
"So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at My mouth, and warn them from Me.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."
Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."

Then Ezekiel gave a call for repentance. When the people finally admit their guilt, and repent, Ezekiel does not rub their noses in their shame. Instead, he proclaims God's forgiveness. Ezekiel had no delight in judgment, but longed to see the people repent.

The ultimate purpose of judgment warning is repentance.

Ezekiel 33:10-16
"Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
Say unto them, As I live saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live, if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him; he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live."


God does not want to judge or to punish. He only does so as a last resort.

Ezekiel 33:11
"I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his evil way and live."

This is similar to II Peter 3:9:
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance."

It is also similar to I Timothy 2:4:
"...Who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth."

Yet, in order to be saved, the wicked must turn from their wickedness to live.

This is emphasized four times here in this chapter of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 33:11
"the wicked turn from his way and live."

Ezekiel 33:12
"he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness..."

Ezekiel 33:14-16
"If the wicked restore the... he shall surely live, he shall not die..."

Ezekiel 33:19
"If the wicked turn from his wickedness, ...he shall live thereby..."

God is willing to forgive the repentant!

God included in this teaching given through Ezekiel, the truth that many even today refuse to hear or to believe.

This truth is that - the righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his chosen sin. He had free will to choose to serve God, and he still has free will to choose to no longer serve God. No, a sin here and there does not doom a soul to hell. Salvation continues, but when someone chooses sin, prefers to serve sin rather than Jesus, that salvation then can be lost. Repentance is turning from the wrong choices into sin, back to the Lord Who loves us. Repentance is an act of free will that we utilize to come or to remain in fellowship with the Lord.


Four times here, God states that if a righteous man backslides, and when given opportunity and encouragement from God to repent, that he chooses of his own will to not repent, then he will die in sin.
(see verses 1-2, 12, 13, and 14).

Past righteousness will not save a righteous man when he transgresses and chooses to be an unrepentant sinner again.

Many a saint has rightly claimed the promise that God will never remember our past and forgiven sins again.

Ezekiel 33:16
"none of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him..."

This is true and wonderful, and yet there is another truth that we must acknowledge, concede, and recognize, and that is that God can forget your good works also!

Ezekiel 33:13
"righteousness shall not be remembered."

This is taught by our Lord in the gospels, for some shall someday come before the Lord, who were once saved, and who once worked for the Lord, but look what Jesus says will be said to them:
Matthew 7:21-23
"Many shall in that day say, 'Lord, Lord, we have'... -'I never knew you!'"

Hebrews 10:26-27
"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."

Ezekiel warned the people of the fall of Jerusalem,
Ezekiel 24:2
"Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day; the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day."

and knew from God when it had fallen.
Ezekiel 33:21-29
"And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, the city is smitten."

Months later, an exhausted fugitive reaches the exiles and tells them of the fall of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was vindicated in his prophecy, and now could speak freely, and the "dumbness" commanded by God so Ezekiel would only speak when told to by God is lifted. Ezekiel could speak his mind now.

Those who were left in the land after the fall of the city began to annex and occupy the land left. Jeremiah (52:16) called them the "poorest of the land". They claimed to be inheritors and blessed by God to be left in the land. Ezekiel says, it is not so, but that their sins were the same as those killed or taken captive. Ezekiel says that their judgment will be: the sword, wild beasts, pestilence, and the land would become desolate.

Notice how the people responded to the prophet at this time:

Ezekiel 33:30-33
"Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against Thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak on to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.... they hear thy words, but they will not do them, for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. ...When this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."

Who were the best in God's eyes, the ones left in the land or the ones in exile??? Jeremiah answered this with the vision of the two baskets of figs (Jeremiah 24). In this vision it is shown that the Lord's choice is the ones in exile (the good figs). Ezekiel agrees, but Ezekiel says that though everyone was talking about him now, and coming to listen to his sermons, the message that he was preaching was not going too deep.

"their heart is set on their gain..."

Is it not a shame, that the biggest crowds, the most anxious and zealous of congregations, are the ones eager to gain for themselves, the prosperity seekers, the name-it-claim-it congregations!!! These ones have the inner feeling of "What is in it for me?" They listened to Ezekiel as someone listens to a nice song, the music now was moving them, but he move was a fleeting one, and not life changing!

Ezekiel was being treated as public entertainment! He was the topic of conversation (Ezek. 33:30 -"talking" = Hebrew "dabar" meaning "speaking together"). Ezekiel knew that his sudden acceptance and fame was shallow, and only a passing fancy to these sinful people.

He knew that God would soon truly validate him, and this alone was his solace. Between the message and the fulfillment, the people can mock, deride, ridicule, scorn, and taunt the preacher, and usually do. Even family and friends can question and challenge the message of a true preacher. Sometimes, much time is found between the message and the fulfillment. This mocking and doubt of the hearers is very difficult for the one speaking the Word of God. Yet, the true minister knows that the day will come when the message will be validated by God.

Ezekiel 33:33
"And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come), then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."

The message is given to us by the Lord.

We are made ‘watchmen’ for God, with a message to have, a mission to preach it, and a heart to love those sinners, those rejecters of the Lord we encounter.

We are responsible to preach our message from God, despite being amidst many that reject it.

The mission stays the same, whether they accept it or not.

Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and even Jesus, spoke to many who reject the truth. We are still ‘watchmen’ with a mission, and that mission is given by God.

The goal of our watching is to define and to encourage repentance. They have to know that sin is sin, or they will not repent. The Holy Spirit does the convicting, we simply preach the Words of the Spirit of God, and let the conviction bring repentance. We are ‘watchmen’ with that purpose. We will preach, teach, exhort, etc., and often seen few results. But, if we do, when it is all done, ‘they shall know that a prophet hath been among them’ for the Lord will validate the message of all His watchmen.

THE EVIL DEVILS WE BATTLE

I TIMOTHY 4:1
‘NOW THE SPIRIT SPEAKS EXPRESSLY, THAT IN THE LATTER TIMES, SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING HEED TO THE SEDUCING SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES OF DEVILS.’

In the ministry, we battle an array of evil doctrines. Some of these evil doctrines come straight from devils. We see in congregations that some denigrate Jesus, some proclaim false targets for us to chase, some have sinful passions to try to seduce mankind back to sin. The doctrines are errant, and if followed will doom souls. Therefore, it is vital we understand these, and know their true source.

THE SOURCE OF THE DOCTRINES is the devil and his helper evil spirits...

LUCIFER'S original SIN

Ezekiel 28:11-19
"Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou (Lucifer) sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering... Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so; thou was upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness; I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more."


Lucifer’s (the devil’s) sin was:

PRIDE (see vs 17)
He had pride in his beauty. Satan is not an ugly, horned, monstrous being. He was the most beautiful of angels. He became proud in his appearance.

SLANDER (see vss 16-18)
"by the multitude of thy traffick" "Traffick" is from the Hebrew word - "rekullah" and refers to Satan walking up and down slandering God.

His judgment was to be cast out of the holy mountain of God. Satan will not be cast out of heaven permanently until the middle of the tribulation period. Lucifer was thrown from heaven, but it was not a permanent expulsion. Lucifer is seen in heaven again in Job 1, and there he was accusing Job's character before the Lord. The devil returns to heaven frequently to be "the accuser of the brethren." We have Jesus at the right hand of the Father, to be our Advocate.

Jesus says that He watched as Satan was thrown from heaven.
Luke 10:18
"...and He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Demons are disembodied spirits.

Matthew 12:43-45
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out, and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself, seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there, and the last state of the man is worse than the first."

Luke 8:32
"and there was a herd of swine feeding on the mountain, and they besought Him that He would suffer them to enter into them."

God did not create anything evil, not even the devil. The devil fell to evil via his sin. Demons were created beings, created to worship and honor God, but who fell when Lucifer did. They remain in that evil state, as disembodied spirits, since then. They have been helpers of the devil since. (Matthew 12:26-28)

DEMONS AND DEVILS

The actual word ’demon’, is not found in the English KJV translation. However, the words ‘devils' and ‘evil spirit' are used, but the word ‘demon' comes from the word translated to such, and that is the word ‘diamon'. The word is usually translated ‘devils', and refers to an evil spirit, but the root word means ‘to distribute fortunes' and this is a common means of entry for demons, they seek to offer persons what their hearts desire is. And when the person yields to that evil desire, the demons provide ‘accusations' for the angry and embittered, ‘curses' for the hateful, etc.

Another word translated devils, is ‘diabolos’, and means ‘Adversary, false accuser...' (I Timothy 3:11, II Timothy 3:3, Titus 2:3) Where ever we see demons at work, there will be false accusations given against those who serve and worship Jesus. That is the nature of devils, that is their whole purpose. Like their head evil one, the devil, satan, the dragon, etc. who is also called ‘the accuser of the brethren', and “like father, like son.”

A being that is part human, part angelic being, named 'belial', is ruler over demon spirits, and ruling spirit powers. Belial is referred to as the ‘prince of devils'. (Matthew 9:24, 12:24) And for many centuries, he led the demons and many forces. He was worshipped as the god Baal. He is called "Beelzebub”, and many other names.

When Jesus came, He sent "Belial" to the abyss, and this evil spirit has long awaited his release to inhabit the ruler of the last kingdom. We have not had to face this evil being, since when Jesus came, His death and resurrection meant a binding of this Belial to the abyss until the last days. Jesus came, in His first coming, to cast this Belial into the abyss.

John 12:31
"...now shall the prince of this world be cast out..."

When the Spirit came at Pentecost, Belial had already been judged and imprisoned into the abyss.

John 16:11
"of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged..."


He is confined now, until this release to restore first the Grecian empire, then the old Roman empire.

Revelation 17:8
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition (the man of sin, i.e. the Antichrist)"

Revelation 11:7
"The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them (the two witnesses) and shall overcome them and kill them..."

II Thessalonians 2:3 speaks of:
the "man of lawlessness" and "he that opposes and exalteth himself against all that is called God..."

Many believe that "man of sin (or lawlessness)" is a reference to Belial, and the other a reference to the Antichrist. That makes this a reference to the Antichrist as one possessed by Belial.

Daniel 5:10-11
"...there shall rise unto you from the tribe of Judah and of Levi, the salvation (Yeshua) of the Lord, and He shall make war against Belial"

This Belial was an opponent of Christ. Belial has shown great antagonism against God and Jesus throughout history.

II Cor. 6:15
"What concord hath Christ with Belial?"

Revelation 13:1 speaks of a "beast" that will "rise out of the sea" representing the evil spirit (Belial) that inhabits the Antichrist. This Belial will be utterly defeated during Armageddon, and the Millennial rule of Jesus will be void of this Belial.

Revelation 19:19
"And I say the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army."

Isaiah 14:4-6:
"...The Lord hath broken the staff of the 'wicked one' (Belial), ...he (Belial) that ruled the nations in anger is persecuted, and none hindereth."

These pre-Adamite humans were the "nations" that were "weakened" by Lucifer.

Isaiah 14:12-15
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

Necromancy begins with a false teaching about death. The devil and his cohorts have tried to pervert the idea of "death" down through the ages. God, long ago, warned. "the day that thou eatest, thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:17). It was spiritual death that God spoke of, and it is spiritual death that is the real threat to mankind. Real death is the loss of spiritual life.

Romans 8:6
"to be spiritually minded is life and peace."


When mankind begins to believe the lies of the devils about death, and believe that the spirits of the dead remain in their graves, or tombs, and can be called back by a "skilled" person, it leads to people wanting to communicate with them. When the fresh teaching of the truth about sheol, (as a place to which dead souls departed, the righteous ones to paradise (until Christ's resurrection), and the unrighteous ones to hell..) this heresy called 'necromancy' is eradicated. Neither the righteous, nor the unrighteous are lying in a grave awaiting someone to call them back to talk. They are either in heaven or hell.

In reality, when the spirit of man is dead in sins, the whole being is dead, though the body may still function. The devils want to make us fear the death of the body only, and this fear of bodily death is a trick of devils, and leads to bondage.

Hebrews 2:15
"And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage..."

Jesus came to destroy the devil and take away the fear of physical death, and restore to the saints the eternal life we can have through Him.

Hebrews 2:14
"through death, He might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is the devil..."

Many have ignored the demonic powers, but they have not gone away, and we either battle them or be hurt by them. It is time to battle! Evil demons, and evil powers are battling the saints and prophets of today. They are very angry knowing that their time is short, but we have the power of the Lord, and the authority of Jesus to defeat every evil power out there.

Mark 16:17
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils..."

The devil's try to counterfeit Trinity, the devil wants God's throne, and tries to counterfeit all that is real. False religions, with their ‘god’ being a demonic, evil spirit, are common. The muslims do not worship our God, but an evil spirit attempting to be seen as our real God. There are some foolish ones in Christian denominations today that are saying ‘we’ (muslims and Christians) worship the same god. No, we don’t, and we need to keep that distiinction. They do believe in a ‘Jesus’, one that will come back in the last days, and kill all who believed that he was ‘deity’, and that he ‘atoned for sins’. That ‘jesus’ is the antichrist, his ‘god’ is a false evil spirit. We do not worship that ‘jesus’. It is a demonic doctrine that some now are calling ‘chrislam’.

The devil fell, before the creation of Adam and Eve, and his fall was followed by the fall of many others, who are evil ones. These demons are evil, though they sometimes pretend to be good and religious.

The devil, and his demon helpers can:
steal... Matthew 13:19, Luke 8:12
fight ... Ephesians 4:27, 6:10-18, I Peter 5:8
become fierce and wrathful... Matthew 8:28, Rev. 12:12
be friendly... Luke 10:6, 27
imitate departed dead... I Sam. 28:3-9, I Chron. 10:13, Deut. 18:11
wage war on the saints... Ephesians 6:10-18...
Recognize those who have authority over them... Acts 19:13-17
enter some human beings by the thousands... Mark 5:9

The devil knows that he is defeated, and will meet this horrible end, but he continues to deceive, lie, and attack. He, and his demon helpers, frantically tries with his last gasps to lead people from God's salvation. He wants to "gloat" in eternity, that he is not the only one in the lake of fire. His only victory can be the "fools" that the "greatest fool" ever has brought to destruction.

I Peter 5:8-9
"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..."

I Timothy 4:1
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."

more to come...

Mark 16:17
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils..."

The devil's try to counterfeit Trinity, the devil wants God's throne, and tries to counterfeit all that is real. False religions, with their ‘god’ being a demonic, evil spirit, are common. The muslims do not worship our God, but an evil spirit attempting to be seen as our real God. There are some foolish ones in Christian denominations today that are saying ‘we’ (muslims and Christians) worship the same god. No, we don’t, and we need to keep that distiinction. They do believe in a ‘Jesus’, one that will come back in the last days, and kill all who believed that he was ‘deity’, and that he ‘atoned for sins’. That ‘jesus’ is the antichrist, his ‘god’ is a false evil spirit. We do not worship that ‘jesus’. It is a demonic doctrine that some now are calling ‘chrislam’.

The mormons also believe in a ‘jesus’, that they say will come back and rule from their temple, and they say he is the ‘brother of the devil,’ not the eternal One of the Trinity. Their ‘jesus’ will, they say, put them in power, and ‘good works’ will save people. This ‘jesus’ is not our Jesus. We need to stand against ‘false gods’ who are imitators of the real God, the real Jesus. These are ‘demonic doctrines’ against which we need to preach.

The devil fell, before the creation of Adam and Eve, and his fall was followed by the fall of many others, who are evil ones. These demons are evil, though they sometimes pretend to be good and religious.

The devil, and his demon helpers can:
steal... Matthew 13:19, Luke 8:12
fight ... Ephesians 4:27, 6:10-18, I Peter 5:8
become fierce and wrathful... Matthew 8:28, Rev. 12:12
be friendly... Luke 10:6, 27
imitate departed dead... I Sam. 28:3-9, I Chron. 10:13, Deut. 18:11
wage war on the saints... Ephesians 6:10-18...
Recognize those who have authority over them... Acts 19:13-17
enter some human beings by the thousands... Mark 5:9

The devil knows that he is defeated, and will meet this horrible end, but he continues to deceive, lie, and attack. He, and his demon helpers, frantically tries with his last gasps to lead people from God's salvation. He wants to "gloat" in eternity, that he is not the only one in the lake of fire. His only victory can be the "fools" that the "greatest fool" ever has brought to destruction.

I Peter 5:8-9
"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..."

I Timothy 4:1
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."



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Demons must be discerned, tested, resisted, and rejected.

Ephesians 6:12
"FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES."

Since we are in a battle against these evil spirits of various ranks and powers, we need the armor of God. These beings that Paul is telling us we battle are these:
archas (principalities)
- the highest rank of evil power under the authority of the devil himself, these are probably like arch angels of the devil. Perhaps they were arch angels to God before their sin.
exousias (powers)
-those immediately under those of the highest rank, these are probably angels that fell with the devil in his original sin,
or angels that transgressed later, as in the days preceding the flood when they came and transgressed with women and produced a race of half-angelic giants.
kosmokratopas (rulers of the darkness of this world) -these are the ones that rule perhaps a 1000 other demons, these are probably the spirits of the giants of the pre-flood days, and they are more powerful than other demons, because they are half-angelic, and half-human.
pneumatika ponerias ( literally, this means "wicked spirits")
- these are the normal demons that we are accustomed to dealing with in spiritual warfare, they came into existence from the humans that were of the creation before Adam, that the devil was to lead in worship to God. They were all killed in the rebellion that came as Lucifer sinned and had these beings worship him instead of God. Their spirits now roam this earth, and they desire to inhabit a human body, since they no longer have a body. They are extremely evil since they have fallen in league with the devil.

They belong in the abyss, if they are disobedient to the commands made in the name of the Lord, and many demons are already there, to be kept there, until we, who have bound them and put them therein, leave this world, then they return to wreck havoc on the world in the tribulation. Luke 8:31, Rev. 9:1-21

Demons know their fate. (Matthew 8:31-32)

Demons fear God, and those who act with the authority of the Lord.

James 2:19
"...THE DEVILS BELIEVE AND TREMBLE..."

Demon possession, obsession, and oppression...

Demon oppression is when a demon spirit makes an attack on the
physical person. Jesus went about healing all who 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 recognized that some sickness and disease was sourced from the devil and his demons. Demon oppression can come to saint and sinner alike, and a rebuke of the devil and demons that oppressed such a one, is needed to return health to them.

Demon obsession is when the demon plague the mind and emotions of one, suggesting evil, blinding from good, hiding from the one obsessed the truth. False accusations, evil speaking, fear and torment come from the person who is demon obsessed. This can happen to saint or sinner.

Demon possession, can only happen to the unsaved, for the saved have Jesus dwelling within them, and He will not share the room with the devils. The demons are disembodied, and missing the body they once had, they seek to control the body of another. When unable to control the man of the Gadarenes, they went into the pigs, who chose suicide to having demons possess them...

Demons when they possess a person, take over the will. The saints can, in the name of Jesus, cast out the demon, to give the will of the person another chance to choose Jesus. If they do not choose Jesus, many more demons will return later, to move back into the person. The exorcism is possibly temporary therefore.

So there is demon possession, demon obsession, and demon oppression.

Demons are subject to the Lord, and to us, who use the authority given to us by the Lord. Matthew 8:16-17, 12:28, Mark 16:17, Luke 10:17, Acts 19:15

EVIL SPIRITS HAVE PERSONALITIES & NATURES

Evil spirits are beings, and beings have personalities, traits, natures. Some act one way, and some are interested in other things. We are shown in Scripture, that they are organized, by the devil, into an army like organization, and we battle against them. Some lead groups of others, and they follow commands. Divisions, (if you will) are organized to fight the saints in certain ways.

We hear much of ‘unclean spirits’. In fact, this designation of a kind of evil spirit is used 21 times in the Bible.





Luke 4:33-37
“And in the synagogue, there was a man, which had a spirit of an
unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice. Saying, Let us alone; what have we do do with thee, thou, Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy (apollumi, fully ruin) us? I know Thee, Who Thou art; The Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! For with authority and power, He commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

Unclean spirits are a kind of evil spirit, following an ‘unclean devil’.

The unclean devil that leads them, is the evil ruling power, that is part angelic, part human from the angels that co-habited with women of the earth in the time, before and following the flood of Noah. This evil devil has gathered evil spirits of the pre-Adamite race that fell with Lucifer, and organized them to be a ‘fighting division’ of the realm of satan.

There are many kinds of unclean spirits. Here we notice that this unclean spirit was in the synagogue. For unclean spirits are spirits that fight against saints, and those who seek to worship God. So, why does a fisherman go to the lake, that is where the fish are. Why does an unclean spirit go to the synagogue, the church, the Christian message boards??? That is where the saints of God are. Shall we flee where ever they may come? No, for they will follow us, where ever we go. We need to learn to ‘evict’ them, as did Jesus here.

The word ‘unclean’ is from the Greek word – akathartos. This is the negative particle, and the word for ”cleansed.” Thus the word means, “un-cleansed, impure, foul, unclean.”

These are beings that are definitely recognizable, by their nature and evil all upon them, it is not hidden and obscure, but openly filthy and evil.

Some demonic beings try to hide their evil, and try to portray themselves as kind, gentle, forgiving, religious, etc. The unclean spirits are evil inside and out, their nature is not to hide, but to attack.

We shall go on, with a description of these evil spirits we battle in this last day. We need to know our enemies. If we don’t, we are like soldiers with walking sticks thinking we are on a hike, rather than realizing we are soldiers, supposed to be carrying a ‘sword’ with which to battle unseen, but real, entities that are evil to the max. It is time to know our enemies, and to battle them with Jesus.

TEMPTATION, BESETTING SINS,
CAN DOOM MINISTRIES
...
LEARNING TO PREACH TO OURSELVES


Unfortunately, not all who accept the Lord as Savior, not all who accept God’s call into a ministry, will stay faithful. Some will move forward in Christ and live a godly life. Or at least they seem to do so. All of us actually continue to live a life of battling against the flesh and often we lose the battle. Some do battle the devil and make the enemy regret their salvation greatly. Yet, even the strongest of the battlers against the devil, have failed. Samson, Abraham, Moses, Peter, etc all had a time when sin overcame them, they failed, and it has been recorded for all to read in the Word of God.

One thing is certain, every saint will face temptation. Even Jesus went into the wilderness, where the devil tempted Him. The thief on the cross, was tempted through the vile statements of the other thief in the moments before their deaths.

We, as Christians, have two sides from which to choose.

It would be nice if the choice was made final in the moment of salvation, but it is not. Ministers are not some special class of saints who have no temptation, or have no way to fail God ever. Even we, the ministers of the Lord, must choose between God and the devil on a nearly daily basis.

The tempter, the devil, is the arch-enemy of God. The idea of a personal devil is often ridiculed. Satan is not a being with horns and a pitchfork. He is an angel of light, one of the former arch-angels of God. He rebelled against God long ago. He is a real personality. He walks, speaks, thinks, rules. He has been given many names, the devil, Satan, Lucifer, etc.

Satan is not omnipresent (everywhere present). He uses many other fallen angels, and demonic spirits to aid his evil plans. He is not omniscient (all-knowing), but he is wily. He is not omnipotent (all-powerful), but he is too strong for us to conquer without Jesus. He is our enemy, and he works against Christians. We are warned that he will ‘deceive even the elect, if possible.’ He is working even harder to stumble the ministers, the ones who are charged with delivering the messages from God.

This devil will encourage the fleshly nature of a minister to return to its dominance over the spirit of man that yielded to God's Spirit at the moment of salvation.

This encouragement to sin is called TEMPTATION. We, as ministers, will need to battle temptation often.

There is a way of escape. God promises to give us power over temptation, and be able to overcome. Jesus faithfully makes sure we can win.

I Corinthians 10:13
"God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation, make a way of escape."

Too many ministers try to portray a facade of perfection, of super sainthood.

They may convince some, but sooner or later, our imperfections are going to be revealed. The devil would like to stumble ministers, and flaunt the failure before the world. God even does not want any of us to look like “Jesus” in perfection, and draw mankind to admiration of us, rather than to Jesus.

God does expect us to avail ourselves of the resources that He has offered.

If we fail to put on the armor of God, we contribute to our own defeat.

Many in ministry begin to feel infallible, indestructible, and omniscient. The devil tricked Peter, despite the Lord’s warning a few hours before the fall. The devil can still stumble many ministers, if we begin to feel infallible as did Peter. We have resources, armament, for a reason. If it were not needed, God would not have offered it to us.

Ephesians 6:11
"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Also, God has instructed us to "watch and pray".

"Watch" comes from the Greek word - "gregoreo" which means "to stay awake, to stay alert." We need to be on guard against temptation. We need to stay awake spiritually. When temptation enters your mind, you need enough spiritual awareness, that you know to start praying. Pray for victory, fight with the Word of God.

Fear sin! Hate sin!

Hate the thought of being brought back down into the despair of being defeated by the devil. Chrysostom, a fourth century Christian, said, "I fear nothing but sin." We too need to stay alert to the possibility of sinning. When tempted and held by Potiphar's wife, Joseph fled quickly from her. He ran from temptation, and didn't give it a chance.


BESETTING SINS HINDER


Hebrews 12:1
"...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us..."
All of us are weaker in one area than another. Even in the ministry, there are besetting sins, still hanging onto our souls. They try to get our attention, they try to distract us from God. They strike hardest, when we are weakest.

In some, it is their temper. In others, it is depression. In some, it is a sinful habit. Whatever it is, the devil makes it his business to know it better than we do. We even try to hide it from ourselves. We give it pretty names. We look for reasons to excuse it. We find therefore, that this is the sin that "easily" trips us up.

Your besetting sin is the one for which you don't want reproved. It is the sin that you are most ready to defend. It is the sin that causes you to doubt your acceptance by God. It is the sin you are most unwilling to admit that you possess. It is the sin that you are most unwilling to give up. It is the sin that you are trying to persuade yourself is an infirmity. It is the sin that you must put aside in order to enjoy your salvation.

Besetting sins are a great danger for the Christian, and can bring even more shame to the faith, when they appear in the ministers. They will keep you from moving forward in your walk and relationship with Jesus. They will take the place of God in your life. They will keep your walk inconsistent, and therefore keep you from any spiritual victories.

Besetting sins will keep your prayers from being answered. They will bring you trouble and sorrow. They will be a stumbling block to others. The besetting sins will grieve the Holy Spirit's work in your life. These sins will make you lose much of your reward. They will bring shame and reproach to your ministry, and the weight of the failure will be hard to bear.

Hebrews 12 tells us to "lay aside" these sins. Besides the besetting sins, we are to also "lay aside" the "weight". This is the word "agkos" in the Greek. It means "bulk, mass", and refers to things that are not in themselves "sin" but that drag us down to be less resistant to sin.

The Bible talks about "lasciviousness". Lasciviousness is something that is not sin in itself, but when allowed will bring us to a place that makes it easy for us to yield to sin. Lasciviousness is therefore different for different people. For a former alcoholic, it may be just walking past the bar. To a former drug addict, it may be coffee with caffeine. To others, these things are not sinful.

There is often a need for Christians to therefore "fence" around the sin that easily besets them. By building a fence around that sin, and shutting out the possibility to yield to it, the Christian will be less likely to fall again in that temptation.

This is taught in principle by Jesus in Matthew 5:29-30.
"If your hand offend you, cut it off... eye... pluck it out."

Identify the things that lead you to times of failure in your besetting sins. Stay as far away from that sin as you can.

If you are tempted to acts of violence and temper, why listen to people who are angry, or why watch movies that condone violence and anger?

If one is tempted to stray from faithfulness to a mate, why frequent places where others will encourage such unfaithfulness? Why would such a person want to read magazines with suggestive pictures? Why would that person want to watch soap operas that encourage unfaithfulness?

If skipping church is easy for you to do, why do you go to bed early before a day of work, but can stay up till 3 a.m. on Saturday night?

Learn to fence around the sin that easily besets you. Learn to avoid what makes it easy for you to sin.

The second part of advice in Hebrews 12 is to keep "looking unto Jesus." He is the "Author" of our faith, and He is the One who will be the "Finisher" of our faith. As we look to Him for help in the midst of our daily lives, we can realize that He was also tempted. He did not sin. He endured much in life. He prepared for His temptation with fasting and prayer. We have paid too little attention to temptation and besetting sins in Christianity. Unfortunately, it shows! It is a warfare against a wicked tempter. Get serious about this battle.

Hebrews 12:4
"...ye have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin."

end of part one... stay tuned

WORLDLINESS - BACKSLIDING MUST BE AVOIDED LEST IT DOOM ONE'S MINISTRY...

Some Christians are satisfied with a very weak existence. They want to fill a pew, and hopefully make it to heaven. If they can occasionally put in an offering, or shake the preacher's hand, they think they have done their job. They are too much like the man who got up and read the obituary every morning, and if his name was not in it, he went back to bed. Many Christians have that kind of spiritual existence. They have no dreams, no high hopes, no active ministry, no ambitions to serve God and defeat the devil.

God wants soldiers, not wimps. He wants stewards, not bums. He wants light-bearers, not fireflies. He wants saints with rivers flowing, not pew sitters with cisterns - that are stagnating. He wants participants, not spectators. He wants intercessors, not gossips. He wants doers, not hearers only.

Whenever we get out of line with God's plan for us, we begin to backslide. It is not easy to backslide so far that one loses their salvation. Yet, if we ever decide that we prefer our sins to Jesus, then we have chosen not to be saved, and God honors our wills. It is possible to lose one's salvation. Your name can be removed from the Book of Life.

Revelation 22:19
"...God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life."

Do not let the attractiveness and grip of sin become overwhelming. We must continue in relationship with Jesus, to have salvation. We must make sure we prefer Jesus over any sin, or lure the devil tries to make stronger and stronger in its pull on us. Judas let the love of money become more and more of a lure, till, finally, he chose to sell Jesus for a bag of money. What a stupid choice. Yet, we find some today choose similarly stupidly.

John 8:31
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed."

The Bible predicts that in the last days, many will backslide.

I Timothy 4:1
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils."

Backsliders are like a troubled sea. They are restless, miserable, and unsatisfied. They substitute sex, wine, drugs, worldly pleasures, etc. for the satisfaction they once had with God. They cannot escape the guilt they have. They have no hope for the future.

Some segments of Christianity have tried to assuage the misery of backsliders by saying that once a person is saved, they are eternally saved. This is a distortion of Scripture.

The debate concerns a misunderstanding of some words. The words "foreknowledge, predestination, preordain, sovereignty, free will, and election" are debated hotly. What we need is a look into the Word of God.

A key Scripture is found in Romans 8:29-30.

Romans 8:29-30
"For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: whom He called, them He also justified: whom He justified, them He also glorified."

This shows that God did predestinate some to have special blessings. The ones that He predestinated to these blessings, are not a select group that He has chosen to save, and allow the others to be damned. No! God predestinated those that He foreknew would choose of their own free will to accept Him. To those, He has planned to "make all things work together for good" in their lives.

II Peter 1:1-2
"...elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father."

What makes us to be the "elect" and special chosen ones of the Lord is the fact that we chose of our own free will to be saved. God in His foreknowledge foreknows ahead of time what we shall choose.

Ephesians 1:1,5,11
"to the saints...having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will... in Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all thing after the counsel of His own will."

Foreknowledge is knowing beforehand certain events that will happen. God knows, and has known all of history since the beginning. He is omniscience, and knows every detail of eternity. Foreknowledge is not causative. Just because God foreknows, does not mean the He causes them to happen. He has allowed mankind the free will to choose.

Predestination means to determine beforehand. God has predestinated certain events to occur in our lives, blessings, and good things (as mentioned in Romans 8:28). Those that He foreknows will accept Him, He works in their lives to bless and protect them from a devil who wants to harm and destroy.

The sovereignty of God is His supreme power and absolute dominion over all creation. Some teach that God chooses to save some, and damn others. As a child will choose some toys to keep and toss away others, they think God does this with sinful mankind. Yet, the Bible tells us that God is "not willing that any should perish." (II Peter 3:8) The Bible also says that "God so loved the WORLD" (John 3:16) So if God were to choose to save some, no matter what their free will would say. He would choose to make all of the world choose to be saved. He does not make us robots to do only as made to do. No! He has given us a free will so we can choose. He appreciates our love and worship - when He sees it coming from a willing heart. None of us want to come home to a mate that we wind up and it recites "I LOVE YOU!" No, we want a mate who can choose to love us, not a robotic recitation that would mean nothing .

An important doctrine that all Christians should understand is called the "Doctrine of Election." It is a cornerstone of understanding the subject of salvation.

The Doctrine of Election

God chooses to save us (II Peter 3:8 "not will that any should perish..." John 3:16 "For God so loved the world..." Acts 10:34 God "is no respecter of persons")

The devil chooses to damn us (II Peter 5:8 "as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.")

The vote is therefore one to one. God gives us the tie breaking vote. We can choose to serve God, and accept His mercy and grace, or we can be damned for our sins.

There is a segment of Christianity that believes what we call the "Arminian" belief. Others hold to an opposite view called "Calvinism." The Arminian position is too strong in salvation being in man's hands. Salvation by works is too strongly emphasized. Calvinism puts salvation in God's hands alone, and He alone chooses to save some, and damn others.

The truth is in the middle.

God chooses to save all sinners. All mankind has to do is to accept this offer of mercy. We are not saved by our own works. We are not saved because God predestinated us to be saved. Even the worst of mankind are loved of God. Yet, if the atoning work of Christ on the cross for us is ignored, and we choose to remain in our sins - we will be damned.

God's will can be resisted -- We can refuse to be saved. We can backslide after having been saved. God may want us to be saved, but He will not force us to become, or stay saved.

John 5:40
"And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life..."

Matthew 23:37
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chicks under her wings, and ye would not."

The Spirit strives with mankind - He is fighting the tendency of mankind to revert to sin, and neglect the gift of salvation.

Genesis 6:3
"My Spirit will not always strive with man..."

But mankind must receive - It is a simple truth found often in the Bible, that God wants us simply receive what He has freely offered to us.

John 1:12
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."

Living in disregard to this desire of God is called WORLDLINESS. There have been many debates on holiness, sanctification, an standards of Christian living. Some groups in Christianity forbid jewelry. They may describe evil jewelry as that which is not useful. A ring is evil to them, while a watch is not. Some even teach that buttons are ornamental, and therefore evil. Too many are still in the "clothes, jewelry" controversy of Christianity. They argue over neckties, skirt lengths, drabness of color, hair length, etc. But worldliness is not in dress or ornamentation. Out of the two verses in the New Testament on clothes, one can get a clear teaching against "immodesty." However, the word "immodesty" refers to price more than type of dress. In other words, the 500 dollar suit is much less modest than the 20 dollar jeans. In most segments of Christianity, the most immodest are criticizing the most modest.

Some define worldliness as evil association. Some carry this to extremes, and go to monasteries to live away from the evil people of this world. Jesus associated with publicans and sinners. He pointed out that He had come to minister to those who needed it. Too many Christians are so busy looking down their noses at sinners, that only one in 20 Christians ever win another person to the Lord. Jesus ministered to the sinners. As long as we minister to them, and don't let them minister their ways to us, we may associate and love the sinner as Christ did. He told us to evangelize the world, not ignore it.

Some define worldliness as enjoyment. They seem to think that Christians should be miserable. Jesus was not miserable. Jesus said we are to have an abundant life (John 10:10). Our main goal is to be on things above, but there are legitimate pleasures for us to enjoy.

So what is worldliness? Worldliness is the love of earthly things that replaces our love for our Lord. Worldliness is the love of ungodly habits, of ungodly customs, of the riches of this world, of the selfish ambitions. Worldliness is a manifestation of the self-life. During worldliness the human nature rules over the spirit of man that wants God. The self-life needs crucified daily. The self-life wants to be like the world, and not like Jesus.

Worldliness is conformity to the world. Conformity begins in the mind and heart. Trying to fit in, with the world is wrong. We are Christians. We are different. We are not citizens of this world anymore. We are sojourners here, waiting for our Father to call us home to heaven. So why should we be so anxious to be just like the world. They should notice a difference in us. Our whole life should reflect Jesus.

Romans 12:2
"Be not conformed to the world."

Some want to be a little like the world, and a little like the Lord. They try to be on both sides. They are like the young man in the Civil War who wanted to cross the battlefield. He didn't want the soldiers of the South or of the North to shoot at him, so he wore a grey shirt and blue pants. However, both sides shot at him.

In ministry, many have tried to play both sides. After trying to live this way for a while, many Christians have lost their faith and become backsliders. Jesus spoke to the Laodicean church and told them to be "hot" or "cold". If they stayed "lukewarm", He would vomit them out (Revelation 3).

There are too many "so-called ministers" in this world that have a profession, but no reality of experience.. In fact, 85% of Americans say they believe in heaven. 65% say they believe in hell. 60% say they believe in the devil. 98% say they believe in God. Yet, only 5% of "so-called Christians" believe it enough to ever win another person to Jesus.

The awful truth, that new converts must be forewarned, is that in churches there are some who make a profession of being a minister of the gospel, who no longer, or who never did, have a real relationship with Jesus. Some maintain the outward profession. Some attend faithfully. Some hold high positions in the church. Some have much Bible knowledge. Somewhere in their Christian life, they lost the real relationship with Jesus. Christianity is not a church membership, it is a relationship with the eternal God.

KEEPING A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IS VITAL

The real test in ministry is to maintain a relationship with Jesus throughout all the other events. Surely, you may minister and preach, and lead worship. However, be sure to maintain your relationship with Jesus. If you lose that relationship with Jesus, all else is worthless. You can lose your soul to a devil's hell, and still be a preacher, board member, choir director, or Sunday School teacher. Relationship with Jesus is vital to maintain your faith. The rest, as being a church member, teaching Sunday School, etc., is good; but these do not save your soul.

Surely, it would not be easy to lose one’s salvation, it would take a definite choice against Jesus. So, many who are tampering with besetting sins, are living a double-minded Christian life, are damaging themselves, and shaming their calling. Others, may never have been truly saved at all. They never forsook sin and came into a real relationship with Jesus. It is not our job to identify which is which, but it is our job to make sure our ‘calling and election are sure.”

What we need to find in the Christian life is victorious living.

Psalms 51:12
"Restore unto me the joy of my salvation."

Many Christians have lost their joy. David sinned, and found a miserable life till he repented. Peter denied his Lord, and was forlorn. Through carelessness in prayer and Bible study, many Christians lose the relationship of Christianity. The miracle of Christianity and its joy, is the relationship.

John 1:12
"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."

The key is to "receive Him." That simply means to accept Him. He has knocked on the door, all we must do is open it and commune with Him. Many receive trashy magazines, receive questionable movies, receive gossip of a friend, receive criticism against another... etc. We all do much receiving. Just simply keep receiving Jesus on a daily basis. Just keep on rejecting sin, repenting of failures into sin, and keep the relationship with Jesus fresh and clean. Learn to greet Him "good morning" in the morning when you wake. Talk with Him as you toil through the day. Say "good night" to Him at bedtime. This Christianity is a relationship.

Joy will continue to one who receives Jesus, and His Word, and His truth. It is not difficult. It is so easy. Most church people will even think you strange, but you will be a very "happy" strange. Many in churches who have lost this relationship are the miserable, the hypocrites, the abusers. Those who have a relationship with Jesus, are the ones who can truly smile, and can love others, and can radiate the real Christ-life. We all want to hear ‘well done, thou good and faithful servant’ when we stand at the bema seat of Jesus. Let’s be that ‘good and faithful servant’ by taking the armor of God and battling sin, temptation, besetting sins, that are in our own lives.

Pentecostal preachers love to win souls !


Proverbs 29:18
"Where there is no vision, the people perish..."


Many Christians will never win a soul to the Lord Jesus. This is very regrettable. Sometimes the reason is a lack of vision and desire to win souls. Sometimes it is a lack of knowledge on how to win souls. A vision of desire to win souls is the first prerequisite.

The sinful world is heading for a cliff of destruction. Soon they will fall over the cliff of peril for which they are heading. Do we build fences about that cliff to stop them? Or do we put up signs of warning to alert them to the danger? Or do we physically run up to them and plead for them to turn around? Or do we mind our own concerns and allow them to perish?

First, we need to get into prayer about this subject. Jesus told His disciples:

Matthew 9:37-38
"The harvest is truly plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore that the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest."

The disciples began to pray, and that prayer awakened a love for the lost souls. They prayed for laborers to be sent from God, and God called them to be those laborers. Yet, first they had to obey a command to pray.

James 5:16
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much..."

Secondly, following the prayer for souls and for the laborers, will come concern. Arising within us, the Holy Spirit of God will put a deep concern for souls. This is the "vision" that must come in order to get us to keep souls from perishing in hell-fire. Without this concern, we will not prevent sinners from sin's penalty.

Concern means bearing a burden. If you are truly concerned, your priorities will change so that you will be prepared for the price that must be paid to win souls. You will be ready to bear the cross and follow Christ Jesus to whatever price must be paid.

Matthew 16:24
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me..."

This love and concern will keep you interested in winning souls when there is seemingly no hope. You will suffer long for the chance to win a soul...

I Corinthians 13:4
"...love suffers long..."

Then love and concern will bring you to yield your life in a way that you never dreamed possible.... You will no longer seek things for your self, you will design your life, time, talents, and gifts to win souls.

I Corinthians 13:5
love..."seeketh not her own..."

This love, concern, and passion for souls will keep a prayer coming from you for these souls. You will anguish for souls. Your own soul will be vexed for their sins. You will pray unceasing, and fervent prayers for these unsaved loved ones.

I Corinthians 13:6
Love..."rejoices not in iniquity..."

This springing up of supernatural love will give you an intense burden for souls. You will find it to be a driving passion. You will find that it makes you come into a harmony with God that you never thought possible. It will make you so intense on winning souls that you will be willing to bear any burden, and pay any price to win souls."

I Corinthians 13:7
love ..."bears all things..."

This love and concern that was given you from God when you obey His command to pray for laborers to win souls... will inspire faith to come. You will awaken to the possibility of the fact that God can save the worst sinners. You will believe in the Holy Spirit's power to convict the consciences of hardened sinners...

I Corinthians 13:7
Love..."believeth all things, hopeth all things..."

A true love will make the soul winner willing to keep trying, keep praying, keep witnessing, and keep believing until the lost sinner finally accepts the Lord Jesus as Savior.

I Corinthians 13:7
Love ..."endureth all things..."

And then since EVANGELISM is one of the ministry gifts of the Spirit, the Spirit of God will manifest the supernatural aspect of this gift. He will lead us to the souls that are hungering and thirsting for an answer to their problems. We will find our ministry of soul winning to be fruitful.

John 15:16
"Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that ye should bring forth fruit."

God could use angels to win souls, but He chose us. He chooses to use us to be at the right place, at the right time, and gives us the right words to say. The Holy Spirit will be at work while we witness, and souls will come to accept Jesus as their Savior.

We are commissioned to be God's witnesses. We are commissioned to evangelize.

Matthew 28:19-20
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

Mark 16:15
"Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Luke 24:48
"...ye are witnesses of these things..."

John 21:17
"Feed My sheep..."

Acts 1:8
"...ye shall be witnesses unto Me..."

The command to be soul winners is explicit, and undeniable. It is given to all of the Christians. We are sent to nations, to the world, to every creature... To Ezekiel (Ezek. 2:3-8, 3:4-7), a command was given to him to speak to the "rebellious", the "impudent", the "stiff-hearted" people who would not listen.

The Lord knows that many to whom we witness, will not "forbear." They will get mad at us. They may be hurt and unhappy because of the convicting message from us. Paul was stoned, beaten, whipped, scoffed at, called crazy, imprisoned, and finally killed by the ones to whom he witnessed.

There is no reason for fear. Christ had no fear. Paul showed no fear. And we need not be afraid. Some will be afraid to witness. Some will only want to half-heartedly live the life of a Christian, and hope that example is enough. No! it is not enough. Surely it will help. But if you saw someone about to step in front of a speeding train, would it be enough to simply set a good example for them by not stepping in front of the train yourself? No! We know that is foolish. We would yell for them to stop before it is too late. Don't believe the lies of the devil, that right living is a "good enough" witness.

Many will not listen or heed your witness. This is a very hard fact for God's soul-winners to accept. Many listened to our Lord, and still were yelling "Crucify Him!" He and His message was rejected by many. At one of His sermons, all but twelve of the many disciples got up and left Him. One of the twelve decided to betray Him. He was not only rejected by most of the sinners, but even many of His own followers forsook Him and His message. Ezekiel was warned:

Ezekiel 3:7
"...they will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto Me..."

God wants the Christians to be just as stubborn as they are. They are stubborn in not repenting and accepting Jesus. We should be even more stubborn in not stopping or ceasing our witness.

Jeremiah 15:20
"I will make thee ... a fenced brazen wall... they shall fight against thee, but shall not prevail against thee, for I am with thee to save thee, and to deliver thee, saith the Lord..."

We have been made "watchmen" to sound forth warnings to the unsaved about the hell-fire that awaits those who neglect to accept the free gift of salvation. They may not hear or heed our warnings.

Jeremiah 6:17
"Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.' But they said, 'We will not hearken!'"

Millions, even billions, that are alive today will end up in hell-fire if we do not warn, preach, pray, intercede, fast, love, and win them to the Lord. Nineteen of every twenty Christians will never lead even one soul to Jesus. Christians have thought of many excuses for this.

The fear of man is a common excuse for lack of witnessing.

Proverbs 29:25
"The fear of man bringeth a snare..."

Many Christians have let fear gag them from their witness. They fear reproach and ridicule. They fear being thought to be "peculiar" by sinners and even by carnal Christians. Yet, God warned us that the preaching of the cross is an offense to many. Many will not like the morality message of the Bible. Others will question the philosophy of a faith based on atonement by the blood of Jesus rather than atonement based on learning or reason. Some will reject the call for unconditional surrender to God, and want to retain self in the picture as Savior.

We live in a world that crucified Jesus. Its attitude toward Him is unchanged. Christians must be prepared to courageously face opposition. Courage is developed by practice, and encouraged by the Spirit of God working miraculous victories for us as we witness.

As we begin to witness to the unsaved, we should not try to be the Holy Spirit. This is a common problem of soul winners. The Holy Spirit is the convicter, not the Christian. The Holy Spirit will awaken the spirit of the sinner to his sin. The Holy Spirit will give a yearning of the soul of the sinner for the answer. He will do the hard part. We appear on the scene as the one with the Answer, Jesus Christ. We are to verbalize the answer to the sinners' sin.

Some over-zealous Christians want to condemn, criticize, and point out every sin in a sinner's life. The only sin they have that will keep them from heaven is the sin of rejection of Jesus Christ. Don't try to condemn every bad habit, curse word, vile deed of the sinner. Even if they changed all those things, they would still be heading for hell-fire. They could not change their past sins, and until they accept Jesus Christ as Savior, they cannot get off the road to hell. An attack on other sins will do more harm than good.

the LOVE OF THE SPIRIT OVERWHELMS PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS... AND THEY REACH OUT TO WIN SOULS...

I Peter 3:15
"...be ready always... to give an answer..."

We need to be so saturated with the Word of God, and the love of the Spirit, that we will be ready with a loving answer to those who are sinners with problems. The world is thirsting for an answer to many kinds of problems. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and He will be like a river of blessing flowing from us. As sinners question the problems of life, we can let the Spirit flow from our being, and using our mouth give the answer.

John 7:37-39
"If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water..."

We, as Christians, have partaken of this living water, and now are to be a source of the living waters to the sinners.

The sinners will often try to side track the Christians' message of hope with arguments of doctrine or experience. We could debate the correct way to baptize, or the correct church to attend, or the doctrines of pneumatology... etc. Even if we win the arguments, we have not won a soul. It is a tactic to get us off the message that the Holy Spirit can use to convict and prick the hearts of the sinners. Don't get into these debates. Don't let them take you off the subject of the saving and healing power or the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the witness is not a fluent speaker. The witness may be timid or shy. But we are only part of the process. The Lord is the One who will save the soul, we don't do that. He knows our weaknesses, and fears. He knows what to guide us to say. We simply do as the Spirit guides us to do. The Lord will save the soul of the sinner. We simply have a small part of the process.

The sinner must know of the need of a Savior for sin. Man was created perfect, but fell. The sinful nature that resulted made it so easy for man to be sinful. In fact, it made it so that none have ever been able to live a sinless life, but One -- the Lord Jesus Christ.

God provided a Savior in the person of Jesus Christ. As One of the Godhead, He came to earth to be born of a woman. Then as a God-man, He lived a sinless life. He died upon the cross. That was a sacrifice to pay the debt of sin.

Romans 3:23
"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Sin was so terrible to God, and man became so corrupt and depraved by it, that it took the blood of Jesus Christ to save sinners from the penalty for sin. The blood of Jesus became the atoning element for man's sin. Jesus became our substitute. He died for us.

People cannot approach God unless the Holy Spirit draws them with conviction. Then as they come to Jesus, they must choose to accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as their own. If they repent of their sins, and believe on Jesus Christ as the only source of their salvation, they are saved. The Holy Spirit then baptizes them into the new life in Christ. Christ goes to the Father in heaven and announces to Him that the family has a new member. The sinner in simple faith accepts this experience.

Once a sinner manifests a desire to be saved, the soul winner's task is an easy one. All the soul-winner must do is present the simple message of salvation. Doctrinal discussion is not necessary. The sinner must simply know that he is a sinner, and that Jesus alone can save. The sinner must simply confess his sin, and receive Jesus.

Too often, it stops there. The sinner is made a convert, and then left to fend for himself. This is not God's way. The Great Commission tells us to "teach" converts all that Christ had taught the disciples. This is a continuing job. The new convert should be helped in establishing a new goal in life. He should be taught to understand his new relationship with Jesus. The convert will need to understand the problems that he will face. Temptations, doubts, spiritual battles will come. The convert needs to be prepared, and he needs friends to stand with him. The new convert will soon see the inconsistencies in the lives of some in the congregations. He will be confused at the hypocrisy, spiritual abuse, etc. He needs love and teaching to help him through the shocking aspects of Christianity.

The new convert needs to be taught that the Bible is the sole authority that we have. Everything must be tested with its truth. Then the convert should be shown how to converse with his heavenly Father. He should learn how to daily surrender his heart and will to the Lord. Finding a body church that will encourage, and not ignore or abuse him, is vital. He should be shown how to make a public testimony to the world through water baptism. The convert should be encouraged to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit, so he can soon enter into his own ministry for Jesus.

The soul-winner should be sincere, simple, clear, courteous, gentle, loving, kind, patient, and wise. The plan of salvation is so simple, but the soul-winner's task is so complete. It is not a hand them a tract, let them read it, pray... and walk away proud thing. No! It is much more complete. We would have full churches if it weren't for converts who have been left to drift back into sin by soul-winners who did not follow up on converts.

Luke 14:18
"And they all with one consent began to make excuse."

This "excuse-giving" is the problem that many face when they try to lead people to Jesus. The best way to meet excuses is to use Scripture. Its truth and authenticity cannot be argued. It conveys a convicting power that cannot be successfully resisted.

The excuses are feeble attempts of the sinner to escape the conviction of the Holy Spirit. No excuse or objection is a valid reason to not accept Jesus. The sinner knows what he should do. There is conflict within, and the sinner is trying to validate a desire to not yield to God. Persistence, Scripture, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit are the hope of the soul-winner.

Often the sinner is sincere in the excuse that he offers. He may be facing a real difficulty in accepting Jesus. It is the duty of the soul-winner, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to clear up the difficulty. Sometimes, the work cannot be done at one time. Seeds may need planted. Watering may be done for some time. Soon a harvest will come. Don't try to force commitment until the seed is mature. The soul-winner can be confident that the Spirit will lead him.

The soul-winner needs much instruction in the Word of God, and in the nature of sin, and in the nature of the cults. These can be learned easily. First and foremost, the soul-winner needs the commitment, vision, and desire to win souls. The Spirit will begin teaching the soul-winner much.

SOMEDAY, EVERY PENTECOSTAL PREACHER
WILL BECOME A PARTIAL CESSATIONIST !


Joel 2:28-29
"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon your servants and upon your handmaids in those days, will I pour out My Spirit."



Peter said on the day of Pentecost, that "this is that which was prophesied of the prophet Joel." So the early church began experiencing the early fulfillment of this prophecy. The outpouring of the Spirit began then, but the complete fulfillment of this verse will not occur until "all flesh" on the earth are filled with the blessed Holy Spirit. This will not be completely fulfilled until the millennial rule of Jesus. We are presently in the period between the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy, and the end and final perfect fulfillment of the prophecy.


Joel 2:28-29 was a fulfillment of the prayer of Moses as recorded in Numbers 11:29:
"...would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!"

The purpose of the Holy Spirit was to guide mankind to Jesus. We have currently many gifts that aid us in that goal. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus, and we an be 'full of the Holy Spirit' to aid and be used in His goal of convicting sinners, bringing mankind to righteousness, and assuring them that there is a judgment.


I am NOT a CESSATIONIST now... but certain gifts will cease in the millennial time following the coming of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 (KJV)
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.


Current cessationists try to use that verse to prove that now there should be no prophetic words, no gift of tongues, and no words of knowledge. They are wrong as can be... for the ONE Who is perfect has not yet come.


When He does, a part of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is done away, for we will not need a 'word of Knowledge', we will be living with Jesus Who knows all things, we will not need a message in tongues from God, we will be dwelling with Him, and He can speak Himself, instead of routing it from Him to the Holy Spirit to one with the gifts of tongues, to another with the interpretation. We can cut out some middle men. Words of prophetic encouragement will then cease too, for we have Jesus there, to speak directly to us.

So, part of the infilling is no longer necessary.

'Charity' never ceases... and the 'love' of the Spirit is long thought to be one of the fruit, but here it is listed in the gift category.

There are gifts that endure, and the gift of love will abound in the millennium.

Of course, we are 'Spirit filled' in the millennium, we are saved, sanctified, eternally secure, in fellowship with the whole of the Trinity... and those blessings include being Spirit filled, and love is the most powerful gift.

We will need 'love' to minister to those humans left on the earth, we will tell them about Jesus, the Holy Spirit will save them, fill them... and we and they, all of us will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Eternal security is not yet in place for them though, for at the end of the tribulation, some shall follow a 'loosed devil' and be destroyed by fire from God. Then we move to the new heaven and new earth. The Holy Spirit infilling continues for eternity, and the gift of charity, love.. enables us to teach and preach to the humans we rule and reign over.


While the 120 were awaiting the Spirit in the upper room in Jerusalem, the arrival of the Spirit occurred, and they began to speak in languages unknown to them about the wondrous Lord Jesus. The 120 soon became thousands, and now the Spirit-filled believers are numbered in the millions. Yet, this has not exhausted and completed the fulfillment of the prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit. There will come a time, when all humans on the new earth, and all of us in our new glorified bodies too, will be full of the Holy Spirit.


Certain gifts will then cease... Now, we are not 'cessationist' and I will not be until I am standing with Jesus... and then only some of the gifts will 'fail', 'cease', be 'done away', for we will no longer need them.

Some others will cease... like 'gift of healing', but then only because there will be no sickness, no more death...

Yet, the powerful Holy Spirit will still have a work, and we will still need His power to do it, and He will still infill us with Divine Power to do what we need to do in ruling and reigning over the new earth, new heavens.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit began with the day of Pentecost revival. The Spirit continued to fill thirsty souls, but the revival waned through the "dark ages". Now, in the last century, we have seen a renewed move of the Spirit.

The revival has begun. It will continue to increase until the "double portion" time just preceding the rapture of the church. Still, the full fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel will not have reached its apex. In the millennium, finally, "all flesh" will be filled with the Spirit.

Isaiah 32:15-18 (KJV)
15 Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;


Ezekiel 36:26-28 (KJV)
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.


Ezekiel 39:28-29 (KJV)
28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.


Zechariah 12:10 (KJV)
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.


The "last days" revival began on the day of Pentecost, but it will not be completed until God has completely restored mankind to the place of fellowship Adam had with God before the fall in the garden. In the millennium, the revival will have reached its ultimate goal. Then, during the "day of Jehovah", those on the earth will have real peace, fellowship, and restoration to God. The Holy Spirit infilling will still be available, in fact, it will be universally accepted in the millennium and post millennial new earth time.


Joel 2:32
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance..."


Deliverance from sin and its horrible effects is the reason we need the baptism. Power for ministry is another reason... we will be delivered, we will be preaching 'deliverance' to those still in human bodies... we will need power to serve the Lord as rulers over these humans.


Jesus will, Himself, dwell in Jerusalem on Mount Zion. Grace will extend to all. Some gifts will no longer be needed, but some will. The gift often misconstrued as 'only a fruit', will be the most powerful gift... a gift of love.


Charity (love) never will cease, and we and the humans there will not have wars anymore, not have sin anymore, not have strife, lies, etc... for the two commandments of Jesus (love God supremely, love your neighbor as yourself) will be a gift of the infilling of the Holy Spirit.


We are still dabbling in the wonder of the Holy Spirit infilling, there is much more to come, there is adjustment to it when certain gifts are no longer needed, there is an unfolding of its supremity.

The trouble with many, is that they already think 'gifts' have ceased. They are missing out on many victories, many miraculous, many supernatural victories here, now, because of their misunderstanding of the Word. Someday, certain of the gifts will not be needed... Today, they are still needed, and available.

POWER into the PENTECOSTAL PREACHER is to PRECEDE THE PROCLAIMING



Acts 1:8 (KJV)
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.

The first steps of becoming a minister for the Lord bring us maturity, restoration, vision, and joy. We find the direction we are to be going, we find the means with which we are to journey, and we receive the revelation of our goals. Obtaining these things, now the Pentecostal preacher must PROCLAIM His message.

Proclamation of His Word, evangelism, and discipling are key ingredients of real revival. God will manifest His power during the proclamation of His message. In the former rain revival, we see men become "pricked in their hearts" (Acts 3:7), and "fear came on every soul" (Acts 2:43). The salvation message found great power of God to make men conscious of their sinful states, and to turn to Jesus as the Answer.

In this last days, we will find the proclaiming of the message will result in God’s powerful rhema to be effective in new ways.

The people saved during the former rain revival did not leave the services glorifying themselves, or praising the preachers, or uplifting the denomination, or admiring the beautiful sanctuary. No! They left the service, enthralled with JESUS! The early church was busy glorifying this same Jesus.

When the early church was ordered to be silent, its leaders replied:
Acts 4:20
"We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

The church has an inescapable commitment to proclaim.

All four gospels show an emphasis of its proclamations.

Matthew 28:19
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations."

Mark 16:15
"Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Luke 24:47-48
"And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations... and ye are witnesses of these things."

John 20:21
"As My Father hath sent Me, so send I you..."

The church, in the early church revival, expected a tremendous force of God to aid them in their outreach. They had been promised power to do miracles beyond what Jesus had done, and power to speak with new tongues, cast out devils, etc. The Pentecostal power was a force linked to its proclamations.

Acts 1:8
"And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you... ye shall be witnesses unto Me..."

The power and miraculous power of the Spirit should always be linked to proclamation of the message of God. We have no right to seek the power of the Spirit, and then not proclaim what God has for us to say. The Spirit's power was given to us, so we could more effectively proclaim. It takes nerve to be given a gift as that, and not to declare it.

IF we really believe what we say we do, we must proclaim it.

IF Jesus is really Savior, Healer, Baptizer in the Spirit, and coming King, the world should be told.

IF the gospel is really the power of God unto salvation, the sinners need to be so informed.

IF our message is the ONLY key that will unlock the gate of heaven, to -fail to share it is criminal.



The basics of the message in the New Testament was, of course, Jesus.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter quickly got to a detailed description of Jesus (Acts 2:1-36).

When Philip went to Samaria, he "preached Christ unto them." (Acts 8:5).

When Philip was taken to the Ethiopian eunuch, he "preached unto him Jesus" (Acts 8:35).

With the name of Jesus, Paul opened his ministry (Acts 9:20,22,29).

Peter took the name of Jesus to the Gentiles (Acts 10:36).

With the name of Jesus, the book of Acts closed (Acts 28:31).

The name of Jesus dominates everything during the former rain revival. In the book of Philippians, in 104 verses, the name of Jesus is found 47 times.

The last day's revival needs to beware becoming so concerned with the "fringe benefits" of the gospel - as prosperity, holiness, etc. - that it forgets to lead people to an encounter with Jesus.

The gospel does offer much, but the key to all of it is - salvation through Christ Jesus. To preach the wonders of revival, and ignore the key message, that is Jesus, is folly. To expect a move of the Spirit in manifest power, and not allow the Spirit to glorify Jesus - is sheer lunacy.

The reason for revival, the reason for the Pentecostal experience, the reason for the church, is to be a proclaiming of Jesus.

Acts 1:8
"...ye shall be witnesses unto Me..."

The revival church cannot be "witness" without having witnessed a personal encounter with the One Whom we witness. The former rain revival began with people who personally knew the Savior. They witnessed about Someone they personally knew. This revival needs to encourage people to truly know the Savior also. When we, the Church, personally know and speak with this Savior Jesus, we will find revival power to be manifest.

John 3:11
"We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen..."

I John 1:1-3
"that... Whom we have heard, and Whom we have seen with our eyes, Whom we have looked upon, and our hands have handled... declare we unto you..."

Simply living a righteous life, and providing the best of example to the unsaved, does not suffice. There is no substitute for the actual message we are told to proclaim to the world.

We are not told to draw a crowd of admirers to ourselves. We are not told to make disciples of a denomination. We are not told to have the best facilities, gymnasium, ball team. We are told to make disciples, to persuade men, to preach Jesus, and to introduce this same Jesus to them for their personal encounter.

II Corinthians 5:10-20
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. For the love of Christ constraineth us. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ."

It is because of Jesus Christ, and for the proclamation of His name, and His message, that we are given grace and apostleship. We have His mercy, and His commission to preach the gospel, because He wants it shared with the rest of the world. To share Jesus, is "obedience", and to not proclaim Jesus is disobedience to the faith.

Note this often overlooked, yet important verse:
Romans 1:5
"By Whom (Jesus) we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name."

Many in our day do not witness for the proper motive. In the early church revival, there were also some who preached Christ for the wrong motives.

Philippians 1:15-17
"Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel."

There are many today who preach, teach, witness, but out of a competitive spirit. Perhaps for a desire to have success, or the desire to sustain a denomination or congregation, they preach. They may become so entangled with the concern for numbers, or for prestige, or for fame, that they double our efforts for those reasons. The true motive is acceptable to the Lord, and any other motive will cause us to lose our reward.

We must witness because of the love of Christ, which constrains us to share the One Whom we already have found.

II Corinthians 5:4
"...the love of Christ constraineth us."

Many lose sight of the fact, that Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest. It is the message of the Lord that brings life and growth. It is His choice which field that should be reaped by each one of us.

Matthew 9:38
"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest."

When we get the right message, and the right motive, and then proclaim it, the signs and wonders will follow.

Romans 15:18-19
"...to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed. Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ."

There are evil powers, and an evil leader of such powers, that is - the devil. Unless there is convicting power of the Spirit, no one will get saved. We must have a proclaiming of truth, with power, for the enemy is gripping hard. His hold on the sinners is a mighty grip that is hard to break. It takes the power of the Spirit to break the devil's hold on the sinner. Miracles, healings, discerning of spirits, signs, wonders, convicting power should be present in the revival periods.

When Jesus called the apostle Paul to his work, He said:
Acts 26:18
"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me."

The grip of the devil on the lives of sinners is broken by the miraculous power of the Spirit, and we unleash the power of God by doing the work of the Spirit, that is to glorify Jesus. The power of the devil and of all his forces is no match for the power of a people who preach Jesus and unleash the Holy Spirit's power.

Proclaiming Jesus calls for total involvement of the whole congregation. The pastor is the under-shepherd for Jesus. The Shepherd wants to feed the sheep. And the sheep are to beget sheep. This is the plan of God for the flock. The pastor may also do the work of evangelism (II Timothy 4:5), but the rest of the congregation are to be the primary witnesses.

Acts 8:4
"Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word."

Like Peter, after Pentecost, he proclaimed Jesus, boldly, and saw the Spirit awaken the consciences of men. There came from Peter's lips - anointed preaching, fearless preaching, Christ-centered preaching. The words from Peter's mouth were prophetic. A holy unction made the sermon powerful. This unction was powerful, piercing, softening, hammering, and opened even the stony hearts. The message of Peter saw a resulting 3000 get saved.

Acts 2:41
"And there were added unto them in that day about 3000 souls."

Acts 4:4
"Many that heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand."

Acts 5:14
"And the number of the disciples multiplied, exceedingly and a great number of priests were obedient to the faith."

When the good news about Jesus is preached in any revival, multitudes will be saved. In the 1857 revival, 50,000 a week were being saved. In 1904 a great revival swept the land and 5 million were saved in two years. These kind of results, in fact, even greater results will soon occur, in response to the preaching of Jesus.

Revival has tarried until now because:

people build sanctuaries within churches, but forget they are personally the sanctuary of the Lord...

people own Bibles, but forget that Jesus is the embodiment of the Word...

people speak of Christ, but do not truly know Him...

people sing hymns, but do not even listen to the worshipful words they are speaking to Jesus...

people have love for the denomination, the building of worship, the pastor, etc. but do not have the "first love" they once had for Jesus...

people seek to make worship exciting, rousing, and touching, but do not build a relationship with the One worshipped...

people want services that make men praise the sermon, the pastor, the denomination... but do not seek to have them praise Jesus...

people steal the glory that belongs to Jesus...



Real revival is measured, not by its emotion. Remember that on Palm Sunday, people were emotionally joyful, but Jesus wept. Many services in which people shout, Jesus is still weeping.

Revival is not measured by the crowds. The great events of the Bible were usually witnessed by small crowds, as the Mount of Transfiguration had Jesus, Elijah, Moses, and three disciples. Calvary had present there, John, and a few women kneeling before the crucified Savior.

Revival is not measured by its lack of problems. The devil fights harder when revival comes. The Corinthian church had more problems than most churches today, because it had revival.

Revival is measured in several ways. One of the ways in which it is measured - is the evangelization of the sinners by the proclamation of Jesus. If we begin to proclaim our relationship with Jesus with the world, the world will see revival as never before. The Pentecostal preachers are to have the power, and the main reason for the power is to PROCLAIM the gospel.

Too often, we see preachers wanting to be 'SOMEBODY' important and respected. Yet, the job of being a Pentecostal preacher brings us more and more to realization that we are NOBODIES.

While in the wilderness alone, before he led Israel across the Red Sea, God took Moses from the scene of Egypt to drain him of all self-sufficiency. These next years drained him from "somebody" to a "nobody" that God could use.

Finally, Moses qualified... by realizing that he was "nobody".

Exodus 3:11 "And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"


Why did God decide that this was the correct time to deliver the Hebrews? God heard the "groaning" of His people, He remembered His covenant of promise to them, and He loved this people.

Exodus 2:24-25
"And God heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them."

Exodus 3:7
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows..."

Moses was fully prepared, educated, but drained of all self-sufficiency.



THE BURNING BUSH EVENTS OF LIFE TEACH US MUCH.



This prickly shrub pictured the sinful, enslaved Hebrew people. Since thorns are the result of the curse of sin (Genesis 3:17-18), and fire symbolizes their suffering and tribulation. The unscathed bush shows that all the persecution and trials put upon the Hebrew people could not annihilate them. The voice of the Lord out of the burning bush shows the preservation, and presence of God amidst them, during their fiery trials.

Does God still lead men as He did Moses, here at the burning bush? God unquestionably dealt with Moses in an unusual way. It was not a "still small voice within Moses, but an audible voice from an inanimate object. God startled Moses with a revelation that defied logic, and then answered each of Moses (probably already prepared) excuses in a logical way, and left no doubt what God wanted of this man.


Today we have Scriptures to direct us, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. but occasionally God still must use "burning bush" experiences to make sure we definitely know His will.


Psalms 37:23
"The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord..."


GOD'S PEOPLE NEED CREDENTIALS AND AUTHORITY.


Too many of today's ministers feel that the ordination of a denomination is sufficient to indicate a calling and ministry. There is a greater credential authority that is mandatory for any ministry.

Moses knew that if he appeared before the elders of Israel, they would not accept him, or believe him. They would not accept the words and direction of Moses as the message from God. Therefore, Moses felt unprepared, afraid, inferior, and unworthy.

Inferiority comes from two fears:

1. Fear of failure

This is the fear that one cannot do what is required of him. This fear of losing even self-respect by lack of ability is devastating. The fear of failure is taking a wrong estimate of God's promises and provisions. The secret is to learn that it is not what can we do, but what can God do!!! We can "do all things through Christ."

2. Fear of man

There are always people who will disapprove. No one will get 100 % approval. Christ even had a "Judas" in the twelve disciples. Christ was perfect, but His critics were many. If we are in a perfect harmony with the Lord, many will think we are not in harmony, because they are not in harmony. Criticism must not be used to defer us from doing right, for we would never get anything done for God if we await 100 % agreement.



THE EXCUSES OF MOSES


1. LACK OF CAPABILITY Exodus 3:11
"...Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh...?
God answered in Exodus 3:12:
"Certainly, I will be with you..."


2. LACK OF MESSAGE
Exodus 3:13
"...what shall I say unto them???"
God answered in Exodus 3:14:
"Thou shalt say, 'I AM' hath sent me..."


3. LACK OF AUTHORITY
Exodus 4:1
"...behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice..."
God promised multitudes of miracles in His answer in Exodus 4:2-9:
"What is in thine hand?" ("A rod") "... put hand into thy bosom..." ("leprous")... "If they will not hearken to the voice of the firs sign, they will believe the voice of the latter sign."


4. LACK OF ELOQUENCE
Exodus 4:10
"I am not eloquent..."
God answered in Exodus 4:18-19:
"Who hath made man's mouth? ... I will be with thy mouth..."


5. LACK OF A HELPER
Exodus 4:13
"Send, I pray thee, by the hand of him who thou wilt send..."
God's answer is found in Exodus 4:14-16:
"The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses... Is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother? ...he shall be thy spokesman."


6. LACK OF PREVIOUS SUCCESS
Exodus 5:23
"For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people, neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all..."
God answered in Exodus 6:1:
"Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharaoh..."


7. LACK OF PREVIOUS ACCEPTANCE
Exodus 6:12
"Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me..."
God answered in Exodus 6:13:
"...the Lord spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge..."



God can get angry at our excuses, and our lack of trust in Him as our answer. Many think God sits in heaven, immovable, uncaring. God does have emotions, feelings. He shares His sorrows, He pities His children. He loves, He can regret, HE can be jealous, He can get angry, He can be touched.

Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:14-16
"Wherefore, in all things, it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in all things pertaining unto God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted... Seeing then we have a great High Priest, That is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an High Priest Which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."



BY THREE SIGNS, GOD OVERRULED OBJECTIONS.

1. The "rod" of God which Moses cast upon the ground became a serpent (Heb. = nachash = a hissing snake), and when returned to his hand, it became again the "rod of God." (Exodus 4:1-5).


2. Moses' hand became leprous, and then was healed of God (Exodus 4:6-7).


3. Water taken from the Nile, and poured upon dry ground would turn to blood. (Exodus 4:8-9).


God always gives a person called to a mission the power, might, miraculous help needed to do the task. Moses here is promised the miraculous signs to give him credentials before the people. It is not our ministerial badges, our denominational license, or our "robes and turned around collars" that we need to parade before the people to have their attention, respect, and reverence.

IN THE ORIGINAL WILDERNESS JOURNEY,
THE LEADER WAS MOSES,
IN OUR WILDERNESS JOURNEYS,
THE LEADER IS JESUS


Moses died on the same day on which he was born 120 years earlier. He was promoted to paradise, and unable to enter the land for he had sinned against God's plan. Many others in Israel were likewise judged for their sin of murmuring and doubt. God is no respecter of persons. God's justice counted the sin of Moses striking the rock for a second time to be severe for it broke the type and shadow of truth that God was showing to those people and to all generations since. God's justice does not allow Him to favor one, and judge others. His salvation is all mercy, but His rewards are based on our works, and His punishments are given for disobedience.


Moses was saved, promoted to paradise, later allowed to stand on the Mt. of Transfiguration with the Lord, and now awaiting the rest of us in heaven. Do you suppose that Moses was satisfied with just this glimpse into the promised land? Are any of us ever satisfied with the blessings of God here on this earth? There is a dissatisfaction because we now see "as through a glass darkly", and we long for the fuller blessings that await us in our soon coming time of eternal victory.

This man named Moses has been loved greatly by people of that day, and also of our own.

Deuteronomy 34:10-12
"And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land. And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel."


To prevent veneration and glorification of the man, God chose to bury him secretly. A greater than Moses was to come, and God did not want, nor would Moses have wanted, to let this loved intercessor and deliverer of his people to shadow the great One Who would come for the ultimate deliverance of the people.


Moses had become a ‘nobody’, before he began to lead Israel out of the wilderness, and at the end, God made sure that ‘nobody’ would be shown to still be a ‘nobody’ and not get undue reverence, worship, or adoration, that would negate the truth that only God deserves the credit, the worship, the praise for His works.

Moses had some great qualities that marked him as a man of God. He was:
an obedient nobody...

Moses was obedient in returning to Egypt, confronting an angry and evil Pharaoh, interceding for Israel even when they murmured against him, and faithfully leading them for 40 years.

an unselfish nobody...

Moses was not bitter even when he was refused entrance to the land he so longed to go. Moses gave glory to God, and not to himself for all the things that had occurred.

a sensitive nobody...

Moses was sensitive to the needs of the people, and carried their burdens to God in intercessory prayer...


a confident in God nobody...

Moses was confident in God's wisdom, and though he could easily have yielded to doubt and despair, he bore the weight of leading several million people across a desert for 40 years.

MORE TO COME

MOSES WAS A ‘NOBODY’ WHEN COMPARED TO JESUS.

BOTH WERE PROPHETS,
BOTH WERE PRIESTS,
BOTH WERE KINGS,
BOTH WERE JUDGES,
BOTH WERE SHEPHERDS,
BOTH WERE MEDIATORS,
BOTH WERE INTERCESSORS,
BOTH REFUSED THE GLORY OF KINGDOMS,
BOTH WERE RICH BUT BECAME POOR FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS,
BOTH ENDURED BECAUSE OF FUTURE GLORY,
BOTH WERE MISUNDERSTOOD, AND REJECTED BY BRETHREN,
BOTH EXERCISED POWER OVER THE SEA,
BOTH GAVE WATER TO THE THIRSTY,
BOTH WERE MEEK,
BOTH TURNED TO THE GENTILES WHEN REJECTED​

.

YET, MOSES WAS A NOBODY, JESUS WAS THE SOMEBODY.

Next to Abraham, Moses was probably the most admired man of the Jewish people. The early Jewish saints who had accepted Jesus were often tempted to return to Moses and the law. The people to whom Paul wrote the book of Hebrews were ready to return to Moses. So he showed them that Jesus is greater than Moses.


Jesus is superior to Moses in at least three respects.

1. CHRIST IS GREATER IN HIS PERSON...

Hebrews 3:1-2
"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Jesus Christ; Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house."
Paul describes the ones who were to receive this book, as "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling." These were people who had shared in accepting Jesus as the Messiah.

Hebrews 3:14
"For we are partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end."

There were being tempted to forsake this basic essential of the faith. Christians are members of the body of Christ, "bone of His bones, and flesh of His flesh." We all have life in Christ, as Christians, by the partaking of the same Holy Spirit. To forsake the crucial, integral, primary, and requisite truth of Jesus being the necessary ingredient to this faith, for the sake of returning to a well-admired, beloved, and faithful Moses, who was a mere man, a prophet, a great leader, would be foolish.

Jesus was the Son of God, sent into the world by God, to bring us the life, power, and relationship, that Moses could only predict. Moses had been commissioned of God to prepare the way for the Messiah. Moses was a "sent one", an "apostle" of the Lord. But Jesus had come as one of the Trinity, God in the flesh, to be the One predicted by Moses, and to become the "Apostle", the "Sent One".


There are many today who get thinking they are ‘somebody’, like Moses could have, but we have his example to teach us more of what the Lord really wants us to be ... i.e. a NOBODY. Moses was a prophet who on occasion served as a priest. (Psalms 99:6). Jesus came as our "High Priest".

Though Moses was "faithful", Jesus was sinless. We may imitate Moses in his faithfulness to his ministry for God, but we must realize it is Jesus for Whom, and to Whom we worship and minister.


2. CHRIST IS GREATER IN HIS MINISTRY...

Hebrews 3:3-6
"For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He Who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but He that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ is a son over His own house; Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."

The word "house" is used six times in these verses. It refers to the people of God, and not to a material building. Moses was a part of the "house". We are all part of that "house" of God. Moses was a "servant" in the "house". The word for "servant" here is not the usual word for "servant.” Here, the word is one that means "a voluntary servant who acts because of affection."


In the New Testament, this word is used only of Moses. Moses was not a servant in the house because he was forced to be subservient, but Moses loved to serve the Lord, to minister, and to serve the Lord.

The other servants were aggravating to Moses, but the Master of the "house" was a beloved Master to Moses. Jesus is that "Son" over the "house" that Moses loved. Jesus built the "house". While Moses ministered in "shadows" and "types", Jesus fulfilled all the types.

Paul reminds these that are almost ready to forsake Christ Jesus for Moses, that we must hold fast the "confidence". This word means "freedom of speech, openness. It is the same word used in Hebrews 4:16... where we are told to come "boldly" to the throne of grace. We can come openly, without fear, because of the blood of Jesus, and we need, we must, it is imperative, that we hold this "confidence". Because of this "confidence" in Christ Jesus, we can experience "joy" and "hope."


Notice, that Paul enjoins these believers to enjoy life, not just to endure it. He wants them to have "confidence," "rejoicing," and "hope.".

The life of the Christian is lived with a viewing eye toward the future. We are to live with our eyes looking toward the "end". As Joshua and Caleb were the only two with faith in God's future promises... so in this age, we are to be like Joshua and Caleb, and believe in the promises of Jesus...


3. CHRIST IS GREATER THAN MOSES IN THE REST THAT HE GIVES...

Hebrews 3:7-4:13
"...I was grieved with that generation (the generation of Moses' day), and said, They do always err in their heart, and they have not known My ways. So I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest... So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left of us entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it... For we which have believed (in Jesus) do enter into rest... Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest."

As Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt, and Moses was the administrator of that deliverance, so Jesus offers to us another rest, a rest from sin and the slavery to sin. This is a better rest that is offered to us. The generation to whom Moses ministered failed to reap the full harvest of the rest offered to them because of unbelief, and the generations since Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection need to beware lest they fail to reap the full benefit of the rest that He offers.

MANY STRIVE TO BE A SOMEBODY IN THE CONGREGATIONS, BUT THE SECRET IS TO BE HEALED OF BEING A SOMEBODY.

THEN, WE CAN PROCLAIM THE REAL ‘SOMEBODY’, I.E. JESUS.

WE MUST REMAIN A ‘NOBODY’ TO PROCLAIM THE ‘SOMEBODY’.

THERE IS ‘REST’ IN BEING THE ‘NOBODY’.


There are two "rests" found in the Old Testament.


1. God's sabbath rest...

Hebrews 4:4
"And He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works."


2. Israel's rest in Canaan, after escaping the slavery of Egypt and the hardship of the wilderness.

Hebrews 3:11
"So I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest."
The sabbath rest is a type of our rest in Christ through salvation. When we accept Christ, we enter in our Sabbath "rest" and every day we are no longer working to try to earn salvation. We rest in the work that He has done for us. The law of the Sabbath is not continued in the early church, for all Christians have the fulfillment of what the Sabbath day represented.

Hebrews 4:3
"For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest; although the works were finished from the foundation of the world."

When we become a ‘nobody’ by getting that smug, proud, and arrogant ‘somebody’ we may try to be, we enter then into the ‘rest’ of the Lord.

As we get into the Word of God, and we learn to abide in the presence of Jesus. The power of prayer, the spiritual discernment of prophetic knowledge, the spiritual battles and victories are found in a "rest" of spiritual, not fleshly power. We find more power in being a ‘nobody’ than we ever could have being a ‘somebody’.

Hebrews 4:11-13
"Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need."

Paul gives us a special admonition...

Hebrews 3:7-19
"...Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. ...For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. ...So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

The ‘somebody’ some try to be is an ‘unbelief’ in the real Somebody, i.e. Jesus. When we become a ‘nobody’ for the Lord, seek to glorify Him only, and not ourselves, we find that the rest is great, and the power of God is manifest as never it could be, before.

The ‘somebody’ heart becomes a hard heart. Israel had provoked God by their complaining and murmuring. They "departed" (apostasia, Hebrews 3:12) from God, instead trying to be the ‘somebody’. They had refused to go God's way, and separated and divorced God. Today, believers who doubt God's Word and rebel, separate themselves from God. We can be a ‘nobody’ in the walk with Jesus, or we can be a ‘somebody’ in our own mind, and walk without His power.

If we do not learn from the mistake of Moses' generation, and from the mistake of some in Paul's day, we could make the same mistake. We must take the revelations that we are given in this New Testament period, and we must enjoy the blessings of Jesus Christ. As we get healed from trying to be a ‘somebody’, we find the ‘nobody’ is far greater a blessing.

If we maintain our relationship with Him... and look to Him as the "author and finisher of our faith", we will enter the "rest".

HEARING GOD SPEAK IN THE WILDERNESS

God has spoken oft, in the wilderness. He spoke to Moses from a burning bush, it took something very unusual, a bush burning that was not consumed, to get Moses to stop long enough to hear God speak.

God spoke at the top of Mt Sinai, gave the law, gave the plans for the tabernacle, but Moses had learned by that time, enough to be willing to climb a mountain to hear God. That time, he had to have commitment, determination, to hear God.

Many today, in the wilderness are having a hard time hearing God. They wander around, confused about why they are there, uncertain of what God wants for them, confused, bewildered, and wondering why God is not speaking. While God is speaking, but they are not hearing.

Is God going to have to give each of us a burning bush experience. We have the Bible now, with much of God's Word in it, and we should know enough from it, that we don't need the burning bush, we should be willing to climb the mountain in order to hear God. We do not hear God speak from any bush, from any mountain, or even from the Bible, unless we become ‘nobody’ in our own eyes. We have to succumb to Him, we need to humble ourselves to hear the messages of God.

Hebrews begins with "God ...has spoken unto us by His Son." (Hebrews 1:1-2). Then near the end of the book of Hebrews, it says that we should be careful to "not refuse Him Who is speaking."

In other words, Jesus is speaking, and our reaction to His words is vitally important. This is a message that we must hear, pay heed to, and act upon it. Many are not hearing the message of Jesus. They are still trying to be the ‘somebody’, and are missing God’s messages to all the ‘nobody’s’.

John instructed us to allow Jesus to abide in us, and to allow His word to abide in us. Rejection and refusal of the message of the Lord has plagued Christianity.

There is a story told of a man from England, who went to the doctor to have his hearing aid checked. The doctor took the hearing aid out of his ear, and his hearing immediately improved. He had been wearing the hearing aid in the wrong ear. In the same way, the Christian church which was supposed
to aid our hearing of the words and message of Jesus, has sometimes been the reason that some have missed the real message of the Lord. The preachers are too often in the pulpits trying to prove themselves to be a ‘somebody’, and the hearers are often sitting there in the pews patting themselves on the back, pretending themselves to be a ‘somebody’.

Many today wonder why they do not know more about the Lord's true message. They have attended church for years, heard sermon after sermon,
read their Bible, and still never made themselves to be a ‘nobody’ and make Jesus the SOMEBODY’. If and when they ever get their somebody healed, to be a ‘nobody’, they will then find the ‘rest’ and the ‘power’ they can have.

One man asked a pastor whether his church had a "deaf ministry." The minister replied that his whole ministry was a "deaf ministry. " "They don't seem to hear me." The congregation must have been many attempting to be the ‘somebody’. They all needed healed to become ‘nobody’s. Moses became a ‘nobody’ and had the burning bush experience. He stayed a ‘nobody’ and stood face to face with God on the mountain. We hear God when we get healed of the ‘somebody’ we call by our name.

There is a difference between "listening" and really "hearing". Some listen to sermon after sermon, read post after post here, and yet do not hear the real message.

Jesus often said:
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear..."

It takes more than physical ears to hear the voice of God, but it takes a receptive heart, a heart of a nobody. Some do not ever let God do surgery on the ‘somebody’, and replace it with the ‘nobody’ we really are. Therefore, they never receive the messages of the Lord that He wants to give them.

Somebody’s have hardened their minds to the real message.
Hebrews 3:7-8
"Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts..."

Some harden their hearts, not wanting to hear, not wanting to become the ‘nobody’ who could obey what they have already heard. That ‘somebody’ in them makes them deaf to future speakings of the Lord.
Remember Ezekiel? God said 'preach to mts' and he did it. When God said 'preach to trees', Ezekiel did it. If you train yourself to remain a ‘nobody’ and obey, knowing the real ‘Somebody’ is in charge, we can see God work. Surely we first test it by the Word, but it does not take hours of study, to know when you hear a voice say, 'help that person', that this is Scriptural message. Yet, some even argue with God, the real Somebody, on that, I know I have in the past, and regret greatly, not just quickly obeying, and not trying to be the ‘somebody; again.
We need to quickly obey the real Somebody, and not be deaf to God. He is trying to bless us. Don't harden into a pretend ‘somebody’, but be the ‘nobody’ that can hear God, and be powerfully blessed by the real Somebody. Simple obedience to the real Somebody, God, will make you able to hear Him better and better. Talking with Him should become a daily
event.

Paul said:
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (KJV)
7 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 learned to keep himself a ‘nobody’, even if he had visions, and revelations beyond our understanding, still we are only ‘nobodies’ and only have the ‘strength’ of God when we realize our ‘nobody’ status.

Humble yourself before Him, be the ‘nobody’ God wants to make you, for you will find it is a far more fruitful ministry than in seeking a ‘somebody’ status.

DECENT & ORDERLY

The church congregations are like "filling stations." As a car is driven into a gas station for the purpose of re-fueling the car... so it may resume its journeys... so the Christian must frequently go to the local body church, and be 're-fueled" for continued operation. Sometimes the Christian needs repair by the "Head Mechanic", and the place wherein the Lord has chosen to keep the operation of the tools of the Spirit, is the local assembly of believers. The saints are kept in good running order, if the local congregation of believers are operating an efficient, and properly equipped station.



What is the "church"? It comes from the Greek word - "ecclesia". It refers to a body of "called out ones..."

It is translated "church" 112 times... and translated "assembly" 3 times.

It is used in the Bible to refer to a gathering of a mob of people. In Acts 19. This mob was confused, disoriented, and behaved in a shameful way.

Acts 19:32
"Some therefore cried one thing, and some another; for the assembly (ecclesia) was confused, and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together."

Unfortunately, this is descriptive of many congregations today. They do not know why they gather together, nor do they speak with unity, and have a like purpose. They are confused, and behaving in ways that shame the Lord they claim to serve.

The Pentecostal preacher is to run the worship services, the Bible studies, etc in decent and orderly manner.

Paul was speaking in I Corinthians to a congregation that had gotten disorderly, indecent, shameful. This church (ecclesia) was disorderly, and therefore was not prospering. Paul stated some serious, vital principles to guide such congregations.

We should recognize weaknesses, inconsistencies, extravagances, dangers in Pentecostal worship. The Holy Spirit takes people as they are, and none of them are perfect. The imperfections of people will creep out into the expressions of worship. The manifestations of the church are affected by these imperfections.

God did not make us robots, to automatically perform exactly as He would will... We, as people of free will, had better heed, and study the instructions of the Lord in the Word of God. For the behavior of people within the church, without such instruction, and the following thereof, will degenerate to shameful practices as it did in Corinth.

If we ignore the safety markings, the guidelines of the Lord, we can no more claim to be infallible examples of God's handiwork than the motorists who ignores all the highway laws and markings on his trip. It is dangerous and deadly for a congregation to play church without the proper guidelines being observed and obeyed.

The early church services were informal. One person had a psalm, or a song. Another would speak of a doctrine. A third would express a revelation given to them by the Lord that week. Each would take part, and encourage others. This excessive informality degenerated into a very unhealthy "free for all" in Corinth.

Some congregations have tried to substitute a cold, dead, formalism to avoid such problems as they were having in Corinth. These cold, dead, formal, and planned services are about as inspiring and Spirit filled as the morgue.

Excessive informality can engender confusion, false doctrines, and disorder... Paul's answer was not formality. He counseled teaching... as the answer. The easiest way to kill excess is form and rule, but that kills the spontaneity of the Spirit's moving, as well as man's. We need order, but not the order of a bodyguard.

God does not want a planned, ordered, and sin-to-be-changed plan for each service. He does want "all things to be done decently and in order..."

At least 20 verses in the 40 verses of I Corinthians 14, emphasize the need of edification of the church. The church is a place wherein the believers go to be edified, built up, helped, refueled, repaired, and cleaned up... As a car goes to a service station for gas, oil, repairs, and a cleaned windshield... so the believers should go to the local church "ecclesia."

The purpose of the gifts of the Spirit is to enable us to do the works of Christ. We need to carry on the work that He began. (Acts 1:1-2, 12-15, I Cor. 1:7, 12:4-31, 14:1-40, Rom. 12:3-8, Heb. 2:3-4) The ministry which we are commanded to do is to be confirmed by the signs and wonders which emanate through the exercise of the gifts. (Mark 16:15-20, Romans 15:18-19, 29)

The possession of gifts does not necessarily indicate that one is spiritual. Corinth displayed many gifts - but they were not very spiritual. (I Cor. 3:1-4) Corinth was torn by divisions, and lawsuits; they had drunkenness and gluttony. In Corinth, some denied Paul's apostolic ministry. Some denied the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul said you can have various gifts and not have love. He indicated that in these cases, the exercise of gifts will profit nothing. (I Cor. 13:1-2)

Where are the gifts today? Some churches find the subject of gifts to be strange. Some saints have not discovered or allowed the use of their gifts. Some do not even know what gifts are available. The church age is the Age of the Spirit. We are to have the Holy Spirit working and manifesting gifts through us during this church age.

For many, the Holy Spirit is just the last part of the doxology. To know the Spirit in that way is like understanding the workings of all the parts of the car, except the starter and accelerator. The Holy Spirit and His gifts have been neglected too much. We need to know Him as a Person, speak with Him regularly, and allow Him to work through us.

The fruit of the Spirit was given to us at salvation. We need to continue to develop and harvest these. However, the gifts of the Spirit need to be coveted, and sought. The Spirit has gifts for each of us. Don't feel, as many have, that "I'll take the fruit, others can have the gifts." If Jesus had felt that way, He would have had to tell the sick, blind, etc, - "I love you." Yet, He could do more than that - He could love them by exercising the gifts of healing, and the gift of miracles.

Paul admonished us to learn about the gifts.

I Cor. 12:1
"NOW CONCERNING SPIRITUAL GIFTS, BRETHREN, I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT."

If we do not learn how to receive and operate these gifts, we will fail to do the ministry of the Lord as He has planned. We need the gifts of the Spirit operating in the church. Paul had to speak to those in Corinth about the misuse of the vocal gifts. They were operating them without regards to safeguards to keep them profitable. The love was absent that would make them profitable, and the wisdom of how they actually worked, and what their purpose was missing.

If we are ignorant of these gifts, we will find that the devil will have a "hay day" with his gifts.

False gifts the devil will endow:
Gift of faultfinding
Gift of hypocrisy
Gift of discouragement
Gift of unfaithfulness
Gift of pessimism
Gift of unbelief and doubt
Gift of dissatisfaction
Gift of slamming with the tongue
Gift of interpretation of slams
Gift of misdirecting others
etc.

Let's learn about the gifts that the Holy Spirit wants to endow upon us. We can have a church full of the gifts of the Spirit. Don't let jealousy come into the body of believers. In Corinth, this happened. The arm can sometimes be jealous of the hand, and the eye can be jealous of the ear, etc.

What if Nathan had been jealous of David's gifts?
What if Moses had been jealous of Aaron's?

Too often in the church, the hindrance of the ministry of many gifts, is the jealousy, or the fear to upset the feelings of another.

The pastor may be jealous of one with the gift of teaching...
The teacher may be jealous of the administration gift of a deacon...

These things hinder the gospel proclamation. They ought not to be in the assembly of believers. The Lord is the head, and one may plant, another may water, but the Lord will give the increase.

If David had stopped Nathan from exercising his gift, David may have died in his sin.

Paul disagreed with Barnabas exercising his gift of exhortation on John Mark, and it caused a split of these two men of God. Paul was out of order in his stand, yet did not recognize it until later.

We must be very careful trying to be the "head", and telling others not to exercise their gifts. The Spirit will direct the exercising of the gifts, learn to follow Him.

The main fault in the exercise of the gifts in Corinth involved the VOCAL GIFTS. We need to heed the instructions of the 14th chapter of I Corinthians. The vocal gifts are the most common of the gifts in Pentecostal circles. They are gifts that are more visibly observed in their use than some of the other gifts. Paul speaks of these gifts, not to stop their use, but to encourage their proper use.

Pentecostal preachers need the gifts of discernment of spirits, word of wisdom, and word of knowledge, in order to maintain a decent and orderly place of worship. They need the fruit of love, joy and peace to aid in ministering these gifts.

THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

The nature of the gift of prophecy is described by Paul. He indicated that the gift should be validated by two or three prophets that confirm the same truth. He also said the gift needed to be judged. When another begins to speak, the first prophet should be quiet and allow the next to proceed. The purpose seems to be spelled out as a method to "learn," and a method for God to give "comfort." The prophecy is subject to the prophet, meaning the prophet may speak it or not, he is not under some compelling force that makes him speak. The possessor is responsible for its use or misuse.

I Corinthians 14:29-32 "LET THE PROPHETS SPEAK BY TWO OR THREE, AND LET THE OTHER JUDGE. IF ANY THING BE REVEALED TO ANOTHER THAT SITTETH BY, LET THE FIRST HOLD HIS PEACE. FOR YE MAY ALL PROPHESY ONE BY ONE, THAT ALL MAY LEARN, AND ALL MAY BE COMFORTED. AND THE SPIRITS OF THE PROPHETS ARE SUBJECT TO THE PROPHETS."

Like the other gifts, this one also is bestowed by the laying on of hands.

I Timothy 4:14 "NEGLECT NOT THE GIFT THAT IS IN THEE, WHICH WAS GIVEN THEE BY PROPHECY, WITH THE LAYING ON OF HANDS."

This gift is not restricted to males. Philip had four daughters and they had this gift.

Acts 21:8-9 "ENTERED INTO THE HOUSE OF PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN; AND ABODE WITH HIM. AND THE SAME MAN HAD FOUR DAUGHTERS, VIRGINS, WHICH DID PROPHESY."

Joel's prophecy said that "YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY." Many women are included in the list of church leaders given by Paul in Romans 16 (Phebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Julia). The Holy Spirit distributes these gifts "AS HE WILL" fortunately, for many would like to limit them to one sex, or to the clergy, etc.

This gift is a foundation gift for the church. It must not be confused with the "word of wisdom," or the "word of knowledge." Those are for revelation to the mind of facts or the purpose of God. They may or may not be spoken by the person receiving them. The gift of prophecy, however, is spoken as it is received. It is not for guidance, but for edification, exhortation, and comfort. (I Cor. 14:3)

The gift of prophecy is a supernatural utterance in the known tongue of the speaker. It is a miracle of divine utterance that has nothing to do with human thought. The acid test for validity of this gift is the Word of God. All prophetic messages should be tested by the Word.

One should never misuse or suppress these utterances. Yet, false utterances should never be tolerated. A prophecy that is determined as unscriptural should be pronounced worthless, and repudiated, without fear. A FALSE utterance is detected by:

.



The purposes of the gift of prophecy are these.


We are instructed to greatly desire this gift.

I Corinthians 14:1, 39 "FOLLOW AFTER CHARITY, AND DESIRE SPIRITUAL GIFTS, BUT RATHER THAT YE MAY PROPHESY...COVET TO PROPHESY..."

The word "covet" is from the Greek word -zeloo. It means "to be eager for, enthusiastically zealous." It obviously sounds as though God wants us to really want this gift. It is essential to the proper functioning of the church.

It takes faith to exercise this gift. To begin to speak forth a prophecy, not knowing what may be spoken forth takes a great deal of faith.

Romans 12:6 "LET US PROPHESY ACCORDING TO THE PROPORTION OF FAITH..."

We must be careful to give the proper respect to prophetic messages that are valid. Some do not listen to them, some ignore, some show disrespect during the message. These messages are given by the Spirit as a message from Jesus, or God, the Father. To hold them in low esteem is to insult the Trinity. If the Spirit is inspiring these messages, the disregarding of them will greatly grieve Him.

I Thessalonians 5:20
"DESPISE NOT PROPHESYINGS."

++++++++++++

THE GIFT OF TONGUES

I Cor. 14:4, 14
"HE THAT SPEAKS IN A TONGUE EDIFIES HIMSELF...I WILL PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL PRAY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO."

Romans 8:26-27
"...THE SPIRIT ALSO HELPETH OUR INFIRMITIES; FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE SHOULD PRAY FOR AS WE OUGHT; BUT THE SPIRIT HIMSELF MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR THE SAINTS ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD..."

The gift of tongues has a separate purpose. And it is given for that reason to specific ones who are Spirit-filled. A message from God or Jesus is conveyed by the Holy Spirit to a body of believers in an unknown tongue through some saint with this gift. Then a person with the gift of interpretation is given the meaning of the message in the language of the hearers and tells the people what the Spirit is conveying to them. (I Cor. 14:12-13,5,26) This method of God speaking to believers is meant to be a sign to unbelievers that are present.

Can speaking in tongues be counterfeited? All the gifts of the Spirit can be counterfeited. There are certainly strange utterances and sounds that are made by those who worship other gods. They are counterfeits of the true gift of the spirit. Anything that God does, the devil will try to counterfeit. God has promised that he will not allow a counterfeit to take a Christian. (Lk. 11:11-13)

Even though there are counterfeits out there, we are told to desire this gift. We are also commanded to not forbid the speaking in tongues. Many churches are guilty of breaking this command.

I Cor. 14:39
"COVET TO PROPHESY, FORBID NOT TO SPEAK WITH TONGUES."

The test for the use of the gift of tongues is EDIFICATION. Is the gift used at a time that edifies the service? Does the message edify the meeting of believers? Is it done decently and in order?

I Cor. 14:26,40
"LET ALL THINGS BE DONE TO EDIFYING...LET ALL THINGS BE DONE DECENTLY AND IN ORDER."

+++++++++++++++

THE GIFT OF INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES

Those who speak the message in tongues are to pray for the gift of interpretation also.

I Cor. 14:13
"WHEREFORE, LET HIM THAT SPEAKETH IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE PRAY THAT HE MAY INTERPRET."

There is to be no more than one interpretation for each message in tongues.

I Cor. 14:27
"IF ANY MAN SPEAK IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE...LET ONE INTERPRET."

Don't expect monopolies. There should not be only one person who can interpret a message within the church. This gift should be had by a great many people within the local church. If the only interpreter were absent, could God not speak in this manner? If, there is no interpreter present, and the one about to give a message in tongues is sure they cannot interpret, then the utterance in the unknown tongues must be for personal edification, and not for the church. The person speaking in the unknown language should not interrupt the service by speaking aloud.

I Cor. 14:28
"...IF THERE BE NO INTERPRETER, LET HIM KEEP SILENCE IN THE CHURCH; AND LET HIM SPEAK TO HIMSELF, AND TO GOD."

A common regulation given for interpreting tongues is found in I Cor. 14:27:

"LET IT BE BY TWO, OR AT THE MOST THREE..."

This is commonly thought to mean that two or three messages and interpretations are allowed during any one service. Perhaps this is the correct understanding. Yet, there is only one verse to back up this idea, and the understanding of its meaning has been questioned. Having been raised in a fellowship that taught this idea, I find it nigh impossible to interpret a fourth message. I feel checked within my spirit, perhaps because of my upbringing. I have heard a fourth interpreted, and felt nothing was wrong with the message and interpretation.

If there were not to be four, then how do we know the fourth was the one "out of order" and not that the first, second, or third were "out of order?" Then, also, what if a message in tongues and interpretation is given in a Sunday School class, does that limit the worship service to only two more? Do we start over with the worship service being a new beginning?

Perhaps from the context, it may be argued that the meaning is that only two or three people should be giving the messages within a service.

The true understanding of this verse is not totally grasped by me, and therefore, in honesty, I cannot teach that one must interpret it one way or the other. Pray about it and be thoroughly convinced in your own concept, if you can. Don't judge others too harshly, if they hold to another understanding until you can absolutely prove your concept with the Word of God.

According to Rabbinic teachings in those days, when the Hebrew Scriptures were being read in the synagogues where people did not understand Hebrew very well, the targum (or paraphrase) of the Scripture could be also read. The rule that was to be observed in such cases was taught that the Hebrew was to be read two or three times, and then one could interpret in the paraphrase. This was done to keep the emphasis on the original Hebrew text, lest any should misunderstand the paraphrase.

Paul, having been schooled as a Pharisee, had undoubtedly heard this rule very often in his pre-Christian training. Perhaps this is what he had in mind for the Corinthian church to help correct their misuse of tongues and interpretation. Perhaps he meant for two or three people to give the message in the various languages chosen by the Spirit, and then another could interpret the message of all three.

This would allow more people to be involved in the process. The Corinthians had a zeal to all be used, and they all wanted to bring a message or interpret. To use as many as possible, and to encourage the congregation to realize the divine origin of the message, the use of three or four in the supernatural revelation from God would help. Some think this is the teaching of that passage.

This would be a local instruction, that does not need to be followed by every church, and in every situation. Paul was handling a local misuse problem. That may be why there are no further Scriptures on the subject. Any important doctrine that is for all churches to observe always has at least two or three passages to confirm the teaching. Therefore, I am leaning more and more to this latter interpretation of I Corinthians 14:27.

The interpretation of tongues takes more faith than the giving of the message in the unknown tongues. The devil will try to tell you that you are making it up. Pray for more faith whenever you pray for this gift. Your ultimate goal should be to be given the gift of prophetic utterance. This gift is the ultimate of the speaking, vocal gifts. It requires the most faith, and is not dependent on another gift, as the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues are.

**************

In such decent and orderly church services, saints will grow. There are three stages of growth. Paul expresses the ideas of the growth that the Lord wants to see in orderly church services by the use of the three stages of growth.

There are three Greek words used to describe the stages of growth to be seen. These are:
I Corinthians 14:20
"Be not children (paidia) in understanding, but in malice be ye children (nepiazo), but in understanding be ye men (teleioi)."

If the gifts are exercised properly, and with the proper guidelines being followed, there will be not an unschooled understanding of the purpose of the church, and the reason for our Christian walk. We will get beyond being totally ignorant, confused, and immature.... so that malice, ill will, and strife are common in the church. Rather, the Lord wants us to mature to being spiritually mature and wise in the workings and dealings of the Lord. The proper exercise of the vocal gifts will accomplish this mission.

THE PENTECOSTAL PREACHER IDENTIFIES THE FAKES IN THE CHURCH


To the church of Ephesus, Jesus said:

‘I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars." (REVELATION 2:2)


Fakes come to the church. Some pretend to be Holy Spirit filled, and then behave so unspiritual. Some lie about being saved, and live and talk like a devil. Some are cloaked and hidden, doing their backbiting, gossiping, discouraging under a cloak of Phariseeism. There are times, that the church is joined, in presence anyhow, with these who are ‘evil’ and not truly the ‘sent ones’ from God that they claim to be.

In such times, we are to ‘not bear them’. The Pentecostal preacher has a duty to preach messages that expose sin, not ignore the sins of the 'fakes' in the church.

There are times a Pentecostal preacher needs to remove such hindrances. The word ‘bear’ is from the Greek word, bastazo’ meaning ‘removal’.

There are some things that are to be carried off, walked away from. There are doctrines, people who speak false or damaging things, threads on message boards, etc. that we should not ‘bear’.

The word ‘bastazo’ refers to supporting a burden, and is used sometimes to refer to picking up stones, to make the path clearer. It is also used metaphorically in the Bible to refer to a root bearing the branches (Romans 11:18). So, if we are not to ‘bear’ those with false doctrines, or evil in their words and beliefs, we are not to consider ourselves connected to the same Vine.

The verse (Rev. 2:2) also refers to ‘them that are evil’.

The word ‘evil’ is ‘kakos’, and it is an adjective. It is used to describe the useless, incapable, and bad ways of some. They are evil in character, in ethics, and in manner. It is not so much speaking of causing ‘evil’ or pain, or trouble, but that their person is evil inside.

The passage (Rev. 2:2) refers to the fact that the Ephesian church had ‘tried them.’

The word ‘tried’ is from the Greek ‘peirazo’. This means to test, to assay, to pierce in order to determine the quality.

It does not refer to a physical trial. Few prophets would stop for all to put them on trial, to make answer question after question. No, it refers to the trying of a person, and of their doctrines, by observing, listening, to their words, actions. Scrutinizing what flows out of their mouths, will be a good test of their validity.

Why did not God just give the Ephesians a ‘word of knowledge’ or ‘discernment of spirits’?

God sometimes wants us to learn to test and try a person by the Word, by prayer, by observation of their manner and message. Some never do such ‘trying’ and demand that God give discernment. God sometimes refuses to do the job for us, when it is unnecessary to do so. If simply testing and trying a persons manner and message will reveal their validity in the faith, or their falseness and evil, then God wants us to do it via such tests.

The passage (Rev. 2:2) mentions that in the Ephesian congregation there had come some who would ‘say they are apostles, and are not...’

The word ‘apostle’ means ‘sent one’.

Some claim to be sent of God with a mission, then and now, and yet are not truly on a mission for God. The corrupt ones who seek fame, fortune, and position, and yet are not called of God to such mission, are to be detected and rejected.

Revelation 2:2 says that the Ephesian church ‘found them to be liars’.

The word ‘liar’ is ‘pseudes’, and is not a noun, but an adjective. The word refers to some who were speaking lies. The word ‘pseudes’ is usually used with a noun, like ‘apostle’, ‘prophet’, ‘teacher’, etc. Yet, here it has no specific noun. It refers to persons who are speaking lies.

We find many lies in the congregations of the day. Some claim to be told by God things that God would not have told them. The message is different from what the Bible teaches, and God does not contradict Himself. Some speak that God hates one group or another, and God loves even the sinners. Some try to interpret dreams using their own head knowledge and yet, claim to be ‘led of the Lord’ on it, and 20 interpretations from 20 people all hear a different interpretation from the Lord. At least 19 of them are lying, intentionally or unintentionally. We need to find the lies, rebuke the liars, avoid the evil ones and refuse to ‘bear’ them.

One problem of some churches is the demand that the preacher 'bear' such evil in the church. We are to 'not bear them'.