A ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting for the Spirit-Filled Church

[1stcenturylady]

Excellent. That is one part of Grace.

What is another part of grace outside power?

 

[1stcenturylady]

Amen.

I think the reason the outpouring doesn't immediately come to mind for many nowadays when they hear the word "grace" is because the baptism in the Holy Spirit has been relegated out of the picture as not being an essential part of the Christian experience in many circles. So people get all tied up in debating the theology of the word without understanding what it actually means and is referring to in its totality.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit has become synonymous with speaking in tongues, so Cessationists throw the baby out with the bath water. But we are not even Christ's without the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is not the evidence of being filled with the Spirit, even if you can't speak in tongues without it. Being a new creature who is dead to sin is WHO WE ARE, whereas the gifts are just that - gifts on top of WHO WE ARE.

 

[Gideons300]

The baptism of the Holy Spirit has become synonymous with speaking in tongues, so Cessationists throw the baby out with the bath water. But we are not even Christ's without the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is not the evidence of being filled with the Spirit, even if you can't speak in tongues without it. Being a new creature who is dead to sin is WHO WE ARE, whereas the gifts are just that - gifts on top of WHO WE ARE.

What an amazingly awesome post! Thank you for that.

Multitudes right now are full of oil, but have never lit their lamp, never put off their old man by faith, nor put on their new man. They ARE new, but miss the truth that “as a man believe that in his heart, so IS he”.

Satan has lied to us and we have bought it, hook line and sinker. We have been left trying to act new, and to stop acting like old natured beings. Thus the weight of any change wrought in us is squarely on OUR shoulders. And.... we fail.

How we have forgotten that God is the master potter. We are the clay. And we are HIS clay. It is His job to transform us, not ours. So what is our part here? It is our job to believe that we are new creatures and that He can and WILL do His job, and with great skill.

Youvsee, as wonderful as all these truths are, unless they are mixed with faith, and we take a stand against the lies by confessing that we are no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit, they will profit us nothing. Like the prodigal’s elder brother, we are living in the master’s house but knowing nothing of enjoying life as a son.

May we finally see that our metamorphosis is powered by our faith in His promises, not by our efforts to “be good”.

Listen. We have been taught that inside us, our black dog and white dog are fighting. Which one wins? The one we feed the most. Amazing how we keep feeding the black dog, isn’t it?

But we have been lied to. We are white dogs, all the way to our core. How do we win... every time? We reckon that the black dog, the “old us” will not defeated by our efforts, our “sold-out ness” or how many good deeds we do. There is but one way to defeat the black dog and that is to reckon him dead..... D.E.A.D.

And when we finally are awakened to that truth, the mother of all paradigm shifts will take place, as we finally realize that being “born again” is exactly that.

The strength of sin is the law, amen? And when does one finally get freed from the grip of the law? There is but one way, for the law has authority over us as long as we are alive. (There is a huge mystery ready to be unearthed in that last statement).

Blessings to everyone.

Gids