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Walk in the Spirit

Our direct access to the genius of God

Lord, You want to partner with us! Our prayers – Your answers! Our works – Your grace! Our possessions – Your blessing!  Our obedience – Your call!  Our weakness – Your strength!

This is a great mystery.  We pray help us to make this sacred partnership more seamless and flowing, reciprocal, intimate, and natural.

Have you experienced moments where you write the perfect sentence in a reply to a friend, or explain something so uniquely that you want to record your own words? Or you feel prompted to call someone and they’re expecting your call? I believe these are the fruits of righteousness and godliness that He works in us all the time! We just need to focus more on the Spirit. He is the well of living water! (John 7:37). 

Being “in the Spirit” can also be compared to a certain divine frequency of Truth, Love and Faith.  When you resonate this frequency, you’ve found the path to God’s Genius and Wisdom. 

Jesus Depended on The Holy Spirit

In the same way Jesus could do nothing without the Father; we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit.  

  • Jesus could do nothing without seeing the Father do it first (John 5:19-20, 30).
  • He was only doing the Father’s will (John 6:38).
  • He only did what the Father taught (John 8:28)
  • According to what the Father commanded (John 12:49).

In order for us to live and move by the way of the Spirit, or as Paul put it: “walk in the Spirit” (Gal 5:16) we must learn to be holy devoted and depended on the Holy Spirit.  We literally can do nothing without Him!

In the OT, people lived by the Law, in the NT believers live by the Holy Spirit.  

It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Zech 4:6)

All Life in the NT is By The Spirit

Know God by the Spirit:

No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. (1 Cor 2:11)  

Walk according to the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. It is the power of the Spirit-life, that frees you from the gravitational downward pull of the flesh and sin. (Rom 8:2-4; Gal 5:16) 

A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. The Message: (Rom 8:2).

Set your mind on the things of the Spirit (Rom 8:5-8).

Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Rom 8:13).

The main characteristic of being a child of God is being led by the Spirit. (Rom 8:14):

  • Know the Fatherhood of God and subsequent sonship by the Spirit (Rom 8:15-17).
  • Hope in the Spirit (Rom 8:23-25).
  • Pray in the Spirit (Rom 8:26-27).  In other passages Paul mentions — (Jude 20)
  • Be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).
  • Serve in the Spirit (Rom 7:6; 15:16). 
  • Love by the Spirit (Rom 15:30; Gal 5:22-23; Col 1:8).
  • Know one-another by the spirit.

The way of the spirit is more accurate and also quicker!  

Jesus knew the heart of Nathaniel even before he had met him (John 1:47). Similarly, the Lord revealed to Ananias not only the change in Saul (Paul) but also his destiny before he met him (Acts 9:10). Philip was divinely led to meet the servant of the court of Ethiopia (Acts 8:26). Jesus knew what was in the Pharisees’ hearts.  He knew the woman at the well in the Spirit (John 4).

Imagine a church where people know each other in the Spirit: where everyone knows their place and function; and naturally work together without complaining and strife because they do not feel threatened by one another. 

  • We are taught by that what the Holy Spirit teaches (1 John 2:27; 1 Cor 1:13). 
  • People err, in interpreting the Bible without the Spirit (2 Cor 3:6).   
  • We can only know God, by the Spirit, because He is Spirit. 1 Cor 2:10-12) 
  • We cannot be regenerated and born again without the work of the Spirit. (Tit 3:5) 
  • The Eternal spirit through the Blood of Christ, cleanse you from an evil conscience. (Heb 9:14)

Ordinary, Daily Living By The Spirit

  1. Be Quickened:“It is the spirit that quickeneth” (Joh 6:63). Afr.: verlewendig; versnel; aanspoor; opwek; besiel; nuwe lewe gee; aanwakker.

Strongs 2227: ζωοποιέω zōopoiéō; contracted zōopoiṓ, fut. zōopoiḗsō, from zōós (n.f., see zōgréō [2221]), alive, and poiéō (4160), to make. To make alive, vivify (John 6:63; 1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:6).

2. To Groan: used primarily in the NT: “he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled” (Joh 11:33). Afr. gekreun, versugting, gekerm, gesteun, sug.

1690. ἐμβριμάομαι embrimáomai; contracted embrimṓmai, fut. embrimḗsomai, from en (1722), in or on account of, and brimáomai, to roar, storm with anger. In the mid., used as a deponent verb, to be enraged, indignant, to express indignation against someone. Followed by the dat., to murmur against, blame (Mark 14:5), and by implication to admonish sternly, charge strictly, threaten indignantly for disobedience (Matt. 9:30; Mark 1:43; Isa 17:13). Also spoken of any agitation of the mind as grief, to be greatly moved or agitated.

3. Be Troubled:he was troubled in spirit” (Joh 13:21). Afr. gepla; gestoor, verontrus; gekwel; onrustig.

5015. ταράσσω tarássō; As agitating water in a pool (John 5:4, 7; Sep Figuratively used of the mind, to stir up, trouble, disturb with various emotions such as fear, put in trepidation. In the pass., to be in trepidation (Matt. 2:3; 14:26; Mark 6:50; Luke 1:12; 24:38; 1 Pet. 3:14). In Acts 17:8 in the act. and with the acl. 1:7; 5:10]).

Deriv.: diatarássō (1298), to disturb greatly; ektarássō (1613), to stir up; tarachḗ (5016), agitation; tárachos (5017), a disturbance.

Syn.: diegeírō (1326), to arouse, stir up; thlíbō (2346), to afflict; enochléō (1776), to vex; parenochléō (3926), to harass; skúllō (4660), to annoy; anastatóō (387), to stir up; thorubéō (2350), to make an uproar; throéō (2360), to clamor; thorubéō (2350), to disturb.

Ant.: hēsucházō (2270), to be still; katastéllō (2687), to quiet; eirēneúō (1514), to bring peace; eirēnopoiéō (1517), to make peace.

4. To Be Signified (compelled): “And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting (Acts 11:12) Bade (me to go). Afr: aanbied; beveel, gebied; versoek, nooi, uitnooi

2036. ἔπω épō followed with an adṓs (2531), as (Matt. 28:6); kalṓs eípas (kalṓs [2573], well; eípas, “Thou hast well said,” i.e., rightly, correctly [Luke 20:39]); used in an absolute sense with kalṓs, well, implied (Matt. 26:25, 64); sú eípas (sú [4771], you), you said; hence with an acc. of person kalṓs eípen (kalṓs, well; eípen, he said), he spoke well of (Luke 6:26); of speaking in parables, using the dat. (Matt. 22:1) 

one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth.”  (Acts 11:28). Signified – Afr: aandui; beteken; beduie, te kenne gee

4591. σημαίνω sēmaínō; fuṓ, aor. esḗmana, from sḗma (n.f., see ásēmos [767]), a mark, sign. To give a public sign or signal

Syn.: dēlóō (1213), to declare; emphanízō (1718), to manifest; diaggéllō (1229), to declare, announce; gnōrízō (1107), to make known.

5. To Permit (loose):but the Spirit suffered them not.”  (Acts 16:7). Suffered (them not). Afr: verduur; toelaatbaar, duldbaar; toelating, met vergunning.  

1439. ἐάω eáō; contracted eṓ, imperf. eíōn, fut. eásō, aor. eíasa. To permit, to let be.

(I) To permit, allow, not to hinder; with the ac

(II) To let alone, to leave, followed by the ac

(III) To leave to, commit to: as spoken of persons, to leave in charge (Acts 23:32); of things (Acts 27:40) meaning they committed the ship to sea, i.e., “let her sail”.

Deriv.: proseáō (4330), to permit or allow further.

Syn.: epitrépō (2010), to allow; aphíēmi (863), to permit.

6. To Constrain (bind): “was pressed in the spirit”  (Acts 18:5). Pressed – Afr. gedruk, benoud;  in die knyp

4912. συνέχω sunéchō; fut. sunéxō, from sún (4862), an intens., and échō (2192), to have. To hold fast, to press together; trans.:

(I) Particularly, to plug one’s ears (Acts 7:57); the mouth (Sept.: Is. 52:15); of a city besieged (Luke 19:43; Sept.: 1 Sam. 23:8); of a crowd, to press together (Luke 8:45); of persons having a prisoner in custody, to hold fast (Luke 22:63).

(II) Figuratively, to constrain, compel, press on, with the acc. (2 Cor. 5:14); in the TR, pass. sunéchomai, to be in constraint, distressed, perplexed, used in an absolute sense (Luke 12:50; Phil. 1:23). With the meaning of to be seized, affected, afflicted, with the dat.; with fear (Luke 8:37); with diseases (Matt. 4:24; Luke 4:38; Acts 28:8; Sept. Job 3:24; 31:23). Pass., spoken also of a person held fast, pressed, occupied or the like (Acts 18:5, Paul was compelled or constrained to preach “Jesus Christ, and him crucified”).

7. Be Fervent:being fervent in the spirit” (Acts 18:25). Fervent – to desire. Afr. vurig, warm; ywerig; innig, sielsverlange; brandend, hartstogtelik; ywerend; innig; drif; ywer.

2204. ζέω zéō; Deriv.: zestós (2200), fervent, hot; zḗlos (2205), zeal. Syn: kaíō (2545), to burn.

8. To Purpose.Paul purposed in the spirit (Acts 19:21). Purposed – Afr. voorneme, plan, doel, oogmerk, bedoeling.

5087. τίθημι títhēmi; imperḗsō, aor. éthēka, perf. tétheika. To set, put, place, lay.

(I) Particularly, to set, put, or place a person or thing. In the act. it means to place; under a bushel (módion [3426], Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21) or under a bed (klínē [2825], Luke 8:16); in a secret place (kruptḗn [2926], Luke 11:33). Of a title on the cross (John 19:19); of one’s foot upon the sea (Rev. 10:2).

9. To Bind:I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem” (Acts 20:22). Bound in – Afr. beperk; die maat hou; dit binne perke hou;  op verbode grond.

1210. δέω déō; fuḗsō, aor. édēsa, perf. dédeka, perf. pass. dédemai. To bind, 

(I) Of things, to bind together or to anything, to bind around, fasten (Matt. 13:30; 21:2; Mark 11:2, 4; Luke 19:30; Acts 10:11; Sepíēmi (863), to forgive, in relation to John 20:23. 

10. To Serve: “serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”  (Rom 7:6). Newness – Afr. onlangs; opnuut; wedergeboorte; pasgebore; vars brood; herbou, vernuwe.

2538. καινότης kainótēs. Syn.: neótēs (3503), newness, youthfulness; anakaínōsis (342), renewing. Ant.: palaiótēs (3821), oldness; in the moral sense: the old man, ho palaiós ánthrōpos (palaiós [3820]; ánthrōpos [444]).

11. To be Led:led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  (Rom 8:14). Led (by) – Afr. leiding; aanvoering; voorbeeld; voorsprong.

71. ἄγω ágō; impeḗchthēn, 2d aor. ḗgagon. To lead, lead along, bring, carry, remove.

the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Rom 8:26).

4878. συναντιλαμβάνομαι sunantilambánomai; fuḗpsomai, from sún (4862), together, and antilambánō (482), to support, help. Ex. 18:22; Ps. 89:22).

Syn.: boēthéō (997), to come to the aid of someone; sunergéō (4903), to help in work, cooperate.

Ant.: kōlúō (2967), to hinder.

Prayer: Help me to walk, live and have my being in the Spirit alone.  Let me be able to say like Jesus, “I do nothing unless the Spirit…, I say nothing unless the Spirit…”  

Abiding In the Spirit 

It is only in the Spirit that we are safe. It is only in the Spirit, that we cannot be deceived and misled (1 John 4:1; John 16:13).

Words and deeds done in the Spirit, (1 Cor 2:13) He will defend.  In the Spirit we are accurate.

In the Spirit we are holy and perfect (John 17:17). In the Spirit we are righteous. In the Spirit we will know the way into the Holy of holies. (Heb 9:8).

In the Spirit there is liberty (2 Cor 3:17). In the Spirit we are whole, and able to speak the whole gospel.

In the Spirit we have access to all things, gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7-10). We have the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:21-22).  

In the Spirit we are seated in heavenly places and will have authority (Eph 2:6).

In the Spirit we know all things, and intentions of the heart (1 Cor 2:10). In the Spirit we will know how to rightly divide and speak the truth.  

In the Spirit, the dead are made alive!

It is by the Spirit that we are unified and become one like the Godhead.

It is by the Spirit that we are convicted, regenerated, filled, sanctified, justified and glorified.  

We have no life, existence or substance outside of the Spirit.  All spiritual life is by definition in the Spirit.  

A Partnership, Not A Possession

Life in the Spirit is a:

  • Decided, conscious, intentional, aware, and awakening partnership, not a possession.
  • A yielding, not an overpowering control.  
  • An awakening, not an unconscious, senseless, paralyzed, cold, inert, insensate, insensible, lethargic, numb, passed out, stupefied, tranced state of being (these are characteristics of being possessed by demons. Satan makes you like a zombie!)  

The Spirit gives life and unlocks supernatural inert abilities that God has already birthed in us.  By the Spirit, we are united in the divine!  

We Miss Out on Spirit-Life Because:

Self: Ego, pride, insecurities, flesh.  The way of the carnality and fleshly thinking is enmity to the Spirit (Rom 8:5). There is no middle ground, no compromise in the Spirit.  

The Holy Spirit is Jesus who walks in our streets today is a person. He does the same work today as Jesus came to do then (Joh 14:15). The people treat Him today the same as they treated Jesus then. Who crucified Jesus? – the religious and so-called clergy of that time.

The Holy Spirit wants to work through us:

  • He wants to use us and let His gifts work through us and lead us to the Father.
  • He wants to reveal Christ to us so that He will become a reality in our lives.
  • He wants to make us His disciples.
  • He wants to lead us into deeper dimensions in the Spirit.

Ways We Resist the Spirit

  1. Grieve: But they rebelled, and grieved his Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10)

Asab: A verb meaning to hurt, to pain, grieve, to shape to fashion.  

2. Blasphemy: Mat 12: 31-32: “Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall men be forgiven; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven of men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him in this age, nor in the coming.

blasphēmía: Blasphemy, verbal abuse against someone which denotes the very worst type of slander mentioned in Matt. 15:19 with false witnesses; wounding someone’s reputation by evil reports, evil speaking.

3. Lies: Acts 5: 3,9: “Then Peter said, Ananias, why did Satan fulfill your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep the price of the land? Then Peter said to her, Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who bury your man are at the door, and they will carry you out.

pseúdomai; fut. pseúsomai, mid. deponent of pseúdō (n.f.), to cheat, defraud, falsify. To lie, to speak falsely or deceitfully.

4. Resist: Acts 7:51: “You stubborn and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; just as your fathers, so also you.

antipíptō; fut. antipesoúmai, from antí (G0473), against, and píptō (G4098), to fall. To fall or rush against or upon in a hostile manner, assault, resist by force and violence, fall or strive against (Acts 7:51).

5. Bribery: Acts 8:18-22: “And when Simon saw that by the laying of the apostles the Holy Ghost was given, he offered their money and said, ‘Give me this power also, that whosoever shall lay my hands upon the Holy Ghost can receive’. But Peter said to him, ‘Let your money go away with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God through money. You have no part or fate in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this evil from you, and pray to God, whether the mind of your heart may be forgiven you.'”

6. Quench: 1 Thess 5:19: “Do not quench the Spirit…”

Sbénnumi: To quench, extinguish

Eph 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

lupéṓ̄: to grieve, afflict with sorrow; to be grieved, sad, sorrowful, to offend.

“In The Spirit” Is NOT Isolation

Being most connected and in tune, in the Spirit, enables you to connect on a higher level with people, and being really present in their deep hidden needs, wants, desires, and motives.  

Being connected in the Spirit first, then He will connect you with man, but on a higher level, so that you can elevate them, and not be pulled down by man’s devices. 

People are mostly carnal, and do not understand the ways of the Spirit.  It is foolishness and strange to them. There are very few people who live and abide in the Spirit.  Life in the Spirit is living like by the “natural law of helium”, where the way of carnality cannot escape the natural law of gravity.  So people not living in the Spirit, will always pull you down.  They do not even realise it, but they do.  

The Spirit and the Word

“The WORD and the Spirit is one.The Sword of the Spirit is the Word (Eph 6:17). 

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (Joh 6:63).

The language of the Spirit is the Word of God.  Every single word we speak in the Spirit is based and founded on scripture.  It is like someone who has memorized all of scripture and has the understanding and insight into the whole of scripture.  Your spiritual vocabulary is Word-based.  They only speak from the Word (Josh 1:8). The Spirit gives life to the Word.  The Word becomes flesh in us by the Spirit.  

You cannot be like Jesus without the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who resurrects, reveals, and manifests Christ in us. Only the Spirit reveals Jesus in us.  

The opposition: It is simply not in man, to be like Christ, and any attempt is of the spirit of the anti-christ.  

The way of the Spirit is holy and sacred.  Life in the spirit is holy, consecrated, sanctified, precise, accurate, on the mark – Jesus.  

In the spirit is the only way to sin-less.  It is He who works it in us; and draw us closer, into a more holy consecrated lifestyle.   

We Can Even Work In the Spirit

Prayer: Oh God! may we walk in the Spirit continually!  Help us to remain and abide in the spirit.  Help us to find our complete habitation in the Holy Spirit.  

Work done in the Spirit is worship and glorifies God:  

  • Work can be done in the Spirit, for daily labour is not ungodly, secular, or sinful (Exo 31:3,5; 35:31).  
  • Work is part of our creational purpose to subdue and multiply (Gen 1:28).
  • When we work by the Spirit it will not be laborious, it will be innovative, precise and intentional.
  • In the Spirit, you will be able to focus and accomplish.  Your work will be a blessing!
  • Your work will be a sermon, an extension of His grace and character in you.  
  • You work will reveal God, the same way His creation reveals Him. Your work will be excellent, and spectacular, rich in precise detail, order and creative.  Believers being in the spirit has done many new inventions.  
  • Work in the Spirit makes this world better because it resonates heaven!  (Mat 6:10). 

When living in the Spirit, our constant focus and attention is on His ability, not ours.  His strength, power, fruit, gifts, testimony, and riches.  We are dead to our capabilities, efforts, methods, trying, and achievements.   Our confidence is in Him.  Our default is Christ.  We have died to self, our dreams and ambitions.  We have died to our mistakes, failures, inabilities and incompetence.  The life we now live we live in the Son.

Activities of the Spirit 

  1. Pray in the Spirit.
  2. Operate in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
  3. Pray without ceasing.
  4. Sing a new song. 
  5. Meditate on the Word. 
  6. Listen to the Body of Christ. 
  7. Journal what God is revealing to you. 
Categories
Sermons

Collective Spiritual Connectedness

When God said: “let there be light” (Gen 1:3) He connected the spectrum for all created things to connect. Light is formed by the connection between frequencies, the relationship between particles. The links give us the light that transforms our world. Darkness is in essence not to feel or be conscious of any connection.  Healthy connections, relationships, links is essential to social, economic, mental and spiritual well-being.  Jesus is the great connector! He reconnected us to God, our true selves, and the right people.  

When Jesus uses you in ‘You are the light of the world,’ (Mat 5:14-16) it is actually a plural form of the word, meaning ‘you all’ or ‘you, yourselves’ (or if you’re from the American South, ‘y’all’). The word light in the Greek is strikingly singular.” One Bible commentator goes on to say that “we are not a thousand points of light; we are a corporate city on a hill.”[1]

Made in the image of a communal God, we are most fulfilled when we find a community that makes us not only feel we belong but propels us to become more Christ-like in altruistic thought, habit, values, purpose, work and existence.  

Oneness, peace, shalom, wholeness, flourishing life; this is what the gospel has always been about; this is God’s dream for creation. In Cornelius Plantinga Jr.’s “breviary of sin,” shalom is described as: The webbing together of God, humans, and all of creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight. . . . We call it peace, but it means far more than the mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight—a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts are fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Saviour opens doors and welcomes creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.[2]

This is beautiful imagery of what the NT ecclesia, the body of Christ, church, a holy priesthood, the bride is all about. It is interesting to note, how healthy new connection networks grow, because of the introduction or referral of a friend.  This is called the small world theory. [3] So by connecting with a friend, of a friend, of a friend, of a friend, of a friend, you can connect with anyone, anywhere.  Six degrees of separation is the idea that all people are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other. [4]

The Kingdom is also compared with yeast: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” (Mat 13:33) The living network of yeast is well researched to understand how fungi, who in essence desires to grow and multiply, transform the dough into bread. The following image shows the invisible process in circles (Proteins) and the network of links and connections.  

In the Pre-modern era, people lived in an enchanted world, where they have little control. The powers to be ruled over the masses without their political consent, leading to fatalism. People saw human agency controlled by either the spiritual forces or stronger tribal adversary’s will.  In the Modern era, people became more educated, realising their own will and desire.  Self is seen as a person, with rights, independence and self-rule.  At no time in history, one has more regular heard of people describing their husbands, or employers as narcissistic.[5] The post-modern person begins to question this self-ness obsession and seeks deeper meaningful relationships and pursuits of lasting purpose and meaning.  

The NT Church and God’s purpose for its divine glorious existence answer these desires. EDEN is about the meeting, connecting, engaging, interdependence, growing collectively into the fulness of Christ! There are many counterfeit communities who either limits or controls the potential of the one, at the cost of the whole. These communities are also one- dimensional based on conformity. The true church holds the key to a unity of diversity, where the individual’s potential is unlocked and celebrated for the sake of the whole. Where unity is achieved as a gift in Christ Jesus, not by compromise. We are all followers of Christ in the Jesus Movement, having the mind of Christ to love what He values, abandoning self-interest to obey his instructions, with His attitude and emotions (fruit).  

During COVID 19, we experience a great RESET: God restored the family altar. God restored individual commitment and solitude. God showed us what is truly essential. We felt common solidarity with the global village. NOW it is time for God to draw this NET of living NODES together into a web of influence, where His glory can cover (fermenting) the earth. We are SALT and we are LIGHT! 

THE CORPORATE MEETING is more than just one person preaching a sermon! It is more than just singing a few songs as spectators! It is God’s people meeting with their God!! It is a spiritual meeting, for God is a living SPIRIT who wish to dwell amongst His people! It is Christ in and among us the hope of Glory! It is a healing, restorative, regenerative, reconciliatory space of deliverance and freedom! It is a place where the HOLINESS of God prevails and fills all in all! It is a place of LIGHT! It is a place of togetherness, oneness and union! It is heaven on earth! 

Households of faith MEETINGS 

The English word, church, comes from the Latin word, meaning circle. Our word, circus, is a derivative of the word, circle. You know, “three-ring,” as in a “three-ring circus.” Perhaps, very early-on when meetings, or assemblies, convened, they sat in a circle like a “round table;” from that, the word, church was coined. This makes sense as the first church had no formal church buildings or temples, they met in houses. Acts 2:46 The bigger the meeting, it becomes impossible for everyone to speak and participate, but in house meetings, one person should not take over the discussion, only lead and facilitate it, in order that everyone gets an opportunity to participate. 

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.  (1 Cor 14:26) 

ψαλμός psalmós: A song: the song sung with musical accompaniment. This latest stage of its meaning was adopted in the Sept. In all probability the psalms of Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16.

διδαχή didachḗ: to teach. In an act. sense it means the act of teaching, instructing, tutoring (Mark 4:2; 1 Cor. 14:6, 26; 2 Tim. 4:2). Heb 5:11-6:2 Search and seek “sound doctrine” sound doctrine: 1 Ti 4:6; 2 Ti 4:3; Tit 1:9; 2:1 (cf. Pr 4:2; 1 Ti 6:3; 2 Ti 1:13) 

γλῶσσα glṓssa: qualitatively new, to speak languages not known to them before, means to speak in or with tongues other than their own native tongue (Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6; 1 Cor. 12:30; 14:2, 4-6, 13, 18, 23, 27, 39). It is significant than speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues be listed as main ingredients to the NT gathering of believers. As to emphasize its importance.  If you thus want to participate, get filled in the Holy Spirit by speaking in Tongues. 1 Cor 14 

ἀποκάλυψις apokálupsis: to reveal. Revelation, uncovering, unveiling, disclosure. The revelation of the mysteries refers to divine purposes and doctrines which before were unknown and concealed (Rom. 16:25 [TR]; 1 Cor. 14:6, 26). Of revelations from God the Father or Christ (2 Cor. 12:1, 7; Gal. 1:12; 2:2; Eph. 3:3). In Eph. 1:17 “a spirit of . . . revelation” means a spirit which can fathom and unfold the deep things of God

ἑρμηνεία hermēneía: to interpret. Interpretation, explanation (1 Cor. 14:26), metonym for the ability to interpret, as a charisma (1 Cor. 12:10), gift.  Although the word interpretation in this reference refer specifically to the interpretation of tongues, I do propose that most of the activities is a form of interpretation. The word hermeneutic is used by theologians of the science of bible interpretation.  Having visions and dreams, and spiritual experiences has to be interpreted and judged. 1 Cor 14:29

All things are actually spiritual by definition, prayer to a God who is an invisible Spirit John 4:26, our unity and bond as believers 1 Cor 12:26, spiritual warfare Eph 6:12.  This is why a person operating from a point of religion, sets of rules and liturgy, cannot function in a NT Church meeting of spirit-filled believers.  It is two completely different operating systems.  

The most important point however one needs to remember is: “let everything be constructive and edifying and for the good of all” For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Mat 18:20 Paul actually says that he is spiritual present although absent in the flesh. 1 Cor 5:3-4 This reveals an unspoken thread, bond, connectedness, seamless robe, with the Spirit of Christ as revealed in His body, Him being the head, Eph 1:22 The simple way is, pick up the thread of the meeting, connect to the flow, listen to each other and resonate, harmonize. If the message you have prepared does not fit, discard it, it is not for now.  

Tune in to the Spirit of the meeting, from the first song the worship leader scans the spirit, the dance leaders resonate in body what is sung, then while we are corporately tuning in, we experience an open heaven of revelation, and spiritual insight. Then as we begin to declare and share what we have seen and experience the visions become clearer and it grows, so that we can fulfill God’s original plan to be among His people. Heb 12:18-23


[1] Duncan Watts, Small World: The Dynamics of Networks between Order and Randomness (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003).

[2] “Thy Kingdom Connected (ēmersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith): What the Church Can Learn from Facebook, the Internet, and Other Networks” by Dwight J. Friesen. https://www.scribd.com/book/234999681

[3] Duncan Watts, Small World: The Dynamics of Networks between Order and Randomness (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003).

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism

Categories
Sermons

Abide & walk in the Spirit – The only way to sustain life in triumph & victory.

Lord, you want to partner with us. Our prayers, Your answers. Our works, Your grace. Our possessions, Your blessing. Our obedience, Your call. Our weakness, Your strength. This is a great mystery. Please help us to make this sacred partnership more seamless and flowing, more reciprocal, intimate and natural.

In the same way, Jesus could do nothing without the Father, we also can do nothing without the Holy Spirit. Jesus could do nothing without seeing the Father do it (John 5:19-20, 30), He only did the Father’s will (John 6:38), only did what the Father taught (John 8:28), according to what the Father commands (John 12:49). In order for us to live and move by the way of the Spirit, or as the apostle Paul put it: “Walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16), we must learn to be holy – devoted to and depending on the Holy Spirit. We literally can do nothing without Him! Jesus exemplified total reliance on the Father, we should learn from Him and become totally reliant on the Holy Spirit.
In the OT, people lived by the Law. In the NT, believers live by the Holy Spirit.
It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies (Zech 4:6).

ALL LIFE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS BY THE SPIRIT

Know God by the Spirit: No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit(1 Cor 2:11).
Walk according to the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. It is the power of the Spirit life that free you from the gravitational downward pull of the flesh and sin (Rom 8:2-4; Gal 5:16). A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death (Rom 8:2; The Message).
Set your mind on the things of the Spirit (Rom 8:5-8).
Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Rom 8:13).
The main characteristic of being a child of God is being led by the Spirit (Rom 8:14).
Know the Fatherhood of God and subsequent ‘sonship’ by the Spirit (Rom 8:15-17).
Hope in the Spirit (Rom 8:23-25).
Pray in the Spirit (Rom 8:26-27). In other passages Paul mentions— (Jude 20)
Be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).
Serve in the Spirit (Rom 7:6; 15:16).
Love by the Spirit (Rom 15:30; Gal 5:22-23; Col 1:8).
Know one another by the Spirit. The way of the Spirit is more accurate and also quicker! Jesus knew the heart of Nathaniel even before He had met him (John 1:47). Similarly, the Lord revealed to Ananias not only the change in Saul (Paul), but also his destiny – before he met him (Acts 9:10). Phillip was divinely led to meet the servant of the court of Ethiopia (Acts 8:26). Jesus knew what was in the Pharisees’ hearts. He knew the woman at the well in the Spirit (John 4). Imagine a church where people know each other in the Spirit, where everyone knows their place and function, and they work together naturally without complaining and strife because they do not feel threatened by one another.
We are taught by that what the Holy Spirit teaches (1 John 2:27; 1 Cor 1:13).
People err when they try to interpret the Bible without the Spirit (2 Cor 3:6).
We can only know God by the Spirit because He is Spirit (1 Cor 2:10-12).
We cannot be regenerated and born again without the work of the Spirit (Tit 3:5).
The Eternal Spirit, through the Blood of Christ, cleanse you from an evil conscience (Heb 9:14).
Help me to walk, live and have my being in the Spirit alone. Let me be able to say like Jesus: I do nothing unless the Spirit, I say nothing unless the Spiritguides and instruct me.

ABIDING IN THE SPIRIT

It is only in the Spirit that we are safe. It is only in the Spirit that we cannot be deceived and misled (1 John 4:1; John 16:13). He will defend words and deeds done in the Spirit (1 Cor 2:13). In the Spirit we are accurate. In the Spirit we are holy and perfect (John 17:17). In the Spirit we are righteous. In the Spirit we will know the way in the Holy of Holies (Heb 9:8). In the Spirit there is liberty (2 Cor 3:17). In the Spirit we are whole and able to speak the whole gospel. In the Spirit we have access to all things: gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7-10) and fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:21-22). In the Spirit we are seated in heavenly places and will have authority (Eph 2:6). In the Spirit we know all things and intentions of the heart (1 Cor 2:10). In the Spirit we will know how to rightly discern and speak the truth. In the Spirit, the dead are made alive! It is by the Spirit that we are unified and become one like the God-head. It is by the Spirit that we are convicted, regenerated, filled, sanctified, justified and glorified. We have no life, existence nor substance outside of the Spirit. All spiritual life is by definition in the Spirit.
Life in the Spirit is a decision. It is a conscious, intentional and awakening partnership.  The Holy Spirit does not possess a person.  We need to learn to yield to Him, He is not an overpowering control. Being in the spirit is an awakening, not an unconscious, senseless, paralysed, cold, inert, insensate, insensible, lethargic, numb, passed out, stupefied, tranced state of being. Those are characteristics of being possessed by demons. Satan makes you like a zombie!
The Spirit gives life and unlocks supernatural inert abilities that God has already birthed in us. By the Spirit, we are united in the divine!

WE MISS OUT ON THE SPIRIT-LIFE BECAUSE OF:

Self: ego, pride, insecurities, flesh. The way of carnality and fleshly thinking is enmity to the Spirit (Rom 8:5). There is no middle ground, no compromise.
The Holy Spirit is Jesus who walks in our streets today. He is a Person. He does the same work that Jesus has come to do (John 14:15).
The people treat Him the same way they treated Jesus. Who crucified Jesus? The religious and so-called clergy of that time. The Holy Spirit wants to work through us. He wants to use us and let His gifts work through us and lead us to the Father. He wants to reveal Christ to us so that He will become a reality in our lives. He wants to make us His disciples. He wants to lead us into deeper dimensions in the Spirit.

HOW WE RESIST THE SPIRIT

Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled, and grieved his Holy Spirit.
Asab: A verb meaning to hurt, to pain, grieve, to shape to fashion.
Through our own experiences, and culture we have formed a shape and an image of God, a construct in our minds, without having a face to face reality of His person. Rebellion is holding on to that construct, even when the real appears. Some people prefer the god of their own making, than the awesome fearful wonder of the true Creator God.
Matthew 12: 31-32 Therefore I say unto you, every sin and blasphemy shall men be forgiven; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven of men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him in this age, nor in the coming.
blasphēmía: Blasphemy, verbal abuse against someone which denotes the very worst type of slander mentioned in Matthew 15:19 with false witnesses; wounding someone’s reputation by evil reports, evil speaking.
By reading the context of this portion of scripture in its entirety, we will gain understanding by allowing scripture to speak for Himself.  Jesus healed a demonic blind, mute man. (v22) The people (multitude) were clearly amazed and were contemplating whether this could be the son of David the Messiah. (v23) The Pharisees were losing ground, how do they explain this? How do you defend you standpoint, after seeing such a powerful demonstration? They countered by saying Jesus did this miracle by the power of satan. Specifically that He was possessed by Beelsebub. (Mar 3:22) And Jesus disclose the reason for His stern warning at the end of the passage. “because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mar 3:30) Finally Jesus declares: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Mat 12:28) It is thus very clear that their attack was against the Holy Spirit, and therefor the very stern/fearful warning: “but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” Why? There can be no salvation or repentance without the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 12:3; 2 Cor 7:9; John 16:8)
Acts 5:3, 9 Then Peter said, Ananias, why did Satan fulfil your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep the price of the land? Then Peter said to her, Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who bury your man are at the door, and they will carry you out.
pseúdomai; fut. pseúsomai, mid. deponent of pseúdō (n.f.), to cheat, defraud, falsify. To lie, to speak falsely or deceitfully.
By God’s grace this never happened again, else more people will fall dead in churches all over the world. Many by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit make commitments and declarations publicly, to reverse, procrastinate, and never comply.  We sometimes forget the Holy Spirit is God.  He is in no way inferior, or less powerful than God almighty. He is fully God, like Jesus, and the Father! The way He reveals God’s nature is predominantly as a dove, being gentle, and not forceful. However, we should revere and acknowledge His person with holy fear.
Acts 7:51 You stubborn and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; just as your fathers, so also you.
antipíptō; fut. antipesoúmai, from antí (G0473), against, and píptō (G4098), to fall. To fall or rush against or upon in a hostile manner, assault, resist by force and violence, fall or strive against (Acts 7:51).
Stephen the martyr, was addressing a generation, a culture, a system of revolt against God. We see this clearly through History, how the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit can be suppressed, stifled and openly resisted. The tone of the words used in the accusation is violent and shows the open revolt of a culture against God.  The power of culture should never be underestimated. Many people who have come to the truth, have experienced the pain and suffering of families turning against them, being ostracized, persecuted and isolated.  To the point that they were willing to kill someone like Stephan, who only did good, publicly.
Acts 8: 18-22 And when Simon saw that by the laying of the apostles the Holy Ghost was given, he offered their money19 And said, Give me this power also, that whosoever shall lay my hands upon the Holy Ghost can receive. 20 But Peter said to him, Let your money go away with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God through money. 21 You have no part or fate in this matter, because your heart is not rightbefore God. 22 Repent therefore of this evilfrom you, and pray to God, whether the mind of your heartmay be forgiven you.
Some people are totally against spiritual things, then there are others who seek the power of the supernatural for personal gain.  It is interesting to see the words used: heart not right, evil heart, mind of your heart. This shows that Simon needed salvation. He had to repent, and tern form his wickedness.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Sbénnumi: To quench, extinguish.
Oh, have we not all been guilty of extinguishing the small still voice of the Holy Spirit! You feel uncomfortable about going with friends, or about a TV program, or certain company, yet we ignore the prompting of the Spirit, and persist most often to our own detriment.  May we become more alert, and sensitive to adhere the small nudges of the Holy Spirit. The more obedient you become to His voice, the more you will hear and discern His voice.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
lupéṓ̄: to grieve, afflict with sorrow; to be grieved, sad, sorrowful, to offend.
Most Christians are more scared and sensitive not to offend man, than God.  We will go out of our way to not offend man, but think it nothing to offend God, knowing His will.  The more we do this, the weaker the voice of the Spirit becomes in your heart.  God can never be offended and thankfully He takes no offence.  May we see His heart! May we really feel what He feels! May the Holy Spirit reveal His heart to us, so that like Mary Magdelene we see the suffering Christ, soon to be crucified, and pour our love on Him. (John 12)

BEING IN THE SPIRIT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ISOLATE YOURSELF

Being most connected and in tune, in the Spirit, enables you to connect on a higher level with people, and being really present in their deep hidden needs, wants, desires and motives.
Be connected in the Spirit first, then He will connect you with man, but on a higher level, so that you can pull them up and not be pulled down by man’s devices.
Being in the Spirit does not disconnect you with man to become ascetic, it connects you to man on a deeper, divine, spiritual level. People are most carnal and do not understand the ways of the Spirit. It is foolishness and strange to them. There are very few people who live and abide in the Spirit. Life in the Spirit is like living by the natural law of helium, but the way of carnality – by contrast – cannot escape the natural law of gravity. Therefore, people who do not live in the Spiritwill always pull you down. They do not even realise it, but that’s what they do.

THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD

The WORD and the Spirit is One. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word (Eph 6:17).
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life(John 6:63).
The language of the Spirit is the Word of God. Every single word we speak in the Spirit is based and founded on Scripture. It is like someone who has memorised all of Scripture and has understanding and insight into the whole of Scripture. Your spiritual vocabulary is Word-based. They only speak from the Word (Josh 1:8). The Spirit gives life to the Word. By the Spirit, the Word becomes flesh in us.
You cannot be like Jesus without the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who resurrects, reveals and manifests Christ in us. Only the Spirit reveals Jesus in us.
It is simply not in man to be like Christ, any human attempt is of the spirit of the anti-christ.
The way of the Spirit is holy and sacred. Life in the Spirit is holy, consecrated, sanctified, precise, accurate, on the mark – Jesus.
The only way to be sinless, is to be in the Spirit. It is He who works it in us and draws us closer into a more holy consecrated lifestyle.

WE CAN EVEN WORK IN THE SPIRIT

Oh God, may we walk in the Spirit continually! Help us to remain and abide in the Spirit. Help us to find our complete habitation in the Holy Spirit. Work done in the Spirit is worship and glorifies God. Work can be done in the Spirit, for daily labour is not ungodly, secular nor sinful (Ex 31:3, 5; 35:31). Work is part of our creational purpose – to subdue and multiply (Gen 1:28). When we work by the Spirit it will not be laborious, but innovative, precise and intentional. In the Spirit, you will be able to focus and accomplish what you set out to do. Your work will be a blessing! Your work will be a sermon, an extension of His grace and character in you. Your work will reveal God in the same way His creation reveals Him. Your work will be excellent and spectacular, creative and rich in precise detail and order.
Believers being in the Spirithave created many new inventions.
Work done in the Spirit makes this world better because it resonates and reflects heaven! (Matt 6:10)
When living in the Spirit, our constant focus and attention are on His ability, not ours. His strength, power, fruit, gifts, testimony and riches. We are dead to our capabilities, efforts, methods, trying and achievements. Our confidence is in Him. Our default is Christ. We have died to self, our dreams and ambitions. We have died to our mistakes, failures, inabilities and incompetence. The life we now live, we live in the Son, by the Spirit.  It is the Spirit that enables.

Categories
Sermons

The only way to live life as NT believer is in the Spirit. Why? How?

Lord, you want to partner with us. Our prayers, Your answers. Our works, Your grace. Our possessions, Your blessing. Our obedience, Your call. Our weakness, Your strength. This is a great mystery. Please help us to make this sacred partnership more seamless and flowing, more reciprocal, intimate and natural.

In the same way, Jesus could do nothing without the Father, we also can do nothing without the Holy Spirit. Jesus could do nothing without seeing the Father do it (John 5:19-20, 30), He only did the Father’s will (John 6:38), only did what the Father taught (John 8:28), according to what the Father commands (John 12:49). In order for us to live and move by the way of the Spirit, or as the apostle Paul put it: “Walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16), we must learn to be holy – devoted to and depending on the Holy Spirit. We literally can do nothing without Him! Jesus exemplified total reliance on the Father, we should learn from Him and become totally reliant on the Holy Spirit.

In the OT, people lived by the Law. In the NT, believers live by the Holy Spirit.

It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies(Zech 4:6).

ALL LIFE IN THE NEW TESTAMENTIS BY THE SPIRIT

Know God by the Spirit: No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit(1 Cor 2:11).

Walk according to the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. It is the power of the Spirit life that free you from the gravitational downward pull of the flesh and sin (Rom 8:2-4; Gal 5:16). A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death(Rom 8:2; The Message).

Set your mind on the things of the Spirit (Rom 8:5-8).

Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Rom 8:13).

The main characteristic of being a child of God is being led by the Spirit (Rom 8:14).

Know the Fatherhood of God and subsequent ‘sonship’ by the Spirit (Rom 8:15-17).

Hope in the Spirit (Rom 8:23-25).

Pray in the Spirit (Rom 8:26-27). In other passages Paul mentions— (Jude 20)

Be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).

Serve in the Spirit (Rom 7:6; 15:16).

Love by the Spirit (Rom 15:30; Gal 5:22-23; Col 1:8).

Know one another by the Spirit. The way of the Spirit is more accurate and also quicker! Jesus knew the heart of Nathaniel even before He had met him (John 1:47). Similarly, the Lord revealed to Ananias not only the change in Saul (Paul), but also his destiny – before he met him (Acts 9:10). Phillip was divinely led to meet the servant of the court of Ethiopia (Acts 8:26). Jesus knew what was in the Pharisees’ hearts. He knew the woman at the well in the Spirit (John 4). Imagine a church where people know each other in the Spirit, where everyone knows their place and function, and they work together naturally without complaining and strife because they do not feel threatened by one another.

We are taught by that what the Holy Spirit teaches (1 John 2:27; 1 Cor 1:13).

People err when they try to interpret the Bible without the Spirit (2 Cor 3:6).

We can only know God by the Spirit because He is Spirit (1 Cor 2:10-12).

We cannot be regenerated and born again without the work of the Spirit (Tit 3:5).

The Eternal Spirit, through the Blood of Christ, cleanse you from an evil conscience (Heb 9:14).

Help me to walk, live and have my being in the Spirit alone. Let me be able to say like Jesus: I do nothing unless the Spirit, I say nothing unless the Spiritguides and instruct me.

ABIDING IN THE SPIRIT

It is only in the Spirit that we are safe. It is only in the Spirit that we cannot be deceived and misled (1 John 4:1; John 16:13). He will defend words and deeds done in the Spirit (1 Cor 2:13). In the Spirit we are accurate. In the Spirit we are holy and perfect (John 17:17). In the Spirit we are righteous. In the Spirit we will know the way in the Holy of Holies (Heb 9:8). In the Spirit there is liberty (2 Cor 3:17). In the Spirit we are whole and able to speak the whole gospel. In the Spirit we have access to all things: gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7-10) and fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:21-22). In the Spirit we are seated in heavenly places and will have authority (Eph 2:6). In the Spirit we know all things and intentions of the heart (1 Cor 2:10). In the Spirit we will know how to rightly discern and speak the truth. In the Spirit, the dead are made alive! It is by the Spirit that we are unified and become one like the God-head. It is by the Spirit that we are convicted, regenerated, filled, sanctified, justified and glorified. We have no life, existence nor substance outside of the Spirit. All spiritual life is by definition in the Spirit.

Life in the Spirit is a decision. It is a conscious, intentional and awakening partnership.  The Holy Spirit does not possess a person.  We need to learn to yield to Him, He is not an overpowering control. Being in the spirit is an awakening, not an unconscious, senseless, paralysed, cold, inert, insensate, insensible, lethargic, numb, passed out, stupefied, tranced state of being. Those are characteristics of being possessed by demons. Satan makes you like a zombie!

The Spirit gives life and unlocks supernatural inert abilities that God has already birthed in us. By the Spirit, we are united in the divine!

WE MISS OUT ON THE SPIRIT-LIFE BECAUSE OF:

Self: ego, pride, insecurities, flesh. The way of carnality and fleshly thinking is enmity to the Spirit (Rom 8:5). There is no middle ground, no compromise.

The Holy Spirit is Jesus who walks in our streets today. He is a Person. He does the same work that Jesus has come to do (John 14:15).

The people treat Him the same way they treated Jesus. Who crucified Jesus? The religious and so-called clergy of that time. The Holy Spirit wants to work through us. He wants to use us and let His gifts work through us and lead us to the Father. He wants to reveal Christ to us so that He will become a reality in our lives. He wants to make us His disciples. He wants to lead us into deeper dimensions in the Spirit.

HOW WE RESIST THE SPIRIT

Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled, and grieved his Holy Spirit.

Asab: A verb meaning to hurt, to pain, grieve, to shape to fashion.

Through our own experiences, and culture we have formed a shape and an image of God, a construct in our minds, without having a face to face reality of His person. Rebellion is holding on to that construct, even when the real appears. Some people prefer the god of their own making, than the awesome fearful wonder of the true Creator God.

 

Matthew 12: 31-32 Therefore I say unto you, every sin and blasphemy shall men be forgiven; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven of men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him in this age, nor in the coming.

blasphēmía: Blasphemy, verbal abuse against someone which denotes the very worst type of slander mentioned in Matthew 15:19 with false witnesses; wounding someone’s reputation by evil reports, evil speaking.

By reading the context of this portion of scripture in its entirety, we will gain understanding by allowing scripture to speak for Himself.  Jesus healed a demonic blind, mute man. (v22) The people (multitude) were clearly amazed and were contemplating whether this could be the son of David the Messiah. (v23) The Pharisees were losing ground, how do they explain this? How do you defend you standpoint, after seeing such a powerful demonstration? They countered by saying Jesus did this miracle by the power of satan. Specifically that He was possessed by Beelsebub. (Mar 3:22) And Jesus disclose the reason for His stern warning at the end of the passage. “because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mar 3:30) Finally Jesus declares: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Mat 12:28) It is thus very clear that their attack was against the Holy Spirit, and therefor the very stern/fearful warning: “but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” Why? There can be no salvation or repentance without the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 12:3; 2 Cor 7:9; John 16:8)

 

Acts 5:3, 9 Then Peter said, Ananias, why did Satan fulfil your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep the price of the land? Then Peter said to her, Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who bury your man are at the door, and they will carry you out.

pseúdomai; fut. pseúsomai, mid. deponent of pseúdō (n.f.), to cheat, defraud, falsify. To lie, to speak falsely or deceitfully.

By God’s grace this never happened again, else more people will fall dead in churches all over the world. Many by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit make commitments and declarations publicly, to reverse, procrastinate, and never comply.  We sometimes forget the Holy Spirit is God.  He is in no way inferior, or less powerful than God almighty. He is fully God, like Jesus, and the Father! The way He reveals God’s nature is predominantly as a dove, being gentle, and not forceful. However, we should revere and acknowledge His person with holy fear.

 

Acts 7:51 You stubborn and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; just as your fathers, so also you.

antipíptō; fut. antipesoúmai, from antí (G0473), against, and píptō (G4098), to fall. To fall or rush against or upon in a hostile manner, assault, resist by force and violence, fall or strive against (Acts 7:51).

Stephen the martyr, was addressing a generation, a culture, a system of revolt against God. We see this clearly through History, how the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit can be suppressed, stifled and openly resisted. The tone of the words used in the accusation is violent and shows the open revolt of a culture against God.  The power of culture should never be underestimated. Many people who have come to the truth, have experienced the pain and suffering of families turning against them, being ostracized, persecuted and isolated.  To the point that they were willing to kill someone like Stephan, who only did good, publicly.

 

Acts 8: 18-22 And when Simon saw that by the laying of the apostles the Holy Ghost was given, he offered their money19 And said, Give me this power also, that whosoever shall lay my hands upon the Holy Ghost can receive. 20 But Peter said to him, Let your money go away with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God through money. 21 You have no part or fate in this matter, because your heart is not rightbefore God. 22 Repent therefore of this evilfrom you, and pray to God, whether the mind of your heartmay be forgiven you.

Some people are totally against spiritual things, then there are others who seek the power of the supernatural for personal gain.  It is interesting to see the words used: heart not right, evil heart, mind of your heart. This shows that Simon needed salvation. He had to repent, and tern form his wickedness.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.

Sbénnumi: To quench, extinguish.

Oh, have we not all been guilty of extinguishing the small still voice of the Holy Spirit! You feel uncomfortable about going with friends, or about a TV program, or certain company, yet we ignore the prompting of the Spirit, and persist most often to our own detriment.  May we become more alert, and sensitive to adhere the small nudges of the Holy Spirit. The more obedient you become to His voice, the more you will hear and discern His voice.

 

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

lupéṓ̄: to grieve, afflict with sorrow; to be grieved, sad, sorrowful, to offend.

Most Christians are more scared and sensitive not to offend man, than God.  We will go out of our way to not offend man, but think it nothing to offend God, knowing His will.  The more we do this, the weaker the voice of the Spirit becomes in your heart.  God can never be offended and thankfully He takes no offence.  May we see His heart! May we really feel what He feels! May the Holy Spirit reveal His heart to us, so that like Mary Magdelene we see the suffering Christ, soon to be crucified, and pour our love on Him. (John 12)

BEING IN THE SPIRIT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ISOLATE YOURSELF

Being most connected and in tune, in the Spirit, enables you to connect on a higher level with people, and being really present in their deep hidden needs, wants, desires and motives.

Be connected in the Spirit first, then He will connect you with man, but on a higher level, so that you can pull them up and not be pulled down by man’s devices.

Being in the Spirit does not disconnect you with man to become ascetic, it connects you to man on a deeper, divine, spiritual level. People are most carnal and do not understand the ways of the Spirit. It is foolishness and strange to them. There are very few people who live and abide in the Spirit. Life in the Spirit is like living by the natural law of helium, but the way of carnality – by contrast – cannot escape the natural law of gravity. Therefore, people who do not live in the Spiritwill always pull you down. They do not even realise it, but that’s what they do.

THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD

The WORD and the Spirit is One. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word (Eph 6:17).

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life(John 6:63).

The language of the Spiritis the Word of God. Every single word we speak in the Spirit is based and founded on Scripture. It is like someone who has memorised all of Scripture and has understanding and insight into the whole of Scripture. Your spiritual vocabulary is Word-based. They only speak from the Word (Josh 1:8). The Spirit gives life to the Word. By the Spirit, the Word becomes flesh in us.

You cannot be like Jesus without the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who resurrects, reveals and manifests Christ in us. Only the Spirit reveals Jesus in us.

It is simply not in man to be like Christ, any human attempt is of the spirit of the anti-christ.

The way of the Spirit is holy and sacred. Life in the Spirit is holy, consecrated, sanctified, precise, accurate, on the mark – Jesus.

The only way to be sinless, is to be in the Spirit. It is He who works it in us and draws us closer into a more holy consecrated lifestyle.

WE CAN EVEN WORK IN THE SPIRIT

Oh God, may we walk in the Spiritcontinually! Help us to remain and abide in the Spirit. Help us to find our complete habitation in the Holy Spirit. Work done in the Spirit is worship and glorifies God. Work can be done in the Spirit, for daily labour is not ungodly, secular nor sinful (Ex 31:3, 5; 35:31). Work is part of our creational purpose – to subdue and multiply (Gen 1:28). When we work by the Spirit it will not be laborious, but innovative, precise and intentional. In the Spirit, you will be able to focus and accomplish what you set out to do. Your work will be a blessing! Your work will be a sermon, an extension of His grace and character in you. Your work will reveal God in the same way His creation reveals Him. Your work will be excellent and spectacular, creative and rich in precise detail and order.

Believers being in the Spirithave created many new inventions.

Work done in the Spiritmakes this world better because it resonatesand reflects heaven! (Matt 6:10)

When living in the Spirit, our constant focus and attention are on His ability, not ours. His strength, power, fruit, gifts, testimony and riches. We are dead to our capabilities, efforts, methods, trying and achievements. Our confidence is in Him. Our default is Christ. We have died to self, our dreams and ambitions. We have died to our mistakes, failures, inabilities and incompetence. The life we now live, we live in the Son, by the Spirit.  It is the Spirit that enables.