“If the Holy Spirit were taken out of the world today, 95% of all Christianity would continue undisturbed.” WA Criswell. A sad but true statement, I believe. If the apostle Paul were around today he would be in danger of getting the same response he received from the new disciples of Christ at Ephesus when he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Their answer: We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit Acts 19:2. Christians today have heard of the Holy Spirit of course, so what is the real problem?
Most of them are not experiencing the Person of the Holy Spirit living within, working, empowering, leading and guiding them on a moment by moment basis. They have read the promise of Jesus, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…… Acts 1:8, but it is far from being a dynamic reality in their daily life. Why is this so? One primary reason, the doctrine of water baptism is taught in churches but the doctrine of Holy Spirit baptism is not, for the most part. Why not? Many leaders of those churches say they’re one and the same. They are not one and the same though, for if they were, the Christians in those places would demonstrate a witness to it outside their church, just like Jesus said they would.
Distinctions: Water baptism takes out what God doesn’t want in me; baptism in the Holy Spirit puts in what God does want in me. Quote: “When you are a sinner, the Holy Spirit ministers the Christ nature to you in regeneration. When you are a believer, Jesus Christ ministers the Holy Spirit to you as a Person. The Author of regeneration is the Holy Spirit, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit is Christ.” – Derek Prince. Multitudes of Christian people have not been taught this because multitudes of Christian leaders simply do not believe it. Why not, for the latter? Perhaps there are a variety of reasons but one I can readily think of – some don’t want the Holy Spirit getting too close; He’ll bring them face to face with Himself. So for the Christian who is Spirit baptized, how do they witness?
For a start, they will open their mouth and proclaim the gospel of salvation to family, friends and associates, which is to be received freely, but only, through the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, who died on a Roman cross as a substitute for sinners like you and me. They are ever on the alert ready to offer Holy Spirit-guided prayer and wisdom for those who are sick or troubled among them. They give witness to the convicting power and authority of the Bible as being the sole word of God to all peoples of all nations. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Hebrews 4:12.
Based on the declaration of that Scripture, plus the personal experiences of its truth, Holy Spirit-baptized Christians make the Bible their final authority in all matters. They care not for the opinions of those who say otherwise; they have no interest or desire to sit and dialogue endeavoring to find some common ground with such people, regardless of who they are or what their qualifications and reputations may be. They will honor and respect the people as human beings but that’s as far as it goes. In turn, they know honor and respect will not be reciprocated. Worse, they know there is every chance they will be severely criticized for their biblical stance and even severely persecuted for it as this Christ-despising age marches on.
Giving witness to the divine gifts of the Holy Spirit operating within them is a strong desire of Holy Spirit-baptized Christians, but equally so for most, is the witness of the divine fruit of the Holy Spirit operating within; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control Galatians 5:22. Those filled with the nature and character of the Spirit will not succumb under pressure to the enticements of gold, glory and girls (money, power and sex), as is so common among spiritually gifted men and women in the church. As the saying goes, “Ability can quickly take you the top, but it takes character to stay there.” Any lack of true fear or reverence for God and the emissaries from hell will swoop down like vultures!
If it’s true that 95% of all Christianity would remain undisturbed if God took the Holy Spirit out of the world, this tells us there is very little desire for Christians to want to know the truth. And if they don’t want to know it, that means they won’t want to live according to it either. Could this explain the increasing lack of influence the church has upon society? Yes. Why should anyone be impressed with Christianity when there’s little evidence to support what it claims for itself? An unbeliever walks into a church one Sunday morning, he hears a lot of words in both song and speech but when that’s all over and he observes the singers and speakers gathered for coffee, he finds there’s a disparity between their words and their actions.
Holding to faulty concepts of the Holy Spirit is the primary cause of Christians holding to faulty concepts about the Bible, which in turn, causes them to hold faulty concepts about the nature and character of God. For this, there is no excuse. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, He is a divine personal Being with power and influence. When Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, He will guide you into all truth…… John 16:13, it was the truth revealed in the Old Testament coupled with the (yet to come at that time) truth revealed in the New Testament. To be guided by the Holy Spirit is the only way one can accurately discern what is truth versus what is error and what are lies, paraded before us as truth. He will not speak on His own authority, Jesus said of Him.
When Jesus speaks to us as He did, Matthew, Follow Me, Matthew 9:9, He is saying we are to be like Him, born of the Spirit, baptized in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, made holy by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, taught by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, anointed by the Spirit, speak by the Spirit, act by the Spirit, heal by the Spirit and cast out devils by the Spirit. In other words, all that God has for us and wants for us can only be achieved by the operation of the Holy Spirit in our life both individually and corporately. Imagine being part of a church like that! Well, in God’s mind, that’s the true church; which makes the majority of what are called churches, not churches at all, but simply religious clubs and institutions.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth 2 Timothy 2:15. Holy Spirit-baptized Christians, diligent and faithful to the study of the Scriptures are not ashamed and neither do they cause shame. Like their Lord Jesus, they attract seekers of truth and repel rejectors of truth. And sad to say, some of those truth rejectors are in the church functioning in the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. They prophesy, they heal, they bring words of wisdom and knowledge. How can this be? people ask. Answer: holiness is not a prerequisite to receiving the gifts, faith is the prerequisite. It is important therefore, that the fruit of the Spirit is as evident in them as the gifts of the Spirit are. Why so?
Earlier I mentioned gold, glory and girls as being common enticements for men who function in the gifts of the Spirit. It’s not restricted to those; addictions and perversions of the worst kind have been traps for them down through many years as well. Some famous names can be found among them too, particularly through the Internet. Not only did their succumbing to these things ruin both them and their ministry, it ruined their reputation and that of their family. In addition, they ruined the reputation of God; they caused His name and character to be blasphemed and mocked. That’s another primary reason why church leaders and Christian people shy away from the doctrine of Holy Spirit baptism.
Holy Spirit baptism: To receive it, confess all known sin first. Be specific, not general; name your sins and get cleansed from them. Then ask the Lord Jesus for the baptism. Then receive it by faith not by feelings. Everything God has for us is to be received by faith – not works, not rules! Having received the baptism by faith, it is most important to stay Jesus Christ-centered. Do not become Holy Spirit-centered. If you do, you will grieve the Holy Spirit Ephesians 4:30. Remember, the Spirit does not speak or act for Himself, but only for God the Father and the Son. Maintain a Christ-centered approach to everything you think, say and do, always. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to remembrance all things that I said to you John 14:26.
“Well, in God’s mind, that’s the true church; which makes the majority of what are called churches, not churches at all, but simply religious clubs and institutions.”
A sad truth and an indictment on our generation of believers.
God bless you.
Indeed, Larry. Thank you, and you.