Holy Spirit: wonders

Showing posts with label wonders. Show all posts

Monday, December 23, 2013

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

The Lord has indicated that he is coming soon, and He is going to do mysterious things before He comes. Because His time is short, He will use a madman, He will use a prostitute, He will even use a child that doesn't have any teeth in his mouth to testify of His coming before He comes. That is why we must correctly discern the things of the Spirit. One can be very knowledgeable of the Scriptures, and still make a wrong judgment in this area, just as the scribes did.

"The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul,' and 'He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.'" (Mar 3:22)

Jesus warned them, "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." (Mar 3:28-30)

A pastor, named Yong Doo Kim, whom I love and respect, has explained it like this. Just because someone has a difficult time believing the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, they must never judge or insult the work. We must be careful not to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, which includes neglecting, ignoring, or totally opposing the gift of tongues, prophecy, miracles, and interpreting tongues. It includes aggressively opposing the gifts that have or are manifested in different ways. The spectrum of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is very broad. At one end of the spectrum are those who incorrectly make allegations, based on their prejudices and humanistic views. At the other end are those who judge and condemn others who operate in the gifts, as well as those who deny or reject the work or manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Those are the people who so easily drive out the work of the Holy Spirit and judge it as a cult or condemn it. Therefore there is the risk of progressing into the sin of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.

On one hand, we should avoid the error that some have made of accepting every supernatural manifestation as genuinely coming from God. People who do so tend to be mystical and easily deceived. However, we must always cherish the presence and power of the precious Holy Spirit in our lives, and be careful not to lose it. If we do, we could move into a place where we are left with nothing more than a cold doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Once you do so, there is the possibility that this could eventually lead to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. That is an eternal sin, which cannot be forgiven. Those who commit this sin will be greatly judged and tormented in hell.

Therefore, we should love Him and fear Him. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mar 12:30) And "do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil." (Pro 3:7). Hopefully this little study has helped to restore you to a correct perspective.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Receiving the Spirit" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: Also see False Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?, Discerning the Things of the Spirit, A Warning to the Nay Sayers, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets and Eternal Destinations. You can access the Main Directory for this blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, October 4, 2013

The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit

As I have explained in previous posts already, the Holy Spirit is a divine Person. He is the third Person of the triune Godhead. I have also shown that the heavenly Father has a "bodily" form. But does the Holy Spirit also have a bodily form? Let's find out from Scripture.

In Luke's gospel, he records what happened at the water baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.'" (Luk 3:21-22)

Here we learn that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form. The Greek word for “form” is “eidos” meaning “1) the external or outward appearance, form figure, shape; 2) form, kind” (Thayer). The word "bodily" comes from the Greek word "somatikos" meaning "1) corporeal, bodily 1a) having a bodily form or nature 1b) pertaining to the body" (Thayer). The Spirit of God can appear or manifest Himself in a bodily form, figure, or outward appearance.

This bodily form was visible to Jesus and to certain others that were present. If He had not been visible, then it would not have been recorded, because nobody would have known about it. I know it is difficult for some people to understand how the invisible Spirit of God could become visible. Yet John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'" (Joh 1:32-33). John testified that he had seen the Spirit.

So we know that the Holy Spirit appeared and made Himself visible, as He descended from heaven upon Jesus Christ. But what was His bodily form like? We could assume it was like a dove, since the Scripture says, "the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove." (Lk 3:22a).

However, I do not believe the Holy Spirit is limited to looking like a dove any more than Jesus is limited to looking like an actual lamb. As humans, here in the natural realm we place great emphasis on outward appearance, and we typically recognize people primarily by how they look. But in the spirit realm, we are known primarily by our inward character, while the outward appearance is a secondary way to recognize someone. The Lord and the Holy Spirit, as well as the holy angels, and even the devil and his demons, can appear in various forms. They are not limited to only one, single form.

For example, when the Lord appeared after His resurrection to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, the Scripture says He "appeared in a different form" to them (Mk 16:12). Later the apostle John saw Him as "a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain" standing at the center of the throne in heaven (Rev 5:6). Or for example, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire that separated and came to rest over each disciple present (Ac 2:3). He also appeared as seven lamps blazing before the throne of God in the revelation given to the apostle John (Rev 4:5). Likewise, the angels can appear as men, so that some have even entertained angels without knowing it (Heb 13:2). Similarly the devil can appear as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:4), a serpent (Gen 3:1; Rev 12:9,15), and a red dragon (Rev 12:3,7,13,17).

Having cited those examples of various forms, and their changeable nature, let's return now to considering the passage of Scripture about the Spirit's descent upon Jesus at His baptism. When it says the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus "as a dove," this expression helps us understand not only the nature of his appearance (His form), but also the manner of his descent. Matthew records it like this in his gospel. He states: "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.'" (Mat 3:16-17)

How does a dove descend? It descends differently than other birds. Perhaps we could say it hovers, floats downward, rather than swooping down to kill its prey as a an eagle, or circling overhead like a vulture, or flitting about recklessly like a bat. I believe there was a smooth, steady, deliberate, innocent, pure, and harmless manner in which the Holy Spirit descended on our Lord that can only be compared to the beauty of a white dove descending. Matthew says, "descending as a dove and lighting on Him," indicating that the Holy Spirit came to rest and remain upon Him in the same manner as a bird would light upon Him or land on Him.

Therefore, I believe the use of the dove simile in this passage of Scripture describes the manner of His descent, and it may also describe the bodily form of the Holy Spirit in that particular instance, but I do not believe the Holy Spirit is limited to the bodily form of a dove. He can take on many other various forms. So in light of that, do you think He could appear in the likeness of human form? If so, you would need to have Scriptural support for that viewpoint. So where would we look in Scripture to find the answer?

As I mentioned in my blog, The Bodily Form of God the Father, God has a bodily form in whose likeness we humans are made. He has a head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, hands, fingers, feet, sandals, and a robe. Of course we know that the Word of God became flesh and took on the likeness of men (Phil 2:7-8). And even now that He has ascended into heaven, the Lord still has His glorified body of flesh and bone. Therefore, it is quite reasonable to assume that the Holy Spirit may appear in a bodily form resembling the heavenly Father and Jesus. That would mean He also has a head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, hands, fingers, feet, etc. I believe it is possible He may have come in a bodily shape like this at the baptism of Jesus, in order to reveal His Personal nature and substance.

If you have always believed -- as most Christians do -- that the Holy Spirit descended in the bodily form of a dove with two eyes, wings, bird feet, and a beak, that’s fine. I believe He can appear in that form, if He so wills. But if you could believe that, why is it so difficult to believe He could have a bodily form in the likeness of the heavenly Father and of Jesus? Perhaps when He descended on the Lord Jesus at His baptism, both the manner of His descent and His bodily form resembled that of a dove, and yet at the same time He may have had features similar to a human, such as His beautiful face and His all-powerful hands.

Personal Testimonies About the Holy Spirit
Such a notion as I have just described may come as a surprise to you, and seem rather incredible, so I would like to share the testimonies of four people who have seen the Holy Spirit.

Prema Pelletier
The first person is a sister, named Prema Pelletier, who testified that the Holy Spirit visited her in her home. She described it this way:

"I was suddenly put into a very deep sleep, in a trance-like state. This is what I saw and experienced. I saw myself sitting on the couch in our living room. The couch was facing the door to the balcony. Coming from the direction of the balcony was the most awesome Person. The Person of God the Holy Spirit! Walking behind the Spirit of the Living God was an angel, not more than four feet tall. God the Holy Spirit came directly towards me. As He slowly walked to me, His head held high, His shoulders thrust out, all Majesty, Authority and Power, the thought was imparted to my spirit, 'This is God the Holy Ghost!' Because the Lord Jesus has appeared to me over twenty-one times, one of the first things I remember thinking was that the Holy Spirit looks so much like the Lord Jesus. He looks like His Twin! But, I seemed to also notice the difference between Them. In the visions granted to me of our Lord Jesus, His hair is down close to His shoulders. The Holy Spirit's hair was not down, but sticking out with power. Thinking about His hair afterwards, it reminded me of someone sticking his finger in a live electrical outlet."

"This Mighty Holy Spirit, this very beautiful Third Person of the Godhead, strode toward me and I stood up. The Spirit of God stood about fifteen inches in front of me. I looked into the very penetrating, deep, serious, serene and very holy eyes of God the Holy Ghost, and I felt I was looking into Eternity! At that moment, I found myself looking down on the carpet where I was standing. I trembled in the Presence of this Holy One with an awesome reverence. As this Holy Wonder of the Lord stood before me, I put out both my hands before Him, palms facing upwards, and I spoke these words, 'Would You please pray that Jesus would always keep me?' When I spoke these words, God's Holy Spirit placed both His Palms on my palms. I felt the sensation of electricity surging through my entire body."

"Next, with His eyes still staring into my very soul, the Spirit of God began to rub my palms with His Palms, one at a time. He slowly rubbed one palm after the other, in a striding type of way. By this time, my eyes were staring at both His Hands. I believe the Lord's Holy Spirit rubbed my palms about eight times. As He did so, I was amazed to see Oil gushing out of the middle of His Palms over mine! The Oil which flowed freely from the Holy Spirit's Palms was bearably hot, and as it overflowed my palms, it went to the back of my hands. As I stood there before the Lord, I found myself rubbing my hands with the Oil still overflowing and dripping on the carpet. I found myself saying these words, 'These hands shall be laid on the sick and they shall recover.' With that, God the Holy Spirit and the angel both turned and walked back the way they came."

So she actually saw the Holy Spirit in bodily form and she said He looks like Jesus! This confirms what we understand from the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit, Who is present everywhere in the temple of the Body of Christ on earth, does have a bodily form like the Father, not like a dove.

Angelica Zambrano
Another sister named Angelica Zambrano, is a young lady from Ecuador, who also saw the Holy Spirit. She states: "I also started to see the Holy Spirit; He is my best friend; He is Holy, He is omniscient; He is omnipresent! I could see Him, transparent and brilliant at the same time; with a brilliant countenance, I could see His smile and His loving gaze! I can hardly describe Him, because He is more beautiful than angels. The angels have their own beauty, but the Holy Spirit is far more beautiful than they are! I could hear His audible voice, a voice full of love, a passionate voice. I just can't explain His voice; a voice like lightening, yet at the same time He would say, 'I am with you.' so I would strive to continue walking with God, even as trials surrounded us. We were going through very difficult moments, but victorious ones at the same time. I said, 'Lord, let Your will be done.'"

Danny Hahlbohm
The third testimony I would like to share from someone who saw the Holy Spirit comes from brother Danny Hahlbohm, the artist who painted the two pictures featured in this blog. When he read this blog, he commented, "I think it is very important, especially in these last days, that we the church and children of God know who the Holy Spirit is. Even myself, being a Christian for over forty years, only became fully aware that the Holy Spirit is not just a 'mist' or a ghost, but an actual person. I have seen Him too and He is glorious and beautiful."

So I asked him to tell me in more detail what he saw, and he replied: "Yes, one day while I was in my God Room the Lord gave me a vision (or perhaps peek) at the Holy Spirit. What I saw was the Holy Spirit descending down in slow motion, almost like I would envision took place when he descended upon Christ at His baptism. In the vision the Holy Spirit descended down from the right hand corner to the lower left hand corner. The robe he was wearing was the purest white, and was loose fitting, so it fluttered behind Him as He descended, giving the appearance of wings behind Him almost."

"I did see His face which also shone brightly, but could not make out any real definitive details, except He did have the appearance of a Man. I do not recall the length of his hair. I do not even recall seeing hair at all, which may have been because it was white like the robe itself, and that is why I don't remember seeing it."

"Personally, I think the reason why God may have shown me this vision was to point out why the Bible said the Holy spirit descended LIKE a dove on Jesus, and is NOT a dove. It was beautiful to watch. I tried to depict it as best I could in the painting you used in this message, but of course anything man-made, like paintings or statues could never come close to depicting the glory of God."

Claire Andoun Atongo
Now for the fourth testimony I would like to share. On May 12, 2017, I read the following testimony of my dear friend, sister Claire Andoun Atongo Solomon, regarding a vision she had of the Holy Spirit while praying recently, just a little over two weeks before she passed from this life and went to be with the Lord. She wrote on her Facebook page on April 22, 2017 at 9:48 AM:

"After my Husband and I have finished to pray around 3 AM, we all slept off. I was privileged to see how the Holy Spirit guides us and how the Lord's angels protect us.

I was with my family on air in the cloud surrounded by Mighty Angels going for evangelism in a dangerous country. We were giving by God an assignment to go and deliver the Christians prisoners held captives by terrorists.

In the air were surrounded by Mighty Angels, 1-By our both sides, 2 - another sets of Angels following us at the back. Wow!

I remembered my daughter Nana was sleeping. I wanted to wake her, but one of our angels replied, "No, no. Leave her to rest. She is tired." He was so gentle. What amazed me is how Nana was moving with us even at sleep. This means even God understand when we are tired but in the Spirit the battle continues.

We were all INVISIBLE to the camp of the enemy. We see them and they can't see us. We will get into these terrorist camps and free all the Christians held captives there. And suddenly these Christians will also join us to fight the enemy. We were more than conquerors. Nothing can touch us.

But there is Someone I want to describe to all of us. THE HOLY SPIRIT. Oooo, He is So beautiful! He will be the One to lead us. He will be in front a bit far [i.e., a little farther ahead of us] to check the area. Once its safe, we will follow His direction.

How He looked like? The Holy Spirit in this vision looked like a BIG and HUGE DOVE, pure white. His wings are so beautiful! He moves them like waves of waters. The HOLY SPIRIT. You can see Him, but you can't touch Him. I was privileged to see His beautiful face like a human being, [yet] at the same time like the dove -- Difficult to describe.

With Him we were all secured -- we and the angels. I was given a new Shoe while we were on [the] air flying. One of the Angels said, "Make sure these shoes remain on your legs, so that you will always be invisible before the enemy when going for battle."

When I woke up, all the pains in my body had disappeared. To GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

Evangelist Claire Andoun Solomon"

Scriptural Basis
One further Scripture I would like to add is from a psalm that speaks about God's Dove. In Psalm 68, the Lord makes an announcement, in which He says in part, "Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of My Dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold.” (Ps 68:13).

This psalm is about how God protects us from death, and I believe this verse is about how the Holy Spirit, God's Dove, is always keeping watch over us to protect us. He shines brightly with the glorious splendor of silver and gold. Even while we sleep, He does not. "Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (Ps 121:4).

His appearance is brilliant, even in the dark of night, as He constantly monitors all the events on earth. If He detects that the demons are mounting an attack on His chosen ones, He arises and dispatches His mighty angels with their tens of thousands, and thousands of thousands of chariots, which go forth with lightning speed to scatter our enemies (see Ps 68:1-2, 12, 14, 17).

Putting it All Together
As you can see, the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, Who can make Himself visible. He is not a bird. He is far more beautiful than any angel, transparent and brilliant. He is glorious and beautiful. He has a head, hair, a brightly shining face, eyes, a mouth that speaks with a passionate voice like lightning, shoulders, and hands. He has a robe of the purest white. He resembles Jesus Christ, the Son of God, because they are One God. He can also appear in many other lovely forms as He wills.

He has been sent to the Church to live in us and teach us. His presence is just as real to us as the presence of the Lord Jesus when He walked with His disciples on earth. He is God, so you should love Him and worship Him. If you are a disciple of Christ and have never received the Holy Spirit, then you should pray and ask for the gift of Him. It is called the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which you need to live a holy life for the Lord and be a powerful witness for Christ.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. The "Holy Spirit" and "Baptism" paintings © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: Please prayerfully review Prema Pelletier's testimony and Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven in their entirety, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to them. Also see the following posts:

The Bodily Form of God the Father
The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Baptism of Christ
The Person of the Holy Spirit
Baptized with the Spirit
The Holy Spirit Speaks
Holy Fire Baptism
Is Jesus God?
The Name of Jesus

You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Monday, July 30, 2012

Discerning the Things of the Spirit

Alleged angel on water

Sometimes I share testimonies of my own or others, which some people consider to be bizarre. I am well aware that these testimonies may seem strange. That should not come as a surprise, since the Scriptures tell us that God has prepared for those who love Him things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man. (1Co 2:9)

However, whether or not they are strange is not the indicator of their origin. A person’s experience may or may not have come from God. It could be a product of their imagination or could even be inspired by demons. But you cannot determine the source of their experience through logical analysis or natural, human methods. The apostle Paul said, “…a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1Co 2:14)

Two women allegedly see angel

Yet we know that God does sometimes give dreams, visions, prophecies, and even performs miraculous signs. And we need to be careful not to despise these things. As Peter said, “Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;” (1Th 5:19-21). The range of things the Holy Spirit does is quite broad. When we gather together, one should have a psalm that the Lord gave, a revelation, a prophecy, a teaching, a tongue, or an interpretation (1 Co 14:26). These are all to be given in order and for edification. So be careful not to quench the Spirit or reject people’s experiences and testimonies without proper examination. The only way we can know whether something is authentic is to examine it carefully.

Most Christians understand that the Word of God is our standard used to test all things. But even when you read the Bible, you cannot rely upon your human intellect to understand the Word. Only the Holy Spirit can give revelation, illumination and understanding of the Word and supernatural experiences. This is why we must not make a hasty judgment of anything, but rather pray much about it and seek the help of the Holy Spirit to determine if it is genuine. Many people spend time in the Bible and have accumulated much knowledge of it, but they do not have a deep prayer life. They are not spiritual men. And we know that knowledge has the ability to puff us up with pride. So we must be careful to maintain a strong and vibrant prayer life, being spiritual men and women. He who is spiritual appraises all things (1 Co 2:15).

Alleged angel on hospital security camera

So we can only know spiritual things through the Word and the Spirit. Paul said, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1Co 2:10-13). He said we have received the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.

This is key to understanding everything, including the Word of God and experiences recorded outside the Bible, such as modern day ones we hear today. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8-9) We must not expect that God’s ways or thoughts are like ours or on the same level as ours. But the Spirit of God gives us the mind of Christ, so that we may know His thoughts and His ways.

Alleged angel by car

These things do not lie on the surface. They are revealed to those who earnestly seek the Lord in prayer. "Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it, the LORD is His name, 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' (Jer 33:2-3), If you want the Lord to tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know, you must call to Him fervently and He will answer you.

Biblical Signs,Wonders, and Oddities
Consider the following examples of things in Scripture that most Bible believing Christians accept as genuinely from God, but which natural men without the Spirit of God would consider foolish or odd. As you read these things, think about how you would perceive or view them, if you were present when they actually happened, and had never read them in the Bible. Or what if you heard testimonies about such things at the time that they happened? Think about how you would judge these things:

A man lying on his side, tied with ropes, for over a year (390 days), and cooking his own food there on a fire made from excrement (Ezek 4:9-12)
A man going around in public stripped and barefoot for three years and saying God told him to do it (Is 20:2-3)
A man offering his son up to God as a human sacrifice, and being prepared to kill him in obedience to God (Gen 21:1-9)
A man building an ark that floats on water when it had never rained before (Gen 6:14-22)
A donkey that talks (Num 22:28)
Putting spit on someone’s tongue to heal him from muteness (Mk 7:33)
Spitting into someone’s eyes to heal him from blindness (Mk 8:23)
Angels with wheels within wheels that are full of eyes round about (Ezek 1:15-21)
Four living creatures in front of God’s throne with eyes all over their body (Rev 4:8)
The feet of Jesus being like polished brass glowing in a furnace (Rev 1:15)
Jesus having a double-edged sword proceeding from His mouth (Rev 1:16)
Tongues of fire appearing over each person in a prayer meeting (Ac 2:3)
People speaking in tongues (languages) that they have not learned (Ac 2:4) and which they could not understand (1 Co 14:14).
A man of God taking for his wife a prostitute and saying God told him to do it (Hos 1:2).
A bush that burns without being consumed (Ex 3:3)
A staff that turns into a serpent (Ex 4:3)
A sea parting when a man lifts his staff and his hand (Ex 14:16-21)
A city shaped like a foursquare cube that is about 1,500 miles high! And its length and width are equal to its height. (Rev 21:16)
Mighty walls of a city being brought down flat by men shouting (Jos 6:20)
A man not being allowed by God to cry when his wife dies (Ezek 24:15-18)
A shepherd boy killing a mighty giant with nothing but a sling shot and a smooth stone (1 Sam 17:49)
Fire coming from the mouths of two men and killing their enemies (Rev 11:5)
A man being swallowed by a big fish, remaining inside of it for three days, and living to tell about it (Jonah 1:17; 2:1)
A man being thrown into a den of hungry lions, remaining their overnight, and coming out the next day without a single scratch (Dan 6:16-22)
A man escaping from prison without being seen, when all the doors are locked and he is chained to guards (Act 5:5-12)
A man wrestling with God (Gen 32:24-30)
A man saying you must drink his blood and eat his flesh in order to have eternal life (Jn 6:53)
Making man from the dust (Gen 2:7)
Creating a woman out of a man’s rib (Gen 2:22)
Turning water into wine (Jn 2:7-9)
A river parting when a man strikes it with his cloak (2 Kin 2:8)
A man rising from the dead and walking through walls and locked doors (Jn 20:26)
A man walking on water (Mt 14:25)
Multiplying a few fish and loaves to feed thousands of people (Mt 14:17-19)
Speaking to stormy water and wind and making them calm (Mt 8:26)
Jesus saying He is coming to bring a sword not peace (Mt 10:24)
A man being told that he cannot go to bury his dead father if he wants to follow Jesus (Mt 8:22)
Being told that you must hate your parents to follow Jesus (Lk 14:26)
Drawing a city on a clay tablet and laying siege to it (Ezek 4:1-2)
Making an iron axe head float (2 Kin 6:6)
Laying on top of a dead boy, hand to hand, eye to eye, and mouth to mouth, and raising him from the dead (2 King 4:34)
Calling down fire on soldiers (2 King 1:12)
Being fed by ravens (1 King 17:6)
Earth's rotation stops and time stands still (Josh 10)
Making the shadow go backwards, back in time (2 King 20:9-11)
Three men are bound and thrown into a blazing furnace that is so hot that the heat kills the soldiers throwing them in, but the three men walk around inside the furnace unbound and unharmed. They come out alive without smelling like smoke, without damage to their trousers, or even a hair on their body being singed. (Dan 3:27)
Being caught up into Paradise and coming back to tell about it (2 Cor 12:2-4)
A man claiming that through his sufferings he is filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col 1:24)
Tears being stored in a bottle in heaven (Ps 56:8)
A man disappearing from a desert road to Gaza outside Jerusalem and reappearing far away in Azotus without natural means of transport (Ac 8:39-40)
Running faster than a chariot (1 King 18:46)
Quail and flaky food called manna falling from heaven (Ex 16:4,13)
Water coming out of a rock (Num 20:11)
Slaughtering every man, woman, and child in a city during war (Josh 8:24-26)
The Lord speaking face to face with a man (Dt 5:4)
God writing something on stone tablets with his own hands, so that it can be seen, read, and touched (Dt 5:22)
A human hand appearing and writing on a wall (Dan 5:5)
The Lord coming to a city on earth to confirm reports about wickedness that have reached His ears in heaven (Gen 18:20-22)
Striking a proconsul with blindness for interfering with the preaching of the gospel (Act 13:11)
Two Christians dropping dead before the elders for lying (Acts 5:5,10)
A wooden rod that suddenly sprouts and puts forth buds, blossoms, and almonds overnight (Num 17:8)
An army prevailing over their enemy only while their leader’s hand is raised up, and their enemy prevailing when his hand drops down (Ex 17:11)

As you consider the implications of all these things for today, remember that God is the same God. He hasn't changed. He says, "I the Lord do not change." (Mal 3:6a). The psalmist said to the Lord, "You remain the same" (Ps 102: 27a). And "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hb 13:8). He still does supernatural things in the world today like He did in days of old.

The Concern Over Things That Are Extra Biblical

Angel with drawn sword caught on security camera

It's very important to keep the Word of God as our sole rule of faith and our ultimate authority for judging everything outside the Bible. But does that mean we cannot trust anything extra Biblical?

Are prophecies, dreams, visions and revelations from the Lord extrabiblical? Are testimonies of salvation, healing, deliverance, and miracles extrabiblical? Sure they are. But we can judge these to determine if they are valid or not. Just because they are extra Biblical does not automatically mean they are unbiblical.

Here are some other things that are extrabiblical that are commonly accepted by many preachers:

The Works of Flavius Josephus, the first century Jewish historian who wrote Antiquities of the Jews, which refers to Jesus in books 18 and 20.
Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which affirms that the apostle John "was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury."
Various Bible commentaries
Greek dictionaries and lexicons
Bible dictionaries
Bible Encyclopedias
Various Christian books, including testimonies of salvation, healing, deliverance, and miracles
Christian hymns, poems, and songs
Christian art forms of all kinds, including paintings, videos, drama, dance, etc.

Quoting from these sources does not generally receive any backlash, since it is understood that the Bible is the final authority, not these. And quoting these sources or mentioning them does not constitute agreement with everything they say, nor does it mean we consider them infallible.

Putting it All Together

You cannot put God in a box. His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than ours. Man needs to go to God’s level of thinking and acting, instead of God coming down to man’s level. The Lord has revealed these things to little children, not to the wise and learned. We must have childlike faith to enter the kingdom of God.

Don’t forget that it was the learned elders who knew the Scriptures well that rejected Jesus and said he did miracles by the power of satan. They also rejected the message of the cross that the apostles preached. The cross is a stumbling block to Jews, who cannot fathom their true Messiah dying such a shameful death. And it’s foolishness to the Greeks, who think that anyone who believes in a God that died on a cross is a fool. The Lord chose a very unlikely way to save the world through the cross.

And the Lord will often use vessels that we consider unlikely. He may reveal deep things to the uneducated, the simple-minded, the outcast or the poor. He could even reveal things to someone who is not accepted by the mainstream church. So watch out not to toss out something from one of these people whom you think could not be used by God. With that said, it does help to know the life and character of the vessel, and whether they are living a life of devotion to the Lord without compromise. It’s also important to humble yourself and double-check your own life as well. If there is some hidden sin in your life that you don’t see, this could definitely impair your ability to correctly judge the things of the Spirit.

Prophecies, miracles, healings, dreams, visions and revelations from the Lord did not stop after the first century. The dead are still raised. Believers still speak with new tongues and cast out demons. The apostle Paul was not the last or only person to be caught up into Paradise. These things still happen today. And they may seem foolish, bizarre, or strange to us initially. So be careful not to quench the Spirit or despise the supernatural things the Lord chooses to do in His own wisdom and love for His people. Be very careful not to reject a supernatural phenomenon as though it is from the devil, unless you are certain. Doing so could be blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, if the manifestation is in fact a work of the Holy Spirit.

If some manifestation or experience does not agree with your theology, first consider the possibility that your theology could be wrong. Examine these things carefully. Test them with much prayer and the Word. Search the Scriptures. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, determine whether they are from the Lord. If they are from the Lord, then they are meant for the edification of the Body, even though they will not become part of the Bible. Therefore, it's appropriate to share them in any format that will be effective, so that others can benefit from it, knowing that there will always be those who will consider these things to be bizarre.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: Also see A Warning to the Nay Sayers, Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies, Exposing Heresy, Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, and Eternal Destinations. You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory for this blog, such as Baptized with the Spirit, Holy Fire Baptism, The Holy Spirit Speaks, The Holy Trinity, and The Spirit without Limit. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Photo Credits:
"Angel on hospital security camera" from Heavenly Angel visits dying girl, Angel caught on video!
"Two Women Seeing Angel" and "Angel by Car" from Angels and Demons Captured on Film
"Angel on the Water" from Real Angels Caught on Tape.

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Supernatural Power for All Disciples

Peter and John Healing the Lame Man

Have you ever noticed that some Scriptures seem to indicate that in the early church only the apostles functioned in the supernatural? And then there are other Scriptures that show that all believers can do so. Let’s examine those in order to determine whether they are limited to the apostles or for all.

First we will look at the ones that show how God’s supernatural power seemed to be limited. Then we will look at the ones that show us how all believers can function this way. Let me encourage you to put aside all your existing ideas, as well as anything you have been taught, and just let the Word speak for itself.

Power limited to the apostles
Jesus told the apostles gathered with Him just before his ascension, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (Act 1:8)

Luke’s account of the early church reveals that the apostles were functioning in the supernatural. “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico.” (Act 5:12) However, we do not see any record that signs and wonders were taking place at the hands of the thousands of other disciples in the early church – just the apostles.

Although at least 5,000 people believed in Christ in Jerusalem during the early days of the church, it was the apostles who were giving testimony with great power. “And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.” (Act 4:33)

Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow

In those days, there were constantly multitudes of people added to the church. Yet did they bring their sick to any one of the thousands of disciples for prayer and healing? No, they looked to Peter. Luke states, “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.” (Act 5:14-15). It was Peter’s shadow they were hoping would fall on one of the sick, so that they would be healed. This seems like a unique sign that followed His apostolic ministry.

Luke states the general sense of awe in the church at that time. “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” (Act 2:43). Again, notice how there were many signs and wonders taking place specifically through the apostles. No mention is made that these were taking place through every member of the church. In fact, in this passage, no mention is made of signs and wonders taking place through anyone else but the apostles.

Paul Healing the Cripple at Lystra

In the accounts of the apostle Paul’s missionary journeys, we find that he performed many miraculous signs and wonders. In addition to healings, miracles, and casting out demons, there was even miraculous power connected with articles that belonged to him. Luke write, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.” (Act 19:11-12). It’s amazing what God did through Paul. Yet throughout the biblical accounts of his ministry, we don’t find similar accounts about such things happening through his companions. We never read about the apostle Barnabas, nor Silas, nor Priscilla and Aquilla, nor Apollos, nor Timothy, nor Titus performing signs and wonders.

Paul taught the Corinthians about the gifts God has appointed in the church. He wrote: “And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.”(1Co 12:28) It was obvious from the context that these gifts were given to individuals, and they are not all given to every believer.

In this same context, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?” (1Co 12:29-30). These were rhetorical questions, and the answer was obviously negative. Everyone is obviously not an apostle, and neither is every believer a prophet, a teacher, or a miracle worker. Not every member of the Body has gifts of healing, speaks in tongues, or interprets tongues either.

Luke records in his account how the baptism of the Holy Spirit was bestowed at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, and Simon the sorcerer’s response to seeing this. Luke wrote: “Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’” (Act 8:17-19)

It was the apostles who laid hands on the servants chosen to distribute food to the widows in the early church community. “And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.” (Act 6:6)

The Lord initially spoke the message of salvation Himself. But those, who heard Him speak, later confirmed the message to others by signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit that God did through those people. The writer of Hebrews stated, “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” (Heb 2:2-4). This passage could be used to show how the Lord gave signs and wonders to confirm His Word spoken by the apostles, the ones who initially heard Jesus.

Paul explained that all the members in the Body do not have the same function. He wrote to the Romans, “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Rom 12:4-8). He explained that each one has different gifts, and he mentions some of them given to the members of the Body, including prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, and showing mercy. God did not paint us all one color. He did not make every member of the Body to have the same gifts.

These signs will accompany those who have believed
Up to this point, if we had only read the Scriptures I cited above, we might believe that the supernatural power was limited to the first apostles. But if the Lord had limited the spiritual gifts, signs and wonders to the first apostles, then the Great Commission would have also been limited to them. When Jesus told them that they would be His witnesses, He also told them to first wait until they baptized with the Holy Spirit, so that they could be endued with all power they would need. Receiving power must precede being His witnesses.

The apostles had already walked with Jesus for over three years, seen Him with their eyes perform miracles, and heard Him teach. They ate with Him and prayed with Him. He had previously commissioned them along with the seventy disciples, while he was with them, to go and preach. They had already cast out demons and healed the sick. They even saw Him after He was resurrected from death! So if those, who were privileged to have such prior experiences, needed to be endued with power to be His witnesses, you can be sure that every other disciple without such experiences must also receive the power of the Holy Spirit. If it was necessary for the first apostles to receive power in order to be His witnesses, then it is certainly necessary in order for anyone else to be His witness.   If Jesus limited that power to the first apostles, then how could He expect the successive generations of people in the church who came after them to fulfill the Great Commission?

We can be certain that there was no such limitation of power. Mark’s gospel ends with the following words of Jesus: “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’ So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed." (Mar 16:15-20)

In this passage, Jesus said that those who have believed will be accompanied by signs that include the following: in Jesus’ name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. This shows us that it is the Lord’s will to confirm His word by signs that follow it whenever it is preached. It proves that signs and wonders are essential in order to fulfill the Great Commission, and those who have believed will perform these, not just apostles.

One Scriptural example of this is Philip. He went to Samaria to preach Christ, when the church was scattered through Saul’s persecution. “Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was much rejoicing in that city.” (Act 8:4-8). The Bible tells us that he was a man full of the Holy Spirit. The one connection we can make between Philip and the apostles is that they had laid their hands on him when they appointed him as one of the seven to distribute food to the widows. However, he himself was not an apostle. Yet when he preached, he also performed signs and wonders that included miracles, healings, and casting out demons.

In one situation, Philip was even supernaturally transported through space. After he had led the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ on the desert road to Gaza, and baptized him, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away and carried him to Azotus. “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.” (Act 8:39-40). So we can clearly see from Scripture that the Lord performed signs and wonders through others besides the apostles.

Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit after He went to the Father, and that the Spirit’s power would be given, so that believers could do the works that He did. He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (Joh 14:12). This promise is for those who believe in Jesus, just as Jesus said when He gave the great commission as recorded in Mark’s gospel. It’s not limited to apostles only.

In Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians, he gave a more complete list of spiritual gifts that are given to the various members of the Body: “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” (1Co 12:1-11) Paul referred to these supernatural signs and wonders as both gifts (Greek, charisma) and manifestations (Greek, phanerosis). It is very clear from this passage that the Lord has distributed these among the various members of the Body, and they are not all given to one person or even to a select few.

After explaining the spiritual gifts in detail to the Corinthian church, and teaching that some gifts are greater than others, because they build others up, Paul exhorted them to earnest desire the greater gifts. He wrote: “But earnestly desire the greater gifts.” (1Co 12:31a). The words in the original language reflect that all believers should covet these greater gifts and should be very zealous to function in them, even with a white-hot passion in their hearts. He repeats this exhortation again a second time, saying, “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1Co 14:1). Paul acknowledged that the members of the Corinthian church were all zealous for spiritual gifts, and he encouraged them in that pursuit. Paul repeated his exhortation to them yet a third time, saying, “So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.” (1Co 14:12) Since this is repeated three times, we can assume it is important for us. The Lord wants each disciple to passionately desire the spiritual gifts in our lives, especially prophecy, which is so important for edifying others.   Paul’s message to the Corinthians is still the same for us today. We should seek to abound for the edification of the church, and ask the Lord for the specific gifts we would like to have in order to do so. That’s a godly pursuit the Lord will surely honor!

Putting it All Together
It’s clear from Scripture that the Lord desires to confirm the message of salvation with signs and wonders, whenever it is preached. These manifestations of power are essential, in order to be a witness for Christ to the ends of the earth and complete the Great Commission. The Lord also desires to give gifts to members of the Body, so that they can build themselves up, but especially so they can build up the rest of the Body.

Initially all one hundred twenty disciples in the upper room, which included the apostles, received the gift of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. However, as I have explained more fully in my previous post, called “Baptized with the Spirit,” whenever disciples anywhere were baptized with the Holy Spirit, they received the same kind of power as the apostles and other disciples did initially in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. They experienced manifestations of God’s power, such as speaking in tongues and prophecy.

The gift of the Holy Spirit was clearly not limited to the apostles, although the early accounts highlight how they were the ones who primarily functioned in the supernatural. Jesus promised that he who believes in Him will do the works He did! While not all members of the Body have the same gifts, and not everyone functions in all the gifts, these gifts are available to all believers. In fact, not only are they available to us all, but we are also exhorted to earnestly seek the greater spiritual gifts that lead to the edification of the Body.

Let me encourage you today to do this. First of all, if you have never been baptized with the Holy Spirit, then you have not yet received a very important gift that God wants to give you. Begin by praying to be baptized in the Spirit. If you want to understand this gift better, you can read my above-mentioned blog on the topic.

Once you have been baptized with the Spirit, go before the Lord in prayer with a burning, passionate desire in your heart to edify the Body. There may be specific gifts that you would really like to have in order to bless others. Ask Him specifically to give you those gifts, and tell Him why you want them. Then wait expectantly for the Holy Spirit to manifest them in you with all His omnipotent and enabling power. And don’t forget to have faith. When you ask, believe that you have received what you asked for, and it will be given to you. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The image of Peter and John Healing the Lame Man is an Oil on canvas painting done by Nicolas Poussin is France. The picture was painted in 1655 for a Monseur Mercier of Lyons. This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 620 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The image of Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow is a fresco painted in 1426-27 by Masaccio, who was originally named Tommaso Cassai and born in San Giovanni Valdarno. The fresco is located at a chapel called Cappella Brancacci, in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy. The image of Paul Healing the Cripple at Lystra is an oil on canvas painted by Karel Dujardin around 1663. The artwork is on display at Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. I recommend reading Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased? and The Name of Jesus. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

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