The Holy Spirit || Part 5
The Holy Spirit || Part 5
Day 4
John 16:7-16 NKJV
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”
Church, isn't in amazing that when the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire showed up it exposed those who had worldly and dangerous agendas as it did with Simon the sorcerer in Acts 19? Up until this time, Simon was traveling with Philip the evangelist. He was helping him in the ministry. He had been saved and water baptized but he had not been delivered from those demons.
Those demons and that dangerous agenda were able to hide and reside under the radar until the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire showed up. When this happened, immediately his agenda and the demonic oppression on his life was revealed.
That's why we refuse to allow this church to go down the complacent and lukewarm streams of humanism that other churches are going down. Yes, that may make you popular and yes, they may have some of the local officials attending, but without the Holy Spirit and fire showing up, those agendas, those dangerous agendas will continue to work in the church and end up destroying the place.
Beloved, isn't it mind blowing that the church of America has no issues with the other eight gifts of the Spirit. But when it comes to speaking in tongues all of a sudden there is a major resistance. I have never seen anyone get the left foot of fellowship because they moved in the gifts of healing. I've never seen anyone get kicked out of a church or asked to leave because they laid their hands on someone who was terminally ill of cancer and God healed that person. Can you imagine the leadership of a church telling someone, “You take your healing stuff and get out of here?”
I have never seen anyone get the left foot of fellowship because they moved in the gift of faith and supernaturally got the whole ministry out of debt. Can you imagine the leadership coming up to someone after that saying, “You get your faith stuff and get out of here?” I have never seen someone moving the gift of knowledge and it bring a breakthrough in the ministry and heaven come down over a church and they get the left foot of fellowship for it. Can you imagine the leadership coming to someone and saying, “You get your knowledge stuff and get out of here?
But I have seen more people of God get the left foot of fellowship from other people of God because of tongues than anything else. Why? Why is there such hostility against tongues and not the other eight gifts of the Spirit? One of the reasons can be found in 1 Corinthians 13:8-12. It is probably one of the most misquoted and misunderstood portions of scripture in the Bible.
“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
In many traditional denominations it is taught that what the apostle Paul is speaking of is the Bible when he says that which is perfect. Yes, the bible is perfect but that is not what he is speaking of. He is speaking of the day when we stand before Jesus. At that time, we will see him face to face and we will know just as we are known. Right now, we know in part.
Church, there is no one on the face of this earth that knows everything and knows as they are known. That means they know themselves as God knows them. We all know in part; we all see through a mirror dimly right now. But when we stand before Jesus, we will know all things. There will be no more mysteries, there will be no more wondering.
At that day, there will be no more need for the gifts of the Spirit. There will be no need for tongues (the speaking of mysteries). Why? There will be no more mysteries. There will be no more need for prophecy. Why? Everyone will already know as they are known by God. What are you going to prophesy? Who are you going to heal? What miracle are you going to work? What spirit will you have to discern between? You are in Heaven, and all is perfect!