THE HOLY SPIRIT - IX (The Teacher)

WBS.189

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - IX

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift IAUE can give to His children.  He does not want us to receive the Holy Spirit and become callous toward Him and disregard His presence within us.  He also does not want us to receive His gift and be intimidated by its power and capabilities.  He wants us to receive His Spirit and rise to the occasion, allowing the Spirit of IAUE to do through us what He did through Yahushua.  He wants the Kingdom of IAUE to be manifest in our lives everywhere we go, and to influence everything we do.  He wants us to be one with Him; and to understand what that means.

We are to be the salt of the earth, preserving righteousness within the society.  We are to be the light of the world, providing a living example of what righteousness looks like; and shining a pathway for all men to come to Messiah.  We are to be a people the lost of this world point to and say, “The Kingdom of IAUE is there…inside of them!” 

Salt and light are influences borne of the righteousness that is already inside of us who are in Messiah; but we do not preserve our society, nor do we shine righteousness until it is enabled to be released from our lives. The recent series we have done, Renewing the Mind and The Transformation of the Soul, ultimately have been dedicated to this objective; but this blog, and these posts, are just my words. 

Hopefully, you have sensed the Holy Spirit speaking through my words; but I make no claim beyond these posts being my words, written from the wealth of knowledge and wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit has taught me through the years. This is the next aspect of the Holy Spirit’s ministry that I want to discuss:  The Holy Spirit is our Teacher.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

When it says “he shall teach you all things,” this verse also tells us what the “all things” are: “and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

Now, while it is still fresh in our minds from the paragraphs above; let me ask you.  What does it mean for you to be salt and light?  What does it mean for you to be the manifestation of the Kingdom of IAUE; and how are these things worked out in your lives?  Is it because of how you act, or what you say, or is it the choices you make or the things you do?  How do you sprinkle your salt or shine your light?  Are you going to just sit in a pew and let someone tell you? Are you going to be content to read a blog and just believe what it says, or are you like many who just read the latest book that becomes the hot item in the Christian bookstore, and believe it because it wouldn’t be so popular if it were not true?  Where does the ministry of the Holy Spirit enter into your answer? 

James warns people against becoming teachers; because we have the greater condemnation (James 3:1-2). Those who teach, whether from a pulpit or from a book or a blog, have the greatest potential of offending others by their words.  That offense is not just turning people off from what they are saying because it disagrees with what they believe or suggests they make a change in their lives they are not willing to make; it also includes saying things that they embrace and make a part of their life; but they were the wrong words; and despite this, the Scripture tells us plainly that we are given teachers to help us grow up in Messiah (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11, 1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 2:2, 2 Timothy 1:11, Titus 2:3-4, Hebrews 5:12).  You should never embrace the teaching ministry of someone, placing blind confidence in their understanding of Scripture and just accept whatever they say.  Even if you are receiving the confirming witness of the Holy Spirit to their words, you absolutely should take what they say to the Scriptures to confirm that what they are teaching is the Truth.  The people in Berea did not take Paul’s words for “gospel,” until they saw it in the Scripture.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Even though Messiah has provided for there to be teachers in the body; even though He indicates that we should all mature on schedule to be able to begin teaching others at some point in our own walk in Him; no one can take the place of the Holy Spirit in this ministry.

1  Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of IAUE; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of IAUE.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of IAUE: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Notice in this passage of Scripture that the Holy Spirit is given to man to enable us to know the things that are freely given to us of IAUE; but if we learn of those things through the words of a man (a human teacher), that teacher first have been taught by the Holy Spirit.  Then he must communicate those things with spiritual words inspired by the Holy Spirit if we are to profit from his words; otherwise, we must learn of them from the Holy Spirit directly.  Why is this?  It is because the things which are freely given to us of IAUE “are spiritually discerned.”  It must first be revealed within our spirit; then that revelation will make its way through our conscience, to our understanding, and then to be embraced by our soul.  The natural man has no such process because his spirit is disconnected from the life and light of IAUE.

We have observed from the Scripture in recent weeks that the Holy Spirit testifies to us of the Master.  He takes the things of Messiah and shows them unto us.  He is constantly magnifying and bringing glory to Yahushua Messiah, because that brings glory to IAUE. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to be a constant conduit of the flow of the things of Messiah into our lives; and yet, most people sitting in pews on Sunday morning have never even received the Holy Spirit into their lives.  They sit and listen and go home and forget what manner of person they are (James 1:22-24).  What good is it to have a teacher if we never let him teach?

There are two things that most professing Christians would rather listen to fingernails being scraped across a blackboard than commit any time to doing.  That is prayer and study of the Scriptures.  Our opening verse for today’s post says that the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance the things that Messiah has said.  You cannot be reminded of something you have never heard.  If you do not spend time in the Scriptures to allow the Holy Spirit to teach you, then you have no reservoir of Truth from which the Holy Spirit may provide you with wisdom and understanding in your daily walk; or in those critical times when you need to know what to do or say right now.  We must spend time in the Scriptures, reading the words and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit in order to provide Him with the material to “remind” us at the time we need it.

Several times during the course of this blog, I have mentioned that the words on the page of the Scriptures are like watching an advertisement on television or in a magazine.  You can become extremely familiar with all the attributes of the product; but until you actually purchase and experience the product you only have the advertisement in our life.  If a person tells you all about a juicy steak dinner being offered by some restaurant; but he has never eaten the meal, but you have; you KNOW he is speaking only of the ad and has never experienced the steak dinner.  He can never describe the meal in the way that you can.

That is true of doctrine or any teaching you learn from reading the words of Scripture.  The words are vessels full of the Spirit of IAUE.  If you only tap the words and not the Spirit, you never acquire the product, and the Truth will not set you free.  When we read or study the Scriptures, the words on the page should serve as a platform for listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit to bring revelation of the things of Yahushua to our spirit.  The words without the Spirit is just academic information anyone can learn…even the lost can know what is written in black and white.  The words on the page alone is not what is not spiritually discerned.  The voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us the meaning of the words on the page is.  The words combined with the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit teaching us all things, is life.

1 John 2: 27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

There are those who would say they can’t understand the Bible.  They need to be born again and receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of IAUE.  If a man has the Holy Spirit, he does not need to be taught of man.  If one has the Holy Spirit in his/her life, their intellectual ability or lack thereof is not relevant to understanding Truth.  That is the job of the Holy Spirit, to teach us all things and to bring to our remembrance the words of our Master Yahushua.

Frankly, this has been to me the most exciting aspect of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life for the past 42 years.  Since I received the Holy Spirit, it has been next to impossible for me to pick up the Scriptures and read more than a verse or two before the Holy Spirit is already opening up insights and revelations into the Word of IAUE; but then, I EXPECT to hear Him speaking to me, teaching me.  I come to the Scriptures as a student full of expectation that the Teacher will show me all things that my Master has for me.

The word for “disciple” throughout the New Testament is “mathetes,” which means “a pupil, a student.”  If we are to be disciples, we are to maintain a position before our Master as one who is ever learning; we must understand that all students, all pupils, have one thing in common.  They all have a teacher.

I challenge you to open your Bible to your favorite chapter of Scripture; and before you read it, say with expectation, “Holy Spirit, Sir, teach me and show me what you want me to see in this chapter of Scripture.”  Then humble yourself to your Teacher and read the Scripture with your heart attentive to His voice.  I suspect that the Teacher will absolutely amaze you.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT - VIII (The Gift of IAUE)

WBS.188

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - VIII

Luke 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

This life is about a conflict of Kingdoms.  Most disciples never quite “get it.”  This isn’t about getting “saved” and “going to Heaven when you die.”  This isn’t about seeing who can prosper the most in this world and die with the most toys.  It is about allegiance, commitment, loyalty, service and, yes, it is about combat.  It is about rescuing men and women from a dark kingdom, and bringing them into the light.  The wonderful thing is, there is no power or authority that can stand against the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of the Might of IAUE, Himself.

Over the past three weeks we have discussed the reason why Messiah told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem.  Before they did anything to propagate the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven, they needed to be endued with the power of the Kingdom of Heaven in order to demonstrate the nature and power and supremacy of the Kingdom of Heaven to their audience.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of Elohim should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of Elohim cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of Elohim is within you.

Before we discuss more aspects of the nature of the Holy Spirit and further examine His ministry to us and through us; it is important that we understand the Father’s perspective on the Holy Spirit in our lives.  This is a concept that is often overlooked by the church.  Notice how the Master referred to Him in one of his last messages to his disciples before ascending to sit at the right hand of IAUE.

Luke 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you…

Here, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “the promise” of IAUE.  We find that also in the following Scriptures.

Acts 1:4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

Acts 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of IAUE exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as IAUE our Elohim shall call.

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Yahushua Messiah; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Holy Spirit is referred to as “the promise” of IAUE. This word “promise” (epaggelia) does not mean “to make a promise” in the sense of the word’s usage in the English language, today. (i.e., I promise to pick you up at 6:00 PM, today.  I promise to buy you an ice cream cone if you come with me.  I promise not to do that again.  Such usage means to guarantee something.)  Epaggelia means “to announce, or to declare one’s intention.”  In that sense, by virtue of it being the intention of IAUE, we can understand it to have roughly the same consequence as a promise; but what is really happening in this usage is the Father is revealing what His intention is regarding the Holy Spirit and His man.

Let’s look at another way IAUE perceives of the Holy Spirit with respect to His man.

John 4:10  Yahushua answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of IAUE, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:2 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of IAUE may be purchased with money.

Acts 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 11:17  Forasmuch then as IAUE gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Master Yahushua Messiah; what was I, that I could withstand IAUE?

1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of IAUE, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

The Holy Spirit is the GIFT of IAUE.  Stated more plainly, the Holy Spirit is the “present” IAUE desires to give to man.  [Because of the common use of the term “the free gift” (which refers to eternal life and not to the Holy Spirit), we need to clarify that the Holy Spirit is a present from IAUE; not the unmerited and unearned bestowal of eternal life given in response to faith in Messiah Yahushua.]  The Holy Spirit is something IAUE earnestly desires to give to man.  He has repeatedly declared His intention to do so; but there is a reason why He cannot arbitrarily give man this present. 

Yahushua explained in a parable (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37) that you cannot put new wine in an old wine skin.  The two are not compatible.  New wine in an old wine skin will cause the old skin to burst.  You must first have a new wine skin before you can receive the new wine.  Man is not qualified to contain the gift of IAUE until he is born again…until he becomes a new wine skin.  This is why when the masses were hearing the 120 disciples speaking in tongues and every man was hearing the praises and mighty works of IAUE in their own language (Acts 2); they were told by Peter that this is what Joel the prophet had declared centuries earlier…that IAUE would pour out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh.  This is why, when the masses asked Peter what they must do; he said they first had to repent.  Then they needed to be baptized in water.  If they would do that, they would become new wine skins and they could receive the gift of IAUE.

In Acts 8, we see where Phillip fled to Samaria to escape the persecution in Jerusalem. There he preached to the people about the Kingdom of IAUE and the name of Yahushua; and he healed their sick and cast out demons.  In response, the people repented and were baptized; but they did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came up from Jerusalem and laid their hands on them.  I share this passage of Scripture simply to note the distinction between being born again, and receiving the Holy Spirit.  They are not simultaneous experiences; and unfortunately, they have become so separated from each other that the majority of Christians, today, have never received new wine into their new wine skins.  This is why the church throughout the world today, for the most part, is powerless; and why they hear the Word of IAUE Sunday after Sunday and do not DO the Word of IAUE.  They have no faith to do the works of IAUE because they have no power/might to do the works of IAUE.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of IAUE.  The Holy Spirit is the very essence and life force of IAUE.  IAUE earnestly desires for man to become one with Him.  It is His declared intention…His promise.  The Holy Spirit is the present of IAUE that demonstrates His great benevolence, kindness, goodness and love which He has for man.

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Ultimately, when we understand the objective of IAUE regarding His Holy Spirit, we see that the sacrifice of His Son on man’s behalf was not just to forgive man of sin. It was not just to provide for man to be born again.  The true objective was to redeem man unto a condition where IAUE could GIVE man His Spirit.  Forgiveness and the new birth were necessary to make that possible.  Man had to become a new wine skin; and what is the purpose of a new wine skin?  It is to hold new wine.

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

IAUE resolved through the course of millennia of human history the outworking of a plan revealed as early as Genesis 3, that He would redeem man so His Spirit could be in man; so man could again be one with Him.

The sad thing is, even for disciples who have received the gift of IAUE, many/most have little regard or respect for the Holy Spirit within them.  It is not unlike a person who is given a gift of a priceless Ming vase; and they toss it in the back seat of their car and drive home with it.  They treat it as something common; failing to recognize the value of the gift.  It is like discovering you have a Rembrandt painting in your attic only to leave it there to collect dust. 

We do not recognize the value of the gift of IAUE.  We do not understand that the very intention declared by IAUE that He has made the Holy Spirit available to us assigns to the gift a greater value than we can even measure.  We do not begin to comprehend the purposes for which IAUE has bestowed this gift upon us. 

Have you ever experienced a time when you received an abundance of cash, far more than you ever would consider carrying with you?  Maybe it was a couple of hundred dollars; or a thousand dollars, or ten thousand dollars.  Do you remember how you felt walking out of the door with all of that money in your pocket?  You were so conscious of it being in your wallet, being in your possession.  You knew that everyone would want it if they could get their hands on it. Everywhere you went, every store you entered, every place you stopped, you were conscious of the large amount of money you were carrying.  You would not rest comfortably until you got home to put it away, or got to the bank to deposit it.  That amount of money transcended the level at which your life was comfortably experienced.  Let’s say that was $1,000.00 that you were carrying.  There are those who carry that much money on their person all the time.  They don’t think twice about it.  Why?  It is because their life has risen to the level in the world where that is not considered a great enough sum to be concerned what others might do if they knew they had it on them.  They have not lost respect for the value of $1,000.00.  They have simply learned to live at a level where carrying that much money is useful to them.  They operate their life at that level.

The value and ability of the Holy Spirit so far transcends a large amount of cash. The Father would have our lives ascend to embrace the value of the Holy Spirit and to walk conscious of Him inside of us, fully in agreement with what He wants to say or do through us.  IAUE wants us to recognize that as His sons and daughters, WE are a people who should be comfortable with carrying on our person something of such great value; and to live our lives on that level.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of IAUE, and not of us.

The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift IAUE can give to His children.  He does not want us to receive the Holy Spirit and become callous toward Him and disregard His presence within us.  He also does not want us to receive His gift and be intimidated by its power and capabilities.  He wants us to receive His Spirit and rise to the occasion, allowing the Spirit of IAUE to do through us what He did through Yahushua.  He wants the Kingdom of IAUE to be manifest in our lives everywhere we go, and to influence everything we do.  He wants us to be one with Him; and to understand what that means.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT - VII (The Spirit of Might - 3)

WBS.187

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - VII

1 Corinthians 2:  And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of IAUE.

2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Yahushua Messiah, and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of IAUE.

How do you get to the love of IAUE?  You get there through the Spirit of IAUE’s might who conquers every enemy of IAUE in your life.  Disciples, we must move past this idea of the Holy Spirit simply being a comforter to us.  We should be the comforters of those around us by demonstrating the Spirit of Might who is in our lives; setting the captives free and advancing the gospel while the Kingdom is still approaching.  Once it is here, there is no longer time for the lost to be found in right standing with the King.

We have been studying the nature and aspects of the Holy Spirit.  This is our third week examining what it means for Him to be the Spirit of Might (the Spirit of Power).  The Scripture’s focus on the power of the Holy Spirit is His superiority over the enemy’s might and ability.  Now, I know I have been saying things you have never heard, and possibly have never imagined; but isn’t that what we saw the Scriptures teach us regarding the Holy Spirit?  He would show us things which IAUE has prepared for us who love Him; things that eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to imagine.

These things are not hidden to us.  In fact, they are in plain sight in the Scriptures.  We have been too timid or fearful to believe them.  What do you suppose would happen if we stepped out of that timidity and fear and acted on the Word of IAUE?  Do you suppose we would experience the same kind of miraculous consequence we experienced when we dared to believe that IAUE sent His Son to die in our place to cut a new covenant with Him and then open the door to all who would believe upon Him?  What happened when we dared to believe the Word of IAUE regarding the Savior?  We were transformed.  Our spirit was united with the Spirit of Yahushua, and the life and light of IAUE came flooding into our hearts for the very first time.  All we did was act on a single verse of Scripture, John 3:16.  The Scripture says that when we first trusted in Messiah, IAUE exercised the exact same POWER toward us that He did when He raised Yahushua from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). And what, exactly did that POWER do to us?

Colossians 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

The Spirit of Might delivered us, rescued us out of the grasp and hold of the enemy of our soul.  He conquered and overwhelmed the darkness’ authority over our lives and plucking us out of darkness, He placed us into the Kingdom of Light.  This was the act of a warrior.  This was a demonstration of a conqueror’s invincible power. It happened when we dared to believe the Word of IAUE; and we did not even know what to expect to happen.  We certainly had no control over what would happen.  We simply dared to believe.  Everything else, absolutely EVERYTHING else was not OUR part to do.  It was the Spirit of Might acting on or behalf, activated to demonstrate The invincible might of IAUE.

The gospel, in its purest form, is “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  So, the messengers of that gospel do not expect you to believe them because they say so.  They expect you to believe it because of a demonstration of the Spirit of Might, so you can know that you are dealing with a power that is great enough to separate you from and deliver you from every single hold and assault of the enemy against your life. 

1 Corinthians 2:  And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of IAUE.

2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Yahushua Messiah, and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of IAUE.

This is a pretty well-known passage of Scripture; and yet, it does not seem to have much impact on our preachers and evangelists, today.  Completely contrary to this principle of Paul, virtually all contemporary preachers and teachers and so-called evangelists absolutely DO expect you to believe in their wisely and cleverly crafted words and stories.  They expect you to make a life-changing decision based exclusively upon your readiness to believe that what they are telling you is true. The problem is, there is only one way they can PROVE that what they are saying is true; and that is by a demonstration of the Spirit of Might. 

Let’s look at a few more examples of the Spirit of Might in the New Testament.

Romans 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

2 Timothy 1:7  For IAUE hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

The Spirit of Might overthrows the enemy’ greatest weapon against man:  fear.  When we draw upon this aspect of the Holy Spirit and He eradicates our fear, we will no longer be too timid to act upon the Word of IAUE and to begin doing what we have always been expected to do.

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of IAUE dwell in you… 

The Spirit of Might is the overcoming power of IAUE that delivers us from our own flesh.

2 Corinthians 3:17  Now IAUE is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of IAUE is, there is liberty.

The Holy Spirit brings freedom, not bondage.  He is a deliverer from evil.  He is not a consoler in the midst of evil.  Why would the Holy Spirit attempt to console you while you muddle around in sin and sickness and disease and wrong thinking and fear?  He is the power of IAUE to destroy the works of the enemy.

Romans 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of IAUE; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Messiah.

Notice what the apostle Paul says in this verse.  Late in his ministry, he tells the disciples in Rome that he has fully preached the gospel of Messiah; but HOW, did he preach the gospel?  “Through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of IAUE.”  He preached the gospel by demonstrating the might of the kingdom of IAUE.  It does not require many words to communicate the conquering power and authority of the coming King when once you have demonstrated it. 

Let me use an illustration from any number of movies or TV shows you have likely seen.  How many times have you watched a representative of a coming army or faction enter a city and try to explain that their people are coming and everyone needs to be prepared to show full obedience and compliance?  There is resistance at first; but the moment one of the representatives pulls out and fires a sophisticated weapon using technology so superior to what the people can even imagine, there is an immediate breaking of the will and a readiness to submit.  What caused the change?  It was a demonstration of the power of the coming force.

The world is in the kingdom of darkness, and their every decision in life is influenced by fear.  If you go into their cities and villages and say, “The King is coming. Repent and obey the king,” they are going to wonder why they should risk angering the harsh taskmaster who currently rules their life.  Why should they risk standing out and becoming the focus of his wicked retaliation simply because you say they should do so?  When you destroy the works of the devil before their eyes, they see that the power and might of your King is great enough to free them from their current bondage and set them free and protected against the devil’s retribution.

This life is about a conflict of Kingdoms.  Most disciples never quite “get it.”  This isn’t about getting “saved” and “going to Heaven when you die.”  This isn’t about seeing who can prosper the most in this world and die with the most toys.  It is about allegiance, commitment, loyalty, service and, yes, it is about combat.  It is about rescuing men and women from a dark kingdom, and bringing them into the light.  The wonderful thing is, there is no power or authority that can stand against the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of the Might of IAUE, Himself.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT - VI (The Spirit of Might - 2)

WBS.186

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - VI

Exodus 32:17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

Might relates to one’s ability to overpower and to overthrow another’s kingdom and to maintain mastery over it once it has been conquered. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Might.  He is the power of IAUE to conquer any enemy kingdom, and to overthrow its works.

Last week, we began our investigation into one aspect of the Holy Spirit as defined by the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah 11:2); that He is the Spirit of MIGHT.

Personally, I believe it is the mistranslation of the Greek word “parakletos” in the Gospel of John that has worked to conceal this aspect of the Holy Spirit. (In fairness to the original translators, the word “Comforter” did not mean 400 years ago, what it does today.) The idea of the Holy Spirit being our “comforter” is extraordinarily misleading; and calms us to the point of inactivity.  It is a selfish concept that caters to our flesh.  IAUE did not send His Spirit to stroke our hair and say, “There, there, my little one.  Don’t worry.  Everything will be okay.”  No, He sent His MIGHT unto us so that WE can destroy the works of the enemy of man’s soul and never need to have another to have to console us.   

Exodus 32:17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

The very first time in Scripture that this word “might” (geburah) is used is found in this passage.  These verses occur when Moses descended from Mt. Sinai after having met with IAUE to receive the tablets of the Ten Commandments.  Waiting for him at a lower level of the mountain was Joshua.  There was a tumultuous noise in the camp of Israel below; and Joshua thought it sounded like the sounds of war.  Moses explained that the noise was not the “shout for mastery.”  This word “mastery” is *geburah.”  In this context it refers to the shouts of triumph that would come from an army having conquered its enemy in battle.

The first focus of power/might when relating it to the Spirit of Might, is that the Holy Spirit is the might of IAUE to conquer the enemy.  NO enemy can stand before the Might of IAUE.  No army can stand before His army.  It isn’t even a contest. The chariots alone of IAUE are “ten thousand time ten thousand and thousands of thousands.” That is over 100 million chariots; and these are just the angels of IAUE.  The might of His angelic host cannot be put down by any enemy in existence; and yet this angelic might does not compare to the might of IAUE’ own Spirit; and He gave HIS Spirit unto us.  He also gave His angels to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:13-14); so we have the might of the Holy Spirit working through us; and the might of IAUE’s armies working around us and for us.  Why would we ever need a “comforter?”  We are empowered to comfort the lost, the hurting, the afflicted and the downcast.  We are empowered to set the captives free.  It is not we who need a comforter; it is those who are still oppressed by the enemy that our Master Yahushua conquered.

Acts 1:8  And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you…

The disciples and apostles of the Master were told NOT to go out and begin preaching the gospel, yet.  They were instructed to wait until they received the enablement of the Spirit.  Specifically, they were told to anticipate the Spirit of Might to come upon them; the Spirit against which no enemy can stand?  Is that how you think of yourself as a disciple of Messiah?  Do you think yourself weak in the face of the enemy?  Do you see yourself “under the circumstances” of life; or do you see yourself united with a conqueror against which all circumstances must bow and pay homage?

We need our minds renewed to comprehend how great the Father’s gift is to us; and to know exactly WHY He sent us His own Spirit.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of IAUE is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of IAUE.  (Yeshayahu 61:1-2)

Remember, we mentioned this passage last week. The Spirit of IAUE was upon Yahushua.  What did the Spirit enable the Master to do?  Through Yahushua, the Spirit healed all manner of sickness and disease releasing the brokenhearted from their hopeless conditions, brought liberty to those held captive by demonic forces, opened the eyes of the blind, freed man from the works of the devil.  In what capacity do we see the Spirit of IAUE doing these things through the Master?  It is as the Spirit of Might.  The power of the Holy Spirit was focused on one thing:  overthrowing the enemy and ruling in conquest over him.

Acts 10:38  How IAUE anointed Yahusua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for IAUE was with him. 

In 1971, I was a student at the University of Texas.  I had become a member of an interdenominational Christian singing group called The Samaritans.  The director’s wife wanted the group to host a Bible study for the group; and she decided they would study the Book of Acts.  On that first evening, they reached this verse.

Acts 1:8  And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you…

It did not even register upon them; and they proceeded to read the next verse, when I stopped them and asked the simple question, “What kind of power do you suppose he was talking about?”  The answers the attendees offered were indicative of the blindness imposed upon them by their various denominations.

“I could not make it through the day without the power of the Holy Spirit.”

“I could not get through all my classes without the power of the Holy Spirit.”

“Without the power of the Holy Spirit I don’t know how I could do my classes and work.”

Every answer was self-centered.  The power was defined in the comfort they received from the Holy Spirit.  Every answer was also a result that was being achieved by 50,000 other students at the University who did not even know Messiah or the Spirit of IAUE.  Those who did not know Messiah were getting through the day, getting through their classes, were getting through school work and their jobs; and that is exactly what I told them.  So, they asked me what I thought it meant.  They really didn’t even have room in their heads for my answer.  They simply had no concept of the power to which this verse referred.  I answered, “I think to answer the question, you have to look at what they did after they received the Holy Spirit.  They healed the sick, they healed the lame, they raised the dead, they cast out demons, and they destroyed the works of the devil.”  Within the weeks to follow, every member of that Bible study either left the group, or they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to do the works of Yahushua in their lives.

The Spirit of IAUE is the Spirit of Might.  The power of the Spirit is an overcoming power.  It is a warring power.  It is a power that is vehemently and aggressively opposed to the works of the devil. It is a power that smites its enemy and puts it down, and rules over it, giving it absolutely no chance.  It does not negotiate with its enemy. It destroys its enemy.

What was the gospel message in its purest and simplest form?

Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The gospel was a command to repent…to cease disobeying the will of IAUE and His right to rule.  They were, after all, the people called by His name.  Messiah’s gospel was a warning that the Kingdom of IAUE was close at hand.  Consider it as if someone ran into your town and began screaming at the top of his lungs, “His army is approaching!  They are 30 miles away and coming this way!”  Now let’s also consider that you KNOW the crier is talking about the King whose domain includes the land upon which you live; and you KNOW that his army is  invincible; and though the King is renowned for his benevolence, goodness and mercy, He had one simple rule.  Do his will.  Doing his will is exactly what you have NOT been doing.  So, the good news rings out, “Repent.”  It is a chance, an opportunity to be restored into right relationship with the King.  If we accomplish that restoration, we need not fear the approaching army; for we will be recognized as the faithful and true.

Mark 6: 7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

How did Messiah preach this gospel?  How did he teach his disciples to proclaim it?  He did it by demonstrating the Spirit of Might.  Both he and his disciples demonstrated the benevolence, the goodness and the mercy of the King by setting the people free of the works of the enemy that had twisted their minds and their bodies away from loving the King and doing His will.  They demonstrated the nature of the King; that He was not desirous of judging them for their wickedness.  They could be embraced by His love if they simply repented and let Him love them.

How do you get to the love of IAUE?  You get there through the Spirit of IAUE’s might who conquers every enemy of IAUE in your life.  Disciples, we must move past this idea of the Holy Spirit simply being a comforter to us.  We should be the comforters of those around us by demonstrating the Spirit of Might who is in our lives; setting the captives free and advancing the gospel while the Kingdom is still approaching.  Once it is here, there is no longer time for the lost to be found in right standing with the King.

  

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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