WBS.196
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE HOLY
SPIRIT – XVI
The Holy Spirit and Good Works
Ephesians 2:10 For we are
his workmanship, created in Messiah Yahushua unto good works, which IAUE hath
before ordained that we should walk in them.
Two weeks ago, we discussed the anointing of
the Holy Spirit; that He anointed us to preach the gospel, to be witnesses. I
want to continue with that thought, today.
In our obedience to share our lives with
others, the power of the gospel will be present to heal, to deliver and to set
the captives free. The fear of man is
what keeps most believers from talking to others about Messiah, who he is, and
what he has done in their lives.
Consequently, most of the church is alien to the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Many years ago, Father sent me to participate
in a church fellowship in Austin, TX. It
was my intention to just sit quietly in the church services and intercede for
them; but within two or three weeks, the pastor asked me to be the leader of
one of their neighborhood home-groups. I
consented. The group leaders met with
the pastor on Saturday mornings to share what was going on their groups and to
draw support or answers from the rest of the group and the pastor if they had
any issues or questions.
One week, I announced in a Saturday
group-leaders’ meeting that I needed to leave early as I was to meet with a
group of people to discuss spiritual matters with them. After the following week’s Saturday meeting, we
were walking out of the church and one of the group leaders asked how my
meeting went last week. I told him that
there were eight people. The one person
who was not a Christian gave his life to Messiah and was born again. All eight of
them were filled with the Holy Spirit. I delivered prophetic words to two or
three of them; and one elderly lady who was deaf in one ear got her hearing
back. This young group leader said to
me, “One of these days we need to talk about that.” I asked him, “About what?” He replied, “We sit in there (pointing to the
church where we had just convened as leaders of the church) and we talk about
all of this; but you actually DO it.” I
looked at him and said, “The difference is, I expect it.”
This is exactly where the Christian church is
today. They hear of people here and
there around the globe that experience miracles of healing and deliverance, or
who just lead people to the Master; and they are wistful about it, wishing if
only it could happen in their lives.
Well, the only reason it doesn’t happen is because of disbelief.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than
these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
What is the only condition required of us in
this verse for the works of the Master, and even greater works, to be done in
our lives, today? It is belief. Consequently, what is the ONLY thing that
prevents the works of Yahushua from being done by us? It is unbelief. Yahushua’s part has long since been
done. He went to his Father nearly 2,000
years ago, and sent us the Holy Spirit.
So, if we use this one verse as a sort of text verse, we can readily
answer why we do not see healings, deliverances, and all manner of miracles working
through our lives. It is our
unbelief. We can say, “It is our
disobedience that we do not attempt to do the works of Yahushua,” but our
disobedience simply stems from unbelief.
If we believed, we would do.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship,
created in Messiah Yahushua unto good works, which IAUE hath before ordained
that we should walk in them.
Notice that Paul, to whom the revelation of
the mystery of the gospel of grace had been given, states plainly that we were
created UNTO good works; and that IAUE has “before ordained” that we should
walk in them. The word used in the Greek
for “before ordained” (proetoimazo) literally means that He has “prepared
them ahead of time” for us to do them.
That does not sound like we have much more of a responsibility than just
to call them into being. How complicated
is that? And yet, we somehow think that
we have to have a great measure of faith to cause a healing or deliverance or
miracle to happen. It isn’t about
us. It is about believing that IAUE has
already ordered it ahead of time. We
simply need to do our part to call into the natural world what has already been
predetermined in the spiritual world.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto
love and to good works:
When was the last time you did this? When was the last time you provoked someone
to love others or to do good works? Yes,
I know that “good works” can also be understood to include visiting the
fatherless and the widows in their times of need, to show generosity, to help
the helpless, etc.; but it absolutely and necessarily includes the
manifestations of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that accompanies our
testimony of the gospel.
James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast
faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew
thee my faith by my works.
Have you ever considered, in reading this
passage, to what good works James was referring? What works can a person do that would
demonstrate faith versus works that could be done by others requiring no faith
on their part? That pretty much reduces
this verse to referring to the effects of the anointing of the Holy Spirit to
heal, deliver and to set the captive free.
These are the works to which James is referring; and it is confirmed by
the taunt to the man who says he has faith without works. There is no way to show workless faith.
Galatians 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and
worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?
We get so caught up in Paul’s defense of the gospel
in this chapter that we do not see what is plainly stated. While our focus in
this chapter is drawn to our freedom from the law and our deliverance from the
curse of the law, we fail to see that Paul used as a proof of his message that
the people in their fellowship that work miracles are not working miracles by
their obedience to the law. They are
working miracles by their faith. How many
times have you read Galatians 3 and never noticed the casual manner in which
Paul refers to miracles being worked by them?
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.
Here is another verse that has gone unnoticed by
the church for centuries. Paul did not
just preach the gospel. Preaching (witnessing, sharing his testimony of the
Truth) was what the Holy Spirit anointed him to do; and signs and wonders
accompanied his message, quite literally, everywhere he preached.
1 Cor 2:4 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 was what Paul “expected” when he
witnessed everywhere. Yahushua had told
the disciples on the day of his ascension that his disciples would receive
power after the Holy Spirit had come upon them. He had trained them during his
three years together to understand that the Holy Spirit anoints you to preach…then
He releases His power to do signs and wonders.
Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere,
the Master working with them, and confirming
the word with signs following.
Amen.
T.L. Osborne was a minister of considerable
reputation, with signs and wonders following his ministry in scores of
different countries. He was in a meeting
of ministers one day, listening to them wail before IAUE asking for more power. His response was, “We don’t need more
power. We need more gospel.” There is no problem with power. There is a problem with preaching. We have all the power in the universe and
beyond residing within us by the Holy Spirit.
The one who actually created the universe is in our lives; so how can it
possibly be a lack of power that is the problem in the church. The problem rests with man’s unbelief. He refuses to be a witness. Well, if the Master and King of the Church
left us with the message that we would receive power after the Spirit comes
upon us; how then can power be an issue?
The power of the Spirit is released in the testimony
of Yahushua. The scripture says, “He shall glorify me.” (John 16:14) This is another
way of saying, “When you tell others about me, He will show off and confirm
your testimony with signs and wonders.”
Have you ever noticed in the Gospels and in the book of Acts, when a
notable miracle was performed, the people did not praise Yahushua, or the
apostles, or the disciples who worked the miracle. They glorified IAUE. The same will be true when we testify of
Yahushua and the Holy Spirit works signs and wonders through us to confirm the
message. The people will glorify
Yahushua; and this will bring glory to IAUE.
That’s the plan. We just need to
get out there and DO it.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
No comments:
Post a Comment