Quotation: John, 7:38
Today, I would like to learn about the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who are within us, and intercedes with the LORD Jesus Christ and God our Father in Heaven for us. It is written on Ephesians, 5:18 Ephesians, 5:18
In a letter written by Paul, he ordered to churches in Ephesus, "be filled with the Spirit". Being filled with the Spirit is a special grace which all children of the God can ask to the Father. Without this, we can't live in a fruitful life, which is a purpose of our redemption, by keeping in the LORD Jesus, keeping His laws, Being filled with the Spirit is a privilege for Christians. The Holy Bible, which are words of the God, was written with a guidance of the Holy Spirit. So, we can't understand it without his help. We can't understand the Holy Spirit by a wisdom, nor feeling, nor a thought. Greek were proud of their wisdom, philosophy and inquisitive spirit about their belief. They thought that by their own power they could achieve the wisdom of the God. Romans, 1:21-22
On the other hand, Jews were proud of their laws as a tangible form of knowledge and mentality. Romans, 2:17-21
Jews were proud of that they were familiar with words of the God and executed them. But they refused the Missiah they had been waiting for. Wisdom of human being, whether it is honored or not, is insufficient to acknowledge the God and His wisdom. The truth of the God, which is a hidden and spiritual mystery, can be understood by the spiritual revelation and guidance of the Spirit. It is a glad for us, believers, that the Holy Spirit is provided for all of us. Luke, 11:13
No special training nor learning, nor endeavor is necessary to receive the Holy Spirit. Just believing that Jesus is the almighty God, and He is always with those who trust on Him, does the best for them, is required. 1 Corinthians, 6:19
Jesus has a lot of names, one of them is "Immanuel", which means "God with us.". On 2 Corinthians, 3:17, it is written... 2 Corinthians, 3:17
"the God is the Spirit." Or, on 2 Corinthians, 13:13, 2 Corinthians, 13:13
At any baptism Bros. Beck says "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I will baptize you.". The idea so-called "the Trinity" is that God our Father and Son our Christ, and Holy Spirit are not separated each other, but they are united and one God. It is not written in the Holy Bible, and can't be grasped without a work of the Spirit. Jesus, while He was on the ground in a human body, promised to disciples that He will send the Spirit as a counselor. John, 16:7
Jesus promised to His disciples that He will send the Holy Spirit as a testimony of redemption of our sin and His resurrection. Unless He had gone away, the Holy Spirit couldn't have come to us. It means the evidence that the LORD lives may not have proved. Acts, 2:1-4
And, Acts, 2:15
The God our Father in heaven granted the Holy Spirit to disciples with a violent wind, earth tremor and fires. Then disciples seemed to be got drunken and excited. When Jesus promised to His disciples, He was yet in human body, and we have not given the Holy Spirit. But, after this, Jesus Himself have been giving the Holy Spirit. Revelation, 21:6
Supernatural phenomenon occurred when the Holy Spirit came down to disciples, but in most cases Jesus gives the Holy Spirit silently, and calmly. One thing that is for certain is anyone who received the Holy Spirit clearly recognizes it. As for when and how the Holy Spirit comes down to us, they are different for man by man. By the way, in southern Africa, they are often struck by a dry weather. To cope with this, they builds a reservoir. There are two kinds of reservoirs. In a farm with a fountain, water flows into a reservoir calmly and little by little, but continuously, night and day. In another farm without a fountain, a reservoir is built somewhere near a cemetery, and when it rains water is saved into it. In this case, heavy rainfall will fill a reservoir in 2 or 3 hours. But such a heavy rain falls once in months, or even years, thus it is sometimes dried up. On the other hand, a stream from a fountain is weak but constant. Water flows into it steadily. The Holy Spirit came down to disciples abruptly, and strongly, reached over to people around them, and many gentiles were saved too. But such a grace is often shallow and doesn't reach to the bottom of our heart. Other Christians don't experience these special excitement. They receive the feeling that they were filled with the Holy Spirit in a simple trust, respect, and prayer. Both of filling with the Holy Spirit are important. We can't judge which is better, or worse. In some farms, there are two reservoirs, and they compensate each other. One is used to save a daily and continuous flow for preparing a disastrous dry weather, and the other is used to accept and store a huge amount of water at a heavy rain. A Christian doesn't satisfied until he experience extraordinary event with a violent wind, overflowing flood, and baptism with fire. Another Christian thinks that the Holy Spirit flows out of a fountain within him is originally true. But blessed are those who seek the God in both ways and keep being ready to receive a blessing anytime regardless of how He comes down. The Bible Camp, or the Gathering with REJOICE is a rich flow of the Holy Spirit. Some receive the Holy Spirit in a moment like a flood, some are filled with Him by eating His words quietly. John, 7:38
There are Christians who can't join the Camp, even can't have a chance to meet His words, because of their business and economical circumstance, or geographical environment. But He always proposes a grace even to a dry land like an invisible staff. Psalms, 133:3
A brother read the Holy Bible with his colleague, who was mentally unstable, before their work 30 minutes every morning for 3 years. It seemed there was no effect. While the brother went abroad on business, Bible reading was stopped, but when he came home, he was sure that his colleague was saved by looking his lucent face. He is now our brother and quite active as a messenger. Ephesians, 1:14
The Gathering with REJOICE may be compared to a water on the sea shore. At a low tide, water on the sea shore is separated by stones and sands, but at a high tide all objects are driven away, and all are merged into a ocean. Like this, when a big wave of the Holy Spirit reaches to a dried land and reservoirs, selfishness is vanished and only the Spirit is honored. Ephesians, 4:3-5
The filling with the Holy Spirit can be achieved only in Jesus. The flows are strengthened by a faith to Jesus, and kept firmly by continuous faith, renewed anytime. Matthew, 13:31
The faith is to believe Jesus who is invisible, and the Holy Spirit who is hidden. The faith is to recognize a life in a small mustard seed which is almost invisible. The faith is to believe the Holy Spirit who strengthens and encourages us beyond our asking and praying even when all our faith is almost vanishing away, and also to glorify the God. On July 21, 2002, a brother in Guam testified shortly in the Gathering with REJOICE at Miyota. He is 35 years old, and suffered from a liver cancer, and two third of his liver was removed. It was only 3 weeks after his operation, he talked with smile that if a death comes to be a real problem, let our body pardoned. Bros. Beck, in his message, introduced a letter from the brother to bothers and sisters in Okinawa. It tells the brother never have wondered why, after he was told he had a cancer. On the contrary a sister who heard this wondered why. The brother graduated from a university in Okinawa, started a Surfing, achieved a world championship, now earn his living out of a Surfing in Guam. And, among one of my fellowship in faith, there is a woman who suffered from a pancreatic cancer and hospitalized since last October. It is a progressive cancer which can't be cured by an operation. The doctor told her that she will be able to live at the longest 2 months. Cancer cells spread to all over her body, and fluid collected in her abdomen, caused a severe pain sometimes, and she was ferried to a hospital by ambulance. But her husband, a brother, keeps on his serving as a messenger from Hokkaido to Kagoshima. The sister testified at a Home Gathering in March, I have a perplexed feeling about dying, but I feel happy not knowing exactly why. These testimonies cause us to wonder why. 1 Corinthians, 2:7
1 Corinthians, 2:9
1 Corinthians, 2:10
1 Corinthians, 2:11
I thank Jesus the Holy Spirit and Immanuel, who let us know a wisdom of the God and a tremendous love of the God through the Holy Spirit's guidance as a mystery which men can't understand at all. I will finish my message reading the Scripture again. John, 7:38
I thank the LORD. |