Monkey faced orchids grow only in the Southern Eastern Ecuador and Peru. And they say there’s no God. Look around!
By ChyD (Official Christapoet Team Author)
… and they say there’s no God
Only one artist can be this dope. And they say there’s no God. Look around…
By ChyD (Official Christapoet Team Author
Milk & Meat #2_THE HOLY SPIRIT: Baptism.
Welcome to another teaching on Milk & Meat, today we would be touching a topic that would spill into more teachings. It means we wouldn’t be exhausting the teaching today.
Remember how we started last week with the new birth? Well now that you have gotten someone saved, you need to learn how to get them to maturity. Being born again is termed THE NEW BIRTH and not the NEW MATURITY, there is a need for growth and this platform would take us from the milk to meats of our spiritual realities in Christ.
Bear this one thing in mind, at any level of growth you find yourself, YOUR SALVATION IS SURE
Let us get right into the teaching for today.
Our topic is THE HOLY SPIRIT, we would focus on His baptism. If you haven’t heard of this person, don’t be disturbed, after this teaching and several others to follow, concerning Him, you would get well acquainted with Him.
And notice I have been using HIM? YES!!!! HE IS A PERSON.
Our text would be two today; Acts 1:5, and Acts 1:8
Acts 1:5
For John truly baptized with WATER, but ye shall be baptized with the HOLY GHOST not many days hence
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
So we would look to answer some questions,
#who is the Holy Spirit?
#what has He come to do?
#who is He given to?
#how does He baptize?
#how to receive the Holy Spirit
Let’s get straight to business
#WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
He is that person who enabled Jesus to do EVERYTHING He did while here on earth. Jesus was 100% man while on earth and He was able to achieve ALL He did with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Look at the following verses Luke 3:22, Luke 4:1, Luke 4:14, and Luke 4:18-19
Let’s see one of them; Luke 4:18-19
- The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath ANOINTED me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
- To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
YES, CHRIST DID ALL HE DID WHILE ON EARTH THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, what has that got to do with us?
Remember His promise in Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
That same power that was available to Jesus while on earth is also very available to you today to those who BELIEVE IN HIM John 7:37-39. See what Christ promised in 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.
We know who enabled Christ to do His work, the same person is made available to us all today, NO MAN CAN ANOINT YOU, NO OIL CAN ANOINT YOU, NO WATER CAN ANOINT YOU!!!!
ONLY THE ONE THAT ANOINTED JESUS CAN,
THE SWEET HOLY SPIRIT.
Many people have reduced Him to a genie in a bottle, the wind or a feeling, but NO!!!
Let us see His significance in the Life of a believer. That leads us to the next question.
#WHAT HAS HE COME TO DO
John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:12-14
Notice in all of these places that the Spirit TEACHES and TESTIFIES about Jesus. I would leave it at this, and in further studies we would make distinctions and have a better understanding of these very words, so bear them in mind.
Let’s get to the next part immediately
#WHO IS HE GIVEN TO?
Simple, THOSE THAT BELIEVE.
On one hand no unbeliever can receive Him, because He wasn’t given to the world. On the other hand, no believer needs any other standard or ritual before receiving Him, because He was given FREELY to all believers.
John 14:16-17
Did you see that? The world cannot receive this Spirit, because it has not BELIEVED. Where Salvation was given to ALL MEN.
Titus 2:11
- For the GRACE of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to ALL MEN.
But only those who BELIEVES in this GRACE brought through Jesus is qualified to be baptized by the Spirit. Also notice in verse 16 of John 14, read earlier, that the Holy Spirit is given to us FOREVER. He doesn’t leave, He doesn’t go on vacations, as a matter of fact, YOU CANNOT CHASE HIM AWAY.
He lives in you FOREVER once you have accepted.
Look at how Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter 1 verse 12-13 put it
- That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first TRUSTED in Christ
- In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the WORD OF TRUTH, the GOSPEL OF YOUR SALVATION: in whom also after that ye BELIEVED, ye were SEALED with the Holy Spirit of promise.
Did you see that? In those days, when someone believes, he is sealed by the Holy Spirit that was PROMISED to them that believe.
People in our own days have failed to receive a FREE gift even after believing because receiving has been made about THEM and not about God.
NEWS FLASH: it has never been about you, any doubt that hinders you from receiving freely this free gift is a lie from the devil.
Rom 8:14
- For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
This simply means that the people who are the sons of God are led by His Spirit too, it doesn’t mean that some people are Christians, but they are not born again, so they live wrong, and they are not led.
This would be as wrong as calling a Lion a Dog, just because it is a house pet. Even if you shave its mane, a Lion remains the same because it became a lion BY BIRTH, so also is he that is born of the Spirit. YOU HAVE HIS GENE IN YOU.
It’s funny how the name given to believers by Pagans would become a huge distraction and is slowly leading us into RELIGION. The name CHRISTIANS happen to appear just 3 times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1Pet 4:16), 2 of which was by unbelievers.
The church called themselves SAINTS, BELIEVERS. Have you believed? IF YES, you are a SAINT. There is nothing like being a born again Christian. You are either born again or you are not, a believer or you are not.
If there is anything that you should have as a believer it is the HOLY SPIRIT, FULLY, and even though He is the one that birthed us in Christ, there is an important need to be BAPTIZED by Him.
Christ told His disciples to WAIT for this, it has to be a very important step in our WALK with God. And that would lead us to the last and most important part of this study, the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
# HOW DOES HE BAPTIZE?
Notice first that the word BAPTISM is immersion or covered with something. Change the mind-set of baptism being immersion in water.
See 1Cor 10:2, people were baptised under the cloud and sea, then Christ promises a baptism that happened in Acts 2:4
- And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
When the Holy Spirit baptizes, you speak with other tongues. That is the outward sign that you have been baptized in the name of Jesus. Jesus never promised to baptize anyone with water, but with the Spirit, and all those who are baptized in this way SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES.
I feel in my spirit that this is a topic we are to treat separately so I would stop here for now. However, I want you to know that once you have believed, there is no other ceremony to get you qualified to receive the Holy Spirit Baptism, with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
Now the last thing I would ask is this, have you believed? Go ahead and receive. Do you know anyone who hasn’t received yet, and has believed? Help them receive too.
Some people are specially called along this line in ministry, but you can help anyone receive by faith, by following these few steps below.
#HOW TO RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT
- Let them know that God has already given the Holy Spirit and He is a free gift, you don’t have to beg or wait for Him, it is just on your part to receive.
- Let them know that anyone that is saved (who believes in Jesus. John 3:16) is ready to receive right away
- Tell them that when you lay hands on them, that they would receive the Holy Ghost
- Let them know what to expect, the Spirit moves on their vocal cords to give the utterance, they would have to cooperate with Him to speak. It is not a formula that has excitement to it, in fact, it might be the driest speaking they would do, and it might be excited to, just cooperate with the Spirit and speak.
- You would use your discernment here; It might be necessary to get people over their fears, you cannot receive the wrong spirit if you ask God to fill you after you have believed in Jesus. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE (Luke 11:11-13)
- Let the person open his mouth and be ready to use it, they cannot CLOSE their mouth and then SPEAK in tongues. They should tell God in their heart that they are receiving right away by faith, Also they shouldn’t say anything in their known language. It would be like trying to drink of the Spirit with your mouth filled with words from your flesh.
- Keep the person from being distracted, let one person and not a group minister to someone who wants to receive at a time.
- Most importantly, BE LED. At times you might have to speak in tongues yourself or flash forth some spiritual gifts for the person to let loose and follow you into that river of waters.
We would speak and learn more on the Holy Spirit and His relationship with a believer.
Till next Friday, stay in GRACE. And remember
YOUR SALVATION IS SURE!!!!
Who gave who’s life to who?
You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I Am], He may give it to you.
No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day.
This is what I command you: that you love one another.
And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him…
Jesus, the Light, can’t be hidden. The “rich in spirit” cannot understand this!
Light at His peak!
Desired Destiny
Face exuding beams of beauty, with hands stuffed in the pockets of his trousers, he was contemplating on standing akimbo to show the world that finally he’s got his feet on it. He could not believe that finally he would be commanding this great wave he had always dreamt of that earned him the head of department of Dreams department. Distance was no more a barrier to his voice, he can’t help but call himself the noise that all beings enjoy. No more are the days when people would complain that he forced his big advice on people who are in no way in need of it. They now clamour, wait before it was office time at his gate with their consultation fees securely placed in their clasped fists, wishing they could pay more to gain his attention. His advice has remained irrefutable with no place for weakness, it has remained a symbol of compassion that unlike monalisa has refused to change no matter from where you view it.
His heart was content in giving men life. That’s all he ever wanted. To place a portion of himself in them and make free from the powers that has for long taken their voices and perpetually kept them as bond men.
His benevolence they insulted, claiming that he was only powerful in words but as strong as a 2 week old baby in works, an insult that is capable of making him to turn to their enemy yet he gave himself more to their services. Wisdom he lacked not, so, he demanded that the consultation fee be changed, it was no more what riches could afford, it was their lives, he was willing to make it a direct business, eliminating all the people in Secretary services department. It means, ‘no more middle men’. The business should represent you are him without alteration. It became like buying goods straight from the manufacturer. All he demands is quality service from the heart that is capable of transforming your life into a receipt to prove that you really met him. Yes, the way your life starts rolling will serve as the product receipt. His life remained the product!
That was the desired destiny… he is Christ
Mercy!!
Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy.
And if you had only known what this saying means, ‘I desire mercy [readiness to help, to spare, to forgive] rather than sacrifice and sacrificial victims,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin).
So they also now are being disobedient [when you are receiving mercy], that they in turn may one day, through the mercy you are enjoying, also receive mercy [that they may share the mercy which has been shown to you—through you as messengers of the Gospel to them].
For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike].
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!
For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor? Or who has first given God anything that he might be paid back or that he could claim a recompense?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it).
Christ a poet 