GOD Bless You
![NIV-Acts 1:4-8; 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."Before we can venture out in service for the LORD JESUS, HE tells us as HE did the Apostles to wait until we are filled with the HOLY SPIRIT who will empower us to be witnesses. JESUS said to wait and they did for ten days. Have you ever wondered why they waited 10 days? I did, I mean the LORD had ascended to heaven so why not send the HOLY SPIRIT like right away? I believe HE waited 10 days as they had issues to deal with. Now this is my interpretation but I think that they had some things to deal with before they came to the place of being in one accord. I think some had issues that James and John wanted favoritism. I think some had problems with Peter's cowardice. Perhaps some had problems with Mary Magdalene's past and was bringing it all up. There were areas they had to straighten out before they could recvieve GOD'S promise. In scripture NIV-MT. 5:23-24; 23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. I believe they were praying for GOD'S promise and the HOLY SPIRIT spoke in their conscience that they were not right with a brother or a sister. And they had to leave the place of prayer and seek forgiveness and or to forgive. Perhaps they had to restore something they had taken? Whatever the issue it was between the HOLY SPIRIT and them [you]. To receive you must be in the place of reception and that is a clear and clean conscience. So GOD moves you into harmony with others and HIMSELF and this will take place just prior the floodgates of heaven pour into your heart. As John Wesley put it, "My heart was strangely warmed." JESUS Tells Us To Wait Ten is the number of perfection or completeness in Divine order. It is a perfect number. It is the number of sufficiency according to GOD'S purpose in Divine order and human responsibility. The human body has five fingers on each hand, ten in all. Here is human responsibility in Divine work. Ten toes speak of human responsibility in Divine walk. You shall be witnesses. Or ye shall testify. Your life is going to be a testimony to the goodness of GOD. First you see if you are going to be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT you will take on HIS nature. You will begin to take on characteristics such as goodness, gentleness, meekness [Gal. 5: 22-23] in other words GOD takes away your old nature of lying, swearing, guilt and so on and deposits these new characteristics. Now even if you did not have any of these bad traits maybe its' pride or something else you will be changed. For from glory to glory you will be changed. Second HE fills you with HIS power to function for ministry and that's' where you will notice certain gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT working through you. [ref. RO. 12 - 1 CO. 12] Perhaps after you are filled with the HOLY SPIRIT the gift of faith or healing begins to work through you. No matter which of the gifts you receive from the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT in you as noted in the Bible reference you will have evidence of the HOLY SPIRIT'S presence by the fact of the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT are working through you. And Thirdly you may note that The LORD JESUS said you will be witnesses, that also means that you are going to begin to tell others of so great of a salvation. The reason you tell others or testify is a result of the overflowing power and presence of the HOLY SPIRIT. I know that when I share my faith in JESUS CHRIST I always sense an overwhelming presence of the HOLY SPIRIT and you will too. JESUS did not give us the HOLY SPIRIT just so we could sit around and speak in tongues. If that is the limit of your experience with the HOLY SPIRIT know this for sure you have a gift, but are you filled? I do believe that when you are baptized in the HOLY SPIRIT and baptism means to be immersed or literally on the inside and the outside you are soaked in the HOLY SPIRIT. And like a coke bottle when shaken up out flows the coke, so it is that when you are shaken up what overflows is what's inside. The HOLY SPIRIT will overflow. Lets put it this way you will be a witness through your life. PURE. You will be a witness through your ministry. POWER. And you will be a witness by telling others how JESUS CHRIST saved you from your sins. PERSONAL TESTIMONY. If you are ready for this experience then read on as you will never be the same and may GOD THE FATHER so fill you with HIS HOLY SPIRIT in the name of JESUS CHRIST HIS SON. Amen. The wonderful born-again experience, or regeneration, is just the beginning of your walk with God. It is entirely separate from the experience of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist makes this distinction found in Matthew’s gospel: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire ( Matt. 3:11). John’s baptism was repent and be baptized in water. He did not baptize sinners; in fact, when sinners sought the experience John rebuked them, saying he would not baptize them without repentance. He would have baptized the sinners who came to him. The Lord in His great wisdom had not only planned a born-again experience—a Calvary—but also an upper room experience—the baptism of the Holy Ghost. ….for he dwells with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17). Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth….(John 16:13). 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 to you (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit baptism is power for service, power to serve the Lord more fully after one receives the born-again experience. In the book of Acts we read that Paul greeted certain disciples at Ephesus by asking: …….Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?..(Acts 19:2). Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit not only is a marvelous privilege, but also a command of Jesus. [He] being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father,……For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence ( Acts 1:4, 5). In obedience to this commandment, about one hundred twenty followers of Jesus went to the upper room and stayed there until the Holy Ghost descended to baptize all who were assembled. When the Holy Ghost comes in to set up His abode within a life today, He does just what He did on the day of Pentecost: with speaking in tongues which is the initial or first evidence of the Holy Ghost baptism, with many other evidences and signs following. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1, 4). The commandment to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost was not just for the early church, but for all believers throughout the whole earth today. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call ( Acts 2:39). THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SEEKING GOD IS YOURS ALONE Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually (1 Chron. 16:11). Learn how to reach God for yourself through prayer, fasting, and living in the Word. Jesus talked to the Father knowing He was alive, that He heard everything He said, and the disciples saw fantastic results. …….Father, I thank you that you have heard me. And I knew that you hear me always…(John 11:41, 42). After Calvary, after Pentecost, the disciples finally did learn how to pray like that. They prayed and the blind received their sight, the deaf heard and the lame walked. The disciples learned to pray, and they performed great works in the name of Jesus. ………..He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do…(John 14:12). Perhaps in the past the Word has had no real meaning to you; but after prayer and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, it will become a new book, one you will want to feast upon. Suddenly other things won’t seem important compared with the joy of living in the Word. Lack of prayer ,and of yielding to the Holy Ghost and to the power and love of God brings a lack of God’s reality. In order for you to able to cast your burdens on the Lord, you must have the reality of God’s will which comes through the power of the Holy Ghost. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God (1 Cor. 2:12). THE BODY - THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST The obedient will allow nothing to stand between him and God. Cleanse the body from anything that would destroy it; the body is to be a holy temple of the living God. What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost? (1 Cor. 6:19). Keep your body undefiled before the Lord, and take a miracle. Many have died from cancer, heart conditions, or other afflictions caused by smoking, alcohol and drugs. Don’t throw away your miracle. Cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs not only destroy the body but also God’s miracles in your life. Do you need deliverance from alcohol, drugs, or smoking? Accept a miracle of deliverance as you would a miracle for healing. I trust that as you have read through these scriptures and this teaching you understand GOD wants you to be filled with HIS HOLY SPIRIT? Are you ready? I want to pray with you a simple prayer to receive the HOLY SPIRIT right now right where you are. "FATHER I pray for this my Brother my Sister to receive YOUR Promised gift of The HOLY SPIRIT in the name of JESUS CHRIST of Nazareth right now. Amen." You quite possibly may burst out in speaking in tongues but do not fear as there will be an outward expression of the HOLY SPIRITS' presence such as there was on the early believers.](index_htm_files/14850.png)
