j1 John 2:15-17 (KJV) “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
Three main philosophies that the world is ruled by:
- The Lust of the Flesh: I want to do what I want to do, what makes me happy, what makes me feel good.
- The Lust of the Eyes: Envy, jealousy over other people’s things, the drive for what money can buy, materialism.
- The Pride of Life: Arrogant attitudes. Self-righteousness. I can get by with doing the minimum.
Our present cultural environment is based on the failed ideologies of the past. How can that be with our ever-increasing knowledge and advances in technology and science? Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”
The same entrapments of past generations are just repackaged for a new one.
These maladies have not happened instantly, but gradually over time. In fact, it has been so subtle that we have not really noticed how our freedoms, good qualities
Three basic needs of mankind:
- To feel loved and good about oneself.
- To have the means to help others.
- To have a cause to give one’s life to.
HOLINESS
The Church, in general over the years, has watered down the Gospel. Christianity in many places is not an ideal that people want to give their lives to anymore. We have not told people the truth about God’s standards. God’s command to the people of Israel from Mt. Sinai was to be holy as He was holy.
Heb. 12:14 (KJV) “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
Holiness is the essence of purity. It is quality of character which results in right actions. The surest signs of holiness are a desire to become all that God created us to be, a commitment to the will of God and a love and concern for unsaved and troubled people. Living a holy life means letting our decisions be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Holiness is something God does in us and not something we achieve. But He needs our consent and cooperation. Even those who are chosen and called of God for a mighty ministry must make wise decisions based upon God’s Word.
The Example of Samson’s Life
Samson was called to be a mighty man of God from his birth, but he made some very bad choices. He was anointed and God gave him great power, but that power only lasted for a time.
What was Samson’s downfall?
As a Nazarite, he was not to drink wine, touch a dead body or cut his hair. As an Israelite, he was not to marry a foreigner, one who would turn his heart away from God.
Samson did all of these things except one, until a foreign woman found out the secret of his strength and cut his hair, which was the last commandment that he had not broken. Immediately his strength left him and he was captured by his enemies the Philistines.
Now God had mercy on Samson and eventually, his hair grew out and his great strength returned. He was able to gain a mighty victory in the end, but he suffered terribly in the process.
We don’t want to be found wanting, as in the days that Amos prophesied:
Amos 8:11(KJV) “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”
If we want revival we must be a holy people.
Revival is not just a series of good meetings or even of miraculous signs and wonders. True revival will change people’s hearts and lives and produce quality of character. In other words, “People will stop sinning.”
An account from the Welsh revival of 1905:
“Prayer meetings were held in coal mines underground, in trains and in all kinds of unexpected places. It changed the order of men’s minds – they went singing to work and came home singing. The cinemas closed, the bars closed; and people paid their debts of long standing. Families were reunited, long-severed friends reconciled. Hearts flowed together in true fellowship of the Lord. Along with the spirit of unity and love came the spirit of sacrifice and the wondrous spirit of liberty, which strikingly bears the marks of Pentecost.”
Micah 6:8 (KJV) “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
Ultimately it is God Who makes us holy by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But how does He do that?
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The Early Church received the Holy Spirit for the first time on the Day of Pentecost, which we are remembering this day.
Jesus told his followers, before He ascended into heaven, to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father. He said 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 Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth.”
So that is what they did. 120 of Jesus’ faithful disciples were gathered together in an upper room, praying:
Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of
them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
We cannot become like Jesus without God’s help. It is the Holy Spirit which gives us the ability to live right.
We receive a measure of the Spirit when we are born again. Our spirit is made alive and we then begin to have communion with our Father. However, the power and anointing to live in the supernatural comes when we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is a separate experience from salvation as shown in the book of
Acts.
Acts 8:14-17(KJV) “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John; who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 19:1-6 (KJV)“And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied.”
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit turned a group of scared cowering men into men full of faith, courage, and boldness. God wants to do the same for us today. We can have the same miraculous power
and anointing that the Early Church experienced. We can be led and hear the voice of the Lord every day with the ability to overcome temptation and to walk through trials.
What do we receive with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
- The ability to use the gifts of the Spirit
- Boldness to witness
- Understanding of the Scriptures
- Power to overcome temptation
- The ability to speak in tongues
Do I have to speak in tongues? You wouldn’t buy a pair of tennis shoes without the tongues. There would be something missing. Neither should you reject the tongues that come with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is the unique experience of praying in a language inspired by God Himself. It is the Spirit Who prays
through you.
Instructions for Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We receive by faith. God wants every believer to have this experience of anointing
and power.
Luke 11:13 (KJV) “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.”
Come with an open heart and an attitude of surrender to God.
Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Open your mouth and move your lips. Stop praying in your known language, English, Spanish, etc. Give sound to the words you are receiving. It will be your voice.
It will sound like jibberish at first, just like a baby learning to talk. Keep going. The more you speak the more you will get.
Use your prayer language every day. Resist the lie of the devil that you are just making it up. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not just a one-time event. It is a continual daily
giving of our lives to Jesus.