Follow the Anointing 2

Luke 11:11-13 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he (A child) ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? (Something from the devil, or the serpent to harm or kill his child)  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father (Not give his children something from the devil or a demon to harm or kill them? But lovingly) give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? (To be so in-filled and imbued of the Promise of the Spirit)

Jesus promises that whosoever believes in Him, those that have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, (By hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit without being lead, guided, and so taught.) that when these pray to the Lord and seek Him to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost accompanied by the Gift of Tongues – that God will not give them a demon, that they will not be taken over by devils, but that they will indeed receive the real and true Baptism of the Holy Ghost and the real and true Gift of Tongues – that are sealed and virus proof from the hand of Jesus Christ Himself.

Completely different than my weak and beggarly experience when I first came to Christ, when I received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost some months later it was a powerful, powerful, life-changing experience.

In the winter of 1973, while I was still 14 years old, I received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in an evangelistic meeting in a public school in New Jersey. The evangelist’s name is not important here – we need to only say that when I was touched with the tips of two fingers, I was “Slain in the Spirit” (Man-made term) in a manner that has never, ever occurred in my life since.

As I fell backwards (Bible Term), I felt as if I was floating like a feather toward the ground. Time seemed to stop in regards to my body, my soul, and my spirit. As my body descended, at the same time my arms became lighter than air as if huge helium balloons were attached to them and arose independent of any of my thoughts in worship to God in heaven. As this occurred I saw a bright light, and the heat and warmth thereof enveloped my head and then my body.

As my arms arose independently, my mouth also independently burst forth in an uncontrollable torrent of tongues, while mentally I was more or less just an observer to these goings on.

When I came to rest on the floor, this bright warm light of the anointing of God, or Shekina of God, was coursing and flowing like waves and billows through my body. I remember the surprise and delight of my being bathed in this Divine light that was at the same time outside and inside me.  Feeling this heat of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and these waves and billows surging so deeply inside me, I felt my soul being cleansed; it felt like layers of dirt and grime were being stripped away like thin layers of skin. 

As I was laying there praying and worshipping in the Spirit (Which was completely independent of my thought processes) – I became concerned in my understanding that I too should myself pray and worship for all that He was doing. I forcibly tried to pray, thank, and worship God with my mouth, but I found that I could not. I then started laughing in my mind, but not with my lips because God had inhabited my mouth, (Bible Term) – Tears ran out of my eyes as the Spirit of God had so enveloped me - body, soul, and spirit.

As the Holy Spirit was praying and worshipping through me speaking mysteries, my understanding was unfruitful (Bible Term) of what was being spoken by the Spirit in unknown tongues (Bible Term) –At the same time, I still had this overwhelming desire to praise God and thank Him with my understanding for this unspeakable gift. However, I discovered that I could not gain control over my mouth.  After a few attempts, still determined to praise God, I ended up doing so in my mind while my mouth continued speaking in tongues.  

At that moment I felt a burst of praise, thanksgiving, delight, and excitement rise from within me.  I felt it move up into the light of God, and had a vision -- though very short. I saw the words spoken with my understanding, not as words or as sounds, but as substance rising up into this heavenly light. It seemed that I was a part of these words and these words were a part of me and they entered into heaven before the throne of God.  The throne was not on a platform, there were no steps leading up to it. There were no walls, there were no Greek pillars. I saw nothing other than this throne. The throne itself was very plain and box-like with a flat back that was as high as the seat was deep with box-like arm rests. It appeared to be made out of stone rather than metal with a golden hue to it.

The words then seemed to echo and resonate. This seemed to continue for minutes as more words arrived and echoed and reverberated or redounded. I saw no angels, nor did I hear them speak - neither did I see nor hear God.

After a short time, though it seemed like 20-30 minutes, the evangelist said you probably want to stay there forever. I still couldn’t respond in English and remember responding in gestures to say yes. Yes, that this was so anointed. Yes, that this was so heavenly, and so filled with glory that I did not want to depart this at all. But he pulled me up to my feet and sent me, along with others that had likewise received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, back to our seats as he moved on to do other things in the meeting. Even so, I tried to hold on to what was going on, and after I sat down, tried for a period of time to continue to pray in tongues, which by then had come under my control, so I missed much of the meeting.

Say whatever you will, but what occurred that night turned my life completely inside out for Jesus Christ. Within a short time after that I was on fire for God, I could not go to enough meetings in a week. I began reading the Bible almost every waking moment until I read the Bible cover to cover twice and the new testament a full seven times {This took me 13 months) My mother, at the time, though newly saved and newly filled with the Spirit, (Though not in the same measure) thought I had lost my mind because of my intense hunger and desire for reading the Bible, seeking God and fellowshipping. So deep was her concern that she talked to others in the meetings and asked them to check on me and befriend me. She also talked to the pastors of these meetings and asked them if what was occurring in my life was the fruits of this Baptism of the Holy Ghost and was this okay?

Jesus Christ had become my every waking moment. At the time, I thought nothing of this, it was just in my heart, my soul, and my spirit to do so, and this is how I walked.

I will not testify of how the Lord also had signs following. These would just occur, many times without warning. I was just a guy that was there and nothing more.

When we think of fanatics, we think of people who generally, relentlessly try to push their beliefs on someone. When we look at sports-fanatics, physical fitness fanatics, computer fanatics, stock market investment fanatics or whatever, all of these tend to be consumed with their hobbies or vocations.

At the ages of 14,15,16,17, and 18, I was not interested in music, I was not interested in sports, I was not interested in clothes, cars, or girls – My whole interests were in Jesus Christ, the Bible, going to meetings where people loved the Lord, and fellowshipping with people who likewise loved the Lord regardless of race, denomination, or reasonable differences in doctrine. I found that I thrived on speaking with older people that had been in the faith for twenty, thirty, forty or more years – because I could sense and feel so much more of the Holy Spirit, the Anointing, and the Presence of God in them, especially after receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.  When I first came to the Lord it was as if God was only whispering. After receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it was not as if God was speaking to me in a plain voice like when I speak to someone else, but what was once a whisper was now turned up ten notches from what it previously was.

There were further fruits. I hungered and thirsted to sup with the Lord and with others that supped with Him so as to partake of this anointing, this presence of God which was in them, around them, and carried in their words. To be honest, at times in meetings I was not listening to the speaker, but I was partaking of the Spirit and life I saw, sensed, and felt – this was and is as manna coming down from heaven, bringing into me life, revelation, understanding, and more importantly, changing me into His Image and Likeness from Glory to Glory – anointing by anointing.

I was following the anointing. Following hard after Him even though I could not explain what was happening to me.  Along the way, I have met fellow travelers in the Spirit and anointing of the Lord, which had this same intensity of spirit as I, but when I was a child, all of these were at least fifteen or more years my senior.  This continued even after I went to attend Bible school, but now those whom I sought spiritually to partake of their anointing were 30, 40, 50 and some times 60 years my senior

Those days were so powerful and so precious, I can not tell you.

If this Baptism of the Holy Ghost so drove me into Jesus Christ, so caused me to read the Bible and understand what I was reading in it for the first time - where the word of God became so alive and jumped out at me so that it read like a best seller, action thriller which I could not put down. If this Baptism of the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues so revolutionized my prayer life where I could not get enough of waiting on and talking to Christ prior to going to Bible school at Pinecrest; a school that at that time taught and emphasized those very things. – How could anyone declare this Baptism of the Holy Ghost to be illegitimate, false, and not of God?

We have not expressed this Baptism of the Holy Ghost on the basis of personal experience and feelings alone (Thought, feelings, and personal experience are not illegitimate by any means in the word of God for the Apostle John declares that which our eyes have seen, that which our ears have heard, that which our hands have handled concerning the word of Life that speak we unto you.) but along with this piece of personal testimony, we have also provided irrefutable biblical evidence for anyone of an honest heart, with the help of the Holy Ghost as bearing witness to our own testimony, as a second strong witness to what this Baptism of the Holy Ghost alone can do in one’s life.

With these two witnesses, and with a third witness, even The Anointing, and Presence of God in the person of the Holy Ghost standing in agreement with the written Word of God, and bearing witness also of the words which I have testified here, how could anyone even suggest that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit could be anything but Holy and sanctifying to those who truly walk therein?

How could any one even reasonably suggest the gift of tongues is of the devil? To do so is just blind conceit and prejudice.

Luke 11:52-53 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away (Stripped away from the people) the key of knowledge: (The Spirit of revelation and understanding.) ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: (Jesus is saying that the rabbis of Pharisees, the Scribes and the Lawyers had subdued in Israel all individual and personal hearing from God. They slew the prophets [In the verses previous] and prevented any under their Talmudic tutelage from entering into this kind of relationship with God.) 

1 Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the Word of the LORD (The word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Father) was precious in those days; there was no open vision. (There was no prophetic ministry, no dreams, no visions. All that had been passed on from Moses to the 70 elders had ceased.)

What we see so clearly in this study is that Christ’s mission centered around His baptizing all that would come unto Him with the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, so that every believer might be able to hear from God for themselves just as Adam did in the garden.

In Luke 11:52-53, the rabbinical orders of Christ’s day had made war with the prophetic in Israel - they had slandered, abused, cast out and slew them, purging Israel of all prophets. Furthermore, they were intent on blocking any from entering in to any kind of personal relationship with God, and hearing the voice of God – indoctrinating them, beginning as small children, in their Talmudic Shuls against such things.

Having not seen a prophet in Israel for 400 years – We note that no priest and no rabbi needed to tell anyone that John was a prophet sent from God. Everyone in Jerusalem and Judea knew, with no man teaching them that the Spirit of God rested upon John. They came out from miles around to see the Lord move upon this prophet and to hear his words. The threat that the coming of John the Baptist posed to the Talmudic anti-prophetic rabbinical orders was enormous -- and to add to the danger that the coming of John posed, God then raised up a second prophet, Jesus Christ, who had more signs and wonders than both Elijah and Elisha combined whom also the common people recognized as the Messiah without any teaching or preaching from their rabbis.

When the established order becomes corrupt, God moves outside of that order, and likewise without teaching or preaching that order of who ever they may be understands that God is declaring the day of their order as being over.

It is sad for me to note here that the Christian rabbis of this day in evangelical and fundamentalist circles have made war against the prophetic in the church of this hour. These have slandered, abused, cast out and spiritually slain, as they have sought to purge their synagogues and rabbinical orders of all prophets. They are intent on blocking any from entering in to any kind of deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ that might produce any personal hearing of the voice of God in the lives of their believers. And so they have gone the route of heavy indoctrination against such things, beginning with members of their synagogues and Shuls at a very young age.

It is sad for me to note here that the Christian rabbis within Pentecostal denominations and Charismatic circles are at different levels working on much of the same things with their own disciples, placing themselves and the teaching ministry above the word of God, above one’s personal relationship with the Lord, above that which the Lord speaks and reveals to any individual, and above Holy Spirit’s ability to lead and guide, and to teach every believer. These departures from the words and commandments of Jesus Christ, and from the stated purpose that His central mission was to in-fill, imbue to overflowing with the Holy Ghost each and every one that would believe on Him – and cause them to be a prophetic people and nation under Jesus Christ’s direct leadership and guidance – are not even subtle, they are brazen, and those who follow such men and ministries have to have had their conscience seared with a hot iron – to so burn out the voice of the Holy Spirit, His rebuffs and convictions over those who so walk.

Take heart if you feel uneasy reading these words, if they cut you to the quick, if you feel conviction of any kind as to your deeds and partaking of the fetid waters that the multitude of rabbi’s that you have heaped to yourself have given you to drink.  Know that it is a good day in God, for you can still hear in some small measure God’s still small voice in your heart.

It is a happy, joyous day when God rebukes corrects and chastens you.

It is a fearful day of gross darkness when you hear nothing, feel nothing and sense nothing of God.

John 15:4-6 Abide (Meno) in me, and I in you. (Come under my rulership and influence so that I might truly be in thee) As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide (Meno) in the vine; no more can ye, (Be fruitful spiritually in and of yourselves) except ye abide (Meno) in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth (Meno-eth) in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: (This fruit is borne of our personal intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ plus nothing – This fruit is borne of our hearing the Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Father. This fruit is borne out of our being in-filled and imbued constantly with the living waters of Jesus Christ – Which He declared as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.) for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide (Meno) not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, (Talmudic rabbis then gather these cut off and withered branches into their synagogues) and (When they are finished with them) cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit – contrary to what men teach on this subject, it is not a static one time event that happened at 8:59 on Tuesday, three years ago.

For all too many, due to their teaching and indoctrination, their experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit has in fact become a static one time event that happened at a specific time and date in their life and nothing more.

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled (Greek Plero-U-Sthe  Plero-Pleroo –To fill to the full, To satiate, to satisfy [Pleko- To braid, To weave, To be plaited, To be intertwined] U-Uper Overflowing, above or beyond capacity exceedingly beyond. Sthe-Stheno To strengthen, to make mighty, to empower) with the Spirit. 

When considering the meaning of this passage, we must measure it against Jesus Christ and His ministry as recorded in the Gospels – In regard to Christ’s being filled with the Holy Ghost, no where in the gospels do we find Jesus staggering from the effects of His being filled with the Holy Ghost, no where in the Gospels to we find Jesus drunk from being filled with the Holy Ghost – Instead we see when the Holy Ghost rested upon Christ and then indwelled Him – Jesus was quite sober along with John the Baptist. We see that the Holy Spirit, instead of making Christ drunk, staggering about and filled with laughter –drove Christ into the wilderness to fast and pray alone for 40 days – after which Christ returned from the wilderness in the power of the Spirit. – I would prayerfully pose to you that this passage in particular has been hijacked to the detriment of the body of Christ by a group of preachers and their followers that seek to use the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, and in particular the outpouring of the new wine of the Spirit, for entertainment value, to make a spectacle of themselves and their ministries, and to offer Christ and the Holy Spirit as a “High” and an “Intoxicant” to those of this party-hardy generation. 

The Greek, especially here, when rightly divided is speaking of the excesses of drunkenness – as opposed to being Plero-U-Sthe with the Spirit, and shows no similarities between drunken excesses’ and being filled with the Spirit whatsoever. Beyond the definitions of the various word particles that comprise Plero-U-Sthe we have posted above, we wish to note that the tense of this Greek word shows continuous action which means: To be filled, and filled, and filled.

Was Christ so filled? Yes.

Did Christ so walk day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute? Yes

Was Jesus so braided, so woven, so intertwined with the Father through the Spirit? Yes.

Was Jesus so filled to overflowing, so satiated, and so satisfied, so over flowing beyond capacity with the Holy Spirit? Yes.

Was Jesus so strengthened, so made mighty and so empowered by His being filled and filled and filled by the Spirit day by day, hour by hour and moment by moment? Yes

I would humbly suggest to you that by taking something so Holy and cleansing, so designed to intertwine you with Jesus Christ, so spiritually strengthening and empowering – that some have turned it into a circus sideshow of drunken excess for a good high and a laugh for an evening – is sinful, corrupt and perverse before God.  I would humbly suggest that those that have partaken of such things, that you have been robbed, cheated and despoiled of the true power that is available in being filled and refilled by the Holy Ghost after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.

Consider now the words of Jesus Christ on this matter:

Luke 6:24-26 (Jesus talking to the disciples) But woe unto you (Cursed are those of my disciples) that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (You have been robbed, cheated and despoiled by the serpent of your spiritual birthright and the spiritual blessing of fruitfulness and dominion in exchange for corrupt earthly carnal riches, wealth and power – and for you, it all ends here.) Woe unto you that are full! (Satisfied daily with sumptuous meals with all manner of delicacies) for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! (In drunken revelry, living the continuous party lifestyle of those that are rock stars and celebrities.) for ye shall mourn and weep. (As you find yourself cast out into outer darkness) Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. (Here, Jesus links this culture of laughter, drunken feasting, and ever celebrating and partying celebrity lifestyle with the false prophets that received honor and sat at the table of kings in the whole of Scripture.)

This should give believers of this day and hour great pause.

Note the similarity of the warnings and curses given by Christ here, with the warnings of being utterly cut off of those who attended the rich, full and laughing church of Laodicea.

Note well also the words Christ spoke again to His disciples on how the Church shall be at the time of His second coming.

Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they (The Church of that day) were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, (Living a lifestyle of one continuous party and celebration) until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And (They) knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (With those in the church knowing not, the hour of their coming judgment and their being swept away.)

Luke 18:8-9 (Christ again speaking to His disciples) -- When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith (Faithfulness in those who declare themselves to be His Church) on the earth? And He spake this parable (In answer to His own question) unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

John 7:38-40 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Here, John the Apostle declares that the meaning of Jesus saying “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” – is speaking of the infilling of the Holy Spirit and is refilling and refilling and refilling, spoken in Ephesians 5:19 “Be filled with the Spirit”.)

This refilling, refilling and refilling is called abiding in the vine as He is the Vine and we are the branches and without our receiving of our daily refilling from Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, we have no Dunamis, we can do nothing of ourselves, but instead are weak and sickly and dead, dried out branches.  

Can we start to see here that our spiritual problems and lacks are relational in nature? (The lack of any firm, solid, deep, abiding, personal relationship, with Jesus Christ) It is not that God’s arm has been shortened, nor is it that Jesus has given up the keys to the kingdom and can no longer do any of these things (As Hagan’s disciples and clones teach). It is that men do not believe the Words and Commandments of Jesus Christ and seek in their place to follow instead the doctrines and traditions of men that they are espoused to. These have discipled themselves to an endless multitude of preachers and teachers that have not the power of Jesus Christ, that have not the anointing of Jesus Christ, that have not the rivers of living waters flowing out of their bellies as Christ, that can not Baptize men with the Holy Ghost, that can not give out the gifts of the Spirit, nor can they give out spiritual  ministry – over and over in the word of God it is stated that only Jesus Christ –through the auspices of the Holy Ghost can do these things. And neither can men refill, refill and refill believers with the Spirit daily - only our Lord, Savior, and Master, Jesus Christ can.

In other words, as plainly as can be said, ye have not because you trust in men more than you do in God. Ye seek men. Ye disciple yourself to men, ye take men’s yokes and place them upon you. Ye take men’s words and doctrines and traditions over the words and commandments of Jesus Christ – therefore ye have not. Therefore you reap emptiness, futility, and desolation.

Proverbs 1:23 Turn you at My reproof: (Repent! And) behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My Words unto you.

The Greek in the following verses is extremely revealing.
Acts 1:13-14 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued (Proskar-Terouvtes, Proskar-Proskardios Of the heart Ter-Teras A sign, Wonder, Omen, or Portent --Something that foreshadows a coming event. A prophetic event or something of prophetic significance.  O-The U-Upo To come under, Beneath, To bow, To come under the authority or influence of another, Ntes-Antao To meet face to face, To partake of as in being seated at a table [Out of their hearts, in obedience to that which was prophetically spoke – they ceded their authority and influence, and instead came face to face and become partakers]) with one accord (Omo-Thm-Adon. Omo-Omou One, With, or together - Thumos  With All One’s soul, With all one’s life breath, passionately and fervently. Adon-Ado-To sing, Ados Joy. [They came and worshipped fervently with all that was in them]) in prayer (Pros-Eu-chE Pros [Dative] A motion away from, [Accusative] A motion to a place, God’s throne in heaven. In classical Greek Pros-Eu-Che is not prayer but a place of prayer. Euche in Classical Greek means: To Pray or To offer one’s vow. Eu means: To euologize To speak well of. Che-Cheo in Classical Greek means: To pour, To pour out, To pour forth, To flow. [The full meaning of the word Prayer here is: They had built a house of prayer, where they cried out to the Lord, in prayer, in worship, and in the making of vows, powerfully pouring forth unto Him from the deep in them from the brokenness of their hearts and crushed souls that they felt and were deeply affected by]) and supplication, (Densei- [The Analytical Greek Lexicon lists Deo as the root word and lists its meaning as: To lack, To fall short of] In Classical Greek  Densei-Denso-Deo is NOT a word used of prayer or supplication being made to God – it used of: Personal lack, To fall short of, To miss. [Here we see that they were also in a state of deep repentance, a great sorrowing, both towards God and towards one another.]) with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Here, the Apostles, Disciples and Women Turned at God’s reproof -- Peter, and the others with him through deep repentance, fell upon the rock and were broken deep within their soul and spirit before the Lord and one another – The process leading up to this moment, and what happened here over the process of weeks of fasting and prostrating themselves before God is what and is the straight and narrow gate Christ spoke of – This is the point of conversion Christ spoke of to Peter. 

A number of things brought them into this spiritual critical mass we read of here. Their failure to understand even the simplest of things Christ spoke to them for 3½ years, their being filled with strife, selfishness, and carnality, as opposed to the selflessness of God and Jesus Christ that was made so painfully manifest before their eyes, their complete lack of spirituality, to the point of their not even having developed any semblance of a prayer life as Christ’s disciples, their utter betrayal of Christ in the garden abandoning Him to the temple guards to be tried and slain by the priests and the head of every rabbinical order that ran the Sanhedrin, their knowing of what occurred with Christ step by step as He was being scourged, to His being made to carry His own cross to Golgotha, to His being nailed to the Cross, His shedding of every drop of His Blood and His death – The weight of their own sins and their lending themselves to Christ’s betrayal and death shattered His Apostles and Disciples. His resurrection filled them with fear and terror as they were sure they would all be executed for their crimes against Jesus Christ and the Father.  And finally, Christ’s ascension to the right hand of the Father now leaving them who now felt so unworthy, so unholy, so unrighteous, so unqualified to fill Christ’s sandals – and carry forth His Words and Commandments to all nations.

Look now at what is before you, and see, by the eye of the Spirit, the meaning here as opposed to what men teach - Such repentance, such prayer, such fasting, and such resoluteness before God, -- such inner transformation and conversion of their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh.

Look, see, and understand.

Did this happen when they first believed?
Did this happen when they saw miracles, signs and wonders?
Did this happen when Christ died on the Cross?
Did this happen when Christ rose from the dead?
Did this happen when Christ appeared and taught them for 40 days?
Did this happen when they saw Christ ascend to the right hand of God?

Pray that God will open your heart and understanding to what is being spoken here.

The Lord Jesus Christ is still the true vine, still The Way, The Truth, and The Life -- if you will indeed follow the anointing. The Lord Jesus Christ is still The Great Shepherd who is calling out to His sheep by name, and leading and guiding all that are His Own -- if you will indeed follow Him and become His disciple. And if you hear His voice, and follow where He leads you through the auspices of the Holy Ghost -- He will lead you to this precise path in your life, to this precise place that He led the Apostles and Disciples – To this place of emptiness, of brokenness, of humility, and of knowing in every cell of your being that no good thing dwelleth in you, and that by your own strength, by your own intellect and understanding, and by anything that you might offer in and of yourself – that the Kingdom of God is not furthered, and that Jesus Christ and the Father receive no Glory. – It is from this place that Abraham trod, and Moses and the prophets so walked, and that this was not the finishing line for the disciples and apostles just prior to the day of Pentecost – it was the starting baseline, it is the basis from which all true New Testament ministry was in the days of the apostles supposed to function, (Independent of gifts and operations of the Spirit as noted in the Gospels, and the book of 1^st Corinthians) and it is yet true today though entirely lost upon the church – that Jesus Christ’s words and commandments yet stand, and that those who seek to truly become His disciples and to be His servants must needs BE LED down this same path, (As those who have made themselves disciples of Jessie Penn Lewis and Disciples of the teachings of the cross – self flagellate, abuse, mistreat and neglect their flesh – in the image and likeness of Roman Catholic Asceticism and Monasticism – so as to abuse themselves to the point that they feel holy and worthy of the Lord. Know that in all actuality -- these acts, these works of the flesh and soul are strange fire, and a stench in the nostrils of God.) We must hear the voice of Jesus Christ, calling us by name, and follow Him down this path of meekness and lowliness of heart – learning of Him as we go – to come to this point of critical mass in our walk, this point of conversion, this point of personal justification and personal sanctification – where the Lord thereafter may begin to entrust us with our true spiritual riches in Him, and may begin to share and impart these to others as He wills, not as we will.   

When we look out around us, we see ministry that has not so entered what the disciples and apostles entered into in order to function and be the men we read of in the Book of Acts and in the Epistles. Neither have these ministries so walked this path. Instead we see a ministry that is drunk by their taking the Glory of God to themselves and ever lifting up their own names and their ministries. We see a ministry that continually traffics on the Gospel and makes merchandise of God’s sheep so as to enrich themselves to the point of living like the wealthy and becoming celebrities and stars with their followings and groupies. We see ministry that is bent on empowering themselves so that they might rule as kings and execute their judgment over God’s heritage and the unsaved.

This is not how Christ so walked. These clearly know not His voice and are not following Him as their shepherd. Clearly these walk in their own flesh and after their own imagination.

And yet in the face of all that we see, the word of God states of those who so followed after Christ and so enter in, in the upper room.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (That they remained there in that same most holy, sanctified state and did not run out in their own strength and power – but waited for Jesus Christ through the Spirit to call the next move.)

Once they were so imbued, so filled to overflowing – they remained subject to Christ and His leading and guidance as to where and to whom they were to preach even as it was in His earthly ministry.

Isaiah 55:1-3 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Now we would be utterly neglectful not to speak and declare that those thereafter who received this same Baptism of the Holy Spirit received it not as the disciples and apostles did in Acts 2:4, and we are speaking of all of those in the Book of Acts and those who are written of in the Epistles as demonstrated in the Corinthian Church (We need to see ourselves and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that we have received in this same light – if we are indeed to ever grow and progress spiritually as the Lord would have us to.) But that they as well as we have received The Baptism of the Holy Ghost – without having walked down the path that the apostles and disciples so walked, and neither did they nor we come to this place of brokenness and humility within our heart and soul, this place of spiritual critical mass, this place of entering into personal sanctification and personal justification before the Lord.

Can we see what we are speaking of here in the Word of God? Can we see these things in scripture?

We can see what we are speaking of here as revealed by the Spirit most pointedly in Isaiah, the prophet. For in the Book of Isaiah, chapters 1-5, we see Isaiah was called and anointed by God to be a prophet, but in Isaiah, chapter six, God called Isaiah into a higher calling, he called Isaiah from being a prophet anointed of the Lord, to being an Apostle. One who had personally entered into personal sanctification and personal justification before the Lord, one that was to walk in brokenness of heart, one whose soul was pierced – so as to speak and prophecy of the Highest Order, testifying of the coming Christ, His life and His ministry, His suffering, death, and resurrection.  And we note Isaiah was also granted the signs of the Apostle as well.

We can see most pointedly the results in Numbers where God took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed this same Spirit upon the elders of Israel – and the power of it, yet the woeful results when Aaron (A false apostle, the foreshadowing of the Antichrist) spoke and said “Break off the earrings” and caused all of Israel to sin – and those that had been so filled and imbued followed after the ways of Aaron.  (Take heed to these words – and know that likewise in the Epistles is recorded the beginnings of the great falling away of the early church.) The difference between Moses and the elders that had received of the same Spirit that was upon him –was that they had not yet walked the path that Moses walked, nor had they come to the place of critical mass before God, in brokenness of heart and spirit, of having entered into personal sanctification and personal justification before the Lord. 

There are many other examples but we will move on to Jesus Christ Himself.

In the life of Jesus Christ when He was baptized in water of John the Baptist and was subsequently baptized with the Holy Spirit by God Himself, the word of God declares that Jesus did not receive the full-power of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 4:1-11 Then (After Jesus was baptized in the Holy Ghost, then) was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.  

What we read here in the Gospel of Matthew in great plainness of speech is that Jesus Christ, the second and last Adam received at the river Jordan “in measure” this baptism of the Holy Spirit. (As in the same manner the first Adam in the garden received dominion of Spirit from the hand of the Father “in measure,” for the first Adam also had to be tested and proved in all points like the second and last Adam, Jesus Christ, before he [The first Adam] was to be granted the fullness of this dominion of Spirit.)

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

From the standpoint of the Father, this testing, this proving of Jesus Christ involved Jesus life with His earthly parents, with the tutors and governors He had been placed under, and this testing and proving ended in the wilderness when Satan could not tempt or find any fault in Jesus Christ. (Elsewhere we have described what occurred in Jesus life to that of what occurred with Abraham as he entered into personal sanctification and personal justification before God.)

Here now is what, in great plainness of speech, the word of God declares was the result of this intensive praying and fasting and waiting upon the Lord that occurred in the life of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, after He had entered into the wilderness forty days earlier with the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in measure.
Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

Over the years many have questioned the lack of power in their Baptism of the Holy Spirit as opposed to what they read in Scripture and the New Testament and here we have the answer that has been in plain sight for all to see all along and in quite concrete terms – for as the 70 elders that received of the Spirit of God that was upon Moses by the hand of God Himself and these were found wanting in their in-filling, and the Apostles and the Disciples had to first so walk as Christ did, be broken, and come into spiritual critical mass in the upper room before the Spirit was so poured out upon them in power – We, as those in the early church as recorded in Corinthians, Galatians, along with the Seven Churches of Asia Minor that are recorded in Revelation, have not walked the walk that Christ did, we have not been tested tempted and proven on all points, we have not walked as the disciples between the Last Supper and the Upper Room so that we might be so broken, so painfully aware of our sins and short comings, so stripped of our personal gifts, natural talents and abilities, and fall upon the rock and be shattered. And thus we have not entered into this personal justification/personal sanctification before God that He can then entrust us with our true riches, even the power of the Spirit that came upon Jesus as He departed from the wilderness to begin in earnest the ministry and calling God had given Him from the beginning.  

Here we find a small image of what we are speaking of elsewhere in the Gospels.
Matthew 19:20 The young man (Seeking to become a disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ) saith unto Him (Jesus Christ), All these things have I kept from my youth up: (With my own strength, and power) what lack I yet?

And Jesus answered Him . . .

Pray and meditate upon those things that are written here and let the Lord break this bread unto you that it might become life and health unto your bones.

Isaiah 64:7 There is none that calleth upon Thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee.