Bourkes: november 2009

Church in the home Wednesday evenings 11/11/2009

The gift of holy spirit

In the Netherlands this specific time of year seems to start the season for the giving and receiving of gifts. Children go from door to door singing Saint Martin songs and in exchange they get something tasty to eat. The 5th and the 25th of December are looming large as well. God has been gracious to us and made available gifts as well.

1Cor 15

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

For us, getting a gift of life has to be the greatest gift of all, since by man, Adam, came death.

Why did God make this gift available?

Romans 5

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The reason we needed the gift of live was because we had inherited death, by one man, Adam,

1Corinthians 15,

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Adam was created in the image of God, (formed out of the earth giving him a body (body), became a living soul when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (soul), and was created in Gods image, (spirit), ) here in 1 Cor 15:45 Adam is characterised as having being made a living soul, whilst Jesus, the last or second Adam was made a quickening spirit. The bible promises that we too will be made like Jesus with a new body at his appearing.

Ephesians 1

13 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 that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The earnest in verse 14 means a token or a downpayment, a pledge or a deposit, until Jesus comes back and changes our bodies. The gift we have is not everlasting life itself but a promise of everlasting life.

But the question remains, what should we believe in order to be sealed with that holy spirit of promise?

Romans 10: 9 & 10 give a clear instruction on this.

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Though we are now saved by “works” we still have to exert some effort in carrying out the instruction of Romans 10:9&10. This is strictly not to be confused with works, but confession and believing. Doing this will result in a wonderful transformation in the life of an individual. That person Young or old, male or feamale, free or in captivity, rich or poor, will be born again. Lets look at 1 Peter 1: 22, & 23 to get more insight on this.

1 Peter

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Born of incorruptible sed, and that seed is Christ (Genesis 3:15 is the first mention of this seed in the bible) Whereas being born of corruptible seed (our natural, flesh and blood nature inherited from our natural parents) brings with it the possibility of a natural death, but being born again of incorruptible seed gives us the pledge of everlasting life , or life in the age to come.

This being born again is a gift..

Ephesians 2

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

We all delight in receiving Gifts, but what gift can compare to this gift of God, being saved from wrath, the curse, death, and complete destruction.

How do we know we have this pledge of life in the age to come

Acts gives us a clear guidence

Acts 2

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance

Speaking in tongues is the God given manifestation on the outside, of the gift on the inside.

Luke 24

49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Jesus foretold of the coming comforter, holy spirit, and said that it was a promise of God that it would be available to believers, and that those who received it would be endued with power.

Acts follows on from the record in Luke and shows that the apostles were carrying out the instruction given to them.

Acts 1

1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

Jesus gave some instructions as to the receiving of the promise of the father, the holy spirit, which is recorded in the gospel of John

John 20

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Peter in Acts 2 states that Jesus did receive the promise of the Father and was authorised to shed this forth, and this he duely did for the First time on the day of Penetcost as recorded in Acts 2.

Acts 2

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

Peter at the end of his speaking forth to those present on that day and summarises very clearly what God’s will was and is

Acts 2
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Repent here can be equated with the earlier verses of Romans 10: 9, & 10, that is confessing and believing.

Luke (the author of Acts) makes the point by revelation from God, that the believers, the receivers of the promise of the Father would be baptised with holy ghost (or holy spirit) ushering in a new era distinct from the era of water baptism .

Acts 1

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

In our walk with God, we are exhorted to continue along the spiritual road that we started on when we got born again, received the holy spirit, were baptised with holy spirit, when we became endued with power from high, and in Galations this is expressed as folows..

Galations 3

2 This only would I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

We are not to seek spiritual perfection through Works of the flesh. Sure, good works in the flesh, are a necessary part of the Christian walk, but there is a spiritual and a natural side to our lives. God wishes us to speak in tongues and operate the other manifestations of the gift of holy spirit zealously.

In Acts Peter ministered to believers who had “received the Word of God” namely they believed Romans 10:9 & 10, but they had not been led into a full experiential and practical Christian lifestyle where worshiping God in spirit plays an essential part.

Acts 8

14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received (dechomai Gk.) the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive (lambano Gk.) the Holy Ghost:

16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received (lambano Gk.) the Holy Ghost.

What happened when Peter laid hands on them is not specifically stated here but it was so impressive that Simon (the Sorceror) wanted to pay money to the apostles to get this power.
The greek words dechomai and lambano are particularly interesting in their usage in this section of scripture.

Acts 19 records a similar experience to that of Acts 8., when Paul ministered to believers who had been baptised with the baptism of water only. The result of the ministering was that thoise ministered to spoke in tongues.

Acts 19

1 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,

2 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.

3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4 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.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

7 And all the men were about twelve.

This may well have been what Simon had seen and heard in the record in Actss 8.

1 Corinthians lucidly states that speaking in tongues, is for the Christian believer, a real, concrete , and tangible way of bringing the gift of holy spirit Which has been born on the inside, into manifestation on the outside.

1 Cor 12 : 3

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Amplified version:

1 Cor 12

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking under the power and influence of the [Holy] Spirit of God can [ever] say, Jesus be cursed! And no one can [really] say, Jesus is [my] Lord, except by and under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.
Neil J Bourke, 15/Nov/2009, Almere, The Netherlands

Bourkes

zondag 15 november 2009

Church in the home wednesday evenings 11/11/2009

zondag 8 november 2009

Church in the home, Wednesday evenings the 28th Oct. 2009

Blogarchief

Over mij