John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
During His short life on earth, He was able to bring wholeness and redemption to mankind. By His obedience, He suffered a horrific death in which He was brutally punished and killed as an innocent man.
His suffering and death was what all people deserved; but this was God's plan of salvation for us who would accept it. Peace, health, and provision were all paid for at the altar of the cross by Jesus of Nazareth.
3 days after He was buried in a tomb, God raised Him from the dead.
For those who accept Him, Jesus gives us His eternal life. His Spirit actually moves into your spirit and makes you a new creature.
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
For ever more, Jesus is the savior, and the one and only Spirit that can renew you forever to God, is His.
Because of all that Jesus did, He is the King of the Universe; King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
As King, He promised his followers that He would not leave them alone, but would send the Holy Ghost to them. 40 days after the Passover, on which Jesus the Lamb of God was killed, came the day of Pentecost. On that day, 120 of Jesus' followers were gathered in an upper room, the same room that Jesus had held Passover with His disciples.
While they were there, the Holy Ghost made His dramatic entrance:
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.
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Our God is made up of 3 persons: Father, Son, Holy Ghost. When He formed man in His image, one of the attributes was that we are also 3: spirit, soul, and body. Jesus promised that he would not leave us but send the Comforter (Holy Ghost).The power of the Fire of God entered the room as the Holy Ghost fulfilled the promise.
At that moment, the Holy Spirit filled all of the believers there. Those who did not have the Spirit of Jesus received Him first.
These old Church paintings are trying to represent the Fire of God that came from the Holy Ghost and rested on each of the believers. One must consider the force of the universe that was released here.
The Bible describes God as a consuming fire. But, His Fire endows power to His children, not consuming, but strengthening them. This is the very power that raised Jesus from the dead and can rest on us; for He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The Holy Spirit is represented by a dove because when Jesus was baptised, John saw the Spirit descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove and he heard the voice of the Father from Heaven announce that "This is my beloved Son in whom I AM well pleased."
When the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in the upper room, they were endowed with power.
The first "gift" that was manifested was speaking in tongues.
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.
This was the 1st gift because it is primary in edifying yourself and in the manifestation of the other gifts that God has reserved for His children. In Acts 2 these tongues were unknown languages for the believers, yet known to the people of the world that were gathered in Jerusalem. This is one aspect of tongues.
When one is born again as Jesus said in John 3, the Spirit of Jesus is entwined in their spirit and they become children of God.
1John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
As God's child you can ask for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. This is a promise for His children.
Luke 11:13 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? So spake Jesus.
Jesus was referring to earthly fathers giving their children good gifts. So when you have Jesus' Spirit within you and you receive the Holy Ghost as well... you have 2/3 of the wholeness of God. Your spirit is made perfect, however you need work on your mind (soul) and body. None the less, you are capable of letting the Holy Spirit manifest Himself through you in the form of gifts for the edification of the Church. Understand that the Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are synonymous.
When filled with the Holy Ghost, one can let the Spirit speak through your own mouth. You do not know what is being said, yet you can be assured that you are speaking by the Holy Ghost and in line with God's will. This is praying in the Holy Ghost. Doing so edifies you.
Romans 8:26 ¶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself....
This is your prayer language. You can pray out loud or silently in the Spirit; you can sing in the Spirit; you can join the Holy Spirit in His never ending prayer, anytime, anywhere, and be confident that the greater one in you is getting the job done.
Paul teaching Timothy spoke of this gift:
1 Timothy 1:6 ¶ Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
There is also the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in tongues, when there will be an interpreter who will speak by the Holy Ghost in a known language. This is usually seen in a Church or group setting.
The list of the 9 gifts of the Holy Ghost are in 1 Corinthians 12.
The 9 gifts can be divided into 3 groups. Remember the gifts listed are manifestations of the Holy Ghost, in other words, you do not control them, but the Spirit does. You just make yourself available.
John said in Revelation 1 that God has made us Kings and Priests. The positions in the Church are:
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers....
Joseph Prince had a revelation about the 3 groups of gifts concerning Kings, Prophets, and Priests which I will use here giving credit to the Holy Spirit for his revelation.
The first Group is for vocal gifts as spoken for the King as His representative; All for the edification of the Church.
Tongues- speaking in an unknown tongue by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Interpretation of tongues- making the tongues known to the group in a known language.
Prophecy- speaking for the Holy Ghost in a known language.
The next group is for the revealed wisdom of God as spoken by a representative as the office of a Prophet chosen by the Holy Spirit.
When one is born again as Jesus said in John 3, the Spirit of Jesus is entwined in their spirit and they become children of God.
1John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
As God's child you can ask for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. This is a promise for His children.
Luke 11:13 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? So spake Jesus.
Jesus was referring to earthly fathers giving their children good gifts. So when you have Jesus' Spirit within you and you receive the Holy Ghost as well... you have 2/3 of the wholeness of God. Your spirit is made perfect, however you need work on your mind (soul) and body. None the less, you are capable of letting the Holy Spirit manifest Himself through you in the form of gifts for the edification of the Church. Understand that the Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are synonymous.
When filled with the Holy Ghost, one can let the Spirit speak through your own mouth. You do not know what is being said, yet you can be assured that you are speaking by the Holy Ghost and in line with God's will. This is praying in the Holy Ghost. Doing so edifies you.
Romans 8:26 ¶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself....
This is your prayer language. You can pray out loud or silently in the Spirit; you can sing in the Spirit; you can join the Holy Spirit in His never ending prayer, anytime, anywhere, and be confident that the greater one in you is getting the job done.
Paul teaching Timothy spoke of this gift:
1 Timothy 1:6 ¶ Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
This gift of tongues is necessary to access the other gifts and heighten your walk with God.
There is also the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in tongues, when there will be an interpreter who will speak by the Holy Ghost in a known language. This is usually seen in a Church or group setting.
The list of the 9 gifts of the Holy Ghost are in 1 Corinthians 12.
The 9 gifts can be divided into 3 groups. Remember the gifts listed are manifestations of the Holy Ghost, in other words, you do not control them, but the Spirit does. You just make yourself available.
John said in Revelation 1 that God has made us Kings and Priests. The positions in the Church are:
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers....
Joseph Prince had a revelation about the 3 groups of gifts concerning Kings, Prophets, and Priests which I will use here giving credit to the Holy Spirit for his revelation.
The first Group is for vocal gifts as spoken for the King as His representative; All for the edification of the Church.
Tongues- speaking in an unknown tongue by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Interpretation of tongues- making the tongues known to the group in a known language.
Prophecy- speaking for the Holy Ghost in a known language.
The next group is for the revealed wisdom of God as spoken by a representative as the office of a Prophet chosen by the Holy Spirit.
The Word of Knowledge- God's knowledge of a situation given to you supernaturally by the Holy Ghost.
The Word of Wisdom- God's wisdom of how to deal with a situation imparted to you by the Holy Spirit.
Discerning of spirits- the ability to see, hear, feel, smell, or touch and be aware of supernatural beings that are not discernable without the help of the Holy Ghost.
The next group is for the manifestation of the power of the Holy Ghost by a representative as a chosen Priest.
The Gift of Healings- this can be for disease, mental disorders, or any malady. The anointing of the Holy Ghost overcomes all oppression of the devil.
Miracles- supernatural events that can not be explained in the world's rational.
Faith- when you have used all the faith you have, God gives you some of His.
All of these gifts are to edify and build up the Church. They are the movement of the Holy Ghost and manifestations of His power.
The gifts can work in conjunction with each other. Sometimes several gifts may work at one time.
Remember that you are the Temple of the Holy Ghost. As you study His Word and the gifts, He will reveal Himself to you and bring understanding of how the gifts work, for they operate according to His will and not ours.
I would like to mention Isaiah 11:2 here, for it is taught by some as gifts of the Holy Ghost in the Old Testament.
1 ¶ And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD:.....
It is fairly obvious that this is referring to the coming Messiah, or Jesus, and these gifts are encompassed in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In Mark 16 we see:
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
The tongues may include tongues and interpretation, but probably is referring to our prayer language.
The laying on of hands is something that will work for them that believe, and not speaking about the gifts of healings. That being said, all of the gifts of the Spirit only work when people believe and welcome them. When they are not wanted or spoken against, the Holy Spirit will seldom present Himself.
When Jesus is worshipped and appreciated, the Holy Ghost welcome, and God praised, the supernatural will become natural.
Pictures are from the Internet and quotes are from KJV.
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