The Holy Spirit Baptism and His Gifts

Religion

Article submitted by Dr. Bob Allen:

The only reason that I’m spending so much time on the Holy Spirit’s gifts is because we are so lacking in them, and need them so badly. I believe we are in the most challenging time that we have ever been in in our history. Our nation is falling apart. The attacks of the enemy are at an all time high. The apostle Paul said we fight against principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Wrestle means contact, contest. I believe that most of the churches are still in neutral. We are just not equipped for the fight.

Please allow me to give you one example: we drop our children off at Church at a very young age, and we leave them there for the next twelve years. About ninety percent of them leave the church without enough knowledge and power to wrestle against spiritual wickedness of this world. This is about as much as they started with.

They are not powered up to fight the good fight and live for Christ. We need Jesus, and His power. I can’t begin to tell you how many pastors, deacons, and wonderful church family members whose children are caught up in the gay life style, drugs, sex, rebellion or even in jail after spending twelve years attending a church. The Church may be doing everything right, but if we are still losing our children to the world; it is just not enough. We must teach them to use the spiritual power that Jesus gave them.

John 14:16-18 Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, and He will be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it sees Him not, neither knows Him, but you know Him for He dwells with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.” Jesus said, “He will take the things of me, and show them unto you.” John 16:15

1. The world can’t receive the Spirit, but you can
2. The world doesn’t know Him, but you do.
3. He is not in the world, but He is in you.
4. Jesus said, “The world will see me no more,” but you will.
5. The world can’t be powered by Him, but you can. Are you?

My friends get to know the Holy Spirit at all cost. Remember, Jesus said, you know Him. Well, do you? He is your contact person with the Father, and He represents the Lord Jesus to us.

John 1:33 John said, “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Ghost”. Are you indeed baptized with Him?

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said you would have power to witness when the Holy Ghost comes upon you. I find most Christians do not have this power.

Everyone I ask if they think we are in the last days, says yes.

Acts 2:17-18 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” Are you in an environment where the daughters can prophesy? If we are in the last days then Joel’s words must come to pass.

Mark 16:17 Jesus said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe, in my name shall they cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” So where do we start?

When Jesus made that statement of speaking in new tongues in Mark 16:15, I don’t think the disciples had a clue what he was talking about. This was to come after Jesus departed from the earth, beginning at Pentecost.

In 1st Cor.chapters 12-14, The Apostle Paul introduces us to the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us. He then teaches us how to use them to perfect the saints, edify the body of Christ, and to do the work of the ministry. Paul seems to be the only apostle that had a good understanding of the gifts. We know that Paul is the messenger to the gentiles, just as the disciples of Jesus were sent to the Jews.

I believe Paul was caught up to the third heaven and was given these gifts by the Lord Jesus to help establish the gentile church. The Jews knew their rich history. They had their priest, and their synagogues, but the gentiles knew nothing, and had nothing. But look at this promise in Gal3:14” Paul said, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith”. Paul has a vision and revelations from the Lord. 2nd Cor. 12:2 “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, such as one caught up to the third heaven”.
He starts off by sharing the understanding that he had received about each gift from the Lord. These gifts had never been released to the gentiles before.

1Cor. 12:1” Paul said now concerning spiritual gifts brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” He then explained these gifts for the church.

1Cor. 12:4-7” Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which works all in all, but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

My friend, it is time for you to profit through the receiving, and using of the gifts of the Spirit.
#1 The Gift of Wisdom: This wonderful gift gives you, without thinking, the wisdom and the mind of the spirit at the time that you need it. Oh friend, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have wisdom that comes directly from God? You can! This wonderful gift doesn’t make you smart, but I notice every time you speak or testify for Father God it always comes out right.

#2 The Gift of the word of Knowledge, Father God by the Holy Spirit can give you a word of knowledge for a person when you had no clue of what to say. You can change a person’s relationship with the Lord with one word from the Holy Spirit. Here are a few examples:

I have been praying for a person, and by the word of knowledge the Spirit said to me, ask her why she tried to commit suicide. Her whole life opened up to me and she was changed.

I was ministering to a man, and the Spirit said to ask him about his relationships. He broke down and opened up to me. Then I was able to give him a word from the Lord for his situation.

The Lord said to me,” she has a hernia.” That meant the Lord wanted to heal her, so I lay hands on her and the Lord healed her. It is called doing things God’s way. I’ve had many, many such experiences by the gift of the word of knowledge.

The gift of wisdom then will show you how to use what you received by the word of knowledge. It could lift up people and put them on the best path that they have ever walked on.

#3 Faith: The Holy Spirit can put in you the gift of faith. This gift to believe for more faith than you know you have, and make you bolder than you thought you could be. It is far greater than you ever dreamed of, when you are ministering to someone else.

#4 The Gifts of healing: This is a marvelous gift the Lord Jesus has made available to His church. I have witnessed many, many healings and it needs to be used today in all of our churches. Jesus is and always has been our healer. The Holy Spirit operates these gifts through us. You could say that you are the carrier of the gift. It would be wise to study the healings of Jesus.

Matt 9:35 “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and reaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”

Mark 16:18 “Jesus said, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” That would be you, my friend.

There will be more to come on the other gifts.

By Dr. Bob Allen

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