I ran across this article and thought it was worth sharing. God created us and he knows what benefits his creation and what wounds it. This is a good explanation of why God commands his children to be sexually pure from the Creator’s point off view. I will add a few comments of my own after the article. [The article was written by Jeremy Wiles, Soul Refiner CEO. Published Nov. 27, 2017 and modified April 25, 2022]

Have you ever wondered why sexual sin is against your own body?

1 Corinthians 6:18 warns of negative physical consequences to sexual sin – a desecration of the Holy Temple, our body, which houses the Holy Spirit. “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”

Now science confirms exactly how sexual sin harms us. It damages your brain. Whether it be premarital sex, adultery, or viewing pornography, sexual sin alters our brain function and, when indulged in repeatedly, can lead to a seared conscience – an actual brain phenomenon that numbs us to guilt and conviction of wrong doing.

Oxytocin and Vasopressin

When porn is viewed, several. things happen in the brain involving powerful hormones – two of which are Oxytocin and Vasopressin. Often called the “love hormone,” Oxytocin is released when we hug or kiss a loved one. It regulates social interaction and sexual reproduction, playing a role in empathy, generosity, orgasm, and human bonding.

Vasopressin is a hormone found in most mammals which is also used as a medication: it numbs the pain. When we watch pornography, and “act out. ” the sexual sin releases a powerful concoction, creating a perplexing issue for the human body.

Rewiring Your Brain

Fundamentally, the bonding hormones of Oxytocin and Vasopressin form a rewiring of the brain when consuming the wrong material, that lures the individual deeper into a prison of their own making. An intoxicating combination of hormones – intended to bring loved ones closer together and promote mental healing – are instead operating out of sinful activity, completely confusing the mind.

Dr. Doug Weiss, Executive Director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center and expert contributor to the Conquer Series, a cinematic series that helps men break free from pornography, elaborates:

“When you have a sexual experience, your brain makes these opiates which [are] four times stronger than morphine. Boom! It hits your brain, your brain lights up like a Christmas tree. This is the highest chemical reward your brain gets for anything. That’s why a lot of guys get in trouble, even in ministry. They don’t know their brain is defective.”

When the brain has been changed in this way, sexual sin takes a profound toll. The individual knows that watching porn is a shameful act and one to be kept secret, yet each time they view it, they find themselves trusting it more, pairing with the porn stars or the activity with a deep mental bond, and feeling healed by sexual sin; they are trapped in a destructive cycle.

What is a seared conscience?

There is a part of your brain that is responsible for convicting you of wrongdoing. It’s a little voice inside of you we call our conscience. If you continue to participate in that wrong behavior, however, eventually you become desensitized to this convicting presence. That part of your brain simply stops responding. In effect, your conscience is seared just as the Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:2. “Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with hot iron.”

That’s not all. When this area of your brain stays active chronically, you will eventually impair your ability to feel pleasure as well. Dr. Tim Jennings, explains: “People who damage their pleasure centers in this way, will often be disinterested in healthy relationships, will often become apathetic, and they will seek more high risk behaviors or drugs or other types of things to stimulate the pleasure centers so they can feel this.”

Sexual Sin Becomes an Idol

As our brains transform, so does our behavior. The changes can be subtle or obvious, but there is a great deal of energy that needs to be invested in keeping a secret life of pornography addiction. Masks need to be worn. Pretense needs to be maintained. Byproducts of isolation, secrecy, shame, and guilt may begin to show outwardly, and a very real fear of being exposed gnaws away at you. Sexual sin becomes our god, taking place of our Lord as the thing we fear, need, and use as medication for healing our wounds.

Dr. Weiss tells us…”[Pornography and other sexual sins] can get into a man’s heart to the place where it replaces God; it becomes an idol.And how do you know it’s an idol? When you are in pain, you go to your idol. When you are in need, you go to your idol. When you are hurt, you go to your idol. When you want to celebrate, you go to your idol.”

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This article has summarized, in a succinct way, what happens to us psychologically and physiologically when we are involved in prolonged sexual sin. In addition, we open ourselves up to demonic affliction and oppression. As we willingly violate God’s standards for sexual purity, we inadvertently come into agreement with Satan. That agreement, gives the enemy a legal right to assign demons to us who come to amplify and reinforce the emptiness, the shame, and the inadequacy that drives us to our addictions. Once we run to the addiction for comfort, the enemy will again amplify our shame, our fear of rejection, and our emptiness so that we are driven back to the addiction again and again. That spiritual stronghold will not come down without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our experience is that most who have been in long-term addiction to sexual sin of all kinds will require deliverance to be fully free from their bondage. They will also need healing from the Holy Spirit for the emotional deficit that they have medicated for years with their addictions. They will also need a spiritual support group with whom they can be totally honest and covered with prayer. A renewal of the mind will also be necessary as they spend significant time in the Word of God. We have seen many set free, but the spiritual dimensions of sexual sin must be addressed.

I hope this article and my few comments were helpful in understanding the hurtful dimensions of sexual sin and how it impacts us at every level.

This is the final blog of this series and our discussion on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  This “baptism” has often been misunderstood and often maligned by those who believe that God’s miraculous interventions and the miraculous gifts of the Spirit have ceased to function. However, I believe it is still an essential part of the Christian life.  Let me bullet point what I have said so far.

• John the Baptist declared to the Jewish crowds around him that Jesus was going to baptize them (or some of them) with the Holy Spirit and fire.  That is recorded in all four gospels.
  

• Jesus stated on several occasions that it was better for him to return to the Father because only then could he send the Holy Spirit.  This obviously meant that the Spirit would come after the ascension of Jesus and manifest himself in ways he had not done before.
  

• After his resurrection, Jesus commanded his disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit which would impart power for effectively being his witnesses to the world.
  

• After Jesus ascended to heaven, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was “poured out” on about 120 believers who had gathered in a room to pray and fast as they waited for direction from the Father.
  

• Suddenly, the Holy Spirit came as a mighty rushing wind and formed tongues of fire above the believers, who then began to speak in languages they had not known before and began to preach in the temple courts with a boldness they had never known before.
  

• The language used to describe this “baptism of the Spirit” was:  to receive the Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, have the Spirit come on you, have the Spirit fall on you, and for the Spirit to be poured out.  (Remember the world “baptism” means to be immersed, saturated, overwhelmed, etc.).
  

• The Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles in Acts 10 as Peter began to share the gospel with the household of Cornelius.  Peter explains that this was another moment when Gentiles were baptized in the Spirit just the disciples had been on Pentecost.  The evidence of their “baptism” was that they began to speak in tongues.  
  

• This “power” experience of the Holy Spirit sometimes came directly as the Spirit would fall on someone or as people, who were Spirit-filled, would lay hands on others who were then empowered by the Spirit. In Acts, we see evidence of the “baptism” as the gifts of tongues, prophecy, and boldness which were displayed by those who were filled with the Spirit.
  

• On several occasions, people who had already been water baptized in the name of Jesus were then baptized in the Spirit.  At other times, people were baptized in the Spirit and then water baptized.  
  

• On several occasions, those who had been baptized in the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, seemed to get a “fresh filling” of the Spirit on occasions where it was required for boldness, healing, miracles, etc.
  

All of this suggests that there are two functions of the Holy Spirit in relation to us.  First of all, when we come to faith and confess Jesus, the Spirit comes to live in us and begins to bear his fruit of love, joy, peace, etc. in us as well as giving us understanding of scripture, comfort, counsel, and so forth.  He takes up residence and then begins an interior renovation of our soul. 

The other function of the Holy Spirit is power for ministry through the gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12, and few other places.  I believe we can receive both at once, but we can also receive them as separate events based on our understanding of the Holy Spirit and God’s sovereignty.

The final question is whether that power is for the believer today, or if it was just a first century phenomenon.  You already know what I believe, but let me walk you briefly through my reasoning.

First of all, Jesus clearly stated, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (Jn. 14:14-16).  

This declaration by Jesus was in the context of miracles.  There is nothing in his statement that suggests this promise was only for a few followers or had a shelf life of only a few years.  Jesus said this capacity to do miracles was for anyone who had faith. The only limitation stated was a lack of faith.

Secondly, Jesus clearly stated to his followers that they could not fulfill the “Great Commission” in their own strength and abilities, but had to receive power via the baptism of the Holy Spirit for them to adequately witness the reality of Jesus as they evangelized the world.  Why would our need be less today as we go into a hostile world of atheists, satanists, Muslims, Hindu’s, and a vast array of other cults and religions?  

Paul declared that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but rather against the spiritual powers of darkness (Eph. 6:10).  The spiritual gifts of healing, prophecy, words of knowledge, spiritual discernment, and even miracles are often needed to free people from demonic bondage or sickness.  Those “power gifts” come only through the baptism of the Spirit.

Most conservative, Bible believing churches look for patterns in the New Testament that we are to replicate if we want to be like the church that Jesus and the apostles established.  One pattern we see over and over is the gospel being preached and then followed by supernatural signs – healings, casting our demons, and even raising the dead.  That is what Jesus did.  That is what the twelve did when he sent them out on their own as well as the seventy.  That is also what we see in the book of Acts as men like Philip, Barnabas, and Stephen went out to preach the good news.  If we are to replicate that pattern for evangelism, we must do the same and to do so requires baptism in the Holy Spirit.

We could add numerous other scriptures that teach that the followers of Jesus are to have power and authority over the enemy and that we are to preach the gospel and then demonstrate the kingdom through miracles.  There are no time limits in scripture attached to these promises and commands.  Faith or a lack of faith seem to be the only limiting features.  For me personally, being baptized in the Spirit and having spiritual gifts activated by the Spirit, has made all the difference in my ministry and in my personal life.  Being with people who believe in the power of God for healing and spiritual warfare, for speaking prophetically, and for the move of God to take on supernatural dimensions make life as a believer an adventure more than a struggle.  Multitudes of believers who do not know about the baptism of the Spirit live a life of following Jesus with the sense that “there must be more.”  There is if you know how to receive it.

In closing, I also want to mention that baptism in the Spirit does not always look like tongues of fire dancing on your head or falling and having spasms for hours.   It can look like that, but it can also look like a quiet moment of faith that the Spirit will fill you when you ask and the evidence will simply be something noticeably different in your life or ministry over the next few weeks.  Speaking in tongues is the normative evidence of “the baptism” in scripture, but not all speak in tongues, at least not right away.  Receiving power from the Spirit is like hearing the voice of God.  It can sound like thunder, but it can also sound like the still, quiet voice of Elijah’s cave.

 The important thing is that you desire everything that God has for you and that you ask for it,   seek it. And knock on every door to find it.  We will not evangelize the world without demonstrating the power and authority of our Lord.  Many have tried to do so in their own strengths and with natural talents that are often impressive.  But the natural cannot overcome the spiritual.  Power and authority to do that comes from the Holy Spirit.  I hope you will go after that power and authority and ask for fresh fillings on a regular basis  because it essential for being His witness to the world.

We are speaking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. From the gospels and the book of Acts, it is clear that the “baptism” was a central theme of Jesus and the early church. It was a baptism of power that equipped the followers of Jesus for ministry. The church clearly experienced this promised coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. In my last blog, I listed several phrases that were used to describe the moment when the church was baptized with power.

There are two questions I want to address in this blog. (1) Was that experience of baptism in the Spirit for the apostles only or for every believer, and (2) Is the baptism of the Spirit a one time event in the life of a believer.

To begin with the first question, there is a pervasive belief among many denominations that only the apostles received supernatural power on Pentecost as a confirmation that they were chosen by God to lead the fledgling church and to confirm their authority and inspiration to write the New Testament. Once the apostles died, the supernatural move of the Holy Spirit ceased. Let’s examine that view briefly.

First of all, a careful reading of Acts 1:13-15 makes it clear that about 120 followers of Jesus were gathered together in Jerusalem awaiting direction from the Lord. In Acts 2:1, we are told that they were all together in one place (all the believers) when they experienced the baptism of the Spirit which appeared as tongues of fire above each of them. The text then says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

From this text, we can see the the baptism of the Spirit was not for the apostles alone. In addition, we are told that some non-apostles also operated in the power of the Spirit shortly after Pentecost. Speaking of Stephen, the writer says, “Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power performed great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). In Acts 8, we are told, “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed” (Acts 8:6-7).

It’s not a stretch to believe that Stephen and Philip were part of the 120 on Pentecost, but the point is that others beside the apostles were operating in power and that power is seen to come through the baptism of the Spirit. In addition, in Acts 10, while Peter was sharing the gospel with the Gentile family of Cornelius, the texts says, “While Peter was still speaking those words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God” (Acts 10:44-46). Notice that the language is very similar to the language of Acts 2 and Peter himself identified the experience of the Gentiles as being baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts 11:16. As a side bar, we might also notice that hearing clearly from the Spirit is a product of baptism in the Spirit. We all believe that the New Testament writers were inspired by God as they wrote. Luke wrote the gospel of Luke and the of Acts. James and Jude and perhaps the writer of Hebrews were also inspired by the Spirit and yet these were not apostles. So, the power of the Spirit imparted in Holy Spirit baptism was clearly for others than the twelve.

So, the baptism of the Spirit was an impartation of power for all the followers of Jesus – Jew and Gentile – and not just the apostles. We also discover that the Spirit can fall on, come on, or be poured out on believers directly or by the laying on of hands by those who already have been baptized in the Spirit. In Acts 8, we discover, “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the the new believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17).

It’s important to note here, that water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism can be two different events. We see the same in Acts 10, when the Spirit fell on the Gentiles and then Peter had them water baptized after they spoke in tongues and praised God. I don’t believe it has to be in separate events, but it certainly can be and often is.

As for the second question about whether we are “baptized in the Spirit” or “filled with the Spirit” once or whether that can happen numerous times, let me respond briefly. In Acts 2, the believers were baptized in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 4, the same believers were gathered together again and we are told, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31). This sounds like a fresh filling by the Holy Spirit for a particular situation. There are numerous other texts in the book of Acts where it looks like someone who was present at Pentecost is “filled with the Holy Spirit” in a critical moment. My sense of this is that once we are initially baptized in the Spirit, we have a residing level of power for ministry manifested through spiritual gifts, boldness, etc., but on critical occasions, we may get a fresh filling or a supercharge from the Spirit for that circumstance.

I want to finish this study up in my next blog, as we discuss whether the “baptism in the Spirit” was only available in the first century or is it God’s intention for his people now. Thanks for joining me.

SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS BLOG ALREADY, BUT I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH WORDPRESS, SO I’M SENDING IT OUT AGAIN IN CASE YOU DID NOT SEE IT LAST WEEK. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

When we speak about Holy Spirit baptism, the first question should be whether or not it is a biblical concept or just a crazy, charismatic notion held by a few extreme believers.   The answer is that it is a very biblical concept central to the New Testament. John the Baptist spoke about it in relation to the ministry of Jesus. “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:7-8;) Some of the other writers added that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (See Lk. 3:16; Matt. 5:11, Jn. 1:33). This idea of Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit is mentioned in all four gospels plus the book of Acts which strongly suggests it is a concept and experience central to the doctrines of the New Testament.

Jesus himself emphasized this experience when he spoke to his disciples and said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:4-8; Emphasis added;).

Earlier, Jesus had alluded to the moment when the Holy Spirit would come on them when he said, ““Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn. 16:5-7).   Jesus promised that when he returned to the Father, he would send the Spirit.

In summary, Jesus mentioned several times in the gospel that he would go to the Father and then send the Spirit. John the Baptist declared that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  Just before his ascension to heaven, Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem and that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit within a few days.  He also related this baptism to power for ministry…power for being witnesses for Jesus.

It may be helpful to mention here that the word “baptize” is not a translation, but a transliteration of the Greek word “baptizo”… meaning that the translators simply created an English word from the Greek,  but did not give the meaning of the word as understood by those who spoke Greek. The word actually means to dip, drench, immerse, overwhelm, saturate, etc.  If the word had been translated, it would have pointed to a time when the followers of Jesus would be immersed, saturated, drenched, or overwhelmed by the Spirit.

After his ascension, about 120 of his followers gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem where they fasted and prayed for direction from the Lord. Luke tells us, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4).

In that setting, the Holy Spirit showed up as fire and supernaturally enabled them to proclaim the works of God in languages they had not known before.  When explaining what was happening, Peter declared, “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:” ‘In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:17-21).  In addition to tongues, the believers received a supernatural boldness to proclaim Jesus that had certainly been absent before that day and a capacity to be directed by the Holy Spirit as they proclaimed the good news. Certainly, Peter had shown no capacity for such bold and eloquent preaching before that moment.

Let me also point out the language that was used to describe the same experience:

•          baptized by (or with) the Holy Spirit

•          the gift my Father spoke about

•          receive power

•          when the Holy Spirit comes on you

•          filled with the Holy Spirit

•          poured out 

The language above describes the experience of being baptized with, in, or by the Spirit.  All three of those prepositions are allowed by the original language. But in general, it describes Jesus returning to the Father and sending the Spirit in a measure that could be described as being poured out from heaven so that men and women would be immersed or saturated by the Spirit in a way that would give power to believers for extending the kingdom of heaven on earth. The experience would also be described, from the believer’s point of view, as receiving, being filled with, or having the Spirit come on them. 

The next question might be whether that one moment was the baptism of the Spirit on the apostles only or whether it was meant to be an experience for every believer in every age.  Secondly, we might ask whether that experience would be a one-time experience or whether it could be repeated.  I will address those questions in next week’s blog.