In John 20, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” but then told them a few days later that they should stay in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Spirit. This suggests that we can receive the Holy Spirit but then have an additional measure of the Spirit available to us at a different time. The best way to understand this this is to associate “Baptism with the Spirit” with power. In the first chapter of Acts, Luke tells us, “On one occasion, while he (Jesus) was eating with them, he gave them this command: “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…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 1:4-5,8).

In this text Jesus, clearly associates baptism with the Spirit with power for witnessing. We see that demonstration throughout the book of Acts. On the Day of Pentecost, we see it manifested through boldness, preaching, and a miraculous gift of tongues. If those manifestations of the Spirit only came after the Spirit was poured out on Pentecost then what was the Spirit the disciples received in John 20?

I think it helps to understand that the Holy Spirit has two broad functions or ministries in the life of each believer. One is transformation while the other is empowerment for ministry.

When we come to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within each of us and begins to transform our hearts, our minds, and our character to make us more and more like Jesus. First of all, he gives life to our spirits that have been dead in sin (see Eph.2:4-5).

Secondly, he begins to give us an understanding of spiritual things. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they can only be discerned through the Spirit” (1 Cor.2:14).

Thirdly, he begins to bear his fruit or character in our lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal.5:22-23). For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)” (Eph.5:8-9).

One part of the Christian life is simply to walk in righteousness as Jesus walked in righteousness. We are to become godly people with the character of Jesus reflected in each of us. We are to be salt and light in a world of darkness. We are to care for the poor and the hurting and even love our enemies. All of these things reflect the heart and character of Christ and without his Spirit we cannot overcome the flesh (our fallen nature) to become like him in our heart as well as our actions. But there is more to the Christian life.

Jesus established a pattern for establishing the kingdom of God on this earth. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Mt.9:35). Wherever he went, Jesus preached the kingdom of God and then demonstrated it. He then commanded his followers to do the same. “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Mt.10:7-9).   The expression of power to destroy the works of the devil is inherent in the kingdom of God and is part of the ministry of the Spirit through us. Baptism with the Spirit is directly related to such power. More about that in my next blog.

Once you have discovered that you are royalty, you must understand how royalty operates. In the kingdom of God it is not about perks, servants, living large, or living in constant comfort with every material desire coming your way. It is about relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. It is about contentment with what we have. It is about expanding the borders of the kingdom through faith, love, and sometimes war.

To be successful in your role of governing earth on God’s behalf, you must understand that you have authority as a member of the royal family and as an ambassador of Christ. Many believers today have no sense of authority or power in their Christian life. They believe that Jesus has all authority but have no concept that they also walk in authority and should exercise that authority on behalf of their king.

Jesus demonstrated the authority that a man in fellowship with God can wield on the earth. He demonstrated it as Son of Man not as Son of God. We know this to be true because Jesus declared, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 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. “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (Jn.14:11-15).

Jesus clearly says that those who have faith in him will do what he had been doing which he clearly identifies as his miracles – healing, casting out demons, raising the dead, stilling the storm, etc. He goes on to say that those who have faith will do even greater things than he did. Hard to imagine isn’t it, but that is what he said. As a member of the royal family and as a representative of Jesus on earth (who should re-present Jesus) you should expect Jesus to do miracles through you. If you read the context above, he not only gives you that opportunity but also commands you to ask him to do miracles through you for the glory of the Father.

Jesus modeled his plan for the church by exercising the authority of heaven himself and then delegating that authority to others. First he delegated his authority to those he called apostles. “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (Mt.10:1). Secondly, he delegated heavenly authority to a wider circle of followers who go unnamed in the scriptures. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Lk.10:17-20). Snakes and scorpions in this context are metaphors for demonic spirits.

After modeling his “delegation strategy” he continued with his declaration that those who had faith in him (any believer in any century) would do what he had been doing and would do even greater things. He then delegated his power and authority to his church by the distribution of spiritual gifts through his Spirit. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues”(1 Cor. 12:7-10). Notice that power and authority are the benchmarks of the Kingdom. As a member of that Kingdom and the household of God, power and authority are attached to your position. You are appointed in the Kingdom and no appointing comes without anointing. Your anointing is the Holy Spirit who releases power and authority through you.

It’s interesting that we often teach people to pray for healing by asking Jesus to come and heal. That’s not a bad prayer but it is not what Jesus commanded. He told us to go and heal rather than to go and pray and ask him to come and heal. We often approach healing and deliverance like deputies who have been given authority to enforce the law but every time we should make an arrest we locate the criminal but then call the sheriff to come make the arrest. Deputies have been delegated power and authority to enforce the law. We have been given power and authority to enforce the laws of heaven. When we begin to walk in the knowledge of that authority and begin to exercise it for kingdom purposes, then we will be living as royalty.

That is who you are in Christ – appointed, anointed, empowered!

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Prov.29:18 (KJV)

In the last days, God says, 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.  (Acts 2:17)

Vision is central to the life of a believer. Proverbs tells us that people perish where no vision exists. Other versions translate that scripture to say, “Where there is no vision, the people throw off restraint.” The idea is that without a driving vision in the heart of a people they lose direction, have no sense of purpose, and often drift away from their faith which may lead to death.

In his sermon in the temple courtyard on Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel and applied his prophecy to the launch of the New Testament Church, which had just been commissioned to make disciples of all nations. He said that one manifestation of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit would be dreams and visions. Not only does the church need a vision for world evangelism but individual churches and individual believers need a vision for their part in the Great Commission as well.

Individual believers who do not have a vision for how God will use them in significant ways typically drift through their Christian life without making much of an impact for the kingdom. Typically, moral living, regular attendance, and occasionally giving to good causes define their mission in the Kingdom of God. Those are not bad things but God has much more in mind for every believer. According to Psalm 139 and Ephesians 2:10, God has a hand in the creation, giftings, and destiny of every believer.

I believe it is impossible for God to ordain an ordinary destiny for any one of his children. Being average or ordinary is not in God’s nature. It is not in his nature to plan average or ordinary events. Therefore, I believe he has destined every child of God to be highly significant “impact players” in the Kingdom. Because many of us have no vision for our lives beyond the ordinary, we live without passion and simply slide into a mediocrity of living that we hope is barely acceptable to the Father. The danger is that we may eventually drift away and live without restraint because we have no compelling vision that we will not risk by giving into temptation or risk by becoming careless in our spiritual lives.

I have had seasons of my Christian life driven by a clear vision of what God was calling me to do and I have had seasons where the vision was blurred or vague. When the vision is clear I am much more intentional, much more energized, much more focused, and much more committed to maintaining alignment with the Father than at other times. Vision makes life matter and makes life fun. The vision I’m talking about is not a vision for getting ahead in the world or finding your perfect match on E-Harmony. I’m talking about a vision of how God is going to use you to change lives and heroically push back the borders of darkness. It is a vision of walking in some set of powerful spiritual gifts that make the demons tremble and make heaven shout.

How do you get such a vision? First of all, hang around others who have a vision for their own life. You can’t adopt their vision for your life because you have a distinct destiny. However, being around believers whose lives are fueled by a vision will make you hungry for the same kind of thing in your life. Secondly, ask God to begin to stir your dreams and give you a vision for your life. That was the promise Peter quoted on Pentecost and that promise was for every believer. Third, get busy discovering your spiritual gifts because God has already equipped you for the destiny he planned. Those gifts may still be in seed form but ask other believers what gifts they see in you, take spiritual gifts assessments, and involve yourself in various ministries until you demonstrate some spiritual capacity or feel a flame of passion flare up in a moment when you are serving. Pursue a hunger you find in your heart for certain spiritual gifts and press in to receive or develop those. Begin to daydream about what you would love to do for the Lord that is far beyond the ordinary and ask God to take you there.

Vision is critical. If you don’t have one get one or return to a vision you let fade away some time in your past. It will reignite your spiritual life and give you a focus that will make you an impact player for the King of Kings. Be blessed!

For many years I have felt that a popular “end-times theology” undermines the mission of the church and contradicts a great deal of scripture. I also believe that it can seep into our own personal view of life and undermine our own victorious mindset as well. This particular theology was popularized in the 70’s and really launched into the psyche of the church by Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth. This view depicts the last days as a dismal day for the church and believers everywhere. It promotes a view of a one world order, the anti-Christ, and the downward spiral of all nations and cultures into an abyss that can only be redeemed by the coming of the Lord and the rapture of the saints who have become powerless in the face of all that evil.

The damaging part of this theology in my mind is the inevitability of the outcomes and the powerlessness of the church to stand against it. The power of evil is so overwhelming that the only thing to do is to bunker in and pray for the Lord’s quick return. Too often that is also translated into the lives of individual believers so that they “check out” and give in to the world system rather than working to redeem it and establish a glowing and victorious bride for the Lord to retrieve. That theology can and has instilled a sense of futility and hopelessness in the hearts of many believers.

There is also a dynamic that sociologists and psychologists call a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” Simply stated, it means that we often act in ways that confirm the beliefs we already hold about ourselves or others. For instance, if a child experiences the loss of a parent, he or she may come to believe that they will eventually lose anyone that they come to love or depend on. In response to that belief, this child may grow into an adult who never fully commits to a relationship or who never fully engages emotionally with anyone because they believe that person will eventually leave them or that they will lose them to some tragedy. Because they never commit to a relationship or connect emotionally, their relationships keep ending and those who attempted to connect with them move on. When those relationships end, the individual is all the more convinced that their beliefs are true and inevitable.

When Christians believe that poverty, evil, tyranny, persecution, unbelief, and the demise of Christianity on the earth are inevitable they withdraw from the battle. When they withdraw, evil wins and they believe all the more that the end is near and there is no use trying to save America much less the world. With this mindset, believers who are supposed to be more than conquerors withdraw from the cultural battles, stay out of politics, retreat from championing social justice, and even fail to vote because they think it won’t matter. Believers with this view cease to be salt and light in the world and simply forfeit the battle to the enemy.

Kris Vallotton adds an interesting insight into this same dynamic in his book, How Heaven Invades Earth, (p.204). “But what happened to destiny when our prophetic people were taught that there wasn’t supposed to be a future because the end of the world was near? They stopped prophesying into the future. And what took place in the absence of the Holy Spirit’s prophetic intonation is absolutely frightening; a visionary vortex, or vacuum was suddenly created that sucked every kind of dark, foretelling spirit into it. This has resulted in the worst psychic resurgence since the days of Daniel. We have Wiccans, New Age people, fortune tellers, astrologers, and psychics all sharing their insights in the highest offices of the land.” That used to be the role of God’s prophets but we left the playing field.

When God’s people leave the playing field the enemy regains his swagger. We are promised that if we resist the devil he will flee from us but this particular theology teaches that there is no point in our resistance. There is another centuries-old theology that declares a triumphant church on the earth that welcomes back the groom rather than a church that has scurried off the field because she was helpless against the one Christ has already defeated. Those who know that they are more than conquerors do not surrender to a bully or a tyrant but stand and fight knowing that they will win because their champion is Jesus Christ who has all authority in heaven and on earth. They don’t give in to injustice, false religion, abortion, violence, deceit, divorce, or any other works of the devil. They don’t give in on a personal level nor do they abandon the culture in which God has commanded them to be salt and light. All the gifts, the power, and the authority Christ has delegated to his church are not just for the church to be exercised behind high walls. They have also been given to redeem the culture and finally the world. We have been letting the devil push us around too long. It’s time to push back.

It is significant that God gave gifts of healing to the church. “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers…” (I Cor.12:9, emphasis added).   “Gifts of healing” are mentioned two more times in I Corinthians 12. It is significant because God gave gifts to the church that reflected his nature, his heart, and his Spirit. God gave gifts of healing to the church because he wanted his people healed and unbelievers brought to Jesus through the grace of healing.

It is also important because some believe that “miraculous gifts” were given only to Jesus and the apostles to confirm the deity of Christ and to establish credibility for those through whom the Spirit would pen the inspired Word of God. If that had been God’s only intent he would have given healing gifts only to the Jesus and the apostles but he gave these gifts to numerous unnamed individuals in the church who wrote none of the New Testament. Yet they healed.

It is interesting that he gave gifts (plural) of healing. The heart of God desires to heal all kinds of hurts and illness in our lives for he is Jehovah Rapha. Jesus not only came to heal the sick but also to “heal the broken hearted” (Isa.61, Lk.4). I believe God gives gifts of healing to his church that minister not only to sick people but also to emotional pain, broken relationships, and demonic affliction. In the gospels the term “healing” was applied to illnesses, physical disabilities, casting out demons, and the healing of broken hearts or emotions.   Different individuals in the body of Christ seem to be spiritually gifted in different ways to address all these areas of pain and brokenness. If God is the God who heals us, it makes sense that his Spirit will equip the saints to heal people in all the ways that Jesus healed them.   Again we can be confident that it is God’s desire to alleviate pain and suffering in this world through healing since he equipped his church to do so in many forms.

Another interesting perspective on healing gifts held by many is that the gift of miracles ministers instantaneous healing while healing gifts release more gradual healing that occurs over days or weeks. Either way healing occurs but sometimes we place a standard on spiritual gifts that the Bible does not state. If we believe that all supernatural healing is instantaneous then we may miss much of what God is doing. I have heard numerous men with powerful gifts of healing and miracles say that probably 50% of those for whom they pray that are healed, experience healing over the next few days rather than immediately. I wonder how many of us have gifts of healing that we are unaware of because people we prayed for got better the next day so we didn’t see it or because they did not report it to us, so we assume nothing happened in response to our prayers. We then assume God has not given us the gift. Perhaps, we need to pray for the gift of miracles as well as gifts of healing.

Gifts of healing differ from prayers for healing. The gift resides with the person. Like other gifts such as mercy, administration, wisdom, prophecy, etc. the gift rests on the person. The Spirit may not always release power for the gift because of conditional restraints (lack of faith, unrepented sin, unforgiveness, etc.) but the gift resides and will impart healing when conditions are met.

In addition to gifts of healing, James counsels us to call the elders of the church if anyone is sick and assures us that their prayer of faith will restore that person to health. He then goes on to give a general admonition to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we might be healed (James 5:16). He did not say we should confess that we might be forgiven but rather that we might be healed. The admonitions seem to be for all believers not just those with gifts of healing so that any believer can pray for another believer who has dealt with sin issues in his or her life and anticipate healing.

The tenor of the New Testament is that when believers got sick, they were typically healed. When people were not healed it raised questions because healing was the norm not the exception. To the contrary, the American church wonders what happened when someone is healed. Again, my point is that God has given healing gifts to his church because he wants people healed and so is quite willing to give the gifts or answer our prayers of faith. May we have a hunger for those gifts and faith to step out and pray with confidence because we know it is God’s will for hurting people.

Because I spend most of my time with believers who are fully convinced that the Holy Spirit still operates through his church today as he did 2000 years ago, I can forget that there is still a great number of Christians in America who do not believe that. In fact, we seem to be living in a season where some who do not believe are becoming much more vocal in their disagreement. A book entitled Strange Fire recently released by John MacArthur, a well known west coast pastor, author, and teacher seems to be more than a presentation of “cessationist” theology but rather an angry attack against all those who believe in the present supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit. In his book he stated, “Charismatic theology…has warped genuine worship through unbridled emotionalism, polluted prayer with private gibberish, contaminated true spirituality with unbiblical mysticism, and corrupted faith by turning it into a creative force for speaking worldly desires into existence.” I don’t want to get into a rebuttal of all that was stated in his book but just wanted to give the flavor of the criticisms being leveled by some toward “charismatic” believers.

Even though I served in “cessationsist” churches for 20 years, I am still surprised when someone pushes back so strongly against the idea that the Holy Spirit does today what he did for believers in the beginning. I believe that deep in our hearts, nearly every believer must long for God’s miracles in his or her life, a personal word of encouragement or direction from the Lord, and an intimacy that Jesus offered when he called us to be his friends rather than servants. Who would not want God to still move in miraculous healing when a child has been diagnosed with incurable cancer or in supernatural protection when someone’s son or daughter has been deployed to a hot zone in the Middle East?  It seems we would try to find a way to believe rather than to discredit the supernatural move of God on the earth today.

The good news is that there are some very bright and articulate believers speaking out on behalf of charismatic theology today even in camps that by and large have been cessationist in their thinking. One of those is R.T.Kendall. In his excellent book entitled Holy Fire, he offers an interesting thought about such a mindset. He begins by reminding us that the apostles themselves were initially uncomfortable with the idea of the Holy Spirit coming in place of the physical Jesus whom they had gotten to know and with whom they had become comfortable. Maybe they had become so confortable with Jesus that they felt secure and even saw him as predictable. Of course he wasn’t but until the last few weeks of his ministry they were in their comfort zone with him – even picturing themselves in prestigious positions when he ushered in his kingdom. But this invisible Spirit didn’t feel quite so safe. He felt threatening. Not so predictable.

Kendall goes on to ask, “Do you feel threatened by the Holy Spirit? … if you feel threatened by the Holy Spirit is it because you are happily in your confront zone? Are you afraid of what the Holy Spirit might do to you? What he would require of you? What he might ask you to do? Do you think you will lose something if you make yourself vulnerable and totally open to him? Are you afraid he will embarrass you?” (p.12).

Maybe many believers push back against the idea of a Holy Spirit who, like the wind, “blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going” (Jn.3:8). Perhaps, the Spirit seems less predictable or less manageable than the Jesus we imagine. I believe that “cessationsist” theology is much more “manageable” that charismatic theology.   In my personal experience, I have found that the belief that God no longer acts in miraculous ways, distributes supernatural gifts, and still gives personal revelation to his people requires less faith and fewer struggles because those who hold the position do not allow God to work outside of their theological box. If I believe God not longer heals miraculously then I don’t need faith for healing nor do I have to struggle with the mystery of some being healed while others are not.

If the Holy Spirit no longer gives me personal direction or prophetic words then I have no need to test the spirits or the prophecies and wonder if I have tested then accurately. If God does not deliver from demons then I have no responsibility toward the tormented. I simply give them the name of a good psychiatrist. Since my understanding of scripture is based on intellect and education I can easily entrust my understanding of scripture to the experts in the pulpit rather than pressing in and asking the Spirit to give me understanding and revelation. And most of all, there will be few surprises in our worship services or small groups. When we confine God to his Word, as we understand it, he is fairly tame. The Holy Spirit is not so predictable because through him we experience God rather than just sermonize about him.   When Jesus showed up, the Pharisees had no theological box for him and the supernatural move of God that came without their permission, so they tried to control him, and then discredit him, and finally killed him.

We must be careful not to do the same when God begins to act in ways that make us uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean that anything goes because we are to test spirits and prophecies but it does mean that God does not always sit in the pews with his hands folded. Pentecost seemed out of control to many. David dancing before the Lord with all his might seemed “improper” and emotional to some. The assemblies of the New Testament church at Corinth got disorderly from tome to time and Paul cautioned them about that but did claim the gifts and revelations they were experiencing were from the devil. I have lived in both the cessationist world and the charismatic world. In my experience, the cessationsist world was easier but the charismatic much more rewarding and I believe much more biblical. I would love to answer any concerns you have about that. Be blessed!

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 20-21)

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…(1 Cor.14:4)

These are two interesting verses form the New Testament that both relate to a believer’s prayer language or praying in tongues. The phrases “build yourself up” and “edifies himself” are the same word in the original language.   The word means “to increase the potential of someone or something, with focus upon the process involved—‘to strengthen, to make more able, to build up.’”

The above scripture taken from Jude suggests something very important. Jude suggests that our capacity to grow spiritually, to increase in our spiritual potential, and to be made stronger and more able in spiritual matters is directly proportional to the time we spend praying in the Holy Spirit.   Paul confirms that principle by telling us that when we speak in a tongue we edify (build up and strengthen) ourselves. That is why one of the normative experiences in the New Testament after being baptized in the Spirit was speaking in tongues. If you just received the power of the Spirit, you need maturity to govern the power you’ve been given. Praying in the Spirit accelerates our maturity.

The counter-intuitive part of that process is that when we pray in the Spirit or in tongues, we have no idea what we are praying. “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit… For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind” (1 Cor.14:2, 14-15).

Paul encourages us to pray both “with the understanding” and “with our spirits” but he tells us that praying in the Spirit has the effect of increasing our spiritual strength, enhancing our spiritual gifts, activating our spiritual senses, increasing revelation, and developing the fruits of the Spirit. Every part of the ministry of the Spirit in our lives can be enhanced when we engage with the Spirit allowing him to pray through us.

The great advantage of praying in the Spirit is that the Spirit prays for the things we need most to thrive spiritually and lifts those prayers up to the throne room of heaven with an eloquence and familiarity we could never achieve. Not only that, but the Spirit is quite aware of God’s will for our lives – his purposes, plans, and desires. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Rom.8:26-27). The Spirit then prays things for us that we are yet clueless about so that God’s purposes can be perfected in our lives.

I believe the Spirit prays for us even when we are not praying in the Spirit but God always likes to partner with his people and accomplish things together. Praying in the Spirit helps to align our spirit with God’s Spirit. In doing so, I believe it also plays a key role in renewing our minds so that our intellect is submitted to the Spirit of God so that we can truly be led by the Spirit.

So…here is the point of all this. If you have your prayer language but just use it occasionally, begin to pray in tongues on a daily basis. Many of us only pray in tongues when we worship or when we are about to minister healing or deliverance to someone. But praying in the Spirit has a cumulative affect and, like physical exercise, needs to be increased for us to get stronger and go longer. Many of us have prayed and asked God for certain spiritual gifts we desire or to strengthen us is areas of our lives where we are often tempted and, perhaps, have not yet experienced the growth that we desire.

We can accelerate the process and fine-tune it by choosing to pray in the Spirit a significant amount of time each day. The testimony of many is that after choosing to pray in the Spirit daily for an hour or more they eventually realized that their spiritual lives had moved to new dimensions. Sometimes God is waiting to see how much we want him, his presence, his Spirit or the things of the Spirit. How much do you want it? Now much do I want it? Carving out time to let his Spirit pray through us and trusting the process – even though we don’t know what the Spirit is asking – is one clear measure of that desire. If you don’t have a gift of tongues for personal prayer, then pray for it, seek it, and ask others to help you receive. If you have it, use it as an exercise to become powerful in the Spirit. It is a gift unlike any other.

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Rev. 2:8-11)

In the book of Revelation, Jesus delivers words of warning and encouragement to seven churches in the province of Asia. The second church is the church of Smyrna. This church existed in a wealthy city with a large Jewish population and yet the church is characterized by afflictions and poverty. The sense we get from the letter is that they were suffering persecution that was provoked by Jewish leaders in much the same way that Jesus was persecuted.

If we do the things that Jesus did, it is inevitable that we will also be slandered and persecuted in some way. Some of that slander and rejection will come from religious people. Just a few months ago, a prominent west coast preacher and author published a book that was an impassioned attack on all those who claim that God still does miracles through his people and that God still speaks in any way other than through the Bible. Although God is doing amazing things all over the globe there are many who will still declare that any such activity is a lie, a deception, or from the devil. If you walk in the power of the Spirit you will probably hear some of that from your own family members, from friends, or from your church or former church.

In the face of that slander or rejection you will be tempted to go underground with your faith and your prayers and to display your faith in Jesus and the power of his Spirit only in the presence of those who believe as you do. And yet, the power of the Spirit is to be displayed before unbelievers so that they might believe and so that they can experience the goodness of God which calls them into the kingdom.

The church in Smyrna had it right. Jesus said that though they were poor and afflicted by worldly standards, they were actually rich. The church in that Roman city was laying up treasure in heaven through faith and persistence in doing what God was calling them to do – regardless of the cost. The people that I know who walk most powerfully in the Spirit are those who do what the Spirit prompts them to do regardless of the cost or the risk. That mindset is alignment with Jesus because Jesus did exactly the same thing.

In this short statement to the church at Smyrna, Jesus simply told them that a season of persecution was coming and that they must remain faithful in the face of that persecution. Christianity is statistically the most persecuted faith on the planet. Even in America there is a war on Christianity. If we are to stay aligned with the Father, we must simply accept the fact that if we follow Jesus the world will reject us because it rejected him. We do not have to enjoy the fact but we must accept the fact as part of the cost of following Jesus.

On the other hand, when you walk in the power of the Spirit you will also be loved by many. Those individuals whose lives God touches through you will love you. Those who share your faith will love you. More importantly, God himself will delight in you. But others will not because they do not know God as they should or at all. If you read Chapters 8 and 9 of the gospel of John you will see what Jesus has to say about that.

In his letter to Smyrna, we discover that true alignment with the Father requires the acceptance of some level of persecution and rejection in our lives and the willingness to do the works of the Father regardless. As we become willing to endure that realty from time to time, the power of the Spirit will increase in our lives. For many of us that is a bitter pill to swallow because our greatest desire is to be loved and accepted by every person in our lives. There is nothing wrong with the desire to be loved but we must love Jesus more than any other. To do so will require experiencing the disapproval of those who do not love him or know him as they should. It is how you become rich in heaven and it is one of the qualities that invites a greater measure of the Spirit into our lives which is true wealth even in this world.

In the third chapter of Joshua, Israel prepares for an event forty years in the making…the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land.  Forty years earlier, the generation that Moses had led out of Egypt had come to the brink of the Jordan only to have their faith fail and to be consigned to wandering and dying in the wilderness until a generation of faith could be raised up.  As this generation of Hebrews prepared to cross the river we need to remember that the same enemy and the same obstacles awaited them that their parents had found too daunting.

Somehow, after forty years of living in the desert where they had been forced to depend on God for daily bread and water, where they had witnessed his presence above the tent of meeting, where they had heard the stories of God’s deliverance from Egypt, and perhaps where they had listened to the repentant hearts of parents who wished their faith had been sufficient, this generation was ready to cross.   They were also ready to see God’s supernatural interventions on their behalf without the presence of their parents and grandparents and without the presence of Moses.

For this generation there had to be some question about God’s willingness to act on their behalf.  They had experienced Manna each morning but miracles that occur everyday, year after year tend to feel less miraculous.  They had not personally witnessed the plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, or the destruction of Pharaoh’s army or, if they had seen those things they were very young and the memories were distant.  Was Jehovah only the God of their parents or the God of Moses?  Would he act in such amazing and powerful ways for them?  They were about to find out.

Their orders were clear.  “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5).  So Israel prepared to move and to possess what had been promised to Abraham hundreds of years earlier and what had been within the reach of their elders forty years earlier.  The orders were to pack up and prepare to leave.  The priests would carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of the people and the people would follow.  The ark, of course, represented the presence of God and so God would go before them.

Only one thing stood in the way of a million-plus Hebrews that morning and it was the Jordan River at flood stage.  So awesome was the presence of God that God directed the people to keep a distance of about a thousand yards between them and the ark as they crossed. The command was for a crew of Levites to carry the ark on their shoulders by means of poles that were slipped through rings attached to the ark.  We aren’t told how these Levites were selected.  It was probably both a privilege and a terrifying prospect for those men.  They were commanded to carry the ark into the River and as they stepped into the water they were promised that God would stop the flow of millions of gallons a minute coming at them. The river was swift, the water was deep, and the banks were steep.  What would happen if they stumbled and dropped the ark?  What would happen if they stepped into a deep pool and the river continued to flow? What would happen?

What happened was obedience.  The people prepared.  They broke camp, lined up, and followed the ark towards the river.  They held their breath as the Levites carrying the golden chest containing the stone tablets, the rod of Aaron, and a pot of manna stepped into the Jordan.  My guess is that they shouted as the water ceased to flow and dry ground appeared.  The Levites stood in the middle of the dry riverbed while the entire nation of Israel crossed over into the land of Canaan.  We are told that the water simply piled up upstream.  As Israel crossed, the presence of God continued to stand between them and destruction keeping the waters pushed back. We don’t know how long it took for the nation to cross but it was certainly hours not minutes that God held back the Jordon.

Finally, when all had crossed stones were removed from the middle of the riverbed and stacked as a testimony to what God had done.  The Levites stepped out of the riverbed with the ark and the river began to flow again. This newest generation had their own miracle – their own Red Sea crossing of you will  – and every Hebrew that touched the dry riverbed had personally experienced the miracle.  That miracle increased their faith and planted fear the in the hearts of those who lived in Jericho for they had also watched to see if their gods or Israel’s God was greater.

I believe that every generation of God’s people needs its own miracles to step into that generation’s destiny.  The American church, by and large, has offered the miracles of the church 2000 years ago and has said that those miracles are sufficient for our faith.  Perhaps, but the miracles leading the Hebrews out of Egypt were not sufficient for the next generation.  God could have simply sent a drought to turn the Jordan into a trickle and the nation could have easily crossed without the Levites stepping into a swirling river.  But God chose flood stage and a clear and powerful miracle to set the stage for their destiny.  I believe God wants to do the same for every generation so that it can fulfill all that God has called it to accomplish.

We cannot do things worthy of God in our own strength and there is no clear testimony of God without miracles.  I’m always amazed at how much resistance there is in some sections of the church to the miraculous moves of God. I believe every generation should have its own undeniable miracles so that “stones” from that generation can be set up as a testimony to the greatness and faithfulness of God as an encouragement to the next generation to believe God for their miracles. Whatever river you are facing, I hope you will ask God for a powerful and n undeniable miracle to get you to the other side and when you get there, be sure to give your testimony of what he has done for you.  Be blessed today and expect miracles.

I had a good friend in the Lord text me this morning about having met with a young believer recently who passionately insisted that God no longer speaks to his people apart from the Bible.  I was schooled in that theology for many years and know the warnings attached to it about the devil deceiving us if we receive any direction other than from the Word of God. The expression I always heard was that the Holy Spirit only speaks through scripture in this day and age.  Since we have the completed text of the Bible we need nothing else.

The idea is imbedded in the whole Cessationist view that God no longer works miracles as he did in the Bible and the Holy Spirit no longer bestows the power gifts of healing, prophecy, tongues, miracles, etc. as he did for the New Testament church.  The idea is that God only operated in those ways to confirm that Jesus was his Son and that those who wrote the Bible were indeed inspired. Once the New Testament was completed there was no further need for the miraculous since the record of such miracles should be sufficient. God speaking to men apart from his written word seems to land in that category of the miraculous so he must not act in those ways any longer.

Those who follow this view divide biblical history up into dispensations or eras in which God operated differently – especially the dispensations of the Old Covenant and the New. One was a covenant of Law, an earthly priesthood, the temple, animal sacrifices, and so forth.  The New Covenant is the era of grace, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the church without an earthly priesthood and animal sacrifices.  A mindset that divides the Bible into neat modules of time then leads one to ask how God will act differently in this age than he did before and so this theology ascribes miracles to times past but not today including God speaking to people apart for his written word.

Here is the problem I have with that view.  The attributes or the nature of God does not change in any dispensation.  Some attributes and some activities span all of history because they reflect who God is.   God expects righteousness in every generation and dispensation.  His call for sacrifice began just this side of the Garden of Eden and extends through all time by the eternal blood of the lamb and our lives (living sacrifices) and worship.  He has always operated as a covenant God and has always pursued a chosen people.  When we see God’s attributes in every dispensation recorded in scripture them we must believe that he displays those same attributes today unless there is a clear commandment to the contrary.

We can argue about many things but God has always spoken to his people apart from the written Word.  Of course, Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob preceded the written Law handed down on Sinai. But, since Elohim is relational and relationships have always been formed through personal, two-way communication, he spoke to the patriarchs and their sons.  Once the Law was given we could argue that Moses and Israel had the written record that was all they needed to live for God and keep his commandments.  But in addition, God gave Israel the Tent of Meeting where he could be sought out for personal communication. Even though Israel had the written word, he spoke apart form the written word to Moses, Joshua, all the judges, the prophets, and often priests.  He spoke to simple carpenters, virgins, and elderly widows who spent their time in the temple courts.  He spoke by his Spirit, by angels, by fleeces, by prophets, and so forth apart form the written word – the Torah.

In the New Testament we see the same pattern. God speaking to people through angels, dreams, visions, prophets, and his Spirit and these people were not all apostles or writers of the New Testament.  They were people who needed a specific word beyond what could be found in the scriptures.  In Acts 1, Peter declared that they must appoint an apostle to take the place of Judas.  Jesus had given them all the qualifications for an apostle but when the moment came they had a problem.  The word Jesus had already given them was not sufficient because they had two men qualified to be apostles but only one position. So…they asked God to speak to them apart from the Word that had already been given because only God knew the hearts of the men who were apparently both qualified.  They cast lots and Mathias was chosen.

We have the same dilemma time after time in our own lives. We love the Word, study the Word, and derive principals for godly living form that Word.  But on occasion we need more than principals – we need a clear word of direction or “leading” from the Lord. To say that we sensed God’s leading from circumstances is to admit that God gives us direction apart form his word in miraculous ways Even Cessationists pray for leading and direction in marriage, selection of pastors, missions, and so forth. Why not just look in the book?

It’s because we need a specific word for a specific circumstance and the written word cannot tell us whether to turn left or right.  If God leads apart form the Word through circumstances, or dreams, provision, or open and closed doors then he communicates apart from his Word.  Hearing his voice is not different. And we should not be surprised because God has spoken to his people in that way on nearly every page of the Bible as an example of his hunger for relationship with his children. To say he spoke from Genesis to Revelation apart from a written word but became silent as soon as the last apostle died is to deny the very nature and the patterns of God across the ages.  Even those who don’t believe God speaks hear him.  They simply don’t know that what they are hearing is from the Father. They miss so much and miss so much of the relationship.  My hope is that you hear from him today – through his written word and in many other ways.  Listen…. God is speaking.   Be blessed.