I miss those days. Songs like, "Oh, How I Love Jesus...(sung again and again)". "The comforter has come". I don't know if it's possible to get to a pentecostal place like that again. Not Geographic. Spiritually. If I ever see the podcast on Son Life's website I'll post it.
We have no idea how wonderful this really is. He said something that I am still thinking about, "Any church that attempts to operate without the fullness of the Holy Spirit is illegitimate and illegal in the eyes of God'. I don't know, but there is some truth in that. I'll have to think it over. I know some "legitimate" churches that have no move of God by the Holy Spirit at all. If they are illegal in God's eyes or not, that's another issue. I am thinking, if God poured out his spirit on all flesh at the day of Pentecost with the evidence of speaking in Tongues to birth the NT Church, if that is not present, is it illegal? Or legitimate? Just asking.
The question I am pondering is, is Christianity real without the fullness of the Holy Spirit? I look around and see fruit bearing and fruit lacking Christianity. AND that is why I wonder.
Can a Spirit free church be a Christian Church?? IF the church was birthed, not at the cross, but at Pentecost, can church be without Pentecost and be a church? IF a church considers itself a church and has no evidence of Pentecost, is it legitimately a church in the sense of being what Christ is the Head of? IF Jesus said he HAD to go away, so the FATHER would send another comforter, Holy Spirit, then why is HE absent in so many places?
HE is a person, He speaks Acts 13:2, He Hears, He sees, He moves, He creates, He has a mind Romans 8:26-27, He possess Knowledge 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, HE is a teacher 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, He is the Spirit of wisdom, counsel, strength and understanding Isaiah 11:1-2, Holy Spirit can be grieved, He is the spirit of LOVE Romans 15:30, HE has a will 1 Corinthians 12:11, HE guides and leads John 16, Romans 8, Intercedes for us Romans 8, Convicts and Convinces John 16:8, Points us to Jesus John 16:14 & 15:26, Directs ministry Acts 8:29, 10:19, 13:2, 16:6, Can be lied to (See Ananias), Resisted Acts 7:51, Insulted Hebrews 10:29, Blasphemed Matt 12:31,
JESUS himself spoke of Holy Spirit in a Personal Pronoun appellation:
John 16:13-14 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”HE HE HE, You don't talk about some vague ignored force with the pronoun HE.
My concern is that in striving to maintain a proper christology in our churches we have missed GOD. GOD in THREE PERSONS...not two.
IF all those things I have outlined sound like JESUS or Attributes of the Father, they are. Trinitarian I am. THEY are all the same being, GOD. Yet where is the Fullness of the Godhead in our worship?
WE MUST HONOR the one true God. We really DON'T in most of our churches. What we really do is give HIM lip service and ignore HIS presence. I'm not sure we even know how to hear HIM.
That is what I was reminded of yesterday, and what I long to get back to...if it's even possible in the western church. Maybe it's time to get the Ichabod sign out again.... it may be too late. Maybe GOD has to tear down the western church to replace it with what he REALLY intended. This isn't about revival, this is about REFORMATION.
We need a reformation that brings the fullness of the Godhead into our churches. We have sort of a spiritual castration right now. Don't mean to be crude, but that's what has happened. Even in churches that formerly embraced the fullness of God, there isn't much evidence any more of HE who will testify of Jesus.
I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up, and to break down, and to destroy, and to overthrow, to build and to plant. Jeremiah 1:10
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