For generations, people have been led to believe that the Spirit is an "it." From a thousand voices, millions of written words, and an attitude that has permeated the Christian faith, we have been programmed to think of the Holy Ghost as a something rather than as a someone.
I heard a chorus recently that said, "Give me more of You!" And I thought, "Why, that's un scriptural." You can't take a part of Him. He's a person. You can't break Him into little pieces, an arm this week and a leg the next. It's not,"Give me more of you." It's exactly the opposite. You should be crying out to the Spirit, "Please, take more ofme." He doesn't surrender to you. No! You surrender to Him.
Many actually avoid speaking His name lest people confuse them with one of those off-the-wall charismatics. God intended that the church be alive and vibrant. Just before He returned to heaven, Jesus uttered the unforgettable words, "These signs will follow those who believe . . ." (Mark 16:17).
Perhaps the most puzzling question I have as a minister is this. If the Holy Spirit was sent to give Christians power to live a victorious life, why are so many despondent and defeated? When I was an evangelist, I went to a church, conducted a rally, prayed for the needs of the people, and returned to my home. I really did not know what was taking place in the daily lives of the people. But now that I am a pastor, my perspective has totally changed.
And I am disturbed by what I see. I now realize that infinitely more people have major problems than I ever dreamed possible. That so many believers are disheartened, dejected, on the verge of spiritual bankruptcy is almost unthinkable. Repeatedly I see tiny problems creep into people's lives and then suddenly emerge as Goliaths, or Mount Everests.
"Father God," I ask, "where is the victory? Where is the joy?"Just last week our congregation experienced a mighty outpouring of the Spirit on Sunday night. As I ministered tothe people, I sensed an unusual anointing. On the way home I was shouting, "Hallelujah!" I said to my wife, Suzanne,"What a great service! Isn't it wonderful what God is doing here?" But just as I walked in the door of our home, the phone rang.
And for the next thirty minutes I heard the heart breaking story of a man who had been in that very service. He cried and cried as he told me, "I just don't know where to turn."It happens over and over again.
(- Who's Got the Power?-)
What's wrong? Why is it that the early church had such power and we have so little of it? With one word they commanded demons to depart, and we seem so fearful and alarmed. Just mention demons, and Christians do the hundred-yard dash. Many pastors won't even talk about them, as if ignoring the topic would drive them out. It's difficult to understand.
Instead of preaching to people that they can be free, many ministers keep a silence that leaves many in bondage. Rather than obey the words of Christ, "They shall cast out devils" (Mark 16:17), they tell their people that what is really going on doesn't exist that it's all in their minds. And the people murmur, "Lord, I can't find an answer. I can't find help!"Is it any wonder that some cultists have more power than some Christians? Should we be surprised when Satanic followers demonstrate more of the supernatural than early followers of Christ?
How is it possible? If God is omnipotent and Satan has such a tiny fraction of power, how can a disciple of the devil operate with any authority? It's really very simple. A person who uses 100 percent of just a tiny fraction has more power than someone who can tap into the energy of the universe but doesn't even try.I am deeply troubled when I think about a sinner receiving more from Satan than a believer who asks nothing from God can receive.
It's time you begin to exercise the power of the Almighty. You need to know that God is greater than any demon and that only one word from Jesus destroys the devil. Just one of His angels can bind Satan in the pit (Rev.20:1-3). God is not weak His people are. Here's the only conclusion I have been able to reach. The reason the church and so many people in it have become so defeated is that it has ignored the most powerful person in the universe the Holy Spirit. Again, "Not bymight nor by power, but by My Spirit, / Says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6).
And the next words are just as exciting:"Who are you, O great mountain? . . . you shall become aplain" (v. 7).You need more than a Caterpillar tractor to level the mammoth pile of rocks that stands before you. It's a giant mountain of futility and fear. And the excavation you need is only possible through the energizing power of the Holy Spirit.
After all, Satan is the treach ero us one that has placed that heavy yoke upon you. But Jesus, who declared that the bondage would bedestroyed, said, "My yoke is easy and My burden islight" (Matthew 11:30). The ever-tightening yoke can be broken by the Spirit. But not just for that moment. It's not a temporary solution. He stays with you, continuing to lift the burden and to guide you on a brand-new path.
The apostle John, speaking of the Spirit, wrote, "The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him" (1 John 2:27).It doesn't take a Ph.D. to be able to discern who has an anointing and who doesn't. Even an unregenerate sinner flipping a television dial during the Sunday-morning "God slot" knows the touch of the Spirit when he sees it.
He recognizes it because, like a diamond, it is so rare. There is nothing more tragic than people who don't have an anointing trying to produce it. They try to force it, but the touch of the Lord is just not there. How many times have you traveled to hear a great speaker or Bible teacher only to find out that the person is just an empty shell, that there is nothing but knowledge on the inside. Filled with facts and information but absolutely lifeless, they are walking and talking but their words are dead.
I'll never forget what happened at a conference I attended on the west coast. In an afternoon session a young man was introduced to sing. With a tremendous, well-trained voice he sang The King Is Coming! All the people enjoyed it, and they gave him a great applause when he had finished. I don't know how it happened, but in the evening service a lady sang exactly the same song. Frankly, she didn't look like a singer, her voice was a little nasal, and some of the notes were off pitch.
But she had something else that made up for those deficiencies a thousand times over. By the time she got to the second chorus, people were on their feet. Their hands were raised to heaven. The power in that place was electric. And it didn't stop when she finished. We praised the Lord and praised Him again. Then we began to applaud for the longest time. But we weren't giving the singer an ovation. We were applauding the was the power of creation.
Do you recall the words in the book of Job? "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4). While God the Father was in heaven on the throne of Glory saying, "Let us make man," the Holy Spirit was doing His work on earth. Even the second verse states thatat creation "The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters " (Gen. 1:2). And the psalmist, speaking of the creatures on earth, wrote, "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth" (Ps.104:30).
But that is just the start. Your spiritual growth is not different from that of a giant oak tree. It must be fed and nourished.
I'll never forget his reply: "I guess I didn't know what to do."Perhaps I've expected every person who's been introduced to the Spirit to respond as I did. I literally shut myself away with the Word and the Spirit and absorbed what He had to offer like a sponge. It took time, hundred sand hundreds of hours with the precious Holy Spirit. I realize that for many people it's nearly impossible to find the time to search and search the Scriptures.
But just by reading this book you are receiving in a succinct manner what it took the Spirit years to share with me. But there is one thing I cannot do for you. I can't wave a spiritual and over your head and place an anointing on you. That only comes with a personal, deeply private encounter with the Spirit. And it continues and grows with a fellowship and communion that only you can establish. Your growth in the Spirit will begin the moment you begin to see that the Spirit of God is truly God. I can't repeat it enough because the mental picture of a weak personality has been drilled into our psyche from childhood.
I remember seeing a book that said, "The Holy Spirit is a servant to the Body of Christ." That's the kind of error I'm talking about. He's not a servant; He's in charge. He's the leader of the body of Christ. Let me share something I have come to know. The Holy Spirit is not only God; He's also the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before you say, "Now hold it there, Benedict us," let me point you to the Word. You say, "I thought God the Father was the Father of Jesus." Well, you're right, but you're also wrong.
Let me show you why. In the first chapter of the Gospels we are told that the Holy Ghost is the Father of the Lord. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:18). Even Mary was concerned. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will over shadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:34-35).
There you have it. He is called the Son of God, but it was the Holy Spirit that came upon the mother of Christ. That's the closeness of the Trinity a child of God the Father and a child of God the Spirit in one. Even the attributes of Jesus were given Him by the Spirit. Speaking of the coming Christ, Isaiah wrote, There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 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. (Isa.11:1-2)
Can you see God the Father in heaven saying to the Spirit, "Take my Son and make Him flesh"? It was the miracle of miracles. The Holy Spirit took that seed and placed it within Mary's body. But not only was He the Father of the Lord, He was also the one who anointed Him. Picture, if you will, God the Father, sitting on His throne in heaven and Jesus on earth healing the sick and performing miracles. And what about the Holy Ghost?
He's the channel, the contact between both personalities. Now the Father picks up the phone (as if He needed one) and says, "Holy Spirit?""Yes, Sir," says the Spirit as He picks up the receiver. God says, "I want you to lead Jesus into the wilderness because I'm going to send the devil to test Him."The Spirit says, "Yes, Sir," and rushes to Christ. "Jesus, come along with Me," He says. Do you see how the Holy Spirit is the contact between both personalities? Or picture this. Jesus is walking past a man who is very sick.
Again, the Father picks up the phone and says, "Holy Spirit? Stop Jesus! Tell Him to halt right where He is."The Spirit says, "Okay. Jesus, stop."He speaks into the phone and says, "Father, what should He do?""Tell Him to heal that man," says the voice of God. Jesus immediately lays His hands on the man, the power of the Spirit flowing through Him, and the man is miraculously raised up.Here is what is vital for you to remember and when you comprehend this it will lift the veil from your eyes regarding the role of the Holy Ghost: On earth Jesus was nothing less than a total man. He did not have "revelation knowledge" without the voice of the Spirit.
And He could not move unless the Holy Spirit moved Him. Have you ever wondered why, when Jesus passed by, some did not get healed? Why didn't He pray for them? Why didn't He reach out and touch them? It is because the Father did not ask the Holy Ghost to request that Jesus doit. Christ said, " that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so Ido" (John 14:31). Jesus was dependent on the Spirit; He was Christ's lifeline to the Father.
That's right. It was the Holy Spirit who was the power that kept Him pure. He was not only sent from heaven, but He was called the Son of man and as such He was capable of sinning. The fact that He did not does not mean that He could not. If you believe that Jesus was not able to sin, then why would Satan waste his time tempting Him? The devil knew what he was doing. Without the Holy Ghost Jesus may have never made it. Jesus actually offered Himself through the Holy Ghost to remain sinless. He even depended on the Spirit to raise Him from the death-grip of the grave.
Remember what Paul said? Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by there surrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). It was through the power of the Spirit that Christ was raised from the dead. Here is what Scripture says: "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom. 8:11). Not only did the Spirit raise Christ; He is the one who will also raise you! We can rest our hope in Him.
So dependent was Christ on the Spirit that He turned to Him before giving directions to His followers. Scripture says He was taken to Heaven after He gave instructions" through the Holy Spirit" to the apostles (Acts 1:2).Don't read me wrong! I am in no way saying that Christ was in a lesser position than the Spirit. Not at all. Jesus is not lower than the Holy Ghost, nor is the Holy Ghost lower than Jesus.
There is absolute equality in the Trinity. Each member has unique purposes and characteristics. What I want you to know is that the Spirit is not weak. He is not immature or incapable of speaking for Himself. The Holy Ghost is perfect, powerful, and glorious. The Spirit deserves our worship. We should put into practice what we have been singing about for generations:" Praise God from whom all blessings flow. . . . Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."How do you recognize Him?
It's as simple as that little voice you hear when you are about to fall asleep, the voice that reminds you, "You haven't prayed today." Or He may say, "You haven't read the Word today." That's the Spirit speaking, tugging at your soul. You know Him already, but He yearns for you to know Him more. The Lord predicted what would happen to you when you made a place for the Spirit. He said, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).
And what was that anointing He was talking about? "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive" (v. 39).God has a detailed master plan for your life. His anointing and His Spirit are included in the blueprint: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit" (2 Cor. 1:21-22).Have you made room for the Holy Spirit? All He asks isa place in your heart.
I heard a chorus recently that said, "Give me more of You!" And I thought, "Why, that's un scriptural." You can't take a part of Him. He's a person. You can't break Him into little pieces, an arm this week and a leg the next. It's not,"Give me more of you." It's exactly the opposite. You should be crying out to the Spirit, "Please, take more ofme." He doesn't surrender to you. No! You surrender to Him.
(- A PLACE FOR HIM-)
Without a doubt, the most overlooked message of the church today is that the Holy Spirit is real and we must make a place for Him. Sad, isn't it. Ministers of the gospel by the thousands do not comprehend the workings of the Spirit on planet earth. I'm afraid they've been programmed, too. From Sunday school to seminary, they have been led to believe that the Spirit is a minor member of the God head who came at Pentecost and has been floating in the clouds ever since.Many actually avoid speaking His name lest people confuse them with one of those off-the-wall charismatics. God intended that the church be alive and vibrant. Just before He returned to heaven, Jesus uttered the unforgettable words, "These signs will follow those who believe . . ." (Mark 16:17).
Perhaps the most puzzling question I have as a minister is this. If the Holy Spirit was sent to give Christians power to live a victorious life, why are so many despondent and defeated? When I was an evangelist, I went to a church, conducted a rally, prayed for the needs of the people, and returned to my home. I really did not know what was taking place in the daily lives of the people. But now that I am a pastor, my perspective has totally changed.
And I am disturbed by what I see. I now realize that infinitely more people have major problems than I ever dreamed possible. That so many believers are disheartened, dejected, on the verge of spiritual bankruptcy is almost unthinkable. Repeatedly I see tiny problems creep into people's lives and then suddenly emerge as Goliaths, or Mount Everests.
"Father God," I ask, "where is the victory? Where is the joy?"Just last week our congregation experienced a mighty outpouring of the Spirit on Sunday night. As I ministered tothe people, I sensed an unusual anointing. On the way home I was shouting, "Hallelujah!" I said to my wife, Suzanne,"What a great service! Isn't it wonderful what God is doing here?" But just as I walked in the door of our home, the phone rang.
And for the next thirty minutes I heard the heart breaking story of a man who had been in that very service. He cried and cried as he told me, "I just don't know where to turn."It happens over and over again.
(- Who's Got the Power?-)
What's wrong? Why is it that the early church had such power and we have so little of it? With one word they commanded demons to depart, and we seem so fearful and alarmed. Just mention demons, and Christians do the hundred-yard dash. Many pastors won't even talk about them, as if ignoring the topic would drive them out. It's difficult to understand.
Instead of preaching to people that they can be free, many ministers keep a silence that leaves many in bondage. Rather than obey the words of Christ, "They shall cast out devils" (Mark 16:17), they tell their people that what is really going on doesn't exist that it's all in their minds. And the people murmur, "Lord, I can't find an answer. I can't find help!"Is it any wonder that some cultists have more power than some Christians? Should we be surprised when Satanic followers demonstrate more of the supernatural than early followers of Christ?
How is it possible? If God is omnipotent and Satan has such a tiny fraction of power, how can a disciple of the devil operate with any authority? It's really very simple. A person who uses 100 percent of just a tiny fraction has more power than someone who can tap into the energy of the universe but doesn't even try.I am deeply troubled when I think about a sinner receiving more from Satan than a believer who asks nothing from God can receive.
It's time you begin to exercise the power of the Almighty. You need to know that God is greater than any demon and that only one word from Jesus destroys the devil. Just one of His angels can bind Satan in the pit (Rev.20:1-3). God is not weak His people are. Here's the only conclusion I have been able to reach. The reason the church and so many people in it have become so defeated is that it has ignored the most powerful person in the universe the Holy Spirit. Again, "Not bymight nor by power, but by My Spirit, / Says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6).
And the next words are just as exciting:"Who are you, O great mountain? . . . you shall become aplain" (v. 7).You need more than a Caterpillar tractor to level the mammoth pile of rocks that stands before you. It's a giant mountain of futility and fear. And the excavation you need is only possible through the energizing power of the Holy Spirit.
( Real, Not Counterfeit )
God, throughout His Word, gives a prescription for breaking the yoke of bondage. He knows exactly what it takes to lift your heavy burden. It is called the anointing : It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.(Isa. 10:27)
As God removed Israel's burden, so also will He remove the yoke from you.After all, Satan is the treach ero us one that has placed that heavy yoke upon you. But Jesus, who declared that the bondage would bedestroyed, said, "My yoke is easy and My burden islight" (Matthew 11:30). The ever-tightening yoke can be broken by the Spirit. But not just for that moment. It's not a temporary solution. He stays with you, continuing to lift the burden and to guide you on a brand-new path.
The apostle John, speaking of the Spirit, wrote, "The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him" (1 John 2:27).It doesn't take a Ph.D. to be able to discern who has an anointing and who doesn't. Even an unregenerate sinner flipping a television dial during the Sunday-morning "God slot" knows the touch of the Spirit when he sees it.
He recognizes it because, like a diamond, it is so rare. There is nothing more tragic than people who don't have an anointing trying to produce it. They try to force it, but the touch of the Lord is just not there. How many times have you traveled to hear a great speaker or Bible teacher only to find out that the person is just an empty shell, that there is nothing but knowledge on the inside. Filled with facts and information but absolutely lifeless, they are walking and talking but their words are dead.
I'll never forget what happened at a conference I attended on the west coast. In an afternoon session a young man was introduced to sing. With a tremendous, well-trained voice he sang The King Is Coming! All the people enjoyed it, and they gave him a great applause when he had finished. I don't know how it happened, but in the evening service a lady sang exactly the same song. Frankly, she didn't look like a singer, her voice was a little nasal, and some of the notes were off pitch.
But she had something else that made up for those deficiencies a thousand times over. By the time she got to the second chorus, people were on their feet. Their hands were raised to heaven. The power in that place was electric. And it didn't stop when she finished. We praised the Lord and praised Him again. Then we began to applaud for the longest time. But we weren't giving the singer an ovation. We were applauding the was the power of creation.
Do you recall the words in the book of Job? "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4). While God the Father was in heaven on the throne of Glory saying, "Let us make man," the Holy Spirit was doing His work on earth. Even the second verse states thatat creation "The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters " (Gen. 1:2). And the psalmist, speaking of the creatures on earth, wrote, "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth" (Ps.104:30).
(- SPIRITUAL GROWTH-)
If you want the anointing of the Spirit to become evident in your life, it begins with an understanding of who He is, how He operates, and how you can enter into His fellowship. The Holy Spirit was not sent just to make you feel good. He'll certainly do that, but He is much more. He has equality in the Godhead and deserves our worship just as do God the Father and God the Son.But that is just the start. Your spiritual growth is not different from that of a giant oak tree. It must be fed and nourished.
(- What Do I Do Next?-)
Recently a man told me, "Benny, I want to thank you for introducing me to the Holy Spirit in 1978."I said, "That's great. Tell me what's been happening since?"His face was a blank as he said, "Well, nothing really. I just remember what it was like when I met Him.""Why do you think nothing has happened?" I asked.I'll never forget his reply: "I guess I didn't know what to do."Perhaps I've expected every person who's been introduced to the Spirit to respond as I did. I literally shut myself away with the Word and the Spirit and absorbed what He had to offer like a sponge. It took time, hundred sand hundreds of hours with the precious Holy Spirit. I realize that for many people it's nearly impossible to find the time to search and search the Scriptures.
But just by reading this book you are receiving in a succinct manner what it took the Spirit years to share with me. But there is one thing I cannot do for you. I can't wave a spiritual and over your head and place an anointing on you. That only comes with a personal, deeply private encounter with the Spirit. And it continues and grows with a fellowship and communion that only you can establish. Your growth in the Spirit will begin the moment you begin to see that the Spirit of God is truly God. I can't repeat it enough because the mental picture of a weak personality has been drilled into our psyche from childhood.
I remember seeing a book that said, "The Holy Spirit is a servant to the Body of Christ." That's the kind of error I'm talking about. He's not a servant; He's in charge. He's the leader of the body of Christ. Let me share something I have come to know. The Holy Spirit is not only God; He's also the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before you say, "Now hold it there, Benedict us," let me point you to the Word. You say, "I thought God the Father was the Father of Jesus." Well, you're right, but you're also wrong.
Let me show you why. In the first chapter of the Gospels we are told that the Holy Ghost is the Father of the Lord. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:18). Even Mary was concerned. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will over shadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:34-35).
There you have it. He is called the Son of God, but it was the Holy Spirit that came upon the mother of Christ. That's the closeness of the Trinity a child of God the Father and a child of God the Spirit in one. Even the attributes of Jesus were given Him by the Spirit. Speaking of the coming Christ, Isaiah wrote, There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 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. (Isa.11:1-2)
( Who Is the Father?)
Jesus Christ is a child of the Spirit. And just as earthly parents love their little baby, so the Holy Ghost loved the Lord. Have you ever seen a proud father hold a newborn in his arms, squeeze it tight, and love it? I think we forget that the Holy Spirit has emotions too.
He loves what He has created; that's why He wants to place His arms around you.Can you see God the Father in heaven saying to the Spirit, "Take my Son and make Him flesh"? It was the miracle of miracles. The Holy Spirit took that seed and placed it within Mary's body. But not only was He the Father of the Lord, He was also the one who anointed Him. Picture, if you will, God the Father, sitting on His throne in heaven and Jesus on earth healing the sick and performing miracles. And what about the Holy Ghost?
He's the channel, the contact between both personalities. Now the Father picks up the phone (as if He needed one) and says, "Holy Spirit?""Yes, Sir," says the Spirit as He picks up the receiver. God says, "I want you to lead Jesus into the wilderness because I'm going to send the devil to test Him."The Spirit says, "Yes, Sir," and rushes to Christ. "Jesus, come along with Me," He says. Do you see how the Holy Spirit is the contact between both personalities? Or picture this. Jesus is walking past a man who is very sick.
Again, the Father picks up the phone and says, "Holy Spirit? Stop Jesus! Tell Him to halt right where He is."The Spirit says, "Okay. Jesus, stop."He speaks into the phone and says, "Father, what should He do?""Tell Him to heal that man," says the voice of God. Jesus immediately lays His hands on the man, the power of the Spirit flowing through Him, and the man is miraculously raised up.Here is what is vital for you to remember and when you comprehend this it will lift the veil from your eyes regarding the role of the Holy Ghost: On earth Jesus was nothing less than a total man. He did not have "revelation knowledge" without the voice of the Spirit.
And He could not move unless the Holy Spirit moved Him. Have you ever wondered why, when Jesus passed by, some did not get healed? Why didn't He pray for them? Why didn't He reach out and touch them? It is because the Father did not ask the Holy Ghost to request that Jesus doit. Christ said, " that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so Ido" (John 14:31). Jesus was dependent on the Spirit; He was Christ's lifeline to the Father.
(-Was Christ Capable of Sinning?-)
Even before Christ faced Golgotha, He offered Himself to the Father through the Holy Ghost. Comparing the blood of Christ to the sacrifice of animals, Hebrews says, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God"(Heb. 9:14).
Had He not offered Himself through the Holy Ghost, He would not be accepted in the eyes of God the Father. Nor would He have endured the sufferings of the cross.
Had He not presented Himself through the Holy Ghost, His blood would not have remained pure and spotless. And let me add this: Had the Holy Spirit not been with Jesus, He may have likely sinned.That's right. It was the Holy Spirit who was the power that kept Him pure. He was not only sent from heaven, but He was called the Son of man and as such He was capable of sinning. The fact that He did not does not mean that He could not. If you believe that Jesus was not able to sin, then why would Satan waste his time tempting Him? The devil knew what he was doing. Without the Holy Ghost Jesus may have never made it. Jesus actually offered Himself through the Holy Ghost to remain sinless. He even depended on the Spirit to raise Him from the death-grip of the grave.
Remember what Paul said? Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by there surrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). It was through the power of the Spirit that Christ was raised from the dead. Here is what Scripture says: "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom. 8:11). Not only did the Spirit raise Christ; He is the one who will also raise you! We can rest our hope in Him.
( God's Master Plan)
Even after He changed the course of history by walking out of the empty tomb, Christ continued to depend on the Spirit. In fact, He told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they had been endued from on high. He said they should "wait for the Promise of the Father, which . . . you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:4-5).
Christ was under God's control as He spoke those words. He was repeating what the Father said to the Holy Ghost.So dependent was Christ on the Spirit that He turned to Him before giving directions to His followers. Scripture says He was taken to Heaven after He gave instructions" through the Holy Spirit" to the apostles (Acts 1:2).Don't read me wrong! I am in no way saying that Christ was in a lesser position than the Spirit. Not at all. Jesus is not lower than the Holy Ghost, nor is the Holy Ghost lower than Jesus.
There is absolute equality in the Trinity. Each member has unique purposes and characteristics. What I want you to know is that the Spirit is not weak. He is not immature or incapable of speaking for Himself. The Holy Ghost is perfect, powerful, and glorious. The Spirit deserves our worship. We should put into practice what we have been singing about for generations:" Praise God from whom all blessings flow. . . . Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."How do you recognize Him?
It's as simple as that little voice you hear when you are about to fall asleep, the voice that reminds you, "You haven't prayed today." Or He may say, "You haven't read the Word today." That's the Spirit speaking, tugging at your soul. You know Him already, but He yearns for you to know Him more. The Lord predicted what would happen to you when you made a place for the Spirit. He said, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).
And what was that anointing He was talking about? "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive" (v. 39).God has a detailed master plan for your life. His anointing and His Spirit are included in the blueprint: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit" (2 Cor. 1:21-22).Have you made room for the Holy Spirit? All He asks isa place in your heart.
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