1 2 Power from on High Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 3:16-17 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. INTRO: Jesus looked at his disciples he recognized that they had received his instructions, they had studied, they had passed the course, But they were not fully equipped something was missing They needed some more to carry out his ministry they needed to have power from on high (they needed the Holy Ghost & Fire). For centuries the Baptism of the Holy Ghost & has been going through a process of regression From religious men s perspective. The necessity of having the H G in the church world has Disintegrated =broken down, pulled apart, dissolved, crumbled The Church World has reached the place where The Baptism of the Holy Ghost has been reduced to a mere acknowledgment of an indwelling presence & receiving a sense of feeling the need for God But not really having the true experience The Church World today not only write-off The need for speaking w/other tongues But denie Speaking w/other tongues is the initial sign & evidence of being spirit filled, There is tremendous opposition against speaking in tongues period. They say that it is unnecessary to speak in other tongues to be filled w/the Holy Ghost,
3 4 I am not here to debate the fact So I am not going to spent much time arguing w/these great unlearned theologians & bible scholars but this I is what we have learned that our experience & our relationship w/god is built upon the Word of God, & when I build it upon the Word of God I am going to be safe no matter what They say or the trend of the day is. I'm going to agree w/smith Wiggles-worth, one of the most powerful men of God who ever lived, He was known as the Apostle of Faith, He cast out devils, healed the sick & raised 19 people from the dead, He said: The baptism will always be Just like it was at the beginning, it hasn t changed, if you want a real baptism of the H G Then you have to get it the same way, they did at the beginning. Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and (began to speak with other tongues) as the Spirit gave the utterance. Paul come across new believers in Ac 19: Ac 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and (they spake with tongues,) and prophesied. Then When the door of grace opened to the gentile world, in Ac 10 They received this same gift & spoke w/other tongues. Acts 10:44-48 44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord....
5 6 John said this Holy Ghost Baptism came w/fire Lu 3:16 he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Fire Speaks of life, of energy, of intensity, & of passion He shall baptize you w/the H G & w/ fire, this fire is the devouring nature of God ( our God is a consuming fire, ) We need the Fire of the H G We can t live w/out it The favorite songs of the church in the pass were about the fire: *It's the Holy Ghost & fire & it's keeping me alive *It's just like fire shut up in my bones And it wasn't just words, rd th about the 3 or 4 time through, the song leader would go to jerkin, & Bro. & Sis would be running, Then all of a sudden 1 of the ladies up on the platform would start shouting, & then it was a holy commotion going on shoes came off, hair pins went flying, One of the brothers jumped up & started shaking like he was on fire, Today people call it excessive emotions, it wasn t necessary & it may have a bit of emotion in it, but when you get fire in your feet it's hard to stand still. it may have been extremely emotional but in the middle of that dancing, shouting & running, people got saved healed delivered, filled w/the Holy Ghost & fire & many received their call into ministries Today churches have become so seeker sensitive that they have become Holy Spirit insensitive. We can t ignored the one we're suppose to be seeking. Hey I would rather risk offending a seeker than offending the Holy Spirit, Cause I can make it w/out you but I can't make it without him. But the truth is: a true seeker is not going to be scared off by the power of God, a true seeker is looking for truth, they are looking for something real, & when they see the genuine power of God in action they will want it.
7 8 We have a responsibility to show our generation the true manifestation of the power of God (UNCENSORED) UNDILUTED, FULL STRENGTH, Leprosy=sin, the blood of the trespass offering = the blood of Jesus, The oil = The anointing of the Holy Spirit. Listen to what David said: It should be the prayer of every true believer, Ps 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. Jesus First Miracle was that of Turning The Water Into Wine First Full of Water = Washed for Salvation Then Full of Wine = The Spirit. The progression is get your heart right, Then you will be filled w/the Spirit Lev 14:14-18 We find (The law of the leper). When the leper came to the priest to be cleansed the priest would slay a lamb & take the blood of the lamb & apply it to the right ear, right thumb of right hand, & big toe of the right foot, then the oil was applied over the top of the blood. The blood prepares us for heaven The oil prepares us for service on the earth Water is symbolic of Salvation, Wine is Symbolic of The Spirit. Jn 7:37-38 Jesus Said: If any man Thirst let him come to me and drink = Salvation, Then he said that out of his belly will flow rivers of Living water = The Holy Spirit. We need to understand the power of the Blood We must know the need of the H G the old timers believed that if you didn't have the Holy Ghost you were'nt gonna' make it, They knew the H G was the power to conquer sin & live a Holy Life. (Those old timers would get you to the altar and once they got you to the altar, it was get filled w/the Holy Ghost or die trying. One was pushing, the other was pulling, One said (say thank you Jesus), Another one said (say praise the Lord,) Then One said hold on, the other said turn loose.
9 10 I came to tell somebody tonight, You need the Holy Ghost If you plan on going to heaven tonight, The Blood of Jesus has Qualified you to get in, but if you plan on getting up tomorrow & facing life, & dealing w/real devils ( You need the Holy Ghost) You must not only be filled: You must stay filled. Paul Said: Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Spirit. (literally, it means to be filled & keep being filled) It really doesn't count for much what you had 15-20 years ago, or last year or last week. We are not fit or properly suited or prepared & equipped for ministry until we are full of the Spirit. Lu 24: 49 Jesus said: (And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Ac 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you, not before (after) There are no short cuts to the power of God, You must be filled with the Spirit. What matters is where is the H S Thermometer reading is right now? How fresh is your oil? Are you full of the Spirit or are you running on fumes? Be ye Filled with the Spirit means, be full of the H G at all times When you are full of the H G It may run over, it might run over in church, it might run over in wal-mart, it might run over while your driving down the road. But if your full, it will run over sometime.
11 12 HOW DO I STAY FULL???? Jude 20 But ye beloved building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the HolyGhost. The Spirit Filled Life is one of being led by the Spirit, Taught, Guided, Helped, Comforted, Corrected, Convicted, Empowered by the Spirit. That is why wine is such a fitting illustration of the Spirit, As wine exercises a controlling influence over a persons life, When we are filled with the Spirit our entire lives will be under his influence. Tell your neighbor: I just want to warn you (I'm under the influence) I might shout any minute, I might dance, I might run. I might start laughing or crying. It may be here at this altar tonight, it may be on your way home tonight, it may be laying on your bed, or on your job. You can receive the Holy Ghost anywhere anytime, all you have to do is ask, Believe & receive. If you have not received the H G since you believed you need to lift your hands & ask God to fill you, & if you have received the Holy Ghost but it's been a while since you have really felt him & you haven't been experiencing the freedom & the liberty of the Spirit, speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance, lift your hands & tell him you want a fresh baptism. Recieve the HolyGhost Receive Power from on High, in Jesus name.