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What is the prerequisite of the rain of the Holy Spirit?
Posted by: Heather | Sat, Oct 6, 2007 2:48 pm | Tag(s): Testimonies | Permalink |
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, His disciples went back to Jerusalem. The Bible says, “And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying….These all continued with one accord, in prayer and supplication. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty)…” (Acts 1:12-15) Then what happened? “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:1,2)
Before the Spirit was poured out all the disciple were engaged in prayer and supplecation to God. What were they praying for? “Not until through faith and prayer the disciples had surrendered themselves fully for His working was the outpouring of the Spirit received. Then in a special sense the goods of heaven were committed to the followers of Christ.” (Christ’s Object Lessons, 327)
Do you, my friend, believe in the inspiration of the Spirit of Prophecy? Don’t be afraid to test it. The Bible itself says that we should “Test all things;” and to “hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21) Compare all things with the light of Scripture and hold on to what can stand in that light. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God….” (1 John 4: 1-3a)
So the Spirit of Prophecy points out that the disciples surrendered themselves to God’s working through faith and prayer. They did not have to beg God to send His Holy Spirit. They already had the promise of God. But they did have to prepare to receive it! They had to, through faith and prayer, be surrendered to God. What does that mean? When we surrender, what are we doing? We are letting go of our own self. Our opinions, our habits, our sins, all must be surrendered. When the Spirit is really dwelling in you what will you do? Let’s see what the Bible says! “But the fuit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control….” (Gal. 5:22,23) Whoa!!!! And that’s not even talking about the latter rain! That’s talking about our daily walk with God right now! Because we can possess the Spirit now, but the latter rain is what will give us the special gifts to finish the work of God in these last days. Have you ever seen a church that possessed the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22, 23? I would love to be a member of that church! When there is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control among a group of people, what do we call that? That’s unity!!!! That’s “one accord”!
Is our church in one accord? Be honest! I don’t think so! So, according to scripture, are we even ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? No! I’m afraid we aren’t.
When you look at our world church today, does unity look very promising? We have the liberals against the conservatives, differences between self-supporting and conference, and within every body there are members against members. That is not unity! That is not peace! There were 120 disciples all together in one accord! It’s hard enough to get two people to agree on anything, let alone one hundred and twenty! What a task we have before us!
So, what is it that brings us that unity and peace so we can really be ready to receive the Holy Spirit? Let’s go back to the Bible. Romans 5:1 says that when we have been “justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Just Christ.” When we believe that God justifies us, or looks upon us as if we have never sinned, we have peace with Him! Justification is just a big word for saying that we are made right. So when I choose to believe that God has made me right with Him, then because He has made me right, there will be peace between us!
What about peace between our brothers and sisters in the church? Christ is our example, right? So if He sees us as if we have never sinned, are we supposed to follow His example, and look upon our brothers and sisters just as if they have never sinned? Yes! Now, can you imagine a church where every member has this attitude toward his brother? It sounds beautiful doesn’t it! But we can only accomplish this new attitude toward our brother if we have by faith accepted God’s gift of Justification for ourselves! It is an individual work. I must not expect my sister to make this decision. I must focus on my spiritual life. If she knows the truth, I must let the Holy Spirit convince her of it, and leave it at that!
So, what are the prerequisites for recieving the latter rain?
-Total surrender to God’s working through faith and prayer
-Unity; being in one accord through justification by faith.
Please, consider this! Pray about it. Study it. Remember that all things must be tested. The only way you will know if this message is right is by testing it with God’s word!
May the Lord bless you all abundantly!
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2 Responses to “What is the prerequisite of the rain of the Holy Spirit?”
ehuffman | October 8th, 2007 at 3:13 pmSo, let me see if I understand. Unity is the prerequisite for the Latter rain, and before we can have unity in the church, we must have Christlkeness or the fruit of the Spirit ourselves.
So our main focus would be:
!. Submit personally to the working of the Holy spirit in our lives. We have to have the fruit. We can’t do this for others, nor can they do it for us. There will never be a more convenient time than now.
2. Give others the same benifits of Justification that we allow ourselves to enjoy. Do not condemn those who Christ died to save. Perhaps assume that the defects and errors we see in them will be delt with as the Spirit leads in their lives. Help them if we can, but do not condemn them. Do not look for others faults. Do not allow your mouth to repeat gossip or third hand information. Don’t allow your mind to dwell on such things.
3. If problems arise in our churches over doctrines or standards, don’t do or say anything without exibiting all the fruit of the Spirit. Rely on God more to help change hearts and solve disputes. Pray much before speaking. Learn to separate between Bible truth and our own opinions, and be willing to sacrifice pride of opinion for the sake of unity. Make every effort to harmonize with others.
Just some ideas. If we can figure out how to make this as simple as possible, I think it would really help.
God bless!
Eric Huffman
PowerOfChoice | October 20th, 2007 at 11:31 pmAmen!
This is key!
Respect, and never trespass upon, the boundaries belonging exclusively to any other!
Regardless of how strange or peculiar! For aren’t God’s Sons and Daughters God’s Peculiar People in verity?
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Nevertheless, let’s remember that the true church of God, the true Seventh-day Adventist church movement, is what it is and consists not of formal membership in a formal organization “properly” registered…
On the contrary, it consists of each One of God’s true Sons and Daughters whether or not a formal member of any church or any other organization or under any name, does it not?
But then of course, what if such an organization is acting contrary to the commandments and principles of God? Is it possible to identify with anything whose function and actions are in effect contrary to the objectives of the Creator of the universe? Is it ok to be a member of any organization falsely purporting to do the will of God while in fact carrying out the objectives of the great destroyer of life and true godliness?
Is blindness a valid excuse for expediency? Is it at all possible for God’s true Sons and Daughters to be what they claim to be - and may even sincerely wish to be - while yet willingly retaining blindness in order to allow themselves certain habitual conveniences and apparent securities in life?
May I suggest that there is a greatly needed individual work to be done in this area by each and every One who is serious about being a Son or Daughter of the Almighty God of the universe?
A chief objective of every man made State - and they are all voted into existence by men and women and never by God - is to use force for imposing its will upon men and women and their families, each of whom was designed and created for never submitting under anyone but God alone.
How is it that we are still so blind to, and so willing to participate in, and to contribute in every possible way towards, such objectives as the Lord warned the people of Israel of through the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 8?
Are we so unwilling to see and accept the handwriting on the wall?
Is it possible to accept the Lord’s calling?: “Come out of her, ye my people!”
Or, are these words merely written for the objective of expressing each our frustrations with a seemingly impossible situation from which none of us cannot bow out “until Jesus comes?”
Is it too hard to be in verity a true Son or Daughter of God?
Are the criteria set so high that only a very minute number are ever going to be able to pass the entrance examination even with the best of will and with the ultimate in commitment?
We all know that that is not so and that the gate to heaven is equally available to each and all.
Yet it is true that it takes much more than a desire, wishful thinking, and a somewhat polished front to be in verity a genuine and true anything, is it not?
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The key, I believe, is this:
Each One among us must assume full responsibility for each our own beingness and for each our own understanding of and compliance with the will of God.
Each One among us must cease participating in any degree at all towards using force or violent action for the purpose of “protecting” or “helping” anyone outside the realm of responsibility granted each of us personally by our Creator.
Each One among us must begin to recognize the boundaries instituted once and for all by our Creator!
First and foremost among those boundaries that we must begin once again to respect - and never(!) trespass upon - should be the sanctity of that family unit which was created in the very image of God!
How can anyone ever believe that God authorizes or is willing to bless any one among us for the purpose of trespassing upon the boundaries surrounding the trusteeship of anyone’s family but our very own?
How can I or anyone ever presume to know anything about private matters belonging exclusively to another?
Am I, or anyone, however highly “educated” or “trained,” ever qualified for projecting each our value systems and experiences upon private matters belonging exclusively to another?
May I suggest the effectiveness and infinite power inherent in coming out of Babylon?
May I suggest the necessity of making this exodus an individual work and objective?
May I suggest that the only way to ever regain the protection offered each one among us by our Creator is to make a reality of coming out of her? - Ye my people!
Or is the Lord speaking vain and meaningless words through Samuel when in 1 Samuel 8:18 He says:
“And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
Is it possible for me - or for anyone - to correctly judge whether or not anyone else is trespassing upon the boundaries established by God - while yet such other is still operating exclusively within the family boundaries granted his or her family exclusively by our Creator?
To what extent am I - or anyone among us - giving my strength towards the not always so subtle family destructive war propaganda that is omnipresent in the local gossip and which is ever fueled by the governments feeding upon it and by the media growing rich by it?
Who amongst us understand the key available in the name above all?: I am that I am.
Or isn’t it inherent in that name that if I truly desire to be free to build securely upon the strange and wonderful dreams that God has uniquely instilled within my heart and mind, I must necessarily extend the same right and responsibility to each and all around me?!
The right and the responsibility for each One among us to truly be what we are made to be, to be genuine, to be true.
Selah! Consider it!
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