Monthly Message 

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit fills our New Wineskins

REV. GORDON WILLIAMS, July 2010

During June, I was in Ecuador where I was invited to preach, teach and do ministry in some house churches and other churches.  During the 8 days of ministry, we saw people of all ages from little children to senior citizens receive salvation, healing and deliverance.  Over 1,000 people receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of the "signs following? (Mk. 16: 17 - 18) during which people were equipped with the authority to cast out demons, speaking in new languages (tongues), protection and the ministry of healing with  the laying on of hands. 

During one of the church services in Quito, a couple in their 30's who had already received salvation, asked to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, they woman explained, "I need healing for something strange tormenting me in my chest.?  As I laid hands on them, they prayed for forgiveness of any sin that they might have.  The man received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues.  As I prayed for his wife, her body began to shake uncontrollably as if she were having epileptic seizures and some strange sounds were coming out of her mouth.  She started to fall backwards. I grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from falling and I commanded the demon to leave her 3 times.  And it left her.  I prayed with her to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and she began to speak in tongues.

Later, she came to me and showed me a drawing she made of the demon leaving her body. She said, "This is what came out of me!?   Later, she went to her pastor and told h im thata demon had gone out of her body.  His reply was, "Christians cannot have demons!? Unfortunately, he was wrong.  The only kind of a Christian who cannot be possessed by demons/evil spirits is one who has received the "real Baptism of the Holy Spirit? with the  proof of the "signs following?.  If there are no signs, then there is no Holy Spirit.

People mistake the forgiveness of sin for receiving the Holy Spirit because they are spiritually clean. It is a bad teaching or doctrine that tells people that they received the Holy Spirit when there is no proof.  Only one time in the Book of Acts did people receive the Holy Spirit when they believed (Acts 10: 44 - 46) and they had the proof of speaking in tongues. In the four other times, people received salvation first and then the Baptism of the Holy Spirit secondly (Acts 2: 4; 8: 14: 14 - 17; 9: 17, 1 Cor. 14: 18; !9: 6). Salvation makes us into new wineskins. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit fills our new wineskins (Lk. 5: 37 - 39).

When I started my ministry, because I received the Holy Spirit when I believed.  I wrongly thought that everybody did.  Believers came to me and wanted me to pray with them to receive the Holy Spirit.  They said, "There is something missing in me!?  And, they were right.  They were missing the Holy Spirit.  At a meeting I asked a man what he wanted to have prayer for, he said, "I want the other half.?  I said, "The other half of what??  He said "Of being born again!?  I?ve been baptized with water and now I need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3: 5).  We prayed and he received the Holy Spirit with the proof/evidence (Mk. 16: 17 - 18). If you have received the Holy Spirit with the "signs following? you cannot be possessed.  A demon/evil spirit cannot get under your skin.  You are "unpossessable? If you have not received the Holy Spirit with the proof of the "signs?, come to one of our meetings so you can receive the Holy Spirit and be an effective "witness? this summer (Acts 1: 8).      

Yours in Jesus,