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NEWSLETTERS
GWEA Monthly Messages
Are You in Rebellion with the Holy Spirit?
REVEREND GORDON WILLIAMS, JUNE 2018
 
 
Jesus revealed the work of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was received in the Upper Room and in the streets of Jerusalem:
 
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for it I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged… (Jn. 16:7-11)
 
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (Jn. 16:13-15).
 
The work of the Holy Spirit is paramount in our lives. His role is to convict us of our sin, and guide us into all truth and righteousness - a right relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit warns us when we are in danger, and reveals to us our future. He brings to our remembrance the appropriate scriptures, and give us the words of what to say when needed. He is our appointed counsellor and teacher; given to us from our Heavenly Father. With Him as our guide, we can experience an exciting and victorious Christian life! Without Him, it is impossible to fulfil God's plan for our lives, no matter how hard we try.
 
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (Jn. 14:16)
 
Evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
 
The proof or evidence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, is when we  display the "signs of authenticity" (Mk. 16:17-20), and exercise the 15 Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12: 6–8; 1 Cor. 12:8–10).
 
Jesus said, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk. 16:17-18)
 
"... the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it." (Mk. 16:19-20)
 
The Ministry Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
 
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, aid, mercy (Rom. 12:6–8); the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, various kinds of tongues languages, and the interpretation of tongues (languages).
 
"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching;  he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." (Rom. 12: 6–8)
 
”To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues." (1 Cor. 12:8–10)
 
Will the Gifts of the Holy Spirit last for eternity?
 
Paul reveals the end will come when Jesus destroys the Devil/Satan once and for all. Then the Gifts of the Holy Spirit will end. For now, Satan remains on this earth to tempt us to sin.
 
“Then comes the end (Greek-telos), when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom of God  the Father, after destroying every rule and authority and power” (1 Cor. 15: 24).
 
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed."  (1 Cor. 15: 52)
 
We are to Listen to the Holy Spirit.
 
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit utilizes God’s Communication System. The Holy Spirit speaks to us and will guide us daily. We are the church, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), we need to follow the advice that Jesus gave to the Seven Churches:
 
“He who has an ear, let him/her hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2: 7,11, 17,29; 3: 6, 13, 22).
Coming from the mouth of an innocent young child, I always remember the little boy who once told his Mom during a time of ministry, “If you listen - you can hear Him!"
 
In Rebellion with the Holy Spirit.
 
Today, many believers in the body of Christ resist or devalue the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When we refuse to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, or use the signs of authenticity, we can develop a rebellious nature with an "attitude of blasphemy"  towards the Holy Spirit and God.
 
Below are four instances in the New Testament that describe the rebellious nature/conflict against the work of the Holy Spirit and his attempt to guide us in serving Jesus Christ:
 
1. “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemes they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin” – for they said, he (Jesus) has an unclean spirit” (Mk. 3:28–30).
 
2. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).
 
3. “Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess.  5:19).
 
4. “For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume adversaries. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who spurned the Son of God, profaned the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of Grace? Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (Heb. 10: 26–30).
 
Can you lose your Salvation?
 
The seriousness of rejecting the Holy Spirit and His works will ultimately result in the loss of one's very Salvation. When a believer rejects the Baptism and/or the ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit, they are in rebellion and are guilty of  "eternal sin" without God's forgiveness. In other words, they have lost their Salvation! It is best outlined in the scripture below when Jesus said:
 
“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemes they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin...” (Mk. 3:28–30).
 
Are you in rebellion or conflict with the Holy Spirit? Are you in fear of losing your Salvation because of your disbelief? Do you have questions about the Holy Spirit and need answers? Do you need prayer for Salvation and/or for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? I invite you come to one of our house meetings or contact me for prayer and guidance.
Like the Apostle Paul, I help equip the Saints for ministry. Amen!  
 
 
Copyright © 2018. The Gordon Williams Evangelistic Association. All rights reserved
   
Graduation Diploma - Using the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
 
The gifts of the Spirit are ministry gifts. The condition for receiving them is that a person must be born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. No one can have any of the gifts without the giver, who is the Holy Spirit. While most people quote First Corinthians when listing the gifts, there are actually two lists, the other being found in the book of Romans.
 
First Corinthians 12:7—11 reads, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
 
Thus, the Corinthians list includes:
  • the word of wisdom
  • the word of knowledge
  • faith
  • gifts of healing
  • miracles
  • prophecy
  • discerning of spirits
  • tongues
  • the interpretation of tongues
Romans 12:6—8 says, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; it is contributing to the needs Of others, let him give generously if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy let him do it cheerfully."

(Note that only one of these, the gift of prophecy, is repeated in the two lists.) 

"It is not uncommon for people to see the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a graduation diploma." They wait to manifest one or more of the gifts before they will believe that they have been accepted by God. Others feel that manifestation of the gifts will bring them some sort of spiritual status among believers.



In actual fact, the gifts of the Holy Spirit have little to do with the person who manifests them. The actual recipients of the gifts are those to whom God ministers via the manifestation.

For example, when a word of wisdom is spoken, the person speaking the word is simply the instrument God uses. The actual recipient of His ministry gift is the person to Whom the word is spoken. Thus, the gifts of the Spirit are given to us so that we can minister to the needs of other people.
 
The gifts of the Spirit are usually called "charismatic gifts" because they come from a Greek word (charismata) that means "gifts of grace" or "grace gifts,” which are used for ministry. Apostle Paul wrote, “All these gifts are inspired by one of the same Spirit who apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11).
 
The King James Version uses the phrase "dividing to every man severally as he wills." The word severally means "individually, separately," in the dictionary.
 
Although it is true that all gifts are resident in the Holy Spirit who indwells a Spirit-filled person, it is His choice which gift or gifts of the Holy Spirit we are actually allowed to participate in the ministry of Jesus.
We become a part of the signs and wonders that he continues to work in and through his body, which is called the church.