04 June 2023 Joy and Praise Intensive Part 2 Pastor Sharon Bendixen
(WTB)
Scripture reference: John 15:1-8 KJV; John 14:2 KJV; Isaiah 40:28-31 KJV, AMPC; Hebrews 10:14-22 KJV; Acts 1:1-4, 8-9, 14 KJV; Acts 2:1-4 KJV; Act 2:15-18 KJV; Acts 4:8 KJV; Acts 8:15-17 KJV; Acts 9:17 KJV; Acts 8:39 KJV; Acts 8:29 KJV; Acts 10:19 KJV; Acts 10:44, 46 KJV; Acts 15:28 KJV; Acts 19:6 KJV; Acts 19:2, 6 KJV; Jude 1:20-21 KJV; 1 Corinthians 14:4 KJV; Jude 1:21 AMPC; 1 Corinthians 14:2 KJV
So, let me see here. No, I’ve got it here. It’s just at the back, now. An intensive is that which intensifies or emphasises, requiring to a higher degree, highly concentrating, tending to strengthen and increase.
I was just speaking to Matt now, and he was just saying to me that the way in which he’s listening now and receiving the messages, he’s finding that this whole weekend’s messages and everything that we’ve done here in sound and song has just come together in him and he’s full. So the way we listen and the way we receive the Word of God when our intellect is shut down and we’re not looking at ourselves, every time a message comes, but we’re allowing Spirit and life to come to spirit, instead of Spirit and life transmission words coming to intellect. It’s a big difference, right? It’s a big difference.
Involving a lot of work and activity done in a short time. Complete and extremely detailed and done with a lot of care. God, in these messages, has gone to a lot of care in downloading them to me since Pastor John left for America. He went to a lot of care in these things He wants to bring to us. Intensive is an activity involving concentrating a lot of people on one particular task in order to achieve a great deal in a short time.
Intensive comes from the verb intend, which means to direct one’s attention to, pay attention, give heed, listen. It’s principally to hear, strain in quest of something. So what we’re doing with our spirit man, we are stretching towards receiving and we’ve got our receivers, right, because the transmission is perfect. But our receivers are becoming in much better condition. And so a receiver… Okay. I don’t want to stay there but the receiver, you can check your receivers anytime and check your source. It’s how am I receiving into me? Is my source my intellect? Check your source because if the transmission is coming and your receiver is faulty, if the source of it is in your head, then not much is going to stick in your spirit. Right? So having a high concentration of a specified quality or elements. Right.
So today, I’m going to start immediately now, let’s pray. Father, thank You for a wonderful meal. Thank You, Father, for a wonderful time that we’ve had with You in a highly concentrated form. Lord, all of us have experienced this for the first time. All of us, Lord, because most of us, our listening and the way we’re listening is changed. Oh Lord, we no longer have the burden of self-evaluation. We no longer have the burden of checking the Word, always comparing it to our own condition. That burden You have lifted from off us. Hallelujah. And we’ve come into a greater spiritual condition, Lord, to where Your Spirit and life words can become engrafted quite quickly, Lord. Oh, we thank You for that today we listen like this again.
And so, we looked at where we are now. I’m going to just recap on these points. The intensive has begun, it’s still on this afternoon. The point was; I will build, planted. Another point; how are you receiving His messages? Right. And the other point was; where are we now, this particular church? Nehemiah chapter eight. Right. And then a point; joy of the Lord, teach. Wow, concentrated, right? Point; prayer, teach. Joyful in My house of prayer. The authority to pray, all those beautiful scriptures, to prevail. Right?
And now we come to the point of abiding. And the question here that the Lord wants me to speak about is abiding, how are you abiding? How are you abiding? Because the Lord says in His scripture, and I haven’t given it to the back here, but John 14 is very beautiful. Ah, there are my scriptures in there. Right, John 14 and you are going to see what you’ve never seen before, you are going to hear what you’ve never heard before and things are going to enter your heart that God has prepared for all of you who love Him.
In John 15, Jesus says, 1 I am the true vine. He gives us that beautiful picture of Him being the Vine. And My Father is the husbandman. And every branch in Me, so the Father, so here Jesus is the Vine and the Father is there watching over the Vine. He’s watching out over the Vine. Jesus is the Vine. And He’s saying, 2 every branch in me that bears not fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit. So can you see the power of verse three here? 3 Now are you clean through the Word that I’ve spoken unto you. It goes on to say to us, 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except ye abide in me. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. This is not Jesus saying, I cast you forth, right? It’s because there’s no abiding that the branch is shriveled up, shriveled up. He says, 6 If a man, verse six again, 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will. You see how abiding and God is saying to us; Ask, 7 If you abide in me, ask, ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Verse eight, 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:1-8 KJV) So that’s very powerful here.
I know that I gave quite an extensive teaching on abiding. I think it’s that scripture where it says, I go to prepare a house for you. I go to prepare a place for you. Where is that? John what? Right, John 14. So this is important. John 14, 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions… I will say this to you of a truth that this word here that Jesus used, abide, He uses in John 15, abide, is the same word as mansion in the Greek. This word, this Greek word is very, very important. Can you remember what that word is, Sunelle? That Greek word for abide? M-O-N-E, right? So when Jesus says 2 In my Father’s house, John 14:2, In my Father’s house, there are many moné. ..if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2 KJV) This is not a mansion, your mansion in heaven. You did a thorough study on this didn’t you, Sunelle? You just tell me if this was something you’d like to say about that, that the Lord showed you, just do that, that you’re ready. Just do that. Right?
So what God says here, Abide in me, He’s saying moné in Me. So this place that Jesus went to prepare was an abiding place. It’s got nothing to do with your mansion in heaven. Will He have that for us? Well, I don’t know. I really don’t know. I don’t think that’s going to matter much to us. We might stay in a mansion temporarily in heaven, but ultimately God’s going to come to the new earth and the new heavens, we are going to live on earth for eternity with God. Scripture is very clear on that.
What He was saying is; I’m going to go, and when I go, I’m going to make a moné, an abiding place for you so that you can come to abide in Me. I’m going to prepare it. What does that look like? It’s the place that He has made for you and for me, to be seated at the right hand of the Father with Jesus in the heavenly realm. It’s a place, a spiritual place that you and are supposed to occupy. We’re supposed to go there to that abiding place with Him, in Him, because that’s the only way you and I can bear fruit is when we’re abiding in the Vine, abiding in the Vine, to bring forth much fruit. What is that fruit? It’s the fruit of the words that are abiding in you. It’s the fruit that comes off the Word of God into your life and glorifies the Father. And so we’re going to have a look at a beautiful scripture now. Okay. So now let’s go to Isaiah 40 verse 28 to 31. Isaiah 40.
This was a scripture impressed upon me to bring to you. Verse 31. We can go from verse 28, but I’m going to focus on verse 31. It’s King James, Isaiah 40 from verse 28, 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is He weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord, they that wait upon the Lord, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run their race, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31 KJV).
So the Lord wants us to have a good look at verse 31, just verse 31. Just keep it up there, but they that wait. This word wait is a Hebrew word qavah, qavah. It is spelt q-a-v-a-h but it’s pronounced kaw-vaw. This is what this word wait means, it means to bind together by twisting, it involves the very essence of the person’s being, his spirit and soul and body. Renew… they that wait upon the Lord shall renew means, they shall exchange. So, they shall exchange strength, they shall renew strength. This word strength is a Hebrew word koach which means vigour, capacity, might, force, potency, capacity to endure. Mount up means to ascend, to rise up, shoot up, spring up, leap, and come up and stir up. Right. Wings is a Hebrew word, abi, which means to fly, to soar, be strong and mighty, be brave and stout-hearted. And so this is very powerful, 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)
So we’re going to look at this word wait, Hebrew word qavah. It means, I’m going to repeat it again, it means to twist and stretch, to bind together by twisting, it is a cord for binding, a cord to be strong, to twist, to cause to move. It comes from an old English word twine; to weave, intertwine, plait, coil, curl, wrap, W-R-A-P. So “those that wait upon the Lord” is very active. It’s not passive. Wait means those that twist, stretch, bind themselves together with God, those that weave themselves in with God, intertwine themselves with God, plait… When the Lord showed me this scripture many years ago and He gave me that picture that I’m plaited like a plait.
Is anybody wearing a plait today? You’re wearing a plait? Won’t you stand up, please and turn around so we can all… or don’t you want to come here, Mariette, please? And just turn your back on the congregation so that they can see the picture of a plait. Just turn a little bit so they can see. Can you see? Can I see, Mariette? Oh. That’s it. That’s what God has said; those who plait, intertwine, coil themselves with Me. Curl and wrap themselves in Me shall exchange their might. 31….they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV) Hallelujah.
So, how are we abiding seeing, as Jesus said, in John 14, I’m going to make a moné, abiding place, for you. I’m going now, I’m going right off the earth to make an abiding place for you, for you to come to anytime. So, the Holy Spirit came to indwell us and that’s Who we abide in, Him in us and us in Him. We are to be so intertwined and coiled and wrapped up with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, Who will make the Father God real to me in my intertwining with Him, Who will make the Father so real to me, I will see Jesus my Lord and Savior and I will see my Father because the Holy Spirit and I are coiled up, we’re wrapped up, we are coiled in with Him. And so my abiding place is with the Holy Spirit, Who is already abiding in me. It’s a spirit realm place. It’s a place where you and I, personally can at any time move from the place of the second dimension into the place of the third dimension, to be with the Holy Spirit and let Him be with us. This is something that’s caught. Are you catching this? Abiding is a very close thing that you have with the Lord and you’re worthy to have that with the Lord. He would love for us to be abiding in Him.
So how are you abiding? Can we look at Isaiah 40 verse 28, please? Isaiah 40 verse 28. Have we already read this? Let’s read it again. 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?… Let’s do it in The Amplified Bible, let our eyes see it, thank you. 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. That doesn’t mean to say you don’t search for His understanding and you get it, you do. But His understanding is limitless, of how much you can get from Him. Right? Of understanding. 29 He gives power to the faint and the weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound]. Let’s keep going. 30 Even youths shall faint, or can faint, and be weary, and… young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted; 31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, and look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift up their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles (Isaiah 40:28-31 AMPC). Right.
So this is what the Lord gave me. My abiding. How are you abiding? Are you abiding in Him in joy? And then He gave this to me. When we hear a message from Pastor Garth, “Have faith in God and Abraham gave glory to God,” it’s not just merely words of saying, “I give You glory.” That’s the starting point that He has. We’re talking about God’s maximum for you and I, now, in abiding. We cannot suppose that your abiding is all there is to what you’re currently having and experiencing with Him. He’s saying, “You want the maximum of abiding in the Vine? I’ll give it to you. I’ll give it to you.” So He says… I’m going to read as He gave it to me; giving glory starts with words. I give You glory, I give You glory. I give You glory. It starts with words, but the words are Spirit and they are life and Christ-in-me-expectation of experiencing that glory.
The glory of God is His heavy, weighty presence. His heavy, weighty goodness. It’s heavy. His glory is for you to experience His glory, for you to experience His presence. That’s the abiding place, it’s for you to experience His presence, experience His power exchange and for you to listen to all the goodness that He’s speaking to you, coming to you in the glory, from the Glory.
That scripture where it says, …Christ in me, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 KJV) Those words are so heavy. It means… Many other different translations say, Christ in me, my expectation of experiencing the glory. It’s not just words. “I give You glory.” Where does that glory come from? The Word of God says He has crowned us with glory and honour. So, the glory and the honour that He has given me, I give back to Him and it’s a life exchange flow. Like that song we sang this morning, You are the life unto my soul. It’s an actual spiritual experience that will strengthen you and keep you strong all the days of your life because you say, “Yes, I will and I do abide in You.”
So, Christ in me, my expectation of experiencing that glory, of me experiencing His presence within me. His mighty strengthening, His power in me. Christ in me, my expectation of experiencing His glory. His presence within me and His power, His bright shining, His light. That’s one of the meanings of glory is light, so much light. Enlightenment. So much life, heavy. That’s that transfer Pastor John was preaching about this morning. That complete transfer of His life into me. His bright shining, His light beams from me to Him. I’m giving Him the glory that’s in me. I am rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory. I’m rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
When I am rejoicing, it’s from the place of glory that He has already crowned me with. So, I give Him the glory that He has already placed within me. I do everything from the glory, by the glory. Spirit of glory. Lord of glory. God of glory. Lord of glory. Father of glory. Glory is spiritual. It’s a spiritual experience, a life flow from God to you, it makes you so strong. So strong in your faith walk, in your love walk. Just strong, right?
It’s His bright shining, that’s how I’m abiding. This is what I’m expecting: His bright shining, His light to beam from me to Him when I give Him glory, and His glory to me, in me, and the life of God flows, and love flows, and light beams and light streams. And the glory is a bright, heavy, tangible, live streaming. You know what I’m talking about, many of you. It’s when you’re experiencing the glory. Now God is saying, “It’s where I want you to live. I want you to have a fullness of that. That’s why I’m helping you,” the Lord says, “To not be sad and if you’re going to be, not be sad for long,” but encourage yourself in the Lord. Enspirit yourself. Draw your strength from your union with Him. That’s the only way we’re going to be strong, is when we’re in the abiding place and we’re actually experiencing Him with us and us with Him.
The glory is tangible. I give it to Him and He gives back to me. I’m eating, I’m drinking this great exchange of life. I’m just here with Him. I’m waiting on Him. I’m here now to become coiled and intertwined with You, Lord. There’s a download. I’m just here and here You are and here I am. In this moment, right now there’s a download, an outpouring of His Spirit to me, in me. Spirit pure, pure spirit life flowing from the river of life, is the Holy Spirit in me. This free-flowing, never-ending fountain of life. Zoë, eating constantly from, this word, Zoë, there’s three words for life. It’s Psuche, that’s just anything that lives. But the one type of life where you have a look and you look it up, the Tree of Life, it’s Zoë. The tree of Zoë. I’m eating from the tree, I’m drinking from the vine and I’m experiencing a pure life flow.
God has created you and I to abide. He’s created you and I to abide. Some of you are so hungry. You’re so thirsty to experience this on a level because this is what transforms you. You have to be intentional to go to your abiding place. It cannot be that Jesus said, “I’m going to prepare a place in the realm of the spirit with Me,” and you never take your place and you never go there. You have to be intentional. This is my time where I am intentionally going there. Jesus did it constantly. And so, you can’t be making excuses. You can’t be, you can’t, you have been freed, that prayer of choice, “I receive the ability to now make no more substandard choices. I receive the ability to make choices now, not even seeing any of my choices that I’ve made previously,” right?
So, here I am at the Tree of Life. It’s a here and now, outpour of pure life, pure love, pure exchange of strength. His might rises up in me right now, right here and I am here at the Tree of Life and I am eating. And I am here with the river of life, and I am drinking and it is all pure, it’s pure power, it’s pure love.
My abiding in the Vine as a branch is to receive His spiritual effervescent, pure, sparkling, flowing life. It’s precisely what Pastor John was ministering on this morning. What were his exact words that he used? I’m gonna have a full, what? A full transmission? A what? Of life. A full transfer of life. And I am staying eating from that Tree of Life, but it includes that we don’t measure ourselves up. We don’t compare ourselves among ourselves. We don’t compare ourselves to ourselves. We just receive the life of God’s Word coming to us, coming into us and working in us.
My abiding in the Vine as a branch is to receive His spiritual effervescent, pure, sparkling, flowing Zoë. I don’t come looking at myself, bringing my self-consciousness to Him, being self-conscious with Him, not ever again. God is helping us get that thing right out of us where I am not self-conscious in His presence. The second Adam said, “Now you can be like the first Adam.” They were not even conscious of each other’s nakedness. That’s why we not even to see each other’s nakedness. We’re not to be conscious of our own nakedness. We’re not to be conscious of other’s nakedness, otherwise we will hide from God and there will be a hiding and not an abiding. So, how are you abiding? When you come to abide, you cannot come except with joy and looking and seeing only Him.
Does this help you? Right? God is helping us how to abide without any self-consciousness, so in the glory, that’s where Adam and Eve were. They weren’t even conscious of each other’s nakedness. This is a beautiful thing. This is a thing that your spirit can catch this afternoon. Your spirit can catch. Your spirit can latch that there is a place of abiding. And I’m not hiding. I’m not conscious of myself. All I see is Him before me.
And so, it says here, I’m not bringing my self-consciousness to Him. That has been a great hindrance for many that when they come to God to abide, immediately they allow the thing of the mental intellect in the soul to come here, “I did this yesterday. I did this last night. I’ve got to now flagellate myself before I can experience His presence.” When God says in Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, you come boldly, you enter boldly into that realm of the Spirit. We’re going to have a look at that Scripture. Going to enter boldly because it’s only by the blood that you can experience the glory. It’s only by the blood. It’s the fresh, new and living way, which Jesus has made for us. All right, we’re going to go there. Let Scripture speak to your heart today. We’re going to finish like this. I can seee the Lord is very tender with us.
Here it is. Hebrews 10 verse 19, from the King James. Ah, here it is, let’s go to verse 14. God really wants this to sink into us and rub it in. Verse 14, King James, 14 For by one offering he has perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15 Wherefore the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after these days, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of sin is, there is no more offering for sin. And the next word says, 19 Having therefore… boldness. Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil of his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart (Hebrews 10:14-22 KJV).
That doesn’t mean, “I’m just being real with You now, God.” No, when the Lord said that now, in this dispensation, you will worship Me in spirit and in truth, you come to Him in spirit with the truth of God’s Word in your heart. This is not something that you have to try, try to abide. You don’t have to try hard to abide. He’s made the way open so that you can come to Him on the basis of the truth that Jesus says. He’s forgiven us all of our iniquities and our sins so I can 22 …draw near, verse 22, with a true heart, with a heart full of truth. Because sometimes, you think, you and I think we’re coming with this true heart and we must cry with Him and let Him see our tears of how bad we’ve been. And actually, He’s saying, “Come right in. Come right in. You want to draw near to Me, My child? It’s not about your sin. Come right in.” Wow. It’s the very thing you have to do, especially if you’ve missed it, and missed it and missed it and missed it. It doesn’t matter that you missed it and missed it and missed it. That’s especially when you have to run to Him. You run to Him. You meet Him with joy. Because for me to acknowledge my sin and confess it and to receive cleansing from it is not God saying, “You’ve got to flagellate yourself for a certain period of time before you can experience Me, before you can experience My presence and My goodness.”
You just come right in. You just come right in, 22 …draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. (Hebrews 10:22 KJV). It’s the blood that does that, that gives you the right to abide and not hide from Him because you’ve fallen from a standard. God is really encouraging us for this, right? And then in verse 23 He says, “Hold fast your profession of faith.” So when you come to Him, prayer is also profession, declaration, speaking God’s Word, hallelujah. You know, God wants you to have, when you’ve made that correction and an adjustment in your heart, He wants you to make it quick and be joyful, quick. That’s God’s way. That’s God’s way.
So, when I abide, I’m not bringing my self-consciousness to Him. I’m not bringing my self-consciousness being with Him. I’m not hiding, I’m not covering. I’m coming, receiving the life flowing from Him to me, having my heart sprinkled from an evil conscience. I bring my spirit to Him, to meet Spirit to spirit. In the life, the light, the love, He’s speaking, I’m clean. Didn’t we read that just now? “You are already clean by the Word I have spoken to you. You are already clean by the Word You’re speaking to me and believing.” Right? In this, no self, just spirit. I’m at the Tree of Life, eating. I’m in the river of life drinking. It’s all the Holy Spirit. It’s my new level of abiding that is lifted me up into.
Living bread, living water, living Tree of Life, living love shed abroad in my heart, flowing, spilling, it’s ever living, ever flowing. He is to be experienced live in my personal abiding and then in the church amongst us. Glory to God. Isn’t that beautiful? Right. Let’s see what I’ve got here, what else I’ve brought with me.
So, is there something you’d like to share about abiding? Do you have an unction? No pressure, my darling [speaking to Sunelle]. Okay. We’ll leave that then. Is there anybody here of the MiXchangers? I’m just very honourable of the word that, it’s resounding in me that Pastor John, by the Spirit of God said that the young people will teach us. Is there an action for speaking of abiding? I’ll just give a moment, just show me. Is this good? Right. Hallelujah.
So now we’re going to move onto the very next point. This is our last point and this is the pinnacle. God’s pinnacle is Pentecost. Man fell, God judged all sin in Jesus. Jesus said, “I’ve got to go and prepare a place for you. And I’m going to send the Holy Spirit to you.” That was God, the Father and Jesus’ pinnacle. There is nothing more maximum than what God gave us on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came from heaven to earth. He came from heaven to earth, to indwell men and women and I’m going to go to the book of Acts. You don’t have to put any of these scriptures up. I’m just going to read about the day of Pentecost, God’s pinnacle.
1 …Of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2 …He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments until the apostles. See, Jesus could do nothing on earth until He was baptised in the Holy Spirit, till the Holy Spirit and the power of God, the Holy Spirit came upon Him. And 3 To whom also Jesus shewed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs being seen of them forty days, speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, you have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days from here. Verse eight, 8 But ye shall receive power, ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, at homebase, local church. 9And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld Him, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 14 They all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. (Acts 1:1-4, 8-9, 14 KJV).
Chapter two says, 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they will 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, that word tongues is languages. In the Greek it’s languages. Cloven languages like fire, languages as of fire, and it sat, one translations says it settled on everyone. So a language settled on 120. This language on you, languages of fire settled upon each one. 3 …There appeared unto them cloven tongues, languages like as of fire, and it settled and 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 them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4 KJV).
15 For these are not drunken as ye suppose… 16 but this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, 17 And shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My servants and My handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. (Act 2:15-18 KJV). We had a marvellous demonstration of that, a taste of that, on Friday night, the Spirit of God so upon young men, young women, prophesying. This is us pressing for the maximum, God’s pinnacle of Pentecost.
So, I’m just going to read scriptures here that I’ve underlined to keep me mindful that everything is about the Holy Spirit. So, just stay with me and listen. This is all in the book of Acts. You see how active the Holy Spirit was? Immediately He came from heaven. He was very active in the hearts of men and women, young men, young women, mature men, mature women, children. He was very active, the Holy Spirit, very active in the hearts where He came. The Bible says He came to our hearts. The Holy Spirit who sheds His love abroad in my heart, in my spirit-man, and so it says here, 8 Then Peter filled with the Holy Ghost said. (Acts 4:8 KJV) Right. 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. (Acts 8:15-17 KJV) They received the Holy Spirit.
9 That thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 9:17 KJV). 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip. (Acts 8:39 KJV). 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip. (Acts 8:29 KJV). 19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit spoke unto him. (Acts 10:19 KJV). I am reading this so that you can see how active He was after He came. And the Father longs to walk again amidst, amidst His people by the Holy Spirit. He longs for us to make the Holy Spirit welcome with a jealous love in our hearts to allow Him to be active in us, to be speaking to us, for Him to be hearing us. I mean for us to be hearing Him. God’s pinnacle, God’s Pinnacle happened on the day of Pentecost. Right?
So, 44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter. (Acts 10:44, 46 KJV). They heard them speak with tongues and magnified God.
Okay. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden. (Acts 15:28 KJV). The Holy Spirit. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:6 KJV). This is all throughout the book.
And 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:2, 6 KJV).
So, this is the dispensation of the Spirit of God, people. This is the time where the Holy Spirit, the Bible is quite clear, He doesn’t speak of His own accord. He is just like Jesus when Jesus was on earth. Jesus said, “I only say what I hear My Father say. I only do what I see My Father do.” And there is a scripture that says, “The Holy Spirit does not speak of His own accord, but that which He is bidden to speak, He speaks.” (John 16:3) Who bids Him? The Father, Jesus, the head of the church.
And so, I am going to go to a scripture now. Jude 20 and 21. 20 But you, beloved, King James, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourself in the love of God, it is a comma over Holy Spirit there, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping, keeping yourselves, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21 KJV).
Right. So building yourselves on. Epoikodomeo, on top of your building. The word describes the enlarging of a house, as well as all that is entailed in the building process to increase the size. That’s what building yourself means, to increase the size of your house, your house, your temple, your Spirit life. Right? It speaks of one building who proceeds with a plan. Do you see how intentional this is for you to close the gap between yourself and the Holy Spirit? Your life with the Holy Spirit and in the Holy Spirit, who will not ever speak anything to you except what He hears the Father say. “Say this to this one now. Say this, do this in this one now.” Very, very personal, but then also very corporate. Right?
Here the inspired writer is saying, Beloved, a great foundation of the faith has been laid down, laid now. Build your life on top of it, on top of your most holy faith. The teachings that have been given you with no ulterior motives, the most holy faith is what you can build your life on top of. Beloved, he’s saying here, you must intentionally do all you can to focus on building and further expanding your spiritual lives on top of the foundation of your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. We must just keep those words up there, the words that I’m speaking from that verse, 20…praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20 KJV). Praying means come close and draw near to the Lord. In means located inside and it gives the impression of the one who is praying in the realm and control of the Holy Spirit.
One Corinthians 14:4, we’re just going to quickly switch to that. 4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself (1 Corinthians 14:4 KJV). The word edify is an architectural term, meaning to enlarge a house. I know I’m repeating myself but we’ve got to get this. It depicts the careful following of an architectural plan to enlarge, increase, amplify, edify, leave in an improved condition. So here’s what we find from this Scripture: When we pray in the Holy Ghost, we expand our spiritual capacity. When we pray in tongues, we expand our spiritual capacity. Maybe you begin in one capacity but when you pray in tongues, you begin to expand your capacity, enabling you to receive more and more and more and more. It’s like a family who lives in a house and they content to live in that house but finally they realise they need more room and space so they begin to push their walls out. They begin to amplify their house so that they can make more space. So, Paul is saying that when we pray in the Holy Spirit, we literally begin to push out our spiritual walls.
There is nothing that your flesh and your mind will fight and resist more than these scriptures, for you, to be someone who is praying in the Holy Spirit, does not want you enlarging your spiritual capacity. He wants you to stay at your current capacity. But God is saying, “There’s a maximum. Pentecost was My pinnacle. There’s a maximum you can have with the Holy Spirit.” In fact, if it’s not by His Spirit, then it’s by our own might. Everything that is not by His Spirit is our own might. Right. Those who wait upon the Lord shall receive the strength from the Lord.
And so, now Paul is saying that when we pray in the Holy Spirit, we literally begin to push out our spiritual walls, so that our spiritual interior becomes bigger, so that our spiritual interior becomes bigger, bigger and bigger and we can receive more and more, and Paul wrote more of the New Testament and had more revelation and he stated, “I pray in tongues more than you all.” He prayed in tongues until he expanded those spiritual interiors. He pushed those walls out again and again. Right? He pushed those walls out again and again and again and again, making room for more revelation until finally, spiritually, internally, he could hold a lot and you need to hold revelation. You need to be able to contain revelation, and not just let revelation come and go. So he could hold a lot, Apostle Paul. He could walk in a lot, he didn’t just hold, he didn’t just have the capacity to hold revelation but the reason for holding the more revelation is so that it stays and it works in you so that you can walk it. Say, “Yes, Lord.” [Congregation repeats.]
And in the same way, when you pray in tongues and amplify yourself, edify yourself, you expand yourself so you can hold more power and more divine revelations. It’s one of the benefits of praying in tongues. So I’m going to say again, beloved, you must be intentional to do all you can to focus on building and further expanding your spiritual lives on top of the foundation of your most holy faith and be constantly drawing near as you pray in the realm and in the sphere of the Holy Spirit. Say, “Yes, Lord.” [Congregation repeats.]
So first of all, it expands our spiritual capacity, it helps us to build our lives on top of the most holy faith and now, here it is, keeping yourselves in the love of God. Keeping, it’s a very present tense thing there, keeping yourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21 AMPC), it’s another translation I’m speaking here now. Keeping yourselves in the love of God. Now we find that when we pray in tongues, it helps keep us in the love of God. To keep here is a word, Greek word, Tereo and it depicts the uninterrupted vigilance of soldiers who were positioned to protect something of great importance. It depicted soldiers charged to stand guard who knew they were to be faithful and to remain committed to their charge, regardless of assaults or the number of attackers they might encounter, and here we find, when you pray in the Holy Ghost, it helps you to guard what has been placed inside you. When you pray in the Holy Ghost, you are building parameters around that divine deposit that God has deposited inside of you. Glory to God. Say, “Yes, Lord.” [Congregation repeats.]
So, it helps keep you in the love of God. That word in is inside. Inside. It gives the impression of one who is praying in the realm of the Holy Spirit, which keeps us in the love of God. It helps to be kept inside the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
This word looking for, it means to take something very readily and without hesitation. So when you’re enlarging your spiritual capacity, it enables you to take hold of spiritual things without hesitation. Without hesitation and reservation. So now, when we pray in the Holy Ghost, it expands our spiritual capacity, it keeps us, it protects us, it builds a hedge of protection around us, it keeps us in the indescribable, inexpressible love of God that we need to know for ourselves in order to walk in love with others. It enables us to reach out by faith without hesitation or reservation to lay hold of the mercy of God. That mercy of God, I come boldly to Your throne of grace that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help me with anything I’m dealing with right now. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Say, “Yes, Lord.” [Congregation repeats.] Hallelujah.
So, not only does it keep me in the love of God, but it enables me to access His mercy. Praying in the Holy Ghost enables me to access His mercy, enables me to take spiritual things without reservation or hesitation. The Holy Spirit came to fill all men and give them their heavenly, powerful tongue. The Wuest translation says, “When they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,” it talks about, “they spoke in an elevated, dignified,” the Wuest Bible says that praying in tongues, speaking to God, you are not speaking to man. You are speaking to God when you’re abiding with Him in the Vine and your spirit is speaking to Him. You’re not speaking to man. It says, “You have dignified, elevated discourse with God” and He understands instantly what your spirit is saying to Him. This is a means of divine communication that God has given us that should be flowing and flowing and flowing and flowing and going everyday, all the days of your life, speaking to the Father God. Right? His life flow to us, I’m speaking to Him. There’s many times then He speaks to you in that life exchange. It’s a language of life. It’s a language of light. God’s giving you a love langauge to speak to Him. It says in 1 Corinthians 14, he that gives thanks to God in a tongue gives thanks nobly and well. You do it well, you do so well.
So, I’m going to read it again. When we pray in the Holy Spirit or with the Holy Spirit, it expands our spiritual capacity, pushes out the walls of our spirit. It keeps us and protects us. It builds a hedge of protection around us. It keeps us in the indescribable, inexpressible love of God that we need to know for ourselves in order to walk in love with others and it enables us to reach out by faith for all His promises, for all His Word, without hesitation or reservation to lay hold of the mercy of God that is standing by right now, for me. It’s ready now and is ready to reach out to me, His mercy and to rectify whatever it is that we’re dealing with, but to also do many other things. It’s not just to rectify. It’s to come with answers for our lives and when you pray in tongues, it enables you by faith to reach and apprehend the mercy of God, which He wants and is extended towards us. Right.
2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue, one Corinthians 14:2, speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; how be it in the Spirit he speaketh mysteries (1 Corinthians 14:2 KJV). He speaks mysteries and secrets to God. Hallelujah. Yeah. I’m done. We’re done today. So, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I’m done with my teaching part, today, my point of Pentecost, God’s pinnacle.
I’m just going to give the Holy Spirit opportunity. I grew up in a Pentecostal church, but my mom and dad never saw to it that I was baptised with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. When I was 24 years of age, I went to a certain convention, Kenneth Hagin was there, other people were there in South Africa and there was a call to come for whoever was ready to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. You’re already born again, He’s already living in you but there’s a further infilling of the Holy Spirit so that you can have the power language, your love language, your light language. And the Spirit of God started inside of me when they made the call for someone to come who wanted to receive and my heart started pounding and I went to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
So, if you are here today and your heart is pounding by the Holy Spirit, then you must come, then you must come. Right? It is an opportunity today, to take God at His Word and for you to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit and receive the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I’ll give one or two minutes.
[People come to the front and Pastor Sharon prays for and with them]
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