KEY SCRIPTURE: John 16:13 KJV “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

I have encountered some people of other faiths who argue that certain teachings of the scriptures were taught by Paul and not by Jesus Christ Himself, and so, such teachings should be rejected. I listen to such people with so much love, because I realise, they have little knowledge of the scriptures. The Lord Jesus said in John 16: 12, that, I have so much to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. He added that when the Spirit of truth is come, He would then teach them these truths which was so important but they could not bear them.

Why could they not bear them, when the Lord was with them? Since the Lord had not died and the Spirit had not been given; it meant they were not born again, and so they could not receive them. Remember, the things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned 1 Corinth 2:14. The man who is born of the Spirit is also Spirit, and could therefore appreciate the things of the Spirit. John 3:6 KJV” That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

The truths which were to be given to them could not have been believed and accepted by them. The teachings which Apostle Paul received were not given to Him alone, the other apostles like Peter, John and James all received some of it, yet it was Apostle Paul who championed these teachings the most.

In 2nd Peter 3:15, 16, Apostle Peter sighted the teachings of Paul, in which those who were unlearned wrest or twist them. Well, he, Peter was not unlearned because he had also insight into such knowledge and would not wrest the scriptures. In most of the writings of Paul he made statements like, I received of the Lord 1 Corinth 11:23.  Gal 1:12 KJV” For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. “Eph 3:3 KJV” How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,”

I have stated only a few of the scriptures that show that Apostle Paul did not teach any of his teachings from his own persuasions, but the Lord Himself appeared to Him and taught him to convey them to the churches. Please let us all settle it once and for all that Apostle Paul made his teaches through the revelation of Jesus. His teachings were the continuation of what the Lord wanted to give the church but because of their inability to receive it then, He had to die go to heaven, and send the Spirit to teach them. Please note that, the revelations of Jesus were the Holy Spirit who appeared in the form of Christ  ,for they are one. Note also that when he was making a statement from his own view, he stated it.1Co 7:25 KJV “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.” Here he clearly stated that this was his personal instruction concerning virgins.

THOUGHT: THE SCRIPTURES ARE NOT MEN’S IDEAS, BUT THE HOLY SPRIT’S

KEY SCRIPTURE: 2Ti 3:16 KJV “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

2Pet 1:21 KJV” For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 16:12 KJV” I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.”

During the discourse with His disciples before His suffering, He said to them, I have many things to say to you, yet you cannot take it. The disciples have heard a lot from the master, yet they had not been taught everything that they needed to hear. The Lord did not say, He is not able to say it unto them because the time was short, no. He said they could not bear them, or they could not bring themselves up to accept those things. They needed an upgrade of their spiritual senses.

These people had read a lot of things about the Christ who was right before them, yet they could not understand or accept. After the Lord’s resurrection, He met two of His disciples walking to a village called Emmaus. These disciples’ level of ignorance was such that the Lord said in Luke 24:25 KJV “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:” Sadly it was not only these two who were slow of heart to believe and understand in actual fact all of them lacked that ability to hear and be able to accept certain truths.

There are many in the church today who lack the ability to receive and keep spiritual truths. The great lack of understanding in the church today is due to over-concentration on other non-spiritual things that make their spiritual perception very low. If you spend most of your time on social media and on otherworldly non-spiritual things, then you would not be able to hold a certain level of truth. Spiritual capacity is always increased through prayer, fasting, selflessness, humility, and the study of God’s word, as the Holy Spirit takes the lead in doing these things. God will also tell those who hunger for closer encounters with the Spirit.

THOUGHT: GOD WILL ALWAYS GIVE THOSE WHO HUNGER FOR MORE.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 1:53 KJV” He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.”

Matt 5:6 KJV “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 16:8 KJV “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”

As much as the Holy Spirit has come to stand by the Christian and work alongside what the church does, the main target and ultimate focus of His work among the church is to save the world and make men ready for heaven. Dear child of God, do not get so much concerned about yourself and the work of the Holy Spirit in you but understand that He has come to work through you to win the world. Acts 1:8 KJV” 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.”

Our key scripture tells us what the Holy Spirit does in the lives of men. This normally happens when Christians play their role of going into the world and sharing the word with it. It is the word in the hearts of men that gives the Holy Spirit tools to work with. Our key scripture tells us what the Spirit does. John 16:8 KJV” And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”

The Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin. The word reprove means to convict. The secular world tries to convince men that there is nothing called sin. It teaches one must fully express himself or herself, in any way that he or she pleases, so long as he does not injure his neighbour. This concept is what is breeding all kinds of illicit sexual practices and these transgender persuasions that are taking over. In spite of all these teachings when the word of God is preached the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin. There are instances that the prayers of certain servants of God have stirred up strong convictions of sin in the heart of men.

The scripture said men get convicted because they did not believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus is the only means that brings forgiveness to sin.

THOUGHT: MEN WILL ALWAYS BE CONVICTED WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS THE WORD IN MEN’S HEART

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 8:1 KJV” There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

John 3:16 KJV” For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 16:7 KJV. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The Holy Spirit in a man is what makes Him, a son of God. In Col 1:26, and 27, When the bible speaks of the mystery which has been hidden from humanity, but in these later times has been revealed to men, which is the riches of the glory of this mystery, that is   Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Holy Spirit in us is Christ in us and that is the hope of glory.

The Holy Spirit in us is God in us.1Corinth 3:16 KJV “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” The Holy Spirit in us also makes us the living ark of the covenant. Please, read through 1 Samuel 5 and 6. In these chapters, the Israelites were defeated in a war with the Philistines, while the Ark which they brought to the war front was captured, because the men who carried it that is the two sons of Eli, dishonoured God in all they did. God’s glory had left the Ark, because of the men who carried it. The Philistines captured the Ark and sent it into the room of their great idol Dagon. On the next morning, they found Dagon fallen, with its face bowing to the Ark. The priests of Dagon came and lifted it up. On the morning of the following day, it had fallen again, this time broken all over, except the stump that was lying close by. They began to be afraid and tried sending it away, yet each town of the Philistines they sent the Ark was seriously afflicted with tumors and all kinds of various ailments.

This is what the Ark housing the presence of the same Holy Spirit in you and I did to the people of Philistine. If this is what happened, then it reveals that there is all-surpassing power in you. No fetish, demon, sickness, or negative power can overcome the one in you. Why do most Christians appear to be very weak? The answer is they do not know who is in them. The next reason why many are so weak is when one lives a life of sin. An unholy life makes one vulnerable to satanic dominance. The last cause of the lack of power is to know the truth, yet fail to believe it.

Dear child of God, the Holy Spirit in you is the greatest power in all this universe. Believe it, say it, and live it out always.

THOUGHT: THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CHRISTIAN MAKES HIM A POTENTIAL TERROR TO EVERY NEGATIVE POWER.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 John 4:4 KJV” Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.”

Eph 1:19 KJV” And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 16:7 KJV” Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

The victory, power, and excellence of the child of God are as a result of his cooperation with the Holy Spirit in him. On the vice versa, the tonnes of problems that assail most men are as a result of the deception and tricks of Satan, or devils that take men captive. The picture of the Holy Spirit in us is revealed in an encounter of Moses with the Spirit of God in the book of Exodus 3.

In Exodus 3 the Spirit of the Lord encountered Moses in a burning bush, while the bush remained unconsumed. This picture is exactly how the Spirit dwells in the Christian. We are carriers of fire whiles we are not consumed, yet evil is judged. Remember that, the scriptures say the Lord is a consuming fire Heb 12:29.    In Deut 4:24 the word teaches that ”  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” Now jealousy means He would not permit any other unwanted power, to compete with His presence, so long as we do not want that thing to be there. If you like that thing, then His jealousy is weakened and cannot consume the alien power away.

What kind of alien power, am I referring to? This could be sickness, an evil habit, a spirit or a sinful lifestyle.  The Holy Spirit is in you to consume that power, to keep you free.

Matt 3:12 KJV “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” This verse refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would not want any competition with any other influence. This is what holiness is about. It is a separation from all sinful ways. This is an act of your will and then the Spirit will also follow up by consuming or judging that unwanted power.

All you need for the total annihilation of evil is to take a stand with the Spirit, by believing the word of God, and with your mouth commanding that evil presence to leave you, and then the Holy Spirit will go into action, by dealing with the sickness, habit or evil power.

 THOUGHT: REMEMBER, GOD, DOES NOT SEPARATE FRIENDS, IF YOU HATE THAT THING, THEN IT MUST GO.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Kings 18:38 KJV “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”

2Ki 1:10 KJV” And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and. thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 16:7 KJV” Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

The Holy Spirit is now in us. He is our Comforter, that is the one called along our side. He is our helper, advocate, intercessor, Counsellor, guide, and teacher. He is also the power of God in us to enable us do all our tasks and overcome every challenge that comes our way. All these virtues of the Spirit in us make us absolutely dependent on Him. We cannot do anything without Him.

The Lord Jesus when He was on earth never did anything without Him. John 5:30 KJV “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” How do we function with Him?

1. We must love and cherish Him, and His presence in us. Some Christians live as if there is no Holy Spirit with and in them.

2. We must have a very strong fellowship with Him. This takes place as we pray and study the Word. We must pray much in tongues. We engage Him a lot when we spend a lot of hours praying in the Spirit.1Co 14:14 KJV “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.” Praying much in the Spirit has a way of developing a sense of quietness in us that makes us sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

3. Talk to Him. Ask Him questions that border you. Ask Him of His will and counsel concerning various things. When studying the Bible ask for His assistance.

4. Remember, He is there to glorify the Lord Jesus. Spend time in worship expressing your love for Jesus. Loving Jesus is loving Him. It is not wrong to say Spirit I  worship you, but that is not His role in us. His presence in us is to help us love the Lord Jesus and to please Him, in all we do.

A good understanding of how to relate to Him is the way to a continuous successful life.

THOUGHT: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WITH US TO MAKE SUPERHUMANS OUT OF US, DEPEND ON HIM.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luk 1:15 KJV “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”

John 15:5 KJV” I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 16:7 KJV” Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

In today’s study, I will throw more light on our previous study. In that study, I explained that when the Holy Spirit comes to fill up the children of God; we would have so many people with the same Holy Spirit like Jesus, on the earth. God did not send Jesus to raise followers, but to raise a family, people who are like His Son Jesus Christ. Rom 8:29 KJV “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”  Jesus is our senior brother, meaning we are of His similitude.

Through the death of our Lord Jesus, He has brought many sons into glory. (Read Heb 2:10) Please note that according to Matt 9:17, the Holy Spirit would only fill a man if He has been changed totally. The Lord explained that no man pours new wine into an old wineskin. From Heb 2:10 our Lord Jesus through His death has brought us into glory. This glory isn’t the glory we would receive at His appearing. This is a glory we received as a result of our identification with Him in His suffering, death, resurrection, and glorification. He clearly stated in Rom 8: 30, that, He predestinated, called, justified, and then He glorified us. From Rom 8:30,  this glorification is not in the future but is in the past.

Our glorification is not only in our Spirit, but in our flesh also, and that gives the Holy Spirit, that new wineskin to fill. Rom 8:3 KJV “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:” He has condemned sin, where? In our flesh. This has placed us in a very glorious state. We should not entertain the thought of being sinners or acting in any way that is sinful, for through our Lord Jesus, even our flesh is not the same as before our conversion into Christ. (Well, we do not have a complete glorification of our flesh yet.) Settle this fact fully; once the Holy Spirit has come to live in us, then our flesh is not the same as when we were unsaved. (Rom 8:11″ But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”)

THOUGHT: THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN US BECAUSE WE HAVE A NEW WINESKIN

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 8:30 KJV” Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”.

Heb 2:10 KJV “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

KEY SCRIPTURE “John 16:7 KJV” Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

Please be reminded that this study is titled ‘ a walk with Jesus through the gospels. We are still learning from the Gospel of John. In this study, the Lord explained to His disciples the fact that there would come a time when people will attack Christians and would do them harm, thinking God is pleased with them. The Lord then added that His disciples were feeling sorrowful because He had said, He would be leaving them. At this instant, He interjected with the following statement. It was expedient that He left the scene, because, the Comforter will not come until He had left the earth.

The Lord meant it was better for Him to go, so He could send the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit means the Holy Spirit who was in Jesus alone, doing all the mighty works, would also be in every one of His disciples, doing the same works through them. Remember that our Lord Jesus, put away His glory and reputation as God to depend fully on the Holy Ghost. His disciples and every other man who received the Holy Spirit would have the same conditions that He had to function with the Holy Spirit. The Lord said on many occasions that He could do nothing but, through the Father who was in Him. This Father in Him is the Holy Spirit.

The church of God needs to come clear about certain truths. Our Lord Jesus through His death identified with us in every bit of His passion, death, resurrection, and glorification. (Rom 6:1-6, Col 2:11-14, Eph 2:4-6) This means we were part of everything He went through. Now through His death He completely made us to become new wine skins so we could contain the new wine and not tear. (Please read, Matt 9:17) From His teaching in Matt 9:17, there was no way God would have permitted the Holy Spirit, who symbolises the new wine to fill old wineskins. His death has made us new wineskins or has qualified us to have the Holy Spirit like Him and live like Him.  To live like Him we must carefully follow His examples, and we would produce His results.

THOUGHT: WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE JESUS’ RESULTS, FOR THE SAME HOLY SPIRIT WHO LIVED IN HIM, NOW LIVES IN US.

FURTHER STUDIES

Mat 9:17 KJV” Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”

John 6:29 KJV “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 16:1 KJV “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.”

God our Father is always favourably disposed towards His children. In our key scripture, He reveals His reason for saying all that He had said to them. He said, I have said all these words to you, so you would not be offended. Offense stirs up very negative emotions that almost always put the individual down. According to the Greek meaning of the word offense; is to step on a trap, an example is to step on a light stick, placed across a big gutter. You would surely fall into it If you step on it. The Lord says that He does not want His people to enter into such a gutter as a result of a fall. The word of God, according to James 1:25, is called the perfect law of liberty. It always comes to liberate men from whatever power, holds men down.

Although the Lord desires the peace, comfort, and blessing of all men, many people are hurting, offended, and very hopeless. Let’s listen to the angels who sang to welcome the birth of Jesus. They said glory be to God in the highest, and on earth, peace goodwill towards all men (Luke 2:14). If God is so favourably disposed towards all men, why are most people, offended, hurting, fearful and hopeless? The answer is simple; many men have not responded to His love and so have rejected His words. If any man, no matter your intellectual abilities, if you refuse the truth, you can’t avoid believing a lie.

It is only the truth that sets us free. Jesus is still the Prince of peace, and He is ready to pour His peace into the hearts of all who would receive Him. He is the ever-present deliverer, who would save you from both real and imaginary dangers.

What is that condition that has placed you in that almost hopeless situation? Like a little child turn your heart from whatever you have depended on, and place every confidence in Him. He says whosoever shall believe in Him, would never be put to shame. Rom 10: 11.

THOUGHT: ANXIETY MEANS BELIEVING IN THE PROBLEM, PEACE ALSO MEANS BELIEVING IN JESUS.

FURTHER STUDIES

Phi 4:6 KJV “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Rom 10:13 KJV” For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 16:14 KJV” He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

Our key scripture continues with some of the roles of the Holy Spirit in us. He is with us to glorify Jesus. He has come to make the Lord Jesus the center of everything in our lives. If you have the desire to protect your self-image in any way and not Jesus and His name, then you are definitely not under the influence of the Holy Spirit. As we learned in our previous study, He came in the name of Jesus, and so His mission is to exalt Jesus and His name through us.

 When a child of God lives to glorify Jesus, then that reveals the dominance or control of the Holy Spirit in all he does. Please note that every child of God is called to greatness. Greatness in this context is about manifesting the mighty deeds of God in your life such that men give glory to the Father.1Pe 2:9 KJV” But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” We were called out of the world to show forth, God’s mighty works through us.

Showing forth the praises of God is allowing the Lord to manifest His works in our lives, such that men give glory to God. When this happens men see God’s greatness through the vessel of God who avails himself for God to wrought such works. You cannot be treated ordinarily when God is magnified through you. If any child of God allows the Holy Spirit to fulfill His role of glorifying Jesus in Him, He or she would not be insignificant on this earth. Remember that God said to Abram, I am calling you, out of your nation and people, to make you great (Gen 12:1-3). So long as Abraham submitted to God, God made him great. Through God’s mighty works through Him, Abraham became great among the people he lived with.

THOUGHT: OUR LIVES BECOME VERY MEANINGFUL WHEN JESUS IS GLORIFIED

FURTHER STUDIES

Phi 1:20 KJV” According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”

James 4:10 KJV “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”