DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - TUESDAY: “HOLY SPIRIT... WE NEED YOU!”

"Why does the Church stay indoors? They have a theology that has dwindled into a philosophy, in which there is no thrill of faith, no terror of doom and no concern for souls. Unbelief has put out the fires of passion, and worldliness garlands the altar of sacrifice with the tawdry glitter of unreality. The Holy Ghost cannot conquer the world with unbelief, nor can He save the world with a worldly Church. He calls for a crusade, a campaign, and an adventure of saving passion. For this enterprise He wants a separated, sanctified and sacrificial people." – Samuel Chadwick.
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If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" - Luke 11:13.

This is an interesting verse in the fact that, when we are born again in Christ we receive the Holy Spirit, why would we need to ask Father again for the Holy Spirit? I believe that Jesus is telling us to ask for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, so that we would be immersed in His power, immersed in His love, immersed in His compassion, immersed in His grace, immersed in His guidance, immersed in His truth, and immersed in his peace.

A lot of Pastor’s and Christians contend that we don’t need this immersion in the Holy Spirit! Well, why is it that the biggest percentage of Christians is not involved in any kind of ministry? Why is it that the biggest percentage of Christians have never witnessed for Jesus, never won a soul for Him, never seen anyone healed in His name, never seen a demon cast out in His name, never ministered to drug addicts, alcoholics, abused children, battered wives, homosexuals or street people?

Let me answer my own questions! Because they think that they don’t have too, that those kinds of ministries are for other people, but not for them! Or, that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not needed today! Or, that those who talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit are one sandwich short of a picnic! Like me!

C’mon Church, wake up! Have a look around you; things are getting worse if you don’t do something, the Devil is laughing at your intellect, your weakness, your unbelief! While you are pondering over all of this, trying to work it all out in your own power, another child is abused, another baby is aborted, another drunk dies in the street, another druggie dies of an overdose, another boy is prey to the homosexual, another girl is prey to the lesbian, and another soul is on its way to hell!

Finney wrote how God gave him mighty infillings of the Holy Spirit "that went through me, as it seemed, body and soul. I immediately found myself endued with such power from on high that a few words dropped here and there to individuals were the means of their immediate conversion. My words seemed to fasten like barbed arrows in the souls of men. They cut like a sword. They broke the heart like a hammer. Multitudes can attest to this...

Sometimes I would find myself in a great measure empty of this power. I would go and visit, and find that I made no saving impression. I would exhort and pray with the same results. I would they set apart a day for private fasting and prayer... after humbling myself and crying out for help, the power would return upon me with all its freshness. This has been the experience of my life." Wesley L. Duewel, Touch the World Through Prayer, OMS, p. 232.

Let’s not get distracted by futile debates or sidetracked by issues that have been going on for centuries! Jesus said that our Father is more than ready to bestow on every Christian, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, if they ask for it, than a generous parent is to give food to a hungry child. Have a look at the work of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures…

The Holy Spirit;
Endued the disciples with power... Acts 1:8.
Inspired the sacred Scriptures... " 1:16.
Gave expression to the preachers... " 2:4.
Witnessed concerning Jesus Christ... " 5:32.
Encouraged the Local Churches...... " 9:31.
Gave guidance when needed... " 10:19.
Directed in Missionary enterprise... " 13:2.
Sent forth the Missionaries........ " 13:4.
Administrated them in their movements.... " 16:6-7.

Let us look at why we need the Holy Spirit…
He was received as an ENDOWMENT (Gift)… And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Acts 2:38. We need to use our gift of the Holy Spirit if we want to lead Godly lives and obey the commands of Christ.

Came on believers as an EMPOWERMENT (Tool)… But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8. We need the correct tools for the job at hand!

The believers were baptised in the H.S. as an ELEMENT (Component)… for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." - Acts 1:5.

"It is the Holy Ghost in us that is everything, and the Father is willing to bestow Him upon the weakest if he will only ask in the spirit of implicit faith and entire self-surrender. My cry these days is for a Pentecost, first on myself and my missionary brethren, and then on the native Church, and then on the heathen at large." – Griffith John.

Let us recognise our need of the Holy Spirit by allowing Him to ENDOW us... to EMPOWER us... to receive Him as an ELEMENT... today.

Loving Father, I thank you that Jesus told us to ask you for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Fill me again to overflowing Father, with the Holy Spirit’s power, that I may be immersed in the work of the kingdom of Heaven. In Jesus wonderful and mighty name I pray! Amen!