In Acts 1:1-8 we find Jesus, Who has returned from heaven following His death and resurrection, on the Mount of Olives speaking to His disciples. For the past 40 days He has been teaching them about “the things concerning the Kingdom of God” (not heaven), which had been the focus of His ministry from day one (Mk. 1:14) and would be the focus of the apostles’ (sent ones) ministries until His return. The Lord does not change; the Kingdom message continues to be the central issue around which His ministers continue to preach and teach today. As He prepared to return to the Father, Jesus told the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father” about which He had previously spoken to them. They knew that they were to take His Kingdom message to the world. He was telling them that they were not equipped to do that with any success. Why? They were lacking something–something that would enhance their ministries greatly–POWER that had been promised them and all others whom the Father would call into His ministry.

The Father’s promise involved the apostles’ receiving the Holy Spirit, which, Jesus said, would take place in the near future. He mentioned that John the Baptist had come baptizing in water. John’s baptism served to remove the believer’s past sins. That was and is the starting point for the believer’s walk with the Lord. What was designed to have an additional effect was the receiving of (being baptized with) God’s Holy Spirit. As other passages of Scripture reveal, the Holy Spirit baptism equips the saint with the power to resist Satan’s temptations to sin, which we must do in order to join Jesus on His throne in the Kingdom of God following Christ’s return to earth. (Rev. 3:21). Read about this incredible earthly paradise using the key word–Kingdom. This place, to be located in the land God had promised the patriarch Abraham, will be God and Christ’s universe headquarters from which They and Their Very Elect Saints “will rule and reign on the earth forever” (Rev. 5:10;11:15;22:5). Notice that there is no mention of heaven. Read Next Stop–Heaven? using the key word–Heaven. Concerning Christ’s return and the awarding of salvation, read Hope and Salvation, key word–Hope.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples that they would receive POWER when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that it would be that POWER by which they would minister in His name. It is by that same power that they, along with all Very Elect saints would overcome Satan’s temptations to sin, just as Jesus overcame his temptations (Rev. 3:21). These people–God’s Very Elect saints, His CHURCH–are described as being purified, as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation–God’s own special, peculiar people who would proclaim His glory to the world (Titus 2:14/1 Pet. 2:9,10). These few true, obedient believers would obey the command to “Be ye holy as (because) your Father in heaven is holy” (1 Pet. 1:15,16).

People who obey the Lord prior to being baptized with the Holy Spirit have the Holy Spirit WITH them. Following Spirit baptism the Spirit abides within them. Note that prior to His baptism in both water and the Holy Spirit at the age of 29 (Mat. 3:16,17)), Jesus had never preached a sermon or performed a miracle. For 29 years He had been a holy, obedient, Law-keeper because the Holy Spirit was WITH Him. However, following His double (water/Spirit) baptism, He was empowered to perform thousands of miracles, signs and wonders throughout the remainder of His life because God’s Spirit was IN Him. God’s true saints will have that same Holy Spirit within them until Christ’s return. Though the vast majority of Spirit-filled saints are not called to God’s ministry, all have the same Holy Spirit abiding within them which they use to ward off Satan’s “fiery (temptation) darts” (Eph. 6:16) with which he and his fallen spirits continue to attack the human race.

The need to move on from John’s baptism by receiving the Holy Spirit is brought out in Acts 8:14-17 and 18:24,25 where we meet a man name Apollos who had heard the Kingdom message and had embraced the Lord Jesus Christ with all His heart. He had received the call of God to His ministry and had become widely known as an eloquent speaker who was “mighty in the Scriptures.” He had been instructed in the things of the Lord and preached them with fervor. The problem was that “he knew only the baptism of John.” John’s baptism serves only to erased one’s past sins. Apollos had not been taught about the Holy Spirit. The Lord would solve that problem through a spirit-filled couple who took Apollos under their wing and showed him what was missing in his life and ministry–the Holy Spirit of God. The couple “taught him the way of the Lord more accurately.”

That God’s disciples must receive the Holy Spirit in order to become His Very Elect saints is brought out in Acts 9:1-6 where we find the Apostle Paul preaching to a group of men who had heard what Jesus had done on their behalf and had become His disciples. Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they had come to believe in Christ. They replied that they had not heard about the Holy Spirit. He asked them unto what had they been baptized? They replied, “Unto John’s baptism.” Paul explained that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance only, and that, following water baptism, they had to receive the Holy Spirit in order to “walk as Jesus walked” (1 Jn. 2:6) and to “… overcome (Satan) as I (Jesus) overcame him” (Rev. 3:21). Then Paul laid his hands on them and prayed and they all received the Holy Spirit, evidenced by their speaking in foreign tongues and prophesying. In Acts chapter two we learn that the 120 all spoke in tongues after receiving the Spirit. However, other Scriptures reveal that not everyone speaks in tongues upon receiving the Holy Spirit. Read The Tongues Question using the key word–Tongues. In that series you will learn that the vast majority of those who receive the Holy Spirit are not called to ministry, though they have the Spirit of God should the need for such power arise. Unfortunately, Satan has so totally controlled those in the Institutional Church that few believers ever learn about the Holy Spirit. Of those who do, few are told that they need to receive the Spirit which is God’s power by which He created the universe. Only a minutely few people actually receive the Holy Spirit and walk in that Spirit for the remainder of their lives.

The power of the Holy Spirit is highlighted in Psalm 33;9. In that passage David, while describing the creation of the universe said: “He (the Lord) spoke and it was” (it appeared). The Spirit that created the universe abides in God’s Very Elect saints today. Its main job in believers is to enable them to overcome the temptations found throughout the world in which they live. God’s saints are IN this sinful world but not OF that world. As stated earlier, most saints are not called to use the Spirit’s power in ministry. Those who are called to serve are commanded to do what the early apostles did: “Preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and raise the dead” through the power of the Holy Spirit.

That same Holy Spirit lives within me today. I have been called by God to use that inner power to do the works that Christ did. I have been blessed with both the faith and the thick skin of the Lord Jesus. I have raised the dead, healed the sick, restored missing body parts, cast out numerous demons (33 out of one person), known SPECIFIC things about strangers (which they confirmed to be true) and performed other signs, wonders and miracles. I once cast out a powerful demon with a thought. On another occasion I cast out a demon over the phone. Understand this: I DID NONE OF THOSE THINGS BY MY OWN POWER. I DID THEM THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT RESIDES WITHIN ME. I AM SIMPLY THE VESSEL GOD USES TO DO SUCH THINGS. As David said about the Lord: “He spoke and they were.” As was the case of my Lord, I speak and my Spirit-empowered words become (make happen) what I speak. Recall that Jesus spoke to the fig tree and it died. He spoke to demons and they departed. Recall that He spoke to the storm and it subsided. I have done such things through the same power used by the Lord. I have controlled the weather by causing a storm heading away from me to reverse directions and come to where I was. The wind was blowing hard away from me, carrying the rain cloud, which was pouring out its contents, moving away from me where I had been praying would receive much-needed rain. I watched as the wind reversed course and brought the cloud to where I was standing in the street. I had to quickly get inside before the rain arrived where it soaked the area that I had been praying for. Again, it is not by my own power that I do such things. God has given me the same Spirit and the same faith that He gave Jesus of Nazareth. In John 14:12 He promised me that EVERYTHING JESUS DID I WILL DO ALSO, AND EVEN GREATER THINGS THAN HE DID. Read about this promise and how God confirmed it using the key word–Gun.

The Spiritless church is rife with sin because her parishioners do not have the Holy Spirit within them. Satan has deceived them by blinding their eyes to what the Lord wrote in His Holy Bible. They are trained from early on to rely on the words of church leaders who are controlled by Satan’s fallen angels–demons. This apostasy (falling away from the Lord) has been going on since the beginning of the New Testament Church. Jesus warned that this would happen in Matthew 24:4,5 where He told His apostles (and us) that many false prophets would rise up within the church and would proclaim that He–Jesus–was indeed the Christ. Then, having gained the people’s trust, they would then lead the people away from Him. Read Bait and Switch, key word–Bait. It is for this reason that we are told to “test the spirits of those who lead us in order to determine from what spirit (God or Satan) they are receiving their “truths.” Yes, dear readers, we are to judge church leaders by comparing what they teach to what God wrote in His Holy Scriptures which Jesus calls “Truth” (Jn. 17:17). Church leaders preach church doctrine, which is nothing more than man’s version of what God said. Their version consists of what God should have said, and would have said if they (the false prophets) had been there to correct Him. By following Satan’s pawns, church people walk in the religious footsteps of their ancient parents–Adam and Eve–the original backsliders.

Ask the Lord to give you His Holy Spirit by which you can ward off Satan’s “fiery darts” of temptation. Without the Spirit, we are low-hanging fruit for the devil, his demons and their false prophets. Recall that Jesus admitted that He, Himself, could do nothing by His own human power. As a man like all other men, He relied totally on the Holy Spirit. We must follow in His spiritual footsteps. Read John’s Baptism, key word–John’s. There you will learn how Satan keeps salvation seekers in sin, under his control and open to the powers of his demons. But beware, there will be consequences if you choose to obey the Lord. “All who walk holy in the Christ Jesus WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION.” Read Matthew chapter 10 which speaks to those who truly choose to follow Him. Read the series titled Persecution using that word as key.

NOTICE: Many people write to me using the space below the postings. Unfortunately, this does not work in that the languages are not translated into English. Please use email to write to me using this address: lpj4142@gmail.com I can also be contacted by mail. My mailing address is Larry Jaques 812 Shady Trail, Athens, Texas 75751 USA Please write in English. L.J.