Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
Spring is in the air and the season is changing. We had a great service at Alife yesterday and we are expecting good things from God’s presence as we choose to come together for His purpose and plan. God is good and He will always work things together for our good in life. I hope you have a great week filled with God’s presence and blessings in greater ways.
Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the Holy Spirit came upon the body of Christ as an external witness of their connection with Jesus in heaven. New Covenant Pentecost was put into reality and Old Covenant Pentecost was fulfilled. Upon the ascension of Jesus to the Father, He spoke of the promised Holy Spirit. He told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they would receive power from on high.
Just like the disciples of the first century, Jesus has a plan concerning our lives and the fullness that He intends for each of us as believers to have. That fullness comes when we receive the Holy Spirit in us and upon us to become a powerful witness for Him in our world. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and breathed upon them to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus then told those same disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they would receive an even greater testimony of the promise which He had spoken about. That promise was the Holy Spirit whom Jesus said would also come upon them with power. Jesus was the Lamb of God sent to take away our sins, but He is also the Lion of the tribe of Juda given to empower us with the victorious testimony of life. John the baptizer testified that Jesus would do two things: 1) take away the sins of the world; and 2) baptize with the Holy Spirit. As the Lord, He has taken away our sins. As Christ, He desires to baptize us (to be emersed) in the Holy Spirit. That emersion is not just an external pouring out of Christ’s Spirit upon us, but a filling up to overflowing of His presence for an external testimony of Him in our lives.
Acts 1:5 “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit comes upon us to give us the power to be witnesses. Without a submersion in the Holy Spirit, we are not able to be the effective witnesses that God intends for us to be. What is inside of us must also be what clothes us. Christ in us is the hope of glory, but Christ upon us is the testimony of that glory to our world. Jesus is Lord and He has taken away our sins. He is also Christ (the anointed one) and He is here to anoint us with power from on high that we might boldly declare Him to our world. This is not merely telling people about Him, but the ability to reveal His manifest presence to our world.
After Jesus ascended to the Father, His disciples waited for ten days in an upper room in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, God poured out His Holy Spirit upon them mightily. This event was witnessed by thousands who stood by in wonder of this miraculous testimony of God. Peter, one of the disciples, stood up before the crowd and gave this testimony:
Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Peter’s testimony declared that Jesus was not only Lord, but He was also C`hrist. The name Christ means the anointed one. As the anointed one, Jesus is able to anoint us with His Holy Spirit. That anointing is the testimony that we are one with Jesus as Christ. We are the body of Christ! Christ in us is also Christ upon us as a witness to our world.
The word baptism means to be engulfed, submerged, and totally surrounded with. Being submerged in the Spirit of Christ is not merely a one-time event, it is a way of life. When Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, we become engulfed, submerged, and totally surrounded with the Holy Spirit. When we accepted Jesus into our hearts, we received the Holy Spirit as an inward witness. When we embrace a lifestyle of being submerged in the Holy Spirit, we activate the Holy Spirit as an outward witness in our lives.
Luke 24:49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
The Greek word for endued is enduo which means to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively): array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on. To be endued with the Holy Spirit is to be clothed in the Holy Spirit. This is an outward evidence of the power of God in our lives. My challenge to us all in this season is to willingly embrace a lifestyle of being submerged in the Spirit of Christ. It is by our hands that the sick can be healed. It is by His Spirit and word through the expressions of the voice our lives that life can break every chain of bondage. The signs of His presence, testimony, and purpose is in us, upon us, and with us in all things.
Blessings,
Ted J. Hanson
Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:
Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:
House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225
