Faith In Action

 

We had been praying for a youth minister at the church for about six months. I attend a Bible study on Tuesday nights and a young man began to come to the study as well. The young man lived in another town, but was staying with his mother for a short time to be with his father who was dying.

When his father passed away, he told his mother he was going to move back to Rockdale to be with her. So he and his wife came back to their hometown and began to come to our church.

A member in our church informed me on Sunday that David, the young man in whom I am referring to, was previously a youth minister at his former church. On Monday I called David to have a meeting with him. When I asked him if he would consider being a youth minister again he told me he and his wife had discussed the prospect on the previous Friday. They decided if the Lord wanted them to be in the youth ministry again, someone from the church would call. I was not aware of the prayer at the time nor was the man who suggested I make the call.

Coincidence? Not in the walk of a person of faith. God orchestrates his Kingdom with precision. He listens to the prayers of those who follow him and answers. There is no coincidence that we had been praying for a youth minister who was sent to our front doorstep.

Unfortunately, there are skeptics who might tend to explain this away. Nevertheless, God is in control and orders the steps of those in whom he loves.    

Faith: Substance of a Powerful God

Faith Comes by Hearing - If faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God, it is important for one who is seeking faith to hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17)? Sound obvious? . . .

Faith Comes by Hearing

            If faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God, it is important for one who is seeking faith to hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17)? Sound obvious? Many people throughout the ages have received their faith through “learned” men who give their own opinion about faith. The opinion given includes preconceived ideas of a limited God who could not possibly have done what was described in the Bible.

            The limitations of the teacher are placed on the student. Most students have relied on the biases of the Pharisee, Sadducee, priest, preacher or teacher that is proclaiming the Word. Unfortunately, the hearer of the Word was really only hearing part of the Word; the part the teacher wanted them to hear or the part the teacher could understand through his limited faith in God. Instead of the believer reading the Word him or herself and discovering what God has told them, he or she relied on the “learned” man or woman to give it to them.

Long ago, due to the lack of knowledge of the general population the Pharisee or priest maintained his own power by telling only what he understood, or worse, only what he wanted his listener to know. Because of the lack of education of the general public it was a necessity. However, today we have an intelligent population. Today, ignorance is due to the laziness of the believer who does not want to take the time to get to know the One who has given them the greatest gift ever; salvation.

It is vital that you rightly divided the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). It is up to you to read the Word and discover its truths. As long as you depend on someone else to feed you, you will only get what they want you to have.

It is not the aim of this book to sway you to my way of thinking. It is to encourage you to look for God’s way of thinking through his Word. I pray this book is merely a catalyst to help you discover truths long forgotten or discounted by those who would have you remain ignorant.

If, upon completion of this book, you choose to discount what is said, that is up to you. However, I am giving true accounts and life experiences that have been witnessed by many and cannot be refuted or explained away. There are those who have tried to explain away the miracles listed in this book through their own biases. Nevertheless, one cannot explain away truth, one can only deny it.

Faith: Substance of a Powerful God - Chapter One (excerpt)

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Have you ever considered how it was to be in the first century church? Have you ever wondered what it was actually like? Jesus had been on the earth and was crucified. Some believers had walked with Jesus, some had not. Jesus has come back from the dead to reveal himself to the disciples. He walked with them for an additional 40 days and then told them he was going to send the comforter. He was going to send them access to a power they had never had previously.

He told them he was going to indwell them with his Spirit and they would do miraculous works that they previously had not been able to do. Why would these works be available to them? So they could glorify God and the Gospel would go forth. Was the power given to impress the believers? No! It was to give the believer the abundant life and show the unbeliever the power of God so they might come to salvation.

Picture this time period if you will; place yourself within the period where the Spirit has fallen after Pentecost. You have been filled with the Holy Spirit. You have witnessed a power never seen before. You are gazing, listening to Peter who has recently been changed from a groveling coward to a bold spokesman for Christ. You hear the rumblings of the Pharisees as they inquire, "Isn’t this the same man we have seen hiding in the shadows previously?" What has happened to him? He is spouting scripture as though he has gone to the finest university, but he is merely a fisherman. Isn't he the one that has been with Jesus of Nazareth? What has happened to him?

As you listen to Peter you feel the fire welling up from inside of you. Your spirit is stirred and you realize that you should be something for Christ. But what can I do? I am nothing. Suddenly the Spirit of God begins to move you and tell you to go pray with the lame man standing by you. You go over to the man. You lay hands on him and proclaim, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus rise up and walk." You are not sure if anything is happening, but suddenly he declares he is getting hot. His legs have a strange sensation in them. As you watch in amazement, the lame man begins to rise. He looks in amazement, then in exultation. He begins to scream, "I am healed, I am healed." he begins to praise God and gives his life to Christ. Others are amazed as well and begin to accept Christ.

Many join the church and the Gospel is spread. Yes Rick, but that was then, this is now. Miracles no longer happen in the twenty-first century. Oh really? Why do you believe such a thing? Because “men of God” have convinced you that we no longer serve an all-powerful God? Because these “men of God” have not seen the miraculous so they don't believe it? Well, I have seen God move in miraculous ways. I am not speaking about things that might be construed as coincidence. I am speaking of back healing, leg growing, cancer killing miracles of the Most High God.

God is still alive and all-powerful today. Jesus promises us, if we have faith in him he will do miraculous works through us. It is my prayer, after you have completed this book, you will have faith to move mountains or at least believe it is possible. God is the same now as he was. He still cares about us and loves us.

God is still alive and all powerful today. Jesus promises us, if we have faith in him he will do miraculous works through us.

What would stop God from loving us the same way he loved the first century church? What would stop him from healing the sick and giving sight to the blind? The only thing that will stop him from working in your life is the fear to pray and allow God to work. The only thing that will stop him is the lack of faith of a church that has bought into a twenty-first century deception that God is no longer God or he no longer cares for us.

There are many pastors and men of God who do not believe in the miraculousness of God. I am not saying they are not saved or anything of the kind. I am saying because they do not understand the faith they teach and preach they do not teach the full knowledge of the Word of the Lord. Because of their lack of faith, they teach you to lack faith.

Neither am I saying every single person you pray for will be healed or his or her life will be changed. Every person was not healed when the disciples prayed either. What I am saying is that, you have not because you ask not and when you do ask you desire it for your own lusts (James 4:2-3).

It must also be known that there is much more to the abundant life than healing. There are many gifts of the Spirit which are denied today.

God wants to work his power through you. He wants you to come to the full knowledge of the power that is available to you through faith. He wants you to accept the gifts he desires to give you as described in his Word so you can glorify his name.

I have no doubt that there will be many that will tell you that I am teaching what cannot be right for the twenty-first century. That is their right. What I am telling you is grade this book not on its merits, but by the Word of God. Measure what I am saying through God's Word.

For the most part this will be easy because I am inserting the Scripture for you to read. I am not adding little snippets; I am giving the full Word so that you might be able to understand we serve a loving, all-powerful God who wishes to give you the desires of your heart through his miraculous works. When our desires begin to line up with God's desires, we can accomplish anything.

 

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Wealth is a State of Mind

Money is only a part of wealth. Money is what is used as a measuring rod for someone who is poor. God wants us to be wealthy. He sent his Son to die on the cross so we can be wealthy. Perhaps you are saying, “Rick, how can that be? There are still poor in this world. Are they not saved because they are poor?” Not at all! However, there are those who use the crutch of disbelief to stay in their current circumstances. Paul said, “. . . I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Phil 4:12).” Paul is not saying to quit trying or give up. He is saying be content in your current circumstances. In other words, keep the attitude that God is in control no matter what state you are in. Have faith that God has your best at heart.

I have come under scrutiny in the past few weeks for believing that God wants his children to be wealthy. In fact, it has been said that I am twisting the Word of God. Let’s examine the argument of 1 Timothy 6 for a moment.  

There are those who believe that if one is not rich he or she is not righteous. Evidently, there are those who believe that one must be poor to be righteous as well. Neither is true! Unfortunately, many try to balance the scales with each other’s opposite argument. When someone tries to explain the goodness of God’s desire for us to be wealthy, they are challenged by those who believe God does not have the power to bless his children. The extreme right and left can only balance those who listen to both sides. However, both of the extremes will view only what they want to support their own argument. Both stay extremely wrong, floundering in their own misconceptions.

A good example of only one side of the Word resides in 1 Tim 6. 1 Timothy 6:3-10 says:

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

The above Scripture is an excellent Scripture to make the case for remaining poor. If one keeps the Scripture in its current context, which is out of context, one is convinced that we should not strive to be more than we are right now. The above Scripture is a warning for all of those who “seek” after money for their own gain.

However, if one places the remaining Scripture with the above text one gets an entirely different picture. One gets the picture Paul was painting for the reader.

1 Timothy 6:11-19 says:

 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,      endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Those who would want God’s children to remain poor forget about the rest of the Scripture. Did you read the part that says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

God “provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” It is not sinful to be rich any more than it is to be poor. The conflict comes with those who do not get the point of the Scripture at all. The point of the entire argument is not whether one is rich or poor. The point of the argument is for one to seek after God. If one seeks after God, God will bless him or her as he sees fit.

A common favorite argument is the one that says, “What about people in impoverished countries? They cannot become wealthy.” Of course they can. However, we cannot measure the wealth of other countries by the wealth of the richest country in the world.

Wealth is a state of mind. Paul says, “With food and clothing be content (1 Timothy 6:8).” The poor thinker will take this verse and say, “This is all I can expect, therefore I will stay poor.” The rich thinker will take the same verse and understand that we are be content in the current state we are in, but realizing God has bigger plans for us. The rich thinker will strive to do more for God and work to further his work. The poor thinker can do no more than wait for God to take his life. In fact, it can be said that the poor thinker is not content. The poor thinker wants better, but has been convinced by well-meaning individuals that he cannot, not should he, expect more than what he has. He should sit back and wait for the day he or she is taken home.

Which of the above examples do you believe will do better for the Kingdom of God? You do not have to believe me. Look at the parable of the talents. In Matthew 25, Jesus gave a parable about three men. The master gave each one talents (money) to be in charge of, according to each one’s ability. To one he gave 5 talents, to another he gave two and the last he gave one. When the master returned, the first two had used the talents and doubled them. The last did nothing; he simply buried the talents and did not use them at all. When the master returned he was extremely excited about how the first two had invested their talents. However, the last did not trust the master and feared what might be done if he lost his talents. The master rebuked him and had him thrown out.

The above parable is not an example of proof of the argument to be rich or poor. It is an argument that says you must continuously give to God what he has given you. But at no time does the Scripture advocate the believer to remain dormant and do nothing. The “poor” argument advocates for a Believer to be content and do nothing. The “rich” argument advocates for a Believer to be rich and do more.

If you have Jesus in your heart, you are richer than can ever be imagined by the world. God has given you the ability to reach out and do great things for the Kingdom of God. If you succumb to the “poor” argument, you are not pleasing God. If you strive to trust and believe God for the great things he has for you he will say to you, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

In other words, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you (Matt 6:33).” Do not be afraid to trust God and seek to do great and mighty things for the Kingdom of God.

God Has Not Changed

God is an all powerful God who has not changed with the whims of culture. He is still the same yesterday, today and forever. He still speaks to those who seek him. He still heals and loves his children. He will give you an abundant life if you seek him. Matthew 6:33 says, "but seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."

A preacher facebooked me last week and said that my last post was dangerously close to preaching the health/wealth/prosperity doctrine. Might I remind those who are reading this post that the opposite of health/wealth/prosperity is sick/broke/poor doctrine. Which one would think a loving Father would want for his children? God gives earthly fathers to us to give us an idea of the love He has for us. A godly father will have nothing but the best in mind for his children. Would our heavenly Father want less for His children? Of course not! Those who are afraid to be labeled "prosperity preachers" are not balanced by the Word of God. I do not beleive God is our own personal "Genie" who will answer all of our lustly desires. Neither do I believe God wants his children to live in sickness and poverty. God wants His children to seek Him first and He will give us the desires of our heart. As we seek God, our desires will be focused on Him. In turn He will prosper us according to His will to spread His Gospel.


God is a loving God who wants the best for His children. Seek Him first and He will guide you to the abundance He has planned for your life.

God has a plan for success in your life. His plan is to prosper you and not to harm you. Do not succumb to the lie of the Devil that says you should be poor. Seek your dream! Glorify God in your dream!

www.hisgospelpower.org

God is using His Gospel Power in a mighty way. Israel has joined our listening audience. Through the technology of the internet, along with Israel, His Gospel Power is now reaching the lost in the United States, Russia, Japan, China, France, The United Kingdom, The Republic of Korea, The Netherlands, Ukraine, and The Republic of Moldova.

His Gospel Power also airs on KXEG Phoenix, Arizona; WLNO New Orleans, Louisiana; KWDF Alexandria, Louisiana; and KIOU Shreveport, Louisiana.

We are praying about expanding into 20 new markets by the beginning of January 2012. As you can imagine this is a huge faith undertaking. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We live by faith and not by sight.” God has given me the vision to spread His Gospel around the world. It is my prayer that you will partner with us to spread his Word. As the listening area in the United States grows, the listening area around the world grows as well. Each radio station has different listeners around the world, via the internet, which naturally expands the reaches of the Gospel. Many of you have contributed to His Gospel Power since its beginning. Thank you for your faithfulness!

These last days are times in which we should step up our efforts, not withdraw. God has lain on my heart to “Walk by faith and not by sight” in a huge way this past two weeks. I am acting on what he has impressed on me to do. I pray that you will act as well.

God bless you as we spread his Word together. You can listen to the program on the internet at www.thegospelword.com. When the page opens, click on “click here to choose a speaker.” Then scroll down to Rick Hertless. The program is renewed weekly on the internet in its entirety. His Gospel Power is heard daily on the above stations in the format of a fifteen minute program.

Thank you for your faithful support.

www.rickhertless.blogspot.com

His Gospel Power

His Gospel Power is now being heard in the United States, Russia, Japan, China, France, The United Kingdom, The Republic of Korea and The Netherlands, The Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

Spreading the Gospel

Through the technology of the internet, His Gospel Power is now reaching the lost in the United States, Russia, Japan, China, France, The United Kingdom, The Republic of Korea and The Netherlands. It is through you contributions this has been made possible. God is spreading the Good News because of servants like you. Thank you for your faithfulness.

God is Still in the Miracle Business

Healing

             It would seem as though the gift of healing, like many of the other gifts, has ceased in the world today according to cessationists. If God can still heal, why would he not still empower one with the gift of healing? However, what of those countless numbers who have been healed beyond what the doctors can seemingly do. It seems unlikely that one gift would be separated to cease (or more precisely the word gifts) and others would remain. Perhaps that is the reason that many healings are explained away. It is more likely that since healing is physical instead of spiritual, one is less likely to be deceived. As stated earlier, Gaffin is convinced that not all gifts have ceased.  If this is so, it is to the shame of the believer, for God has given us the Holy Spirit to be filled with his power and discernment. If we are walking daily in the Spirit, we will be able to discern between evil or godly spirits, and know which spirits are from God, with the same assuredness as witnessing miraculous healing. Gaffin says, “Like word gifts, healing is simply not an eschatological phenomenon”⁵⁷, but in light of Acts 2:17-19, how can one make such a blanket and decisive statement? Carl Brumback in “What Meaneth This” says that the signs and wonders are rare today “because of our unbelief!”⁵⁸ John Wesley “lays the blame on the church…because the love of many…waxed cold. That was the real cause why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found.”⁵⁹ D.M. Panton writes, “Sapped in faith, in holiness, in aloofness from the world, the church relaxed its grasp of the gifts.”⁶⁰ These men understand that God has told us to abide in Christ and to keep growing in the Spirit daily. It is up to us to nurture our faith and learn what God has for us on a daily basis.

            Possibly, one misconception is the role of the miracles themselves. Miracle was not given as a status symbol or just for the sake of doing miracles. They were given to glorify God and bring souls to the Kingdom. 

Gift of Tongues

Only Believe

            In Mark 9:23-24 Jesus says, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  Jesus is not speaking only of the “then” but also of the “now”. A theologian is not a theologian unless he understands that the promises of God’s Word apply to us now. If the promises are not the same, then our hope is lost. Why would Jesus say we have eternal life, “all things are possible for him who believes”, and then say that it is only for that inaugural period of time? The same argument that Gaffin uses to refute continuationists earlier about apostles, can be used here. You cannot have it both ways. Cessationists have such a hard time selling their idea of God because it is not consistent with what the Word tells us. It is not even consistent with what they argue amongst themselves. Did Jesus say, “All things are possible” or was he limited only to the day in which he walked the earth and shortly thereafter. If the gifts were for the unbeliever, don’t we have unbelievers today? If the Jews required a sign in the first century, wouldn’t they require a sign today?

The Second Blessing

            Unfortunately, many charismatics today couple miraculous gifts with the belief they are not available to anyone who has not had the “second blessing”. They call this being “baptized in the Spirit” with evidence of speaking in tongues.

First let’s analyze the Second Blessing. The baptism of the Holy Spirit comes on each believer at the moment he or she receives Christ into his or her heart. Merrill Unger has written a book entitled The Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit that explains in great detail the baptism of the Holy Spirit with such clarity that the Lord verified it immediately to this writer’s heart upon reading his words. Even though we do not agree on all terms of the book, we can agree on this, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is not the gift of the Holy Spirit; this is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This, according to Unger, “is not the gift of the Spirit. It is an inseparable part of the salvation the gift of the Spirit has bestowed.”⁶¹ The baptism of the Spirit is what Jesus promised us when he left. He said that he will not leave us alone, but will send a comforter. (Jn 14:16) It is not scriptural to think that we are saved by the grace of God, and then have to wait for more. What more could he give? He has given us the gift of eternal salvation. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is what gives us our strength to persevere until the end. It is part of the grace of God that insures that we will not fall away (Jude 24-25). Without that indwelling we would not have a chance to serve God in completeness. The second part of the baptism, according to charismatics, is speaking in tongues. It should be noted at this time that the use of the word “Charismatic” is used very loosely. It does not always describe someone who believes that speaking in tongues is a gift for everyone. It can also be used for those that want to allow more freedom in the spirit and want to express their worship in a more demonstrative way. I have mainly used it because in the research I have noted that the words “Pentecostal” and “Charismatic” are often used interchangeably.

 This is a ministry that can be used today, but is not a necessary part of being baptized in the Spirit. There is no work that man has to do to be baptized in the Spirit. It is only a work of God. If God wants us to all speak in tongues, then he will enable us, but it is his call, just as it was at Pentecost. Whether tongues are intelligible or not is not the issue of this book, so we will go into no detail about the mechanics of the gift. Paul said that he wished everyone spoke in tongues, (1 Cor 14:5) a statement that when analyzed says that everyone did not speak in tongues.

Pentecostals want to find all that God has for them, just as do evangelicals. Unfortunately, they are looked upon as unreasonable fanatics by many. In 1915, F.F. Bosworth, a fully credentialed member of the Pentecostal community, began to have doubts in the way that some in the community were promoting the evidence of speaking in tongues as a sign of being baptized in the Spirit. He tried to diminish the importance of tongues and stated, “I am sure if this movement could be free of this one error in teaching and would preach the greater things about the baptism our opportunities for usefulness would be increased many fold.”⁶²

God makes available to everyone his power through the work of the Holy Spirit. If we will seek him he will give us what we ask according to his will. The second blessing, according to Unger, is really “the basis of the infilling, but not the experience of the infilling itself.”⁶³ The infilling of the Holy Spirit is what he gives us to carry out the individual ministries that he has assigned to us. The infilling allows us to have the boldness and the wisdom to complete a ministry that we otherwise might not be equipped to do. This is where the gifts of the Spirit are given to us to be able to complete our task. F.F. Bosworth said that the “real mark of the Spirit in a person’s life was that the person developed a new compassion for others and increased ability to minister.”⁶⁴ However, this is exactly what should be noticed in an individual who has accepted Christ in his or heart. As the Christian begins to understand the compassion of Christ and furthers his or her walk in obedience this compassion will grow also. It might be interesting to note that a person that is seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit is seeking all that God has for them. If taught correctly, the individual just has to be told that they are walking in the Spirit daily and needs to give control over to Jesus to allow him to guide them into a deeper walk. The power of the Holy Spirit is already with them and within them. They need to give control to God so that the Spirit can manifest himself. Ken Hemphill says, “If it weren’t for the Spirit of God empowering us to do so, we could no more take the gospels to the far corners of the world than we could take it to the corner of the street.”⁶⁵

One receives the Holy Spirit as soon as he or she is saved. Galatians 3:2 says, “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” One receives the Spirit by believing. Ephesians 1:13 says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit . . .” It would appear that one is filled with the Holy Spirit upon conversion. However, there is a mystery of Acts when it appears as though they received the Spirit after conversion. Acts 19:1-2 says:

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.

If one stops in the middle of the passage, one will not get the context of the entire Scripture. It would appear that Paul is talking with disciples of Jesus. However, upon the completion of the verse one gets the entire picture. Acts 19:3-6 continues:

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

The disciples in question in this passage were disciples of John the Baptist. They had not even heard the complete Good News yet. Once Paul explained it to them they were then baptized in the name of Jesus and the Holy Spirit fell on them.

The promised Holy Spirit was, and is, the Spirit of Jesus. Many have a problem with this concept. In fact, there are those who are afraid they will be equated with the “Jesus Only” doctrine or “Oneness.” Romans 8:9 – 11 says:

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.  ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  ¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

From this passage one can see that the Spirit of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one in the same. This is called the Trinity; the three in one God. Even though the Trinity is difficult to understand for finite minds, it is not difficult for God. His majesty confounds the minds of the intellectuals. Jesus was filled with the Spirit of God (Matthew 3:17). Jesus said he must go to send the Spirit to us. The Spirit he was sending was the Spirit of God who indwelt Jesus. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in those who have accepted him as Lord and Savior. Paul calls the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God. They are all one in the same. Does this passage mean that Jesus “threw his voice” up to heaven at his baptism so as to deceive those who were witnesses? God is not the deceiver; neither does he need to deceive. However, if God is omnipresent, and he is, there would be no deception nor would there be any. Nevertheless, God is still three personalities; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If one cannot understand the magnificence of God, one tends to try to justify God with one’s finite mind. The truth is, even though God is three separate persons, he is still one in the same. Romans 3:30 says there is only one God. 1 Corinthians 8:6 says, “. . . yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” Even though Paul says there is only one God he equates him with Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 8:6 said all things come from God the Father, but John 1:1 says that all things came from Jesus. In fact, John 1:1 equates Jesus with God when he said “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Is this a contradiction? No! It is a confirmation that Jesus was God who came in the flesh, walked on the earth, died and was buried and raised to life on the third day. He ascended to the Father to send us a comforter, the Holy Spirit of God.  

CD Signing

The CD signing was a great success on July 9, 2011. Thank Hastings, Bryan, Texas for your hospitality. I look forward to visiting again soon.

The Power We Leave On the Table

Why can we no longer have apostles? Is not God still God? Is not Jesus still Jesus? Can we not have apostles anymore because “Great men of God” have not experienced Jesus appearing to them? After all, these men who have written so many books and preached so many sermons would surely have had Jesus appear to them as he did to Paul. Moreover, what of Paul? Paul was not an apostle until after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He was called by Jesus on the road to Damascus. He can still do that today. One might ask, “How would believers know if one who claimed to be an apostle was genuine?” The answer is, the same way that they knew in the early church. The Holy Spirit will guide us. The fear is that we will follow Jim Jones or David Karesh, but if the flock is educated to understand the difference, then that will not be allowed to happen. Jesus said, My sheep will know my voice (John 10:26). Acts 2:17 – 19 says:

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 

Are these not the last days? Those who deny the miraculous today are afraid of the scam or the abuse and will not recognize that the Holy Spirit will guide us and bring these false prophets to the light. Many do not want to be deceived by what the power of the spirits of darkness; but by denying the power of God, they already are guilty of that.

             Some might say, “Wait a minute, Jesus is no longer on the earth in the flesh. Therefore, there can no longer be apostles.” What about Paul? Paul calls himself an apostle yet Jesus was already buried and risen again when he was declared as such. Paul’s declaration was verified by Ananias in Acts 9. Paul even claimed to be taught by Jesus. Galatians 1:12 says, “I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” Even though there are those who say that Paul received this revelation from the Holy Spirit, I believe he quite possibly was taught by Jesus himself when he was dispatched to Arabia and Damascus for three years (Galatians 1:17). That is not to discount the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s Word, but it is an emphasis of Paul the apostle. Wow! What a seminary that must have been. Not to mention the fact that no one has actually come up with an actual way in which the Holy Spirit revealed Scripture to the writers.

Could not Jesus appear to someone today and teach him in the same fashion as Paul? Of course he could! God is not limited by our time continuum. He is only limited by the constraints he places on himself and from his Word it would not appear that he has limited himself to us.

In the book Jesus Freaks: DC Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs there is a story of a Muslim who was converted much the way Paul was. In an account of Zahid, a Muslim priest from 1986 Pakistan, he tells of an experience he had with God. He, like Paul, was a persecutor of Christians. Zahid was a zealot for Islam. He sought those who blasphemed the prophet Muhammad or the Qur’an. Zahid reported he was reviewing the Bible looking for contradictions when a bright light with a voice appeared to him and said, “Zahid, why do you persecute me.”⁵⁶ Sound familiar? Not long after his conversion he was locked up for two years. In a “snafu” by the law he was released instead of being executed as scheduled by his captors. Could he not be called an apostle? Not much more information is given about Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus than Zahid’s. Is Zahid a liar? Is the story in the book fictitious? It is arrogant of anyone to say that God no longer speaks to people in the way he has done in the past.

As a preacher of the Gospel, the Lord speaks to me often. Sometimes he speaks through an individual, but most of the time he comes to me in a still small voice that instructs me in my ministry. He has spoken to me in dreams and prophetic messages. I have experienced what others have said cannot happen today. He has never chosen to speak to me audibly, but I have no doubt that he can if he so chooses. It would be the height of arrogance for me to say that he cannot speak to anyone audibly since he has never spoken to me.  

CD Signing

Event Scheduled Sat, July 9th 2011 Event Time: 1-3pm Store Address: Hastings Entertainment ‪725 Villa Maria‬ ‪Bryan, TX 77801‬ ‪(979) 823-5923‬

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are so controversial and vast that it will be impossible to cover all aspects of this topic in one short chapter. A major question is, are the gifts still in operation today? Many argue scripturally and others experientially. There are those that argue from both sides and still the controversy has not been settled. Of one thing we can be sure, there is a Holy Spirit, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.

The Holy Spirit is present throughout the Bible in quiet power. In the OT His ministry was coupled with God the Father in silent submission. The Holy Spirit temporarily indwelled individuals with the power of the Spirit to complete the work of God. In the NT he was promised by Jesus Christ and told that he would not only comfort us, but also give us power from on high to carry out the specific ministries that the Lord has planned for us. Are there still gifts of the Spirit today that follow the disciple until he dies or does the Holy Spirit only work when needed and then leave to work another day? Are all the miraculous gifts dead and buried? The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have the same power today that he had 2000 years ago and many thousands of years before that.

Exciting News

His Gospel Power will begin airing on KXEG, Phoenix, Arizona on June 1.
His Gospel Power currently airs on:

    KIOU, Shreveport, LA – Population 436,000

    KWDF, Alexandria, LA – Population 1.25 million

    KRXT, Rockdale, TX - Population 250,000

Added to that list is KXEG, Pheonix, Arizona - 3.2 million

God is spreading the gospel through His Gospel Power.
Do you want to get involved? Go to www.rickhertless.com and click on donate or buy one of my books or CDs. Proceeds go to the radio ministry.
God bless you as you support the gospel of Christ.
Blessings, Rick Hertless 

KXEG Coming June 1, Phoenix, Arizona

His Gospel Power will be joining KXEG in June 5 days a week. His Gospel Power, a 15 minute program dedictaed to the glorification of Jesus Christ will partner with KXEG to bring His Gospel Power 5 times a week at 2:00 PM in the afternoon. Watch for more details coming soon.

Jesus Gives Us the Holy Spirit

            It was because of Jesus’ work that we have the Holy Spirit. He said that he must leave so we can receive the Holy Spirit (John 16:7) and those who did believe, received at Pentecost. John 20:22 is a controversial verse that has been interpreted different ways. It is controversial because some believe this is proof of the second baptism or baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Interpreter’s Bible Commentary says, “He gave them something of his own ways and mind and nature, his own spirit, God’s own Spirit…,” indicating that Jesus actually gave them the Spirit at this time. Carson says that John is merely calling attention to an event that has already happened to add emphasis to Pentecost. Carson writes:

Jesus’ ‘exaltation’ and command Receive the Holy Spirit are best understood as a kind of acted out parable pointing forward to the full enduement still to come (though past for John’s readers). A suitable Johannine analogy might be the washing of the disciple’s feet: ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me’ (13:8). That can be read at a simplistic level as exhausted in footwashing itself points forward to the spiritual washing achieved by the Lamb of God whose death takes away the sin of the world. John has repeatedly developed these anticipating steps in his narrative; it is not surprising if he uses one more to show that the story does not end with his book.

Smith says there is no parallel to the Spirit given to the disciples in John and the Spirit that falls at Pentecost in Acts. They are simply two separate events. He says, “…there is no parallel between the fulfillments except that they are fulfillments. In John, Jesus breathes into the disciples. In Acts, there are the public events of the day of Pentecost.”

Though I am not disputing the importance of this issue, it is certainly not something that can be decided one way or the other in such a brief discussion. It will have to be left up to each individual reader to decide on his or her own. The most important thing to understand for this discussion is that we receive the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus to be Lord of our lives.

We have seen how the Spirit points to Jesus, fills us with power, testifies to Jesus, gives us gifts to minister and makes us a new creature through the blood of Christ. We do not have to rely on our own power to walk in the strength of Jesus, but are given a comforter and counselor to guide us through life’s trials, experiences and victories. Jesus has given us many gifts beginning with life on earth. Then he gives us the ability to walk in his love in this life and ultimately eternal life through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to give a sufficient definition to describe the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is vital to the way that we abide in the love of Christ. Our source of power to live in abundance in this life is truly from the Holy Spirit.

The Deity of Christ: Myth or Miraculous?

It would be inappropriate if not impossible to talk about the power of the Holy Spirit without talking about his power as he lived in Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, the Spirit is noted for his power. He sits in the background in quiet and ever present power, waiting to be called upon to show the magnificence of the one in which he serves; God the Father.

There are many who do not believe that Jesus was instilled with miraculous powers. However, for a God who gave powers to Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and Samson, it would be no stretch to come down to earth and live inside a man that possesses all of the same powers and more. Where did this power come from? How could a man, Jesus, have the power of God and even the power to rise from the dead? Caulley says:

Luke records Jesus’ power to cast out demons “by the finger of God,” an OT phrase for God’s power (Exod. 8:19; Ps 8:3; Luke 11:20). This power is identified with the “Spirit of God” (Matt. 12:28), i.e., the Holy Spirit (Matt.12:32). At Jesus’ baptism the spirit came upon him (Mark 1:10; “the Spirit of God,” Matt. 3:16; “the Holy Spirit,” Luke 3:21), and he received God’s confirmation of his divine sonship and messianic mission (Matt. 3:13-17). Jesus went up from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) and after the temptation began his ministry “in the power of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:14).

God is spirit (John 4:24). He operates in our lives in the Spirit. He indwells us with his Spirit. He did miraculous works through the Spirit in Christ Jesus.

Jesus did miraculous works, but could not have done them without the Spirit. Matthew 12:28 says that Jesus drove out spirits by the Spirit of God. The power of God was operating in Jesus through his Spirit. Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:11).

The Gifts of the Spirit

Jesus walked in the power of all of the gifts listed in I Corinthians 12:1-10. He displayed all of the gifts in the book of John, except tongues and the interpretation of tongues. It could be argued that he even displayed this gift, because of his ability to talk with everyone that he met with no language barriers. John mentions miraculous signs seventeen times in his Gospel.32 Smith says, “…the Christological emphasis in his Gospel is unmistakable.”33 This Christology would include the meekness of man and the power of God; the power that is given through the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 says, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” 1 Corinthians tells us that the gifts are given through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus had the gift of wisdom. The Jews were amazed at his teachings. He had no formal training but he was teaching them in the theology of a scholar (John 7:14-24). The Holy Spirit worked in Jesus to tell him what to say. Mark 13:11 says, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus had the gift of knowledge. John tells about the woman that Jesus spoke to at the well. Andreas Köstenberger, Encountering John, says that John 4:17-18 regards Jesus’ supernatural knowledge.John the Baptist testified about Jesus with a supernatural knowledge that came from the Holy Spirit. He was full of the Spirit from the womb (Luke 1:15). John 6:61- 70 includes the gift of knowledge. Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray him. John 14:26-27 says:

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

It would seem here, aside from the supernatural peace, that Jesus is saying he will give supernatural knowledge to those who believe as well. He said the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things.”

Jesus had the gift of faith. He had the faith to know that Lazarus would be raised from the dead (John 11:1-37), along with all the other miraculous works that he did. He believed, never doubting, that what he asked of the Father would be done.

Jesus had the gift of Healing. He healed the official’s son (John 4:46-54). He healed the man at the pool (5:1-15). He healed the man born blind (9:1-12) and he raised Lazarus from the dead (11:38-44). The power of healing, like his other gifts, was available to him at all times.

I have laid my hands on people many times and the Lord has chosen to use me to heal. I have seen people healed instantly. Sometimes I pray for someone and they are not healed. Sometimes I pray for someone who is not healed until they are prayed for by another believer and then God heals them. There is no formula and God is not in a box. The most important thing is to be willing to allow God to use you to do his ministry at any given time. You should never be afraid to pray for someone out of fear that your prayer will not be answered and you will look bad. The focus is not on you, for it is God who answers the prayer; not you!

Jesus had the gift of miraculous powers. He changed the water into wine (John 2:1-11). He fed the five thousand (6:1-15) and he walked on the water (6:16-24). Not all believe that Jesus had miraculous powers. According to Erickson, Rudolph Bultmann “concluded that much of the New Testament is myth…” Bultmann considered the language in the New Testament to be that of symbolism. The miracles of Jesus were simply works that could not be described other than to make them sound bigger than they really were. One has to wonder what the definition of miracle is for Bultmann. Nevertheless, most who believe in the Bible as the inspired Word of God realize that it is not speaking figuratively. It is stating the life a man who was fully God and fully man and could do things beyond mortal limitations. Josephus, a Jewish historian, said, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it is lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works – a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ…” Some scholars have refuted as to whether Josephus actually wrote these words, but William Whiston says:

“…and since the principle testimony, which is that concerning Jesus of Nazareth himself, has of late been greatly questioned by many, and rejected by some of the learned as spurious, it will be fit for me, who have ever declared my firm belief that these testimonies were genuine, to set down fairly some of the original evidence and citations…”

He continues by stating:

“…The style of all of these original testimonies belonging to Josephus is exactly the style of the same Josephus, and especially the style about those parts of his antiquities wherein we find these testimonies. This is denied by nobody as to the other concerning John the Baptist and James the just, and is now become equally undeniable as to that concerning of Christ.”

Jesus had the gift of prophecy. Jesus prophesied about his death in the Good Shepherd discourse (John 10:11-18). His prophecies further include the power that the Christian who abides in him will be able to sustain through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit prophesied through Caiaphas that it was better for one man to lay down his life for a nation in John 11:50-52. However, can the Holy Spirit speak through an evil man? Origen answers this question with a resounding “no”. According to Ronald E. Heine, Origen had a major problem with this line of thinking. Origen said that Caiaphas could not have possibly prophesied because the Spirit had not come upon man yet. Jesus had not yet been glorified. However, when confronted with the problem that the Spirit of Lord had in fact come on people of the OT, he had to recant his previous stance and give an answer of uncertainty. Heine writes:

Finally, he answers the last question by asserting that “evil spirits too can bear witness to Jesus and prophecy of him…as that spirit which said, ‘We know who you are, the holy one of God.’ Origen concludes his discussion by presenting a defense for the view that the Holy Spirit did speak through Caiaphas. He denies that this is his own view, however and leaves it to the reader to draw his own conclusions about Caiaphas’ prophecy.
The question is, “If it was not the Holy Spirit, then what sort of spirit prophesied in Caiaphas?” In Numbers 24:2 the “Spirit of God came upon” Balaam to prophecy for Israel. We must conclude that God will speak through evil men since he spoke through a pagan diviner. The Spirit of God in this passage was indeed the Holy Spirit. Therefore, even though Origen concludes that it was not the Holy Spirit that spoke through Caiaphas, but that of another spirit, it is safe for us to conclude that it could have been, and probably was, the Holy Spirit giving the prophecy that Jesus would lay down his life for the nation of Israel and indeed all mankind.

There are many examples of the gift of prophecy in the Gospel of John. Some examples are:

o Jesus predicted his death (12:7-5).

o Jesus predicted his crucifixion (12:23-34).

o Jesus predicted his betrayal (13:18-30)

o Jesus predicted the Peter’s three time denial of Jesus (13:38).

o Jesus prophesied that the Holy Spirit would come (14:15-21, 25-27; 15:26-16:16).

o Jesus prophesied that the disciples would leave him all alone (16:31-33)

After quoting John 16:13-14, RSV, Wayne Grudem said, “Thus, the disciples are promised amazing gifts to enable them to write Scripture: The Holy Spirit would teach them ‘all things,’ would cause them to remember all that Jesus had said, and would guide them into ‘all the truth.’” The simple conclusion is that Prophecy is prevalent in the NT under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had the gift of discernment. He discerns between spirits many times in the Gospels. He discerns that the religious leaders are of the Devil (John 8:42-47). He discerns the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees (9:35-41). He also discerns that the Jews (religious leaders) are not his sheep (10:22-30).

It is safe to say that Jesus operated in all the gifts (probably even tongues). All of these gifts were in operation because of the Holy Spirit. He walked on the earth in the completeness of God and fullness of the Spirit (John 3:31-36). He said that he must go so that he could send us the Spirit to reside with us (Luke 24:44-49).

The Spirit Testifies to the Life of Jesus

The Spirit of God testifies to Jesus. He filled John the Baptist from birth and it was the testimony of the Spirit through John that he was given the power to speak of the glory of Jesus. Luke 1:15 says, “for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” John 5:31-32 says that God sent John the Baptist to testify to the validity of Jesus.

John was filled with the Holy Spirit and testified so that men could understand who Jesus was, thus fulfilling prophecy. God the Father testified to Jesus also when the Holy Spirit descended on him at his baptism. Although the Baptism of Jesus is not mentioned in John’s Gospel, it is assumed that people would already know of this event from previous Gospels. The Spirit testified to Jesus through the Prophets of the Old Testament as well. John 1:45 says, “Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

In The Gospel According to John D.A. Carson says that there are six passages in John’s Gospel where scripture speaks or writes of Christ. He also says, “By predictive prophecy, by type, by revelatory event and by anticipatory statute, what we call the Old Testament is understood to point to Christ, his ministry, his teaching, his death and resurrection.” God has been preparing us for the coming of Christ since the beginning of Genesis.

The Spirit gave testimony of Jesus through his earthly ministry. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was empowered by the Spirit to do God’s work. In Encountering John, Andreas Köstenberger says, in John’s Gospel, “…references to the Spirit are limited almost exclusively to his role in Jesus’ earthly ministry…” However, this power is also shown to be given to us as well. Mark 1:8 says, “I (John the Baptist) baptize you with water, but he (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (Parenthesis Added).” Luke 11:3 says, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Köstenberger says the power of the Spirit shows through in Jesus’ ministry by miraculous signs. It is difficult to read of Jesus’ earthly ministry and not see the miraculous.

You Must Be Born Again

John 3:5-15 says that no one can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again. Israel’s teacher, Nicodemus could not understand this great mystery. Jesus said in verse five, “…no one can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” This verse has drawn a host of interpretations, but it seems clear enough that it was interpreted in the very next verse. “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit (3:6).” In other words, we are born of water in the mother’s womb and then born of the Spirit when we accept Christ into our heart. Carson explains that the previous interpretation is only one of many interpretations and explains:
Many find in ‘water’ a reference to Christian Baptism (e.g. Brown,2. 139-141) for Bultmann (pp.138 n. 3) and others who have followed him, this is so embarrassing that he suggests the words ‘water and’ were not part of the original text, but added by a later ecclesiastical editor much more interested in Christian ritual than the evangelist himself…Those who adopt this position, of course, are forced to admit that John’s words could have had no relevance to the historical Nicodemus.”20

In other words, some use this as an argument that one must be baptized to be saved.

There are other places in the Bible where it appears as though water is the symbol for the Spirit. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice:

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified (John 7:37-39).

This is a plain explanation from John that the living water from within is the Spirit.

The washing of the disciple’s feet in John 13:8 is not necessarily a symbol of the Holy Spirit, but possibly a symbol of the servitude that will be instilled in each believer when he is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them” (13:17). Carson says that it is a symbol of what Christ has done for us on the cross. He says, “The act of footwashing is a symbol of this complete washing, and not some additional cleaning.”21 As with much of the Bible this is quite possibly one of the meanings, but the Scripture is rich and has many meanings. Jesus is also speaking of being a servant. He is admonishing the disciples to keep serving one another in love and thus continue to show the world the true meaning of love (13:12-16).

Man Will Be Filled With the Spirit

Jeremiah prophesied of a time when “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts (Jer. 31:33).” Hebrews 10:15-16 says, “The Holy Spirit testified to us about this. First he says, ‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’.” John testifies of the Jesus who walked on the earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. In John 14:12 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:25 says, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Synoptics are evidence of what God has promised. The Holy Spirit reminds us of his works daily. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the book of John is fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah. The total fulfillment came on the day of Pentecost. John is teaching of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus so that we may know the kind of power that is accessible to us.

The Holy Spirit will indwell us and give us power to preach the Gospel to the very ends of the earth.13 Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you . . .” to be his witnesses. Was Jesus only talking to the apostles when he said these words? Of course not! If he was, why have we bothered to include them in the inspired Word of God? If all of his Word is not applicable to today why read any of it? There are those who say there are Scriptures that we do not apply today. For example, we do not put adulterers to death in twenty-first century America. Therefore, all of the Word of God is not in effect today. However, the same ones who use this argument try to use the argument that the Old Testament is no longer valid since the dispensation of grace in Jesus Christ. In addition, one might argue that the Bible is specific when it says that unrepentant adulterers shall be put to death on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, what has been said in the Old Testament is still valid in the New Testament. There are many other arguments that try to explain away the power God has promised to those who believe. Nevertheless, we are told that we will possess power that the world does not possess if we follow Christ.