By Rabbi Esther Boucher
RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
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We are living in the age of the Holy Spirit. This age began at
Pentecost and will continue until the second coming of our Lord, Jesus
Christ.
Who is the Holy Spirit? Webster's dictionary defines the Holy Spirit as
a life giving force, the active presence of God in human life, the third
person in the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is also known as the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit was active throughout the Old Testament Times.
Genesis Ch. 1-2, records that "The spirit of God moved upon the face
of the waters," indicating that the Holy Spirit was here even before
Adam was created. The Holy Spirit is the same in substance and equal
in power and glory with the Father and Son. He is subordinate to both
as He proceeds from them, is sent by them and they operate
through Him. The Holy Spirit possesses divine attributes He is present
everywhere Psm. 139:7-10, has all knowledge I Cor. 2:10 and is all
powerful Zech 4:6, He has performed miracles only God could do,
such as create the world, conceive Jesus and resurrect Jesus. The
Holy Spirit possesses a will, has a mind, speaks, intercedes, calls
missionaries, oversees the church and is susceptible to personal
treatment.
The Holy Spirit's job in relation to us is to call and convict us of our
sins, to indwell us, to seal us, fill us, empower us and anoint us. The
Holy Spirit also imparts spiritual gifts and abilities to us. To put it in
simple language, the Holy Spirit first convinces a person of their need
to change. John 16:8. When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy
Spirit imparts to them a new spirit and eternal life with God in
heaven. Titus 3:5. The Holy Spirit mysteriously takes up residence
within a person, encouraging and strengthening them to live a proper
lifestyle. Rom 8:9. The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer placing them
spiritually in the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12:13. The Holy Spirit
becomes the guarantee of our spiritual inheritance. Eph. 1:13-14.
On the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried
out If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in
me as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living
water. Jesus' loud proclamation was a call to Holy Spirit fullness.
Jesus was describing a way of life for us today. He
points beyond our initial experience of salvation, to a lifestyle bathed in
an ongoing resource of Holy Spirit fullness. Jesus was talking about a
supernatural power, a power from on High.
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly
seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit,
according to the command of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This was a
normal experience in all the New Testament Churches. With it comes
the endowment of power for life and service and the bestowment of
the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. Baptism in the
Holy Spirit is a distinct and different experience than that of your
salvation or new birth experience. It deepens your reverence for God
and it intensifies your consecration and dedication to His work.
Few church doctrines have generated more questions and controversy
than the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The debate started with the
miracle of Pentecost. So let us see what the Bible has to say. Turn to
Acts 1:4-8 skip to Vs:13-14. Here we see one hundred and twenty
men and women including the apostles, and Mary Jesus' mother
gathered together as Jesus has instructed. During the 40 days of His
resurrection Jesus was with the disciples at different times and places
preparing them for the coming of the Holy Spirit also called the
comforter. He told them to remain there in Jerusalem until He had
returned to heaven, until He had been restored to His former glory,
until He had sent them the Promise of the Father which was the Holy
Spirit. And they obeyed. Ch.2:1-21. Notice that first of all when
the Holy Spirit fell only one hundred twenty were present. It was a
very private affair, a devotional scene. But the news of the one
hundred twenty speaking in the prayer language of the Spirit began to
infiltrate the city. A crowd gathered. They marveled in what they saw
and heard. Here were one hundred Galileans who were looked down
upon because they were uneducated, uncultured people speaking
fluently in the languages of all the nations represented. Languages
which they had not learned. Another amazing thing is found in Vs 11.
Nobody thought of the Galileans as religious people. You see they
were still in their human understanding. They were trying to reason it
out. There is no way any man can reason out God. Man has to start
with faith and discern spiritual things through his spirit not his intellect.
However, one way to have faith is to start with doubt. Because as you
doubt, you begin to examine, and as you carefully examine you find
evidence for your faith to act on. Observers of the event asked
questions, and the Apostle Peter preached a sermon to supply answers.
He directed his listeners back to the Old Testament prophet Joel for
enlightenment about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-17, Acts 9:15-17, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 11:17-18
We can reach down into our inner being and with our spirit start using
our speech organs and create a language which according to Paul in 1
Cor. 14:2 is unto God. This is difficult for some of us to accept. The
Bible tells us in 1 Cor. 2:14 that this will happen. Speaking the prayer
language of the Spirit seems difficult for the intellect to understand
because that intellect has been out of touch with God so long. Any
Christian who has used the prayer language of the Spirit often is aware
that it is like his mind is over to the side observing and hearing. It's not
comprehending the words or the sentences that the spirit is putting
together. Because what is coming over the tongue is not originating in
the intellect. It's coming from within, from the spirit.
Jesus said in John 7:37-39 that the Holy Spirit would be like a river
within us. A river has to start somewhere. Then it has to flow. As
you continually use it, it gets bigger and wider and deeper and stronger
that is more natural and more useful. A river enriches whatever it
touches. As the prayer language is continuously used, it enriches every
part of our lives. 1 Cor. 14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown
tongue edifieth himself. Vs 39 states we are not to forbid speaking in
tongues but to seek it. Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives a person a
language so he can communicate directly with God, edify or build
himself up inside spiritually, intellectually understand God better and
also his own purpose in life is made clearer.
There is another function of tongues, which is employed in services. It
has a distinctly different purpose. 1 Cor. 14 tells us when spoken in
public service it needs an interpretation so the whole gathering may be
blessed.
One thing the believer should do is seek the Baptizer rather then the
Baptism. It is Jesus who baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit. Seekers
should focus their attention on Him rather than the experience. If you
believe on me, out of your belly will flow rivers Jesus said. In other
words, you will feel it. Everyone who has ever believed on Jesus has
felt the rivers of the Holy Spirit. Whether you recognized what it was
or not, you can say, that is what I felt. If you will think back, you felt
something coming inside and it was good, it was great, it was powerful.
Understand that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. It
should be received with gratitude to the giver. It can only be accepted
with an open and willing heart. Be fully persuaded that the baptism in
the Holy Spirit is both biblical and doctrinally correct. If you want
the Holy Spirit confess any known sins in your life and resolve to live
a righteous life with God's help. Begin to worship the Lord with
expressions of praise and adoration. Tell the Lord you want to be
filled with the Holy Spirit for His glory. Yield to any deep welling up
within your spirit. Allow that inner surge to break through, to come up
over your tongue so your spirit can speak to God in a language
unknown to you but meaningful to God.
There are those who testify to a dynamic and life-changing encounter
with the Holy Spirit who have never spoken in tongues. Because the
Bible indicates that all may speak in tongues for personal devotions,
every believer must determine to accept or reject this gift of God's
grace. Scripture makes it clear that believers must recognize their
personal accountability to God and not compare their Christian
experience with others.
Until the recent appearance of the Charismatic movement, churches
known as Pentecostal churches were distinguished as churches whose
members spoke in tongues. We believe that the occurrence mentioned
in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost not only signaled the birth of the
church but describes an experience available to believers in all ages.
Today Lutherans speak in tongues and pray for the sick. Roman
Catholics raise their hands in worship and pray in the spirit,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodist and Baptist are all
experiencing the baptism in the Spirit.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is rich and
varied. Baptism in the Spirit develops holiness in the individual and
empowers them for service. It leads to a life of service where gifts of
the spirit provide power and wisdom for the spread of the gospel and
growth of the church. It becomes the entrance into a mode of worship
that blesses congregations and gives power and grace to us to be
witnesses unto Jesus Christ with boldness. To ignore speaking in
tongues is to miss a great blessing and come short of the New
Testament pattern. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the introduction
to a victorious Christian life in the Spirit. All who are hungry for the
baptism should be encouraged to trust the Lord for the overflowing
evidence of that baptism which is speaking in other tongues.
Pentecost and will continue until the second coming of our Lord, Jesus
Christ.
Who is the Holy Spirit? Webster's dictionary defines the Holy Spirit as
a life giving force, the active presence of God in human life, the third
person in the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is also known as the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit was active throughout the Old Testament Times.
Genesis Ch. 1-2, records that "The spirit of God moved upon the face
of the waters," indicating that the Holy Spirit was here even before
Adam was created. The Holy Spirit is the same in substance and equal
in power and glory with the Father and Son. He is subordinate to both
as He proceeds from them, is sent by them and they operate
through Him. The Holy Spirit possesses divine attributes He is present
everywhere Psm. 139:7-10, has all knowledge I Cor. 2:10 and is all
powerful Zech 4:6, He has performed miracles only God could do,
such as create the world, conceive Jesus and resurrect Jesus. The
Holy Spirit possesses a will, has a mind, speaks, intercedes, calls
missionaries, oversees the church and is susceptible to personal
treatment.
The Holy Spirit's job in relation to us is to call and convict us of our
sins, to indwell us, to seal us, fill us, empower us and anoint us. The
Holy Spirit also imparts spiritual gifts and abilities to us. To put it in
simple language, the Holy Spirit first convinces a person of their need
to change. John 16:8. When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy
Spirit imparts to them a new spirit and eternal life with God in
heaven. Titus 3:5. The Holy Spirit mysteriously takes up residence
within a person, encouraging and strengthening them to live a proper
lifestyle. Rom 8:9. The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer placing them
spiritually in the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12:13. The Holy Spirit
becomes the guarantee of our spiritual inheritance. Eph. 1:13-14.
On the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried
out If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in
me as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living
water. Jesus' loud proclamation was a call to Holy Spirit fullness.
Jesus was describing a way of life for us today. He
points beyond our initial experience of salvation, to a lifestyle bathed in
an ongoing resource of Holy Spirit fullness. Jesus was talking about a
supernatural power, a power from on High.
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly
seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit,
according to the command of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This was a
normal experience in all the New Testament Churches. With it comes
the endowment of power for life and service and the bestowment of
the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. Baptism in the
Holy Spirit is a distinct and different experience than that of your
salvation or new birth experience. It deepens your reverence for God
and it intensifies your consecration and dedication to His work.
Few church doctrines have generated more questions and controversy
than the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The debate started with the
miracle of Pentecost. So let us see what the Bible has to say. Turn to
Acts 1:4-8 skip to Vs:13-14. Here we see one hundred and twenty
men and women including the apostles, and Mary Jesus' mother
gathered together as Jesus has instructed. During the 40 days of His
resurrection Jesus was with the disciples at different times and places
preparing them for the coming of the Holy Spirit also called the
comforter. He told them to remain there in Jerusalem until He had
returned to heaven, until He had been restored to His former glory,
until He had sent them the Promise of the Father which was the Holy
Spirit. And they obeyed. Ch.2:1-21. Notice that first of all when
the Holy Spirit fell only one hundred twenty were present. It was a
very private affair, a devotional scene. But the news of the one
hundred twenty speaking in the prayer language of the Spirit began to
infiltrate the city. A crowd gathered. They marveled in what they saw
and heard. Here were one hundred Galileans who were looked down
upon because they were uneducated, uncultured people speaking
fluently in the languages of all the nations represented. Languages
which they had not learned. Another amazing thing is found in Vs 11.
Nobody thought of the Galileans as religious people. You see they
were still in their human understanding. They were trying to reason it
out. There is no way any man can reason out God. Man has to start
with faith and discern spiritual things through his spirit not his intellect.
However, one way to have faith is to start with doubt. Because as you
doubt, you begin to examine, and as you carefully examine you find
evidence for your faith to act on. Observers of the event asked
questions, and the Apostle Peter preached a sermon to supply answers.
He directed his listeners back to the Old Testament prophet Joel for
enlightenment about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-17, Acts 9:15-17, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 11:17-18
We can reach down into our inner being and with our spirit start using
our speech organs and create a language which according to Paul in 1
Cor. 14:2 is unto God. This is difficult for some of us to accept. The
Bible tells us in 1 Cor. 2:14 that this will happen. Speaking the prayer
language of the Spirit seems difficult for the intellect to understand
because that intellect has been out of touch with God so long. Any
Christian who has used the prayer language of the Spirit often is aware
that it is like his mind is over to the side observing and hearing. It's not
comprehending the words or the sentences that the spirit is putting
together. Because what is coming over the tongue is not originating in
the intellect. It's coming from within, from the spirit.
Jesus said in John 7:37-39 that the Holy Spirit would be like a river
within us. A river has to start somewhere. Then it has to flow. As
you continually use it, it gets bigger and wider and deeper and stronger
that is more natural and more useful. A river enriches whatever it
touches. As the prayer language is continuously used, it enriches every
part of our lives. 1 Cor. 14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown
tongue edifieth himself. Vs 39 states we are not to forbid speaking in
tongues but to seek it. Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives a person a
language so he can communicate directly with God, edify or build
himself up inside spiritually, intellectually understand God better and
also his own purpose in life is made clearer.
There is another function of tongues, which is employed in services. It
has a distinctly different purpose. 1 Cor. 14 tells us when spoken in
public service it needs an interpretation so the whole gathering may be
blessed.
One thing the believer should do is seek the Baptizer rather then the
Baptism. It is Jesus who baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit. Seekers
should focus their attention on Him rather than the experience. If you
believe on me, out of your belly will flow rivers Jesus said. In other
words, you will feel it. Everyone who has ever believed on Jesus has
felt the rivers of the Holy Spirit. Whether you recognized what it was
or not, you can say, that is what I felt. If you will think back, you felt
something coming inside and it was good, it was great, it was powerful.
Understand that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. It
should be received with gratitude to the giver. It can only be accepted
with an open and willing heart. Be fully persuaded that the baptism in
the Holy Spirit is both biblical and doctrinally correct. If you want
the Holy Spirit confess any known sins in your life and resolve to live
a righteous life with God's help. Begin to worship the Lord with
expressions of praise and adoration. Tell the Lord you want to be
filled with the Holy Spirit for His glory. Yield to any deep welling up
within your spirit. Allow that inner surge to break through, to come up
over your tongue so your spirit can speak to God in a language
unknown to you but meaningful to God.
There are those who testify to a dynamic and life-changing encounter
with the Holy Spirit who have never spoken in tongues. Because the
Bible indicates that all may speak in tongues for personal devotions,
every believer must determine to accept or reject this gift of God's
grace. Scripture makes it clear that believers must recognize their
personal accountability to God and not compare their Christian
experience with others.
Until the recent appearance of the Charismatic movement, churches
known as Pentecostal churches were distinguished as churches whose
members spoke in tongues. We believe that the occurrence mentioned
in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost not only signaled the birth of the
church but describes an experience available to believers in all ages.
Today Lutherans speak in tongues and pray for the sick. Roman
Catholics raise their hands in worship and pray in the spirit,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodist and Baptist are all
experiencing the baptism in the Spirit.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is rich and
varied. Baptism in the Spirit develops holiness in the individual and
empowers them for service. It leads to a life of service where gifts of
the spirit provide power and wisdom for the spread of the gospel and
growth of the church. It becomes the entrance into a mode of worship
that blesses congregations and gives power and grace to us to be
witnesses unto Jesus Christ with boldness. To ignore speaking in
tongues is to miss a great blessing and come short of the New
Testament pattern. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the introduction
to a victorious Christian life in the Spirit. All who are hungry for the
baptism should be encouraged to trust the Lord for the overflowing
evidence of that baptism which is speaking in other tongues.