JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY
SOME TIME AGO, WE BEGAN TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE . IN BLOG 5, YOU WILL RECALL,WE LISTENED IN AS JESUS WAS TALKING WITH HIS DISCIPLES CONCERNING HIS UPCOMING DEATH ON THE CROSS. IN JOHN 14:16, JESUS ASSURES THEM THAT HE WOULD NOT LEAVE THEM COMFORTLESS, IN THAT THEY WERE SORELY DISTRESSED THAT HE WAS LEAVING THEM! WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM, THEY LAMENTED! JESUS KNOWING THEIR THOUGHTS, SAID
OF COURSE, WE CAN ANTICIPATE THEIR WONDERMENT AS TO HOW HE COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THIS COME TO PASS! WHAT DOES HE MEAN WHEN HE DECLARES "ANOTHER COMFORTER, ADVOCATE, ETC.? TRAGICALLY, THEY REALLY HAD NO CONCEPT JUST WHO JESUS TRULY WAS/IS!
IN MATTHEW 3:4, WE READ OF THE DISCOURSE BETWEEN JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST CONCERNING HIS BAPTISM IN THE RIVER JORDAN. "AND WHEN JESUS WAS BAPTIZED, HE WENT UP AT ONCE OUT OF THE WATER, AND BEHOLD, THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED AND HE (JOHN) SAW THE SPIRIT OF GOD (HOLY SPIRIT) DESCENDING LIKE A DOVE AND ALIGHTING ON HIM; AND LO, A VOICE OUT OF HEAVEN SAID THIS IS MY SON, MY BELOVED, IN WHOM I DELIGHT!" JESUS WAS NOT ONLY EXPERIENCING WATER BAPTISM, BUT HE WAS BAPTIZED, (FILLED) WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
"THEN JESUS WAS LED (GUIDED) BY THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS
(DESERT) TO BE TEMPTED - THAT IS TESTED AND TRIED - BY THE DEVIL!"
WHY WAS THIS A NECESSITY ENDEAVOR? AFTER ALL, WASN'T JESUS GOD ALMIGHTY? WHY WOULD HE HAVE TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT?
REMEMBER, HE WAS WALKING THE EARTH AS MAN AND WAS/IS A MODEL FOR "THOSE WHO WILL", I.E BELIEVERS.
JESUS WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN HIS MINISTRY (ABOUT AGE 30) THUS, IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT HE ESTABLISH IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS WITH THE FOUL SPIRIT WORLD, JUST WHO HE IS, AND AS WELL,TO BE EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, SO AS TO ACCOMPLISH ALL THAT HIS FATHER HAD PURPOSED FOR HIM ON EARTH AND HE COULD DECLARE THE LAST THREE WORDS WHILE ON THE CROSS "IT IS FINISHED" (JOHN 19:30)
AS IT MUST BE EVERY CHRISTIAN WHO IS PASSIONATE/DESIROUS IN ACCOMPLISHING ALL THAT THE LORD HAS FOR HIM/HER! PLEASE KEEP IN MIND WHAT JESUS DECLARED IN JOHN 15:4,5, "ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU, AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR OF ITSELF, UNLESS IT ABIDES IN THE VINE, NEITHER CAN YOU, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN ME. I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. HE WHO ABIDES IN ME AND I IN HIM BEARS MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME, YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
TO REITERATE, ONE IS BORN AGAIN BECAUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT DRAWING HIM/HER. .NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER WITHOUT THE WOOING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SOME DECLARE THAT ONCE ONE IS "BORN AGAIN, THAT IS ALL THERE IS,,WE HAVE ALL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WE ARE GOING TO GET"! HOW TRAGIC AND SUCH DECEPTION FROM SATAN ! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I HEARD BELIEVERS DECLARE,"WELL IF GOD WANTS ME TO HAVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE WILL GIVE HIM TO ME"! THAT IS AS NONSENSICAL AS DECLARING :"IF GOD WANTS ME TO BE 'BORN AGAIN', HE WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN"! NO, WE HAVE TO ASK THE LORD TO BE BORN AGAIN, AND AS WELL, ASKING TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. ONCE WE BECOME "SPIRIT-FILLED", AGAIN, TO REITERATE, IT IS THEN WE ARE EMPOWERED, AS WAS JESUS, TO BE FULLY USED BY GOD! THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE THEN RELEASED. THESE WILL BE ADDRESSED IN BLOG 8.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS TOPIC ON YOUR OWN, MAY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THE BOOK OF ACTS AND 1 CORINTHIANS. I CLOSE BY INCLUDING A SIMPLE HEART-FELT PRAYER THAT WILL ASSIST YOU IN BECOMING "FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT", THAT IS, IF YOU HAVE BECOME "BORN AGAIN, OR BORN FROM ABOVE" AS JESUS DECLARES IN JOHN 3:1-21.
"MOST GRACIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER, I THANK YOU THAT WHEN
I ASKED YOU TO BECOME BORN AGAIN, YOU DREW ME TO YOU AND I
BECAME YOUR CHILD, TO BE CARED FOR AND LOVED BY YOU FOR
ALL ETERNITY. I KNOW THAT I AM UNABLE TO TRULY ACCOMPLISH
ALL THAT YOU HAVE FOR ME AS YOUR CHILD, WITHOUT THE
INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT TO EMPOWER ME, HOLY SPIRIT, I SO DESIRE
NOW, THAT YOU FILL ME, BAPTIZE ME I SURRENDER TO YOU NOW, HAVE
YOUR WAY IN MY LIFE. LORD, I SO LOOK FORWARD TO THE SPIRITUAL GIFT/GIFTS YOU HAVE FOR ME SO AS TO BUILD UP THE BODY OF CHRIST. AND IT IS IN THAT PRECIOUS NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES, JESUS THE CHRIST THAT I PRAY THIS PRAYER. AMEN AND AMEN."
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